I am spending my first weekend with the Cascade. The performance is incredible!
I came from a full Vivaldi, which I found to sound “too analytical”. It almost made the music sound boring. Then I swithced to a Nagra HD-X. The Nagra sound and the musicality was there. The tubed output stage gave the overall result a most enjoying presentation.
But some precision was missing. And whilst I preffered the Nagra over the Vivaldi by miles. But I felt something was lacking.
The Cascade combined both worlds. The presentation is precised and resolved to the last detail, without being boring. The musicality was not lost over precision. I am really impressed. Some photos of the setup.
Yeah. I know this evil silver makes your aesthetics hurt bad.
But who knows? Someday you might convert. I never had the chance. The nagras only come in silver (as that famous Ford quote:you can choose whatever color, as long as it is black).
I know everyone is oohing and awing over the audio gear, but I love those lego sets and artwork! Very similar to my house. We have an entire wall dedicated to Star Wars art I really love everything about this setup!
@jvvita , you have a marvellous system! I understand that the Nagra monoblocks would have the best synergies with the Nagra Preamp, but have you tried using the preamplifier in the Cascade to drive the power amplifiers directly?
Thanks.
I too would be curious to hear your results. The synergies between the same branded preamp + amp are near impossible to beat since they are exactly matched, but we would love feedback on how the new Cascade Preamp is holding up.
Also, if you are using the Nagra preamp, you can turn the volume off on the DAC so it won’t display the 100. Just an FYI.
What a beautiful set-up, also from the aesthetics point of view.
Love also the YG’s, if you think that there is someone who says that aluminium “doesn’t sound correctly”, while those speakers are really a gem among the others in the music offer.
Congrats and … may the force be with you !
Finally I felt confident enough to listen without the preamp. Being well accustomed to the sonic characteristics of my system, I thought I would be able to tell the differences.
I must say that, to my taste, it wasn’t even close. The first music told the story that kept repeating itself: the nagra hd preamp adds so much musicality and “realness” to the music that I am not ready to let it go.
Yes, the cascade preamp is wonderful. Yes, the overall result is very impressive. Yes, the level,of detail and precision is astonishing.
But I’ve been spoiled by Nagra. The hd preamps brings spooky lifelike signature to the music. You fell like everything is right, and in its right place. 20s in and you stop thinking, and there is only the music.
Maybe it is the “tube magic”. Maybe it is the synergy with the hd amps. Maybe it is my bias. Be as it may, the nagra is staying.
@jvvita Sounds like a very valid and definitive test. There is far too many components out there to have a “one to rule them all” mentality. Sounds like you have found a great combination
I really love everything about this setup!
