135s vs DV HX1.2
Posted by: Alex S. on 30 May 2002
One of our most charming members has just bought a pair of Shahinian Obelisks (so they're not warmed up, but at least it was a level playing field). As a result, it seemed worthwhile to try out the Dynavector HX 1.2 against the 135s which presently reside in the system. Other components are CDS2 and 52, all sitting on Hutter.
Since I am a fully paid up member of the DV Mafia I considered it wise to oversee the demonstration. This meant we had a new, fully up to speed, HX 1.2, mine, which is older and slightly less powerfully specified, and the 135s for comparison. For the Naims we used all Naim cabling including NACA5. For the DV we had a custom made Chord Cobra IC and a choice of NACA5 or Nordost Red Dawn.
For listening we chose some full-on Vaughan Williams with bowel churning organ, parts of Dreadzone Sound, bits of Nick Cave's Let Love In (in parts a truly awful recording), Hugh Masakela's Coal Train and an assortment of other things - normal music and hi-fi testers and teasers.
First up was the new DV, which had been warming up for a day, with NACA5 - It sounded very quiet, open, detailed, spacious. Yes, these are round earth terms, but this is not some round earth amplifier. It holds the tune, plays music, has groove, has foot-tap-ability, although both of us studiously avoided extraneous movements.
Now the 135s. We tried VW's organ. There was more sound. I'm not sure how much more music there was, there was certainly more noise and a degree of gubbins but, the organ was fuller, bigger, bassier - more like a big full-on organ in fact. Subtleties in the orchestration could be followed easily but a few instruments had gone missing. Now the Dreadzone: Wow! The Naim virtues came at you like a velvet gloved, ferrous fist. It is obvious why the Naim clichés of pace, dynamics, leading edge attack have become the clichés they are: I don't think there's anything out there that can grab you by the throat and shake you like Naim can. With Dreadzone its a perfect match. Naim's sheer excitement factor is surely unrivalled.
So what about my DV (again with NACA 5)? Well, it sounded so similar to the first DV that I wasn't sure I heard a difference. My fellow listener detected a slightly thinner presentation and I eventually agreed that the lower rated amp is indeed slightly light-weight compared to its big brother. Nonetheless, even with rose tinted glasses off I'm certainly not rushing off to buy a newer one.
All the time a coiled silver serpent of Red Dawn was sitting on the sofa. I forced it open, otherwise it would have sat there slumbering indefinitely. Nick, for that is his name, plugged it in whilst banging various body parts for the umpteenth time and cursing a lot, mainly me. On went VW: again Wow! A harpist had entered the room. The woodwind section had doubled in size. Actually, the whole orchestra had grown as had the hall where the music was recorded. We played on, trying to trip the stuff up but each time it seemed to play the tune and get things right. My amplifier had grown in stature by a laughable amount. . .
My main conclusion is that all three amplifiers are bloody good. In a Naim system it would be silly, in my opinion, to chuck out 135s for a Dynavector. Nick's certainly not going to. If one worships at the altar of PRaT then there is no better than Naim. By comparison DV is a tad slow, a bit less exciting, also a bit thinner, but, and for my taste its quite a big but, it also a lot quieter, more open, more detailed and, dare I say it, more musical to my ears; but the differences are subtle - both amplifiers essentially hail from a pre Columbian non-spherical world. For Naim the Earth's flat, that's it. The DV's not so sure - some flatness has given way to some roundness; with Red Dawn the DV is something rather wonderful - Hugh Masekela's Live 'Coal Train' was imbued with a kind of magic hitherto lacking - even the Hammond organ thingy.
With Naim one has far less chance to play around with silly cabling. For many that is a blessing not a hindrance. For my madness I believe in good cabling - not that I'm about to buy Red Dawn (for a grand) for myself of course!
So we have two real heavyweights, and I mean Cassius Clay not Frank Bruno. Strangely enough though, its the DV that floats like a butterfly and the 135s which sting like a bee. Neither is doing panto.
Alex
Since I am a fully paid up member of the DV Mafia I considered it wise to oversee the demonstration. This meant we had a new, fully up to speed, HX 1.2, mine, which is older and slightly less powerfully specified, and the 135s for comparison. For the Naims we used all Naim cabling including NACA5. For the DV we had a custom made Chord Cobra IC and a choice of NACA5 or Nordost Red Dawn.
For listening we chose some full-on Vaughan Williams with bowel churning organ, parts of Dreadzone Sound, bits of Nick Cave's Let Love In (in parts a truly awful recording), Hugh Masakela's Coal Train and an assortment of other things - normal music and hi-fi testers and teasers.
First up was the new DV, which had been warming up for a day, with NACA5 - It sounded very quiet, open, detailed, spacious. Yes, these are round earth terms, but this is not some round earth amplifier. It holds the tune, plays music, has groove, has foot-tap-ability, although both of us studiously avoided extraneous movements.
Now the 135s. We tried VW's organ. There was more sound. I'm not sure how much more music there was, there was certainly more noise and a degree of gubbins but, the organ was fuller, bigger, bassier - more like a big full-on organ in fact. Subtleties in the orchestration could be followed easily but a few instruments had gone missing. Now the Dreadzone: Wow! The Naim virtues came at you like a velvet gloved, ferrous fist. It is obvious why the Naim clichés of pace, dynamics, leading edge attack have become the clichés they are: I don't think there's anything out there that can grab you by the throat and shake you like Naim can. With Dreadzone its a perfect match. Naim's sheer excitement factor is surely unrivalled.
So what about my DV (again with NACA 5)? Well, it sounded so similar to the first DV that I wasn't sure I heard a difference. My fellow listener detected a slightly thinner presentation and I eventually agreed that the lower rated amp is indeed slightly light-weight compared to its big brother. Nonetheless, even with rose tinted glasses off I'm certainly not rushing off to buy a newer one.
All the time a coiled silver serpent of Red Dawn was sitting on the sofa. I forced it open, otherwise it would have sat there slumbering indefinitely. Nick, for that is his name, plugged it in whilst banging various body parts for the umpteenth time and cursing a lot, mainly me. On went VW: again Wow! A harpist had entered the room. The woodwind section had doubled in size. Actually, the whole orchestra had grown as had the hall where the music was recorded. We played on, trying to trip the stuff up but each time it seemed to play the tune and get things right. My amplifier had grown in stature by a laughable amount. . .
My main conclusion is that all three amplifiers are bloody good. In a Naim system it would be silly, in my opinion, to chuck out 135s for a Dynavector. Nick's certainly not going to. If one worships at the altar of PRaT then there is no better than Naim. By comparison DV is a tad slow, a bit less exciting, also a bit thinner, but, and for my taste its quite a big but, it also a lot quieter, more open, more detailed and, dare I say it, more musical to my ears; but the differences are subtle - both amplifiers essentially hail from a pre Columbian non-spherical world. For Naim the Earth's flat, that's it. The DV's not so sure - some flatness has given way to some roundness; with Red Dawn the DV is something rather wonderful - Hugh Masekela's Live 'Coal Train' was imbued with a kind of magic hitherto lacking - even the Hammond organ thingy.
With Naim one has far less chance to play around with silly cabling. For many that is a blessing not a hindrance. For my madness I believe in good cabling - not that I'm about to buy Red Dawn (for a grand) for myself of course!
So we have two real heavyweights, and I mean Cassius Clay not Frank Bruno. Strangely enough though, its the DV that floats like a butterfly and the 135s which sting like a bee. Neither is doing panto.
Alex