Hi @dchang05 and all members following my last Puritan experiments.
Here I am. Time to try the Puritan 156 feeding the DAC in my system. As promised.
First step.
I needed to plug the M1200s back to the wall sockets (each one to a dedicated line). I gave them a couple of hours in order to become familiar with the sound.
Let me say that without the Puritan feeding amplification is a different system. I already arrived to this conclusion a few weeks ago and my previous thoughts are confirmed. The M1200s plugged straight to the wall are loosing separation, detail, openness. In one word: they are are less revealing. The soundstage presentation is lacking depth, less layers than I was used with the Puritan (or the P15) and I’m not able to locate the instruments. Bass are rounded but less tight, a veil raised up like a subtle curtain of fog. Voices are less focused, I feel less emotional impact and pleasure. The magic is gone.
Second step.
I plugged the Puritan to a dedicated socket available, feeding just the MSB DAC. Amplification on the front wall as described above. Pre and sources, as usual, all fed by the P20.
Wow, I say wow! The difference is immediately evident. The singer’s voice emerged instantly with realism, capturing my attention. Little details and sounds raised up from different sides and layers of the soundstage, right left backwards and forwards. Bass became less prominent and precise. Guitar strings sound is stunning, simply wonderful. The black background was back with all nuances audible again, like steps on the stage or clapping people during live performance. The fog has vanished. Think about a deep blu sky and fresh air day, when on the horizon you are able to see mountains far far away as they were closer to you. Transients and attacks are superb, so engaging. No harsh, bright or excess on the entire spectrum of frequencies. It means no fatigue, so to speak. Tons of details, again. Realism.
The combo P20 and Puritan sounds great, no doubts.
At this point I need to have more critical listening to understand if I prefer the Puritan feeding the M1200s or the DAC. Not so easy, some qualities are similar, like clarity. Others are different, like tonal balance and overall presentation, where feeding the DAC the upper frequencies are cleaner but with less separation of instruments and less depth of the soundstage.
The Puritan IME is not a conditioner for all components, able to feed the entire system, here the P20 is the best and unbeatable solution. Having said that, I need two different regenerators: one for pre and sources on the side wall and another for amplification on the front wall. I started my experiments with this aim. Here the Puritan is capable to deliver its best performance, it requires a few experiments but the result is amazing. Think about the Puritan as something to be added, not something able to replace a P15/P20. Searching for synergies exactly like we are used to do with AM-1, SR Purple and Master fuses. Or different tubes. Or an audiophile switch in the chain.
Maybe in my mind is raising the dangerous idea to try 2 Puritans and a P20 all together. It comes with its Ultimate cable, so another Dragon PC isn’t needed. Too early to say things like that sorry. Keep calm and let the music play.
Hope that helps.
