|
Testimonials
|
|
|
Some of you are not familiar with the outstandingly musical products the we produce here at Musical Concepts and Musical Design. What better way to get some familiarity with our products than to read the response of audiophiles like yourself to gain a better understanding of our mission and how we are fulfilling that mission. The great majority of the comments below are taken from our e-mail responses. We will soon add actual returned registration comment cards to the page so stay tuned. Without any further ado here is the opinion of others.
Go directly to
Musical Design commentary! MUSICAL CONCEPTS PRODUCTS Our NOS 6922 vacuum tube ----------------------------------------
Hi
John - you modified my Music Reference preamp about a year and half ago, with
great results - in fact, I haven't bought any stereo gear since! An
unprecedented situation - but it really sounds beautiful.
Hello
John,
I
received the two 6922 vacuum tubes I purchased a along with the power switch
for the XL-600.
You
have a new customer now! I am so very impressed with this tube, you were
correct. Deep bass, better punch, tighter, What a difference, I can't
believe one tube can do so much. I wasn't really a believer, but thought I
would try it. It was even cheaper than the price you first quoted me?
I
want to say thank you!!
John M. --------------------------- John, Musical Concepts Modifications Hi
John, ---------------------------------------------------- Eight year-old Enigma 7 with Berning Microzotl and Grado RS-1 sounds
terrific. Excellent bass, eerie vocals and maximum ambience retrieval are just a
couple of sonic virtues. Smooth, detailed blah blah blah. Your eight year old
design kicks some SERIOUS MUSICAL ass. ----------------------------------------------------- Platinum modified Hafler preamp and power amp
Hello John,
I know you
are very busy and get lots of emails, but I just have to share some of my
thoughts with you and hope you have time to listen a bit. As I'm sure you
remember, I have your Platinum MC-3 modified Hafler DH-110
preamp, as well as your Platinum modified PA-3B boards in my Hafler
DH-500 with all of the other Platinum mods that go with it. I also have a
pair of Arius speaker cables. What I am going to tell you in these next few
lines you probably already know. I have been listening to your modifications
in my equipment for a couple of months now and am very satisfied, but it
wasn't until I listened to other manufacturers gear that really makes me
appreciate it more than ever. Basically, your stuff is far superior to what I
have heard at some of these high end shops. I have listened to some of these
systems that cost nearly as much as the house I am living in, and in a
nutshell, your gear sounds BETTER!!!!! . I have listened to names like Krell,
Audio Research, Mark Levinson, Macintosh, B&K, and some other amps
and speakers that I have never heard of, and some of these components each
cost more than the new car I drive. I used to think that you offered us
blue collar people with the closest to a white collar sound that we will ever
have in out living rooms on our blue collar budget, but after listening to
these HIGH DOLLAR systems, I realized most of them are just overpriced,
overrated electronic trophy's for egotistical people that just have way too
much money to spend on HI FI. Heck, I even listened to a system that had a
pair of speaker cables that cost $29,000.00. I don't know how good these
cables were if you were to rate them alone, but overall the system in my
living room you designed sounded better. Maybe the beauty is in the eye of the
beholder, but I think I am being honest with myself when I say these things,
because I haven't heard a single piece of music anywhere that I honestly
preferred the sound of more than either in my living room or in your listening
room on the Innersound ISIS speakers you had set up. I'm sure you know
of the places I listened to some of these systems at, and I won't mention
their names, but for honest sound quality, and not the status symbol of some
of the overpriced crap out there, your equipment and mods stack up higher than
they do! I am dead serious about that! As I said, I am sure you already
knew that, but I thought you might enjoying hearing it from someone else.
Thanks again for the great sounding hardware. I love it!
Scott M.
--------------------------------------------------
John, I really want to thank you for your prompt response on sending the PA-3B. I installed it this weekend. I was really surprised (pleasantly) by how simple it was to install and calibrate. But...I was *shocked* at the sound difference! The Hafler went from a somewhat gritty transistor amp to one of the sweetest sounding amplifiers I've *ever* heard. I'm including my VTL Tiny Triodes, Audio Research D-75, and a borrowed ARC VT100 in that comparison. Amazing. And you don't even change the power stage. Congratulations! The biggest improvement/dollar I've ever seen. Now I have to upgrade the ARC D-75. Any ideas? :-) Eric J., Chief Technologist --------------------------------------------------- PLATINUM ULTRA MOD FOR PIONEER PD-65(TRANSPORT) John, Hey! The unit sounds awesome! I have a Mercury Living Presence CD of Appalachian Trail that sounds horrid on just about anything I’ve played it on. Bad tape hiss, screechy sounding violins on track 2. Now, you can still hear the tape hiss, but it sounds like reel to reel tape hiss - i.e.. more bearable, and the violins are very liquid. I used to hear very subtle differences between my Sony DVP7000/Link DAC combo and the PD-65. I wasn’t really sure which one I liked better, but thought the PD-65 had just a little more bass and was maybe a tad smoother. Well, not so subtle anymore! The PD-65 smokes it! There is more air, and I can actually hear the hall! Piano notes have a nice "round" quality to them and I don’t have some piano notes jumping out at me and others recessed. It is now a very, very rock solid soundstage. Very cool! Thanks! Mark PA-3B mod for Hafler DH-500 Had an old Hafler Dh500 from 1982 I
decided to bring back to life since I wasn’t entirely satisfied with my Denon
5700 on music. I purchased Musical Concepts PA-3B mod kit consisting of 2 new
stuffed boards and some misc parts such as caps and gold rca jacks. The install
was pretty straightforward and taking my time consumed about 4 hours including
adjustments with a DVM. It didn’t work the first time (due to my error) and I
had to call John Hillig at Musical Concepts who was very gracious and helpful.
It’s nice to find out a company actually has great customer service. Anyway,
last night I was able to listen for the first time using the Denon as a preamp
and a Pioneer PD-65 as the source, I started with Dave Brubeck’s Time Out. All
I can say is wow! The drums and horns just came alive with so much more
definition. The lower bass is now so tight and solid and the upper bass just
sweet. I swear I hear music I never heard before. Switching to Brumeister CD#4 I
was anxious to hear vocals. Boy I was not disappointed! The female voice is now
so clear and just so DEFINED like never before. I had to break off early to do
some chores and my son came along and popped in some new CD from ATC, la la la
or something. I ran back into the room to --------------------------------------------------- PA-3B CIRCUIT BOARD John: I received my PA-3Bs on 2/23/01. They were of such high quality that I just couldn’t install them inside my dusty old Hafler DH-200. I wound up completely stripping the chassis, cleaning it and reinstalling everything. I put in new binding posts and I even put in new FET sockets! After I reassembled everything not only does it look beautiful, but the sound with my new PA-3Bs is wonderfully clear and transparent. The modified amp has brought new life to my Magneplanar speakers. Great job! You certainly deserve congratulations on this one. ------------------------------------------------------- Another PA-3B modification John, Jim M. ------------------------------------------------------- Extensive Hafler DH-500 modification Dear Mr. Hillig; PA-3B Circuit Boards, Schottky Diodes
Hello John,
I finished installing the Platinum PA-3B boards
and Schottky diodes in my DH-500 over the weekend and I have just one thing to
say to you,..............WOW!!!!!!..............I am most impressed!....I
spent the weekend listening and it seems the more listen, the better it sounds .....I
just wanted to let you know everything went well with the installation and
thank you again for all of your help.
Now that my amp and preamp are fully modified to the
platinum level, I guess now it is time to work on the digital part of my
system.
Scott M. ----------------------------------------- PA-3B Circuit Boards with Dual-Mono Power Supply The work is done! Great improvement in the dynamics
and imaging. A well worth while addition, I now have dual mono, new boards and
great sound. Thank you for the really great amplifier, and the quality of the
parts. Maybe now I’ll listen for a while and plunge for the Platinum! Hegeman Hapi One preamp modification Editor note: If you remember this one you may have a few gray hairs! Stu Hegeman was a well respected designer who designed many products including tubed products, I believe some of the HK Citation tube gear too! The Hapi One was an early IC based preamp. Hi, John:
---------------------------------------------------------------
John, -------------------------- Modified Adcom GFA-5500 Hi, John it’s Frederick W. from Columbus Ga. Thank you for the mod to
my GFA-5500 Adcom amp. I am looking forward to Platinum. After John’s LX-Signature mod to my Adcom GFA-5500 amp, I begin to love
listening to music again. ------------------------------ 6H30Pi Dyna pre The 6H30Pi is amazingly quiet and has a linear sound, meaning that in my system, it’s
very well-balanced top-to-bottom. And whisper quiet. Let me also say that I am awed by the sound of the preamp. Thanks Stuart
Musical Concepts finished products Signature DVD/CD player(DV-48)Good Morning. I wasn’t prepared for
the sound, truly a quantum leap this time. Holographic all over the house,
sixty foot plus sound stage from the listening position, lightning speed
and perfect decay, not to mention wonderful clarity and naturalness.
I am so amused to see my Al A. Enigma VII CD player Editors note: We always have tried to stress that our digital products sound very musical regardless of the underlying technology, bit rates and such! This customer e-mailed us about his 8 year-old Enigma CD player. Eight year-old Enigma 7 with Berning Microzotl and Grado RS-1 sounds
terrific. Excellent bass, eerie vocals and maximum ambience retrieval are just a
couple of sonic virtues. Smooth, detailed blah blah blah. Your eight year old
design kicks some SERIOUS MUSICAL ass. ----------------------------------------------------- SuperConnect IV Interconnect Cable Dear
John; an avid audiophile for 40 years that I DO know the difference between a improvement that one thinks may be real and one that really is. I have found in the past that audio cables are one of the most over-hyped products in the field. I have always done just fine with the Switchcraft gray cables that sell for $3.99 a set, thank you. Well, I started running out of things to throw money at for my Hi-fi and I decided to take a chance and buy 6 pairs of SuperConnect cables from you. I had already previously made up my mind that I would have to listen real close once I got them to appreciate any improvement in my system. This couldn’t have been further from the truth! These "Significant" improvements that I easily observed were: 1. It was instantly noticeable that the definition of my system had more than doubled. 2. There was an obvious tightening-up of the sound all across the spectrum. 3. Very small sonic artifacts that I never noticed in my favorite music suddenly appeared. (I mean in selections that I’ve heard over a hundred times!) 4. Perceived spatial differences between instruments was dramatically improved. (Not between channels, but within each channel.) 5. Finally, (and this is the one that’s the most difficult to quantify) there is a very noticeable airy, relaxed quality to the sound of my system that I can only describe as "That Electrostatic Sound" that people who own electrostatic speakers use to justify their opinion that electrostatic speakers are superior to other people’s dynamic speakers. (something I STILL don’t believe!) So now we come to the subject of value. I have just spent very nearly a thousand dollars for a Signature Mod for my bass amp. I felt (and still do feel) that for the money I spent, I got more than a fair value in return. It is interesting to note that the improvement I realized in my system from buying these cables from you was even greater than the money I invested in my bass amp and it was only about half the amount! I recalled that over the years this is the sixth time I have purchased something from you and every time I have gotten more value than for my dollar spent than anywhere else. Thanks John. Paul H.
Musical Design Products
Musical Design
D-100B Platinum (older unit), latest update now installed + BlackGate
front-end power supply caps
Wow, John! Whatever you did with this latest set of upgrades on the DM100 plat is truly amazing! I've never heard massed voices or instruments so clearly. There's a notable improvement in detail and naturalness over what was a really, really good amp to start with. The bass also seems stronger. I back my Maggie 1.6 units with Vandersteen 2Wq subs on their flat setting at 89db. It's a very fast, responsive combo. Punch with no thud or hangover. Seems quicker now, but I'm also hearing the "soft" part of drums and acoustic bass more clearly on my better recordings. Horns on one of my Platters CDs are so live I just felt like I could touch them -- an old recording, but the remaster is pretty darn good. Goes to show what the old, honest equipment could capture. I hope that some day I can afford the big Black Gates!! Those must be something else again.
By the way,
hopefully you'll get a call from John P**** out here in the SF area. I helped
him with his Adcom/Vandersteen gear the other day. He needs speaker cables and
an interconnect. I've also recommended that he discuss Adcom upgrades with
you. He'll need them installed - don't think the does soldering iron work.
Anyway..................
Thanks &
Best!!
Robert S*******
------------------------------------------ Musical Design SP-2B Hi John, -------------------------------------- BIG BlackGate caps, 10,000uF/80V installed into Musical Design D-150B I gave it the wife test. She just smiled and said that it is clear as a bright winter's day. I have had to re-do the speaker placement to do this justice. The presentation is unique among amplifiers. One of the very best. I have had a lot of amps, as I have said, I do not remember hearing anything quite like it. It is simply captivating. Dan B. ---------------------------------- Lastly, been wanting to send the D75 in for the first upgrade, I like it
so much as is though. The upgrade may change it in a way I don’t like, who knows. I asked to use the above comments and received this back. Yes, you can use the comment. I love the amp. It gels with both my ProAc’s and
especially my Spendors! You have good ears. ---------------------------- Musical Design T-1 Transport
Just a note to say I've had 3 days to audition the transport
and I can say this: It has brought more realism to the music I listen to than
any single component I've added/upgraded - period.
John
---------------------------- Musical Design D-75B Signature "Amazed at the quality of sound this little thing puts
out. Better than a Levinson product I recently auditioned." ----------------------------- Musical Design T-1 Platinum Transport Dear John: The T-1 Platinum Transport you up-dated from my previous CD-2 Signature arrived in the first week of Dec. Thank you for the timely service. I have been busily auditioning familiar and recently acquired disks on the T-1/DAC IA Platinum. The improvement in sound quality - most notably at the frequency extremes — with both good and not-so-good recordings has been revelatory. I use the term advisedly. From every indicator, the operation was a success. I can’t think, for example, of a more demanding task for any CD player than that of translating the Abbado Mahler Fifth Symphony on DG into a convincing presence. The dynamic range of the disc is extraordinary - 16 bit recording standards notwithstanding - from whisper-like lows to truly massive, yet complex orchestral crescendi. The T-1/DAC lA Platinum combo handled it all with grace and precision revealing subtle details I didn’t think standard digital recordings capable of reproducing. Finally, I thought, my Meadowlark Herons have a signal worthy of their own prodigious reproductive capabilities. To emphasize the obvious, I couldn’t be more pleased with the sound I am hearing, granted that nothing, no matter how excellent, will ever surpass a live performance. Here is an added note you may find interesting. I offered the MUSICAL CONCEPTS CD-3, which the T-1/DAC1A replaced, to my daughter and son-in-law. The up-grade in sound quality to their existing system was immediate and quite palpably so. Needless to say, they are as pleased with their "new" MUSICAL CONCEPTS player as I am with mine. Classic design? I would say so! - Bernard P.
|