Sutherland Club House
- Thread starter AnthonyI
- Start date
VMPKJ
Well-Known Member
Hit us with that comparison of the two...Now that I have the Duo I will be listing my 20/20 shortly
Angsty
Well-Known Member
Oh, the temptation!Now that I have the Duo I will be listing my 20/20 shortly
GStephenH
Active Member
I'm at the place where my speakers are now the weak link in my system and so I am only getting a bit of what I suspect is there.
The soundstage is fuller, meaning that there is less missing space between the speaker edges and center image. The JBLs I have are excellent at imaging. The singer is dead center and in well mastered music the speakers disappear. However, when the mix is expansive and really pushes the sound to the very edges of the speaker boundaries I can hear left speaker, dip/gap, center image, dip/gap, right speaker. The Duo has done a good job of nearly eliminating those dip/gap spaces. Again, in better speakers I'm sure that gap would simply be gone.
Another thing I notice is better edging of sounds. By edging I don't mean "sharp" edges, but more "defined" edges. I feel as if the sounds are more "present" without sounding blended into other sounds. What this has lead to is more layers of sounds being heard. It isn't that if I switch back to the 20/20 I don't hear most of those sounds...but I have to focus on hearing them more. Whereas with the Duo I keep experiencing "wow, I haven't heard/noticed that before" without losing the sounds that I was normally hearing in the mix with the 20/20. An example of this is Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia. The mix on this album has lots of information and the soundstage goes well beyond speaker edges. There was just so much more information I noticed when listening to the Duo. I thought maybe it was just confirmation bias going on, but when I went back to the 20/20 I could hear those things but I they just weren't as present.
Another thing I noticed is increased perceived sound decay. Which again just has to be a function of the increased definition of sounds I mentioned above. Meaning, the information on the recording hasn't changed so if I am hearing more decay it has to be that the Duo is simply revealing more of the tail end of the notes than I heard with the 20/20. I noticed this first while listening to Melody Gardot's Currency of Man. Notes just seemed to hang in space longer. It was really cool.
So, would I recommend someone jump from the $2200 20/20 to the $4000 Duo? Probably not unless they got a great deal on one like I did. Is there improvement? Absolutely! Am I enjoying that improvement? Damn right! Will I get even more impact with better speakers? Yeah. But, I spent the money on the preamp instead. Perhaps I would have been smarter to go with the better speakers first. But, where I currently live I can't buy and use the speakers I want as my neighbors would call the cops. So, I decided to bet on the future impact the Duo's will have over the 20/20 on those next speakers when I am living in a place they will "fit".
In the mean time I have no complaints. I still gained definite improvement at an excellent price and the expectation of even bigger impact in the future.
OMC
Well-Known Member
Stephen, it’s good to read your initial impressions are favorable and that you are happy with the purchase.
Not at all surprising that you are hearing more information which makes it easier for the brain to process what is going on in your music. Sounds to me like some experimentation with speaker placement would be beneficial. I highly recommend buying a laser measuring device for more accurate locating of your speakers. Can be had for cheap <$25. I hope our transaction helps to make me a “Recommended buyer/seller”.
kvetcha
Chet Hanks' Filmography Buff
Afaik it was something Ron himself didn’t find necessary but offered because people asked. Take from that what you will.
Jango
Active Member
I think this has been covered a few times in this thread, at least with the 20/20. I found the LPS made a difference with my 20/20, which has better filtering than the Insight, and I’m glad I have it.
kvetcha
Chet Hanks' Filmography Buff
Depending on the input sensitivity of your amplifier, that might be a bit hot. I’d personally lean toward 40db with a high output cart like the Grado. That will put you at 500mV output. 45db is more like 880mV. At 50db you’re outputting 1.5V, which is higher than most typical amplifiers are expecting.
apholden
Well-Known Member
A loading of 47kΩ is normal for moving magnet and moving iron cartridges, including Grados. The other loadings are for moving coil carts, usually whichever the cart's manual recommends.
The gain settings are also (mostly) for moving coil. Grados and moving magnet carts are usually happiest at 40 dB. If you try other brands of moving iron, or if you get into Grado's low voltage wood carts, and certainly if you try moving coil, you might need higher gain.
That said, 47kΩ, 40 dB is just a starting point. Feel free to play around and see what you like best.
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displayname
Well-Known Member
You may want to consider some room treatments as well if that's an option. You'd be surprised with what a few panels can do in some rooms.
Blink McStinky
New Member
New here. Kinda sleepy. I just purchased a 20/20 MK1. Be here next week. Not sexy but excited to hear what the hype is all about.
displayname
Well-Known Member
Still love mine! Not sure what it would take to inspire an upgrade honestly.
kvetcha
Chet Hanks' Filmography Buff
Same.