panyncor
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
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I’ve been comparing the MPX3 Slam to the Extreme Platinum for a couple months with the intention of selling whichever came in second. It’s been hard -- I never intended to take this long making up my mind. I don’t really have the expertise to construct a “proper” review, but I do want to share my observations.
First, a disclaimer: The distinctions here are relative. If you say that your Porsche has better acceleration than your BMW, no one should conclude that the BMW is sluggish. When I say that the Extreme of MPX is better than the other at one thing or another, I usually mean that one is, say, 95% of perfection, while the other is “only,” say, 91% of perfection.
I connected the amps to the Channel Islands VDA-2 with identical interconnects. Most of the time, I also used identical input tubes (either Sylvania VT-231 or Ken-Rad VT-231). The outputs on the Extreme were RCA 6080s. The Outputs on the MPX3 were Philips 5687s. I used the Sennheiser HD-600 with Cardas cable, Grado RS-1, and Beyerdynamic DT-880.
The “winner” in various categories . . .
Appearance: MPX3
On the MPX everything is sheathed in the same piano black. On the Extreme, the Piltron transformer is covered in a different, non-shiny material that isn’t bad looking but which does make for a less consistent appearance. Also the MPX benefits from being larger, which means more gleaming surface.
Connectivity: MPX3
This is obvious. The MPX has two inputs and a loop out. The Extreme has only one input.
Impact: Extreme
Believe what you’ve read. It’s most noticeable on percussion, where there’s amazing snap.
Tone: MPX3
This is close, but there’s something incomparably smooth about the MPX.
Soundstage: Extreme. (But it’s a trade-off)
Note that soundstage is not one of the attributes I value most in headphones. For instance, I sold the K-701’s because I found that their spaciousness came at the price of limited intimacy. Grado RS-1’s, by comparison, don’t spread the sound out as much but they do have an everything-in-its-right-place naturalness to my ears. In the Extreme vs. MPX comparison, it’s a bit genre-dependent. On music that’s meant to sound “big,” the Extreme’s larger soundstage is very nice. On music that’s meant to sound “cozy,” the MPX presents a denser image that feels a bit more precise.
Detail: Tie.
I kept changing my mind on this one. For busier music, give the edge to the Extreme. For more open music, it might be the MPX.
Treble: Tie.
I found this to be pretty headphone-dependent. On the HD-600’s the Extreme has the edge for treble. On the DT880’s, I think I prefer the MPX.
Mid-Bass: Extreme
That impactfulness really shows itself here.
Deep Bass: MPX3
This surprised me. There were times when I found low acoustic bass notes sounding more defined and prominent on the MPX.
Mid-Range: It depends. The Extreme is more forward in the mids, which often sounds very sweet, but sometimes this can make it sound slightly harsher than the MPX.
Random thoughts
My favorite MPX3 tubes weren’t always my favorite on the Extreme. The Ken-Rad is my favorite tube in the MPX, but in the Extreme I was liking the Sylvania more. The Westinghouse (rebranded?) that Mikhail sent with the Extreme was nothing special when I tried in the MPX, but I really like it in the Extreme. Go figure.
I never knew that headphone jacks loosen up. The first time I inserted the Cardas plug on my HD-600’s I had to really push, and when I pulled it back out there was actually a split-second of fear that it was stuck. Now it’s about the same as the MPX.
The white tube bases are more raised on the Extreme than on the MPX. On the latter, the base of a 6sn7 is right on top of the chassis and you can barely see the white base. On the Extreme, the tube plainly sits on top of the base. I don’t prefer one over the other, just thought I’d note it.
I know that a lot of people, including Mikhail, have raved about the RS-1’s on the Extreme but I thought the MPX held its own very well with the Grados. Interestingly, the differences between the amps were easiest to hear with the HD-600’s.
Conclusion
The Extreme produces notes with a bit more impact, but impact is not the same as body, and here the MPX comes out slightly ahead, with a very pleasing density. In terms of the tube/solid-state stereotypes (which, yes, really is a caricature), the MPX is ever so slightly more “tube-like” than the Extreme. Drums sound a tad more energetic on the Extreme; saxophones sound a tad more sultry on the MPX. As I said at the beginning, these differences are relative — neither amp is a slouch in any department.
So which am I going to keep? I find myself changing my mind every couple days, and if I were to experiment with different tube combinations I could no doubt nurture my indecision for months. But I really can’t afford to keep both and need to make a decision. In a way, I almost wish this dilemma had never come around — I was perfectly happy before, and now I’ll always be recalling the superior qualities of whichever amp I no longer have.
I think I’m going to part with the MPX3. The Extreme’s smaller size gives me a bit more precious desk space (it’s pretty cramped here), and I'm feeling the urge to experiment with different output tubes. (I made a deal with myself -- and my wife -- that I wouldn't buy additional tubes until I sold one of the amps.) I’ll be posting the MPX3 for sale with a host of tubes, if anyone’s interested.
First, a disclaimer: The distinctions here are relative. If you say that your Porsche has better acceleration than your BMW, no one should conclude that the BMW is sluggish. When I say that the Extreme of MPX is better than the other at one thing or another, I usually mean that one is, say, 95% of perfection, while the other is “only,” say, 91% of perfection.
I connected the amps to the Channel Islands VDA-2 with identical interconnects. Most of the time, I also used identical input tubes (either Sylvania VT-231 or Ken-Rad VT-231). The outputs on the Extreme were RCA 6080s. The Outputs on the MPX3 were Philips 5687s. I used the Sennheiser HD-600 with Cardas cable, Grado RS-1, and Beyerdynamic DT-880.
The “winner” in various categories . . .
Appearance: MPX3
On the MPX everything is sheathed in the same piano black. On the Extreme, the Piltron transformer is covered in a different, non-shiny material that isn’t bad looking but which does make for a less consistent appearance. Also the MPX benefits from being larger, which means more gleaming surface.
Connectivity: MPX3
This is obvious. The MPX has two inputs and a loop out. The Extreme has only one input.
Impact: Extreme
Believe what you’ve read. It’s most noticeable on percussion, where there’s amazing snap.
Tone: MPX3
This is close, but there’s something incomparably smooth about the MPX.
Soundstage: Extreme. (But it’s a trade-off)
Note that soundstage is not one of the attributes I value most in headphones. For instance, I sold the K-701’s because I found that their spaciousness came at the price of limited intimacy. Grado RS-1’s, by comparison, don’t spread the sound out as much but they do have an everything-in-its-right-place naturalness to my ears. In the Extreme vs. MPX comparison, it’s a bit genre-dependent. On music that’s meant to sound “big,” the Extreme’s larger soundstage is very nice. On music that’s meant to sound “cozy,” the MPX presents a denser image that feels a bit more precise.
Detail: Tie.
I kept changing my mind on this one. For busier music, give the edge to the Extreme. For more open music, it might be the MPX.
Treble: Tie.
I found this to be pretty headphone-dependent. On the HD-600’s the Extreme has the edge for treble. On the DT880’s, I think I prefer the MPX.
Mid-Bass: Extreme
That impactfulness really shows itself here.
Deep Bass: MPX3
This surprised me. There were times when I found low acoustic bass notes sounding more defined and prominent on the MPX.
Mid-Range: It depends. The Extreme is more forward in the mids, which often sounds very sweet, but sometimes this can make it sound slightly harsher than the MPX.
Random thoughts
My favorite MPX3 tubes weren’t always my favorite on the Extreme. The Ken-Rad is my favorite tube in the MPX, but in the Extreme I was liking the Sylvania more. The Westinghouse (rebranded?) that Mikhail sent with the Extreme was nothing special when I tried in the MPX, but I really like it in the Extreme. Go figure.
I never knew that headphone jacks loosen up. The first time I inserted the Cardas plug on my HD-600’s I had to really push, and when I pulled it back out there was actually a split-second of fear that it was stuck. Now it’s about the same as the MPX.
The white tube bases are more raised on the Extreme than on the MPX. On the latter, the base of a 6sn7 is right on top of the chassis and you can barely see the white base. On the Extreme, the tube plainly sits on top of the base. I don’t prefer one over the other, just thought I’d note it.
I know that a lot of people, including Mikhail, have raved about the RS-1’s on the Extreme but I thought the MPX held its own very well with the Grados. Interestingly, the differences between the amps were easiest to hear with the HD-600’s.
Conclusion
The Extreme produces notes with a bit more impact, but impact is not the same as body, and here the MPX comes out slightly ahead, with a very pleasing density. In terms of the tube/solid-state stereotypes (which, yes, really is a caricature), the MPX is ever so slightly more “tube-like” than the Extreme. Drums sound a tad more energetic on the Extreme; saxophones sound a tad more sultry on the MPX. As I said at the beginning, these differences are relative — neither amp is a slouch in any department.
So which am I going to keep? I find myself changing my mind every couple days, and if I were to experiment with different tube combinations I could no doubt nurture my indecision for months. But I really can’t afford to keep both and need to make a decision. In a way, I almost wish this dilemma had never come around — I was perfectly happy before, and now I’ll always be recalling the superior qualities of whichever amp I no longer have.
I think I’m going to part with the MPX3. The Extreme’s smaller size gives me a bit more precious desk space (it’s pretty cramped here), and I'm feeling the urge to experiment with different output tubes. (I made a deal with myself -- and my wife -- that I wouldn't buy additional tubes until I sold one of the amps.) I’ll be posting the MPX3 for sale with a host of tubes, if anyone’s interested.
