Loved your video Clint. Looked up Xtend and looks like you’re in OH. I’m a newbie to HiFi and I’ve been inching my way into the rabbit hole. Was gifted a vintage Marantz 2275 and set of JBL HLS 820 towers. I got the 2275 recapped and restored. Talking to my HiFi pros who restored my vintage Marantz, the analogy that was given to me was that vintage HiFi is like a classic sports car, fun to drive and collectible, buy not really meant as the daily workhorse. So two things, I’ve been researching new integrated amps, and I also had by coincidence before having watched your video made an appointment to listen to a set of pre owned totem sky towers, so your video was surprisingly timely. I’m in Westchester NY, and lucky to have a HiFi shop about 40min drive from me. I listened to the pairing of the Sphinx v3 and sky towers. The Totems are very nice and impressive for the size. But then they suggested I listen to a set of KEF Q550 towers with the Sphinx… Wow! Like I said, I’m a newbie at HiFi, but I think I’ve found a combination at a price point that will make me very happy. PS, I also had a chance to listen to a set of KEF Reference 3 Metas, and that was also completely mind blowing… if I ever win the lottery, I know what I will be upgrading to! ;-) Thank you for your video… I’m definitely subscribing to your channel. :-)
I throughly enjoy my Sphinx, they are powering my Definitive Technology BP-2000 towers. It doesn't take long to open up after turning it on, but truly develops, begins to dance and gets very engaging 5 hours into your listening experience.
I purchased the spinx V3 and I am very impressed with the spinx I have a pair of klipsch KG3's, Dennon dcd600ne cd player, and a thornes TD 190 turntable. Nothing that will break the bank, but it sounds great.
I paired the Sphinx v3 with Linton speakers and what a killer combination. That Rogue is worth 2x the money in sound quality. My Uturn Tenor with the Ortofon Bronze will show up next week. I like the Cambridge MX10 streamer. I returned the Bluesound Node.
While the Sphinx sounds interesting, almost every reviewer ends up saying class AB still sounds better overall than Class D,. Compared to the Schiit products like the Vidar 2 this unit doesn't seem like such a bargain. Would enjoy seeing a comparison review with the two units.
I own and LOVE this amp. I have a Project Classic Evo TT with an Ortofon Red MC, and although the phono stage sounds terrific in this unit, I am always curious about a separate such as the Project DS2 Tube Box or something similar in the $800 range. Any thoughts on the internal phono stage vs a separate? Thanks for the review btw. Mine is silver! Edit: Clint are you familiar with Focal loudspeakers? I am eyeing the Chora 826 but don't want that bright upper mid/treble, and am wondering if the V3 can tame those frequencies? Cheers
I have this unit. I’m using it to drive some PSB t2 towers, and feeding it with a sonos port through a denafrips ares 2 dac, a rega rep3 turntable, and and oppo 205 player. It sound really good. It has excellent base slam, great midrange and highs, and really nice imaging. I use the variable output to add a (probably unnecessary) subwoofer, and the fixed output for an external headphone amp. The built in headphone amp in the rogue is good, but the schiit Asgard is a bit better. I’ve swapped the stock tubes for gold lions, which are new production and sound better to my ears, but the stock JJ”s are good as well. I think you would have to spend significantly more to getter a better sounding analogue amp.
Thanks. I own it as well and am curious about adding an separate phono stage. Its difficult to A/B the internal with something else since I don't own one, but what are your thoughts on the phono preamp here? Cheers.
@@fcamiola The phono preamp is good, at least for MM. I have not tried MC yet. I think to do better, you could not just buy something for a few hundred bucks. When I first got it, I had an external Mofi phone stage, but I thought it was not better than the rogue, so I got rid of it. Of course, if you want to buy a higher end ($1000 + ) phono stage, I’d bet you’d likely hear a difference, depending on your system. If, however, you have the type of turntable where you can easily change cartridges, and like to try lots of different MC cartridges it would be worthwhile. Taking the case off to change loadings and such could get old in that circumstance.
You deal with a lot of Macintosh products, I have a question... how does their class D sound compared to their class ab? In particular the MC8207? I’m considering getting that amp and using it to run 200 watts into the mids & 200 watts into the highs of my dual binding post bookshelf speakers (Sonus Faber). I have run class d into them before from a Marantz, but I am currently using the Marantz as my preamp & using a class a tube amp or a class ab solid state amp to drive them. I’ve been thinking about switching up my system & getting the Gato preamp to feed the amp, the mc8207 to be exact... does the class d Mac sound close enough their ab stuff? Had Sams Club pizza last night & haven’t eaten anything today yet, though I am starved! Thanks & love your Channel! Edit: I’ve been searching & searching the internet for the sound characteristics of these but can’t find anything. I think it would be a fun way to use this amp in a 2 channel system if it has decent sound qualities...
Well, I'm not sure really. If it were me, I'd give mids and highs Class A or AB. You won't need those kinds of watts anyways on Sonus bookshelf speakers, better to go AB IMO. I've only used Class D for Atmos highs and distributed audio where it won't be as noticeable. I'm sure it's decent, but for Sonus monitors I'd want AB personally. I've also got Marantz Ref Class D and between you and me, I don't care for it. It seems dry and lifeless.
Clint, what would you recommend for an amplifier that is a little bit better than this, that would go great with my Gyro SE? Something that I could increase bass sound? Thanks.
Well if you mean with tone controls, the Parasound HINT6 is great. Although I'd much prefer adding a sub instead of cranking up the bass knob. If you do want to turn up a bass control, be very delicate with it. You can quickly go beyond what the amplifier and speaker can handle. No more than 3db max IMHO. 3db will double your power needs, and any more will likely stress out your speakers. More than that, you need a subwoofer. With the Parasound HINT, you can add a sub or two, and even reduce the bass on your mains to reduce the overall stress on the system. It has crossovers for mains and subs. McIntosh has some nice options too, but for more money.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy Thank you so much for your answer. I really appreciate it. I have another question about speakers. Can I send you an email thru your store website?
Loved your video Clint. Looked up Xtend and looks like you’re in OH. I’m a newbie to HiFi and I’ve been inching my way into the rabbit hole. Was gifted a vintage Marantz 2275 and set of JBL HLS 820 towers. I got the 2275 recapped and restored. Talking to my HiFi pros who restored my vintage Marantz, the analogy that was given to me was that vintage HiFi is like a classic sports car, fun to drive and collectible, buy not really meant as the daily workhorse. So two things, I’ve been researching new integrated amps, and I also had by coincidence before having watched your video made an appointment to listen to a set of pre owned totem sky towers, so your video was surprisingly timely. I’m in Westchester NY, and lucky to have a HiFi shop about 40min drive from me. I listened to the pairing of the Sphinx v3 and sky towers. The Totems are very nice and impressive for the size. But then they suggested I listen to a set of KEF Q550 towers with the Sphinx… Wow! Like I said, I’m a newbie at HiFi, but I think I’ve found a combination at a price point that will make me very happy. PS, I also had a chance to listen to a set of KEF Reference 3 Metas, and that was also completely mind blowing… if I ever win the lottery, I know what I will be upgrading to! ;-)
Thank you for your video… I’m definitely subscribing to your channel. :-)
I throughly enjoy my Sphinx, they are powering my Definitive Technology BP-2000 towers. It doesn't take long to open up after turning it on, but truly develops, begins to dance and gets very engaging 5 hours into your listening experience.
FIVE HOURS????
What’s the point then if it takes that long??? lol.
Clint, I’ve visited your store. You have a great selection of high end equipment.
I purchased the spinx V3 and I am very impressed with the spinx I have a pair of klipsch KG3's, Dennon dcd600ne cd player, and a thornes TD 190 turntable. Nothing
that will break the bank, but it sounds great.
Thanks for the review! I just got some Kef R3 Metas in, and a Sphinx v3 is likely my next move.
I paired the Sphinx v3 with Linton speakers and what a killer combination. That Rogue is worth 2x the money in sound quality. My Uturn Tenor with the Ortofon Bronze will show up next week. I like the Cambridge MX10 streamer. I returned the Bluesound Node.
I had Pork Chops and Applesauce.
While the Sphinx sounds interesting, almost every reviewer ends up saying class AB still sounds better overall than Class D,. Compared to the Schiit products like the Vidar 2 this unit doesn't seem like such a bargain. Would enjoy seeing a comparison review with the two units.
How about sky tower review!
I own and LOVE this amp. I have a Project Classic Evo TT with an Ortofon Red MC, and although the phono stage sounds terrific in this unit, I am always curious about a separate such as the Project DS2 Tube Box or something similar in the $800 range.
Any thoughts on the internal phono stage vs a separate? Thanks for the review btw. Mine is silver!
Edit: Clint are you familiar with Focal loudspeakers? I am eyeing the Chora 826 but don't want that bright upper mid/treble, and am wondering if the V3 can tame those frequencies? Cheers
I have this unit. I’m using it to drive some PSB t2 towers, and feeding it with a sonos port through a denafrips ares 2 dac, a rega rep3 turntable, and and oppo 205 player. It sound really good. It has excellent base slam, great midrange and highs, and really nice imaging. I use the variable output to add a (probably unnecessary) subwoofer, and the fixed output for an external headphone amp. The built in headphone amp in the rogue is good, but the schiit Asgard is a bit better. I’ve swapped the stock tubes for gold lions, which are new production and sound better to my ears, but the stock JJ”s are good as well. I think you would have to spend significantly more to getter a better sounding analogue amp.
Thanks. I own it as well and am curious about adding an separate phono stage. Its difficult to A/B the internal with something else since I don't own one, but what are your thoughts on the phono preamp here? Cheers.
@@fcamiola The phono preamp is good, at least for MM. I have not tried MC yet. I think to do better, you could not just buy something for a few hundred bucks. When I first got it, I had an external Mofi phone stage, but I thought it was not better than the rogue, so I got rid of it. Of course, if you want to buy a higher end ($1000 + ) phono stage, I’d bet you’d likely hear a difference, depending on your system. If, however, you have the type of turntable where you can easily change cartridges, and like to try lots of different MC cartridges it would be worthwhile. Taking the case off to change loadings and such could get old in that circumstance.
More speaker reviews please.
Eating a big mac and watching you for lunch. lol
Yessssssssssssss!
You deal with a lot of Macintosh products, I have a question... how does their class D sound compared to their class ab? In particular the MC8207? I’m considering getting that amp and using it to run 200 watts into the mids & 200 watts into the highs of my dual binding post bookshelf speakers (Sonus Faber). I have run class d into them before from a Marantz, but I am currently using the Marantz as my preamp & using a class a tube amp or a class ab solid state amp to drive them. I’ve been thinking about switching up my system & getting the Gato preamp to feed the amp, the mc8207 to be exact... does the class d Mac sound close enough their ab stuff? Had Sams Club pizza last night & haven’t eaten anything today yet, though I am starved! Thanks & love your Channel!
Edit: I’ve been searching & searching the internet for the sound characteristics of these but can’t find anything. I think it would be a fun way to use this amp in a 2 channel system if it has decent sound qualities...
Well, I'm not sure really. If it were me, I'd give mids and highs Class A or AB. You won't need those kinds of watts anyways on Sonus bookshelf speakers, better to go AB IMO. I've only used Class D for Atmos highs and distributed audio where it won't be as noticeable. I'm sure it's decent, but for Sonus monitors I'd want AB personally. I've also got Marantz Ref Class D and between you and me, I don't care for it. It seems dry and lifeless.
Hi Clint, how does the Sphinx 3 pair with the totem hawks?
How do they sound playing with the Magnepan 1.7s?
PS Head wings for lunch.😎🤣
Clint, what would you recommend for an amplifier that is a little bit better than this, that would go great with my Gyro SE? Something that I could increase bass sound? Thanks.
Well if you mean with tone controls, the Parasound HINT6 is great. Although I'd much prefer adding a sub instead of cranking up the bass knob. If you do want to turn up a bass control, be very delicate with it. You can quickly go beyond what the amplifier and speaker can handle. No more than 3db max IMHO. 3db will double your power needs, and any more will likely stress out your speakers. More than that, you need a subwoofer. With the Parasound HINT, you can add a sub or two, and even reduce the bass on your mains to reduce the overall stress on the system. It has crossovers for mains and subs. McIntosh has some nice options too, but for more money.
@@Clint_the_Audio-Photo_Guy
Thank you so much for your answer. I really appreciate it.
I have another question about speakers. Can I send you an email thru your store website?
cheesy garlic bread and a couple of slices of pizza
the remote doesn't have bones! Its a circuit board!!! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂😁
It took me a second to realize that's Godzilla in your Avatar, ha.
P U M P I T!