To Jeff Fritz,
Can you please tell me your thoughts on the following? For driving a pair of the Rockport Altair 2s, would you prefer a Gryphon Mephisto stereo amplifier or a pair of Colosseum monoblocks, given a Pandora preamplifier, dCS source, and Transparent cabling?
Secondly, and unrelated to the first question, I note the Magico Q7s were triamped at CES 2012 or 2013 (I cannot remember which). Is that necessary? I don't recall you triamping them in any of your articles. I have considered auditioning the Q7s with the new Constellation Hercules II at Goodwin's High End. Have you any experience with Constellation and Magico?
Thanks,
Rob
Wow, what a tough first question. Hmm . . .
I think I would take a Mephisto stereo amplifier, given the differences in price: $87,000 for the Colosseum monos and $57,000 for the Mephisto stereo amplifier. I might even choose the Mephisto without considering the price differential, but that would require a direct comparison between the two models with the same ancillary gear. The Mephisto is the newest design from Gryphon and they improve their products each time out. I do not think the mono advantage would be as great in this case, unlike several others that I could name (like the Boulder 2060 stereo versus the 2050 monos), because the Mephisto is the superior amplifier to begin with. Still, I could change my mind tomorrow on that. What a great dilemma to have!
As to Constellation and the Magico Q7s, that's a pairing I'm not completely sold on yet. I know they have shown together at the various trade shows, and I know that Magico has also successfully paired with Soulution. However, I have not heard these combos in my own home. Although they are certainly worth exploring, I'd surely look to the Gryphon models named above first, along with the new Boulder 2100-series products. I'm obviously quite high on Gryphon's products, and I also thought quite highly of the previous-generation 2000 series from Boulder. These would top my shortlist for powering a pair of Q7s. The Q7s come standard in a biamp configuration, but they can be ordered equipped for triamping if you so choose. . . . Jeff Fritz
