I've had the chance to try out the MA Silver 100 and they do indeed feel like a major step up from the diamonds - instruments sound distinct, top end treble is so clear, new instruments have appeared in songs, and it no longer sounds like the music is coming from two boxes. I finally get what everyone's talking about
Bad news is the flaws in the recordings are clear too, which isn't so enjoyable.
The treble in particular - i'm hearing the highest frequencies much clearer than before but they're sometimes messy, have to figure out if its the recording, the amp, bluetooth (aptx hd), streaming service (youtube premium 256kbps aac), or speakers!
The bass response seems to vary a lot depending on whether im sitting or standing, i guess there's no way around that without major changes in where i put the speakers?
I'm currently using a nobsound ns15g pro as the amp, costs £80 new and works great, the MA are easier to drive than the wharfedale and i'm glad i didn't go for the opticon for this reason. Now to see if a traditional hifi amp actually sounds better or if i'm just paying for features i don't need. I'm thinking of getting an av receiver so i can do room correction (EQ, early reflections, etc) and see if there's additional benefit, i'm surprised mid price stereo receivers don't have this.