Seeking advice building stereo system with Sabrina X

[Blackfield]

After waiting for 11 weeks or so, the SabrinaX finally came last Saturday.
My dealer came and took about 2 hrs (streaming only system) to install and dialed it in yesterday.

The room size is 12' by 15' and the speakers are on the short wall.
My existing credenza fits right in the middle, perfect for the MA12000 stand.

First very early impression:
1. Significant upgrade to my KEF LS50 in all aspects, no surprise here.
2. The sweet high, oh, this tweeter is just amazing, cymbals sound so delicious. It's my first impression when I first auditioned the speakers, glad it is at my house now.
3. On "Vapour Trails by Acoustic Alchemy", I can clearly hear the vibration of the drums got hit by mallets, love this.
4. Midrange, on "I drink wine by Adele", I can hear Adele's lips and her presence is focus, not too forward.
5. I think SabrinaX is the right size for my room size, not overwhelming it. I am sure the speakers are still breaking in, I have not played it really loud yet.

The room is pretty bare at the moment, it only has carpet, I think additional room treatment will improve the sound further but I will do this slowly.

Thank you again for those of you that helped me with the system thus far!

[audioguy3107]

Absolutely love the clean look! The Sabrina’s are perfect for that size room. Enjoy!

- Buck

[dkorbal]

Congrats on the setup. I bet it sounds as nice as it looks.

[brownbear]

Congrats, I also love the nice and clean look.

[FreddieFerric]

Superbly simplistic. I like it!

[waltstradlater]

@blackfield congratulations on what has to be excellent sound. like the other poster above, i want to build a new system around SabrinaX. and - as posted - i have gone from mcintosh skeptic to believer through a secondary system based on LS50s.

as a former wilson owner (duettes w twin jl subs), i know how great these can sound and the sabrinaX looks like an excellent way to get most of the DAW in a friendlier package (price, physical size). actually watching the hilarious Loke debate bc irrespective of its design it may be a no brainer to make a “secret daw” that hides better in a room.

which brings us to electronics, where it seems that a big part of the struggle is that there are a TON of good options to power sabrina at $7500-$20k.

i would love to get everything in one box for streaming, have a LOT of power, and not feel like my streaming solution will be permanently locked in 2022 with risk the world passes it by.

someone should make a list… so far i have gathered:
1) mcintosh integrateds w updated dacs
2) boulder 866 seems really interesting
3) devialet expert which seems really polarizing….not to mention as a phantom owner (2nd home), devialet cant actually support / improve their stuff timely
4) new krell thingy, which i just dont want to look at

after that it all breaks apart bc most awesome integrateds lose the dac so you have to buy streamer / dac from the kind of co i worry will be out of business in the next decade.

whats missing from this list?

[FreddieFerric]

Hey OP, just wondering where you got those guitar wall mounts from in your older photo?

I have an Ovation Balladeer and a Les Paul Deluxe that I've been wanting to display in my room as well.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Blackfield

After waiting for 11 weeks or so, the SabrinaX finally came last Saturday.
My dealer came and took about 2 hrs (streaming only system) to install and dialed it in yesterday.

The room size is 12' by 15' and the speakers are on the short wall.
My existing credenza fits right in the middle, perfect for the MA12000 stand.

First very early impression:
1. Significant upgrade to my KEF LS50 in all aspects, no surprise here.
2. The sweet high, oh, this tweeter is just amazing, cymbals sound so delicious. It's my first impression when I first auditioned the speakers, glad it is at my house now.
3. On "Vapour Trails by Acoustic Alchemy", I can clearly hear the vibration of the drums got hit by mallets, love this.
4. Midrange, on "I drink wine by Adele", I can hear Adele's lips and her presence is focus, not too forward.
5. I think SabrinaX is the right size for my room size, not overwhelming it. I am sure the speakers are still breaking in, I have not played it really loud yet.

The room is pretty bare at the moment, it only has carpet, I think additional room treatment will improve the sound further but I will do this slowly.

Thank you again for those of you that helped me with the system thus far!

Very nice clean setup. I really like it. Absolute congrats!

Best

Charles

p.s. Now you have a LoKe or two to look forward to. No need for added amps.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by waltstradlater

@blackfield congratulations on what has to be excellent sound. like the other poster above, i want to build a new system around SabrinaX. and - as posted - i have gone from mcintosh skeptic to believer through a secondary system based on LS50s.

as a former wilson owner (duettes w twin jl subs), i know how great these can sound and the sabrinaX looks like an excellent way to get most of the DAW in a friendlier package (price, physical size). actually watching the hilarious Loke debate bc irrespective of its design it may be a no brainer to make a “secret daw” that hides better in a room.

which brings us to electronics, where it seems that a big part of the struggle is that there are a TON of good options to power sabrina at $7500-$20k.

i would love to get everything in one box for streaming, have a LOT of power, and not feel like my streaming solution will be permanently locked in 2022 with risk the world passes it by.

someone should make a list… so far i have gathered:
1) mcintosh integrateds w updated dacs
2) boulder 866 seems really interesting
3) devialet expert which seems really polarizing….not to mention as a phantom owner (2nd home), devialet cant actually support / improve their stuff timely
4) new krell thingy, which i just dont want to look at

after that it all breaks apart bc most awesome integrateds lose the dac so you have to buy streamer / dac from the kind of co i worry will be out of business in the next decade.

whats missing from this list?

waltstradlater, as far as integrated gear, the MA12000 or new 9500 would supply ample power for SabrinaX. Both are gorgeous gear. Eye candy.

[Blackfield]

I just saw these new posts.

Originally Posted by waltstradlater

@blackfield congratulations on what has to be excellent sound. like the other poster above, i want to build a new system around SabrinaX. and - as posted - i have gone from mcintosh skeptic to believer through a secondary system based on LS50s.

as a former wilson owner (duettes w twin jl subs), i know how great these can sound and the sabrinaX looks like an excellent way to get most of the DAW in a friendlier package (price, physical size). actually watching the hilarious Loke debate bc irrespective of its design it may be a no brainer to make a “secret daw” that hides better in a room.

which brings us to electronics, where it seems that a big part of the struggle is that there are a TON of good options to power sabrina at $7500-$20k.

i would love to get everything in one box for streaming, have a LOT of power, and not feel like my streaming solution will be permanently locked in 2022 with risk the world passes it by.

someone should make a list… so far i have gathered:
1) mcintosh integrateds w updated dacs
2) boulder 866 seems really interesting
3) devialet expert which seems really polarizing….not to mention as a phantom owner (2nd home), devialet cant actually support / improve their stuff timely
4) new krell thingy, which i just dont want to look at

after that it all breaks apart bc most awesome integrateds lose the dac so you have to buy streamer / dac from the kind of co i worry will be out of business in the next decade.

whats missing from this list?

Thank you!
Like you mentioned, there are so many options out there for integrated or separate amps and it was a tough decision as one can't just easily audition all of these.
I narrowed it to McIntosh MA12000 due to their value proposition, reliability history, US based and years of build reputation.
I say `value proposition` in comparison to other high end amps and some people may roll their eyes but I finally understood what Charles mentioned many times across different threads.
In addition to your list, I looked at D'Agostino integrated, Gryphon Diablo 300 at same point.

I actually prefer for an integrated that does not have a streamer built in and buy separate as I feel the technology is even faster moving than DAC. Today, we can buy a separate streamer that cost from $300 to tens of thousand. I can upgrade it separately in the future whenever I feel like it.

I can report that MA12000 can power SabrinaX with ease at my room (12'W x 15'L x 11'H). I listen to music around 87db-90db and I set the volume to 40%-50%.

Good luck with your search and update us with your endeavor!

Originally Posted by FreddieFerric

Hey OP, just wondering where you got those guitar wall mounts from in your older photo?

I have an Ovation Balladeer and a Les Paul Deluxe that I've been wanting to display in my room as well.

Hi FreddieFerric,
Here is my guitar hanger.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...base-short-arm

I have it for more than 10 years (4 of these was at my previous house) and I could not have been happier with it.
It is amazingly secure. The front arms lock itself as you put down the guitar and when you raise the guitar to pick it up, the front arms will unlock itself up. Highly recommend it.

Originally Posted by Charles

Very nice clean setup. I really like it. Absolute congrats!

Best

Charles

p.s. Now you have a LoKe or two to look forward to. No need for added amps.

Thank you, Charles!

Yes, I have been debating whether I should upgrade the DAC (vs MA2), the streamer or add new subwoofers.
I think adding new subwoofers should be the next step.
I am still unsure about LoKe, not due to the amp, I trust WA knows what it is doing as I am very happy with SabrinaX.
It is really about the budget as once we are talking about stereo, it is $18K.

BTW, congrats on your new MC3500! I love your current row of amps setup - along with MC1.25K, it looks incredible and I can't imagine how it sounds with your XVX, truly an inspirational system!