Wow Gents, thank you very much for all suggestions and advices. My room is very small I believe, from around 13.5-16.0 m2 I believe, therefore the speakers' position is the best I can get in this room. Even I wish my place was bigger but this should be in the future when I finish my PhD and move house.

Regarding valve pre, I see many people using AR REF5 pre-amp so this amp might be in my consideration. I see some other brands which are highly regarded and recommended such as: Ayon, Lamm, Conrad Johnson, Einstein - my very interesting pre to be honest - Wavac, Audio Note/Kondo,Allnic, BAT, Nagra...

So there are so many choices, but I am after s/h or ex-demo products only. In case I have to purchase sth brand new I dont want to say good bye so soon :P as I always do, therefore your knowledge and recommendation is very important to me.

In the UK, it is quite difficult to get home demo with one of the above brand/equipment. 99% equipment in my system has been purchased blind without any inspection or audition. This time I believe will not be an exception.

In fact, there are also many other ss pre-amps very good out there, but as I said I have never tried valve in my system, hence this time I hope I can get a pre home.

many thanks and best regards,

SR

sonrock October 25, 2011 23:07

Were it me I'd have Audio Research Ref3/5/Anniv on the short list, seem to work well across different systems. Cost no object, Robert Koda K-10

defride October 25, 2011 19:12

How big is your room? I can tell you for certain that the magicos are too close to the wall. Minimum 3 ft from front wall better still at 5ft. I don't have a room large enough to try them any further out than that. In any case, they should be in front of your electronics,not behind. Just a little friendly advice. Enjoy.

hessec October 25, 2011 16:12

Well, Sonrock...

My shortlist would include Atma-Sphere and VAC. These are solid companies offering quality products with stellar customer support.

Solid company...quality products...stellar customer support has culminated in my all BAT system :-)

There are other manufacturers that merit consideration, of course. If practical/possible, audition the valve pre's in your system/room ;-)

The AudiogoN community benefits from members with technical knowledge and alacrity. If I had a question relative to impedance, differential balance circuitry, et al., I would consult Almarg...he is a GREAT teacher!

Very best regards,

Sam

c1ferrari October 25, 2011 06:01

thank you very much Sam, now not sure which valve pre I should bring home for matching with my current system :), any advice please?

sonrock October 25, 2011 00:07

Congratulations!

I might add a valve pre in the future as I am too busy with my baby at the moment, just become a father for more than 10 days. so now doing research about valve pre, tt + phono!

So happy for you :-)

Best regards,
Sam

c1ferrari October 23, 2011 20:32

Thank Sam and Def. I made a very long review about them compared to the MBL 121's but too lazy to translate into english :P.

I don't know and can't explain about the running period and warming up the speakers, but after a proper time they sound completely different from the first time receive them.

In fact, Magico's and MBL's are different type and therefore sound completely different. I cannot say which is better than the other because it is 100% personal taste.

Comparing the V2's and 121's are uneven and unfair for the 121's as they are smaller and sensitivity is lower. However, if you are in the USA and thinking to upgrade, then moving from 121's to V2's is a great option and you'll never be disappointed. But if you are in the UK or EU, you should consider very carefully about this path because the money spent is massive different from the US. In case you truly want to try sth bigger and sound different, besides you have enough fund for the new speakers then go for V2's. If not, I highly recommend you stick with the 121's as they are not as good as the V2's in term of bass only; the rest I can confidently say - personal choice.

I might add a valve pre in the future as I am too busy with my baby at the moment, just become a father for more than 10 days. so now doing research about valve pre, tt + phono!

sonrock October 23, 2011 14:38

Nice one Sonrock, looking good. Bet its sounding wonderful. Will be interested to see how your system develops particularly when you have a chance to put a really good pre in.

defride October 22, 2011 20:27

Sonrock,

Glad you were able to post the new pics :-)
Let us know how you like the V2's!

Best,
Sam

c1ferrari October 22, 2011 11:43

System edited: I have bought a pair of Magico V2's

sonrock October 20, 2011 23:35

thank you Sam, could you please let me know how to add the speakers in the system and change the picture? I tried many times yesterday and not succeeded :(.

now I have 2 pairs of speakers, really nice indeed but the MBL's might go soon for spaces.

sonrock October 19, 2011 18:09

Wow...congratulations, Sonrock!

-Sam

c1ferrari October 19, 2011 06:07

the magico v2's arrived today and they sound stunning, truly wonderful and superb. I made a very long reviews and compare the V2's over the MBL 121's. will translate into english very soon. don't know how to update system and change the pictures :(

sonrock October 19, 2011 00:44

hi Mapman

sorry as my mother tongue is not english therefore I cannot 100% fully understand what you wrote.

you meant my sub-woofer is behind one MBL speaker? if yes, it is used in my HT system which contains Onkyo 5007 avr and Pioneer LX-08 bdp.

cheers,

sonrock

sonrock September 17, 2011 02:13

You may be modest, but not the rig.

All out assault I would say, except perhaps for the monitors, unless the lowest octave is not a concern.

Whatever. Nice stuff!

Are those cinder blocks behind? I wonder how that affects the sound if so?

mapman September 15, 2011 20:33

thanks Sam

now I am wondering between Kharma 2.3 Be's and Magico V2's. will open a thread soon asking for advices.

cheers,

sonrock

sonrock September 15, 2011 17:50

Un-oh, Sonrock, hehe :-)
Agree with Loomisjohnson -- nice stuff!

Regards,
Sam

c1ferrari September 14, 2011 04:26

Thanks Johnson, during the last 12 months I have changed my system at least 5 times :(, I meant I changed every single thing including cables etc.

In the future, I am thinking to get a valve pre, turntable and some different interconnect cables besides speakers. I'm truly hifi-addicted

sonrock September 13, 2011 17:12

really nice system--"modest" might be bit of an understatement.

loomisjohnson September 13, 2011 15:24