Matrix M-Stage / Gilmore Lite vs Little Dot I+ for D2000

Quote:

Originally Posted by proteinpig 

I currently power my D2000s from a Little Dot I+ (with Mullard M8083 & LT1364). The combination sounds excellent. However, I have always wondered how the D2000s would pair with a SS amp. I read about several amps and narrowed my search to  Matrix M-stage v2 and Gilmore Lite (I have been looking for amps ~ $200 range). Can these be considered an "upgrade" over my Little Dot I+? What changes in the sound signature can I expect? I would prefer something that would make the bass more tight and deep, have similar sounding mids and roll over the highs a bit (not that they sound bad right now - out of sheer greed for SQ ). Any tube suggestions for the Little Dot I+ that would bring about this change are also welcome.

PS: I have read a lot about the SQ from these amps but am looking for impressions from head-fiers who have heard both of them and hence can compare one against the other objectively.

The Matrix i owned and the D7000 +was much better than the GLite I heard. IMO the GLite is bass shy and not very powerful. The D200 being the baby brother of the D7000 should propel to new heights with the Matrix and people also have said the Little Dot will work fine with the D2000. The matrix is the best value SS amp I have heard for very little money. I sold the D7000 and the Matrix but not for not liking either I just felt the LCD2 was better than the D7000. But the Matrix is a shining star.

For me, D2000 + Gilmore Lite is as good as it gets...for the D2000 anyways.

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanuthead 

For me, D2000 + Gilmore Lite is as good as it gets...for the D2000 anyways.

I respect your opinion but have you heard the Matrix comb also. I have heard both and the bass on the Matrix and power seemed to tighten up the D7000 so much more than the GLite and at half the price I was disappointed in the bass and power of the Glite just my opinion of course.

Not familiar with Matrix - Is Matrix supposed to be a clone of Lehmann BCL?  I've compared Lehmann to GS-1, and preferred GS-1 in general.

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanuthead 

Not familiar with Matrix - Is Matrix supposed to be a clone of Lehmann BCL?  I've compared Lehmann to GS-1, and preferred GS-1 in general.

Matrix is said to be a inspiration the BCL but never been compared side to side so no opinions have been offered. The Matrix ha very good detail and bass is tight and deep with slam, I heard both the Glite and Matrix side by sied with the D700 and I much preferred the Matrix YOMV. Everyone has different opinions on gear but bang for buck I have not heard anything in its price range that came close including the tube Little Dots MK11 and MK111. For the Denon it was pure synergy when i owned the combo and I now have the Meir Concerto for the LCD2 which I like over all the others except for my Decware CSP-2 which for transparency is the best but for LCD2  the Meir has opened them up more but I do lose a little in transparency.

Cool.  I got to hear the Decware one of these days.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank I 

Matrix is said to be a inspiration the BCL but never been compared side to side so no opinions have been offered. The Matrix ha very good detail and bass is tight and deep with slam, I heard both the Glite and Matrix side by sied with the D700 and I much preferred the Matrix YOMV. Everyone has different opinions on gear but bang for buck I have not heard anything in its price range that came close including the tube Little Dots MK11 and MK111. For the Denon it was pure synergy when i owned the combo and I now have the Meir Concerto for the LCD2 which I like over all the others except for my Decware CSP-2 which for transparency is the best but for LCD2  the Meir has opened them up more but I do lose a little in transparency.

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanuthead 

Cool.  I got to hear the Decware one of these days.

 

 

If your ever in NJ you can come over and hear it as I do not know where your located. Its super especially with the T1 best I have heard it matched with

Quote:

Originally Posted by proteinpig 

Thanks Frank and peanuthead

I love the bass on D2000s and don't find it to be bloated. It is extremely tight probably because of the excellent synergy between D2000 and LD I+. So, I wouldn't prefer an amp that would sound 'lite' on the bass However, I fully understand that some people would pefer GLite over the M-stage for this specific reason.

How do the mids and highs compare between Little Dots and the M-stage? What about the soundstage?

Since you are of the opinion that the M-stage sounds better than the mkii and mkiii (which I believe would sound better than the I+), I'm assuming that it would be a worthy "upgrade".

I heard both the Little Dot Mk11 and 111 and the Matrix was better than both. If you read the review Project86 gave it is spot on. Huge sound stage thunderous bass and very detailed. With the Denon D7000 it had magical synerygy. Its is very balanced and neutral plus you can see bunch of opamp rolling options to tune it to your taste. I recommend it highly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank I 

IMO the GLite is bass shy and not very powerful.

The Gilmore Lite/Dynalo not very powerful? with a low impedence, high sensitivity Denon?

Good joke. Have fun with those gain switches on the M-stage.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcpoor 

 

The Gilmore Lite/Dynalo not very powerful? with a low impedence, high sensitivity Denon?

 

Good joke. Have fun with those gain switches on the M-stage.

LMAO  Bass shy they are

I'd definitely go with the Dynalo for Denons, quite a pleasant combination.  Yes, it is noted that the Dynalo is quite a clean sounding amp, not nearly as bass-heavy as some other amps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by proteinpig 

I got a Matrix M-stage and have been trying it for the past 48 hours with my D2000s. It was quite a step up in soundstage going from the the Little Dot I+ to the M-stage. However, the bass response has been disappointing to say the least. Though the bass is tight, it lacks punch and definition (compared to the bass from Little Dot I+ which is gorgeous). I tried all the gain settings and settled with 0dB. Am I missing something here? Will replacing the stock opamp improve the bass response?

I've got the 2000, too, and I'm running them with an M-Stage.  I've had the combo for a couple months now and lack of definition isn't something I've noticed at all.  But the issue may be in the opamp...just throwing it out there.  When I got the M-Stage, it had a BB 2107 in it and I liked the overall sound with the 2K's but it seemed a little dry and hot to me.  Extension was there but there wasn't much smoothness and everything seemed peaky. 

Since then, I've rolled in an LM4562 which is a very big improvement to my ears.  Bass is now back where it should be (I actually preferred the bass out of my PA2v2 portable before the 4562) and everything seems much smoother.  I've heard folks say the 4562 is slow and/or that it extends the treble to annoying heights but honestly I don't hear either and it's the best I've heard in the M-Stage by far.  YMMV, of course but I would give a new opamp a shot before you give up on the M-Stage.  I got my 4562 at Audiophile Products. 

For reference, I'm using the 10dB gain setting and I find it very much preferable to 0dB.  Sounds like your experience is different but making that switch was also a pretty big help in getting the humble (but awesome) M-Stage to sound its best.