Bottlehead
|
Hey Steve,
I've been meaning to give you my impressions of the DM945s + Companion Cabinet for a while now, so this seems like the right time. I'm nobody's idea of a music/gear critic, but here's my story:
I came to visit you two years ago - summer of 2012. I auditioned a couple of amps and several speakers. I preferred the sound of the DM945s best, so I settled on a MiniTorii, DM945s, interconnects, speaker cable and power cords. Since then I had tried various combos of amps and subwoofers, and could never quite get the sound that I was after. I loved the highs and (especially) the mids of the 945s- but I couldn't get a low-end blend that I could live with. Then last fall I saw the companion cabinets on your site, and ordered a pair. Right away the missing link was there - good, deep, smooth, INTEGRATED bass. Hallelujah! Not long after that we talked again, and you suggested the Teac UD-501 DAC. So now my system consists of Apple MacBook Pro w/SSD running on battery power into the Teac, and then directly into a Torii MkII w/Hazen Grid mod, and out to the DM945s + Companion Cabinets. I have to say that this is the best sound that I have ever achieved. Big, fat, juicy notes. I guess when you have gear that is this resolving, it's best just to get out of the way and KISS. I have several other amps and speakers costing WAY more than this setup, but if I could only pick one system to keep, it would be this one. They have even relegated my Zu Essence MK 1B w/upgraded nanodrivers to second place for rock 'n' roll listening - and I didn't think that anything that I would be able to afford could do that. And although this system is in a crappy listening space, a couple of things jumped out at me - there is enough bass volume that you can get a bass "boom" if the speakers are too close to the front wall. Pull them out into the room, and they settle right down. Also, they throw a wide-enough soundstage that they need a little distance between them. I can only go five feet apart in my room before I run into problems with the side walls. The soundstage is still great (check out the crowd noise/applause on the Eagles live album "Hell Freezes Over" with these things, and you will see what I mean), but I have the sense that there is more there, and that they may be walking on each other a little bit. The first thing that I will do when I get them in a better space is try them at 6 feet apart, but they are so enjoyable the way that they are, it's a pretty minor complaint. Just something to look forward to, more than anything.
So I guess what I would say to anyone contemplating buying this combination speaker is that their only questions should be, "Do I want the 945s or the 946s" and "How soon can I get them". At the regular price these things punch WAY above their weight - at the special offer price what are you waiting for? If I weren't in the middle of a big ol' career change, I'd buy a set of the 946s and have them to compare side by side.
And to you, Steve, I'll just say this - it's been a loooong time since I stayed up til 3:30 in the morning listening to "just one more track", but that's exactly what I did last night. Thanks for the ride.
Randy
|