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Ppps.

Just to muddy the the already murky waters and sow further confusion... 😀

If you’re paying full price for the Rubicons I’d buy these instead...


The MF and the Epicons are an end result hifi.

Expect 20 years of bliss.


Aahhhhh

Thanks for muddying the waters 😂, but no I didn't pay full price, no where near in fact. Still a bit more than I was planning though. I did see the Rubicon 5 in the shop when I went to collect the Opticon but it didn't even cross my mind about them cos I thought they were way over budget.

Those Epicon do look amazing and I am sure sound as good as they look, but I'm not going there. I would probably also need to look at a better amplifier as well. Very very slippery slope.

The Rubicon are still on home demo so trying to decide on those or the opticon 6 mk2. I do
Thing is the Opticon are a little larger in size, while the Rubicon sit in my room with less physical presence and still sound very good and look the part.
Tricky and fortunate position to be in. I could save some cash and go for the Opticon though.

Now I must stop looking at other options 'cos my head space is full of should I get this or should I get that. 😂🤪

I will hopefully get the mf amp tomorrow, but not be able to try it out till Wednesday as I've tea to cook, Mother is round and bake off is on which I always watch with my daughter.

Theres a thing. I think I read that it's best to let the mf amp warm up before playing music. I that right? I guess.its a bit like me in the morning...takes a bit of time to wake up 😌
Right back to work now.
 
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Hmmm...

It is a tough choice.

The problem is that the Rubicons are a class up from the Opticons, but the MK2 Opticons have made the gap smaller.

The only two thoughts I have to contribute are these.

The Rubicon is higher up the scale speaker, that alone makes it worth extra consideration.

And, the Opticon 6 is a bigger speaker. That’s a neutral statement by itself, but in your case I think it would be a negative one long term.

With the speakers being only 5 feet apart and the listening position 7 feet from the speakers, the risk of too much bass is a serious one.

Also, the MF is a prodigious bass amp. Plenty of depth and enough grip to make it work. So the need for the extra bass driver of the Opticon is not as obvious as it may have seemed in any case.

If it was my own cash, it would be the Rubicons. Better controlled and more agile bass is always preferable to a fraction too much with a bit of bloat added in.

Even if the Opticons did go a little deeper, it’s unlikely that they would be as well controlled.

A single bass driver (Rubicons) may seem less, but I’d imagine not at all in your circumstances.

Add to that the more rigid and better damped build quality of the Rubicons chassis and it wouldn’t be a choice for me.


As for the MF, or any non valve amp, the warm up thing is just daft. It takes about two minutes to get an amp to operating temperature from cold. And even that negligible difference is unlikely to show on even a very well measured graph.

If you mean ‘run in’ from new then the answer’s still virtually the same.

It could, just conceivably take a short while to ‘bed down’. But that’s likely nonsense too, and in any case many amp manufacturers soak test their amplifiers before boxing, which would be more than enough. (You might consider turning it on for a few hours the day before perhaps just to kill any doubt n your mind).

The time it takes your ears to assimilate the amps different characteristics is hugely longer than any possible ‘warm up’ or ‘run in’ period. Both notions can safely be ignored.
 
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Also of course I should have mentioned that the £1200 price difference indicates the relative build quality and driver performance between the Opticons and Rubicons.

Also obviously, the rule of diminishing returns is quite alive and shamefully real in hifi.

Nevertheless, Dali intend a difference between their ranges and there’ll be a noticeable one.

Only your ears and room will decide the worth of the difference. I’d only suggest that even subtle differences are well worth the extra outlay, especially considering the likely lifetime of the speaker in your possession.
 
Theres a thing. I think I read that it's best to let the mf amp warm up before playing music. I that right? I guess.its a bit like me in the morning...takes a bit of time to wake up 😌
There is a school of thought that says to leave amps on 24/7 as they perform at their optimum when temperatures are kept in a workable range. It's also argued that switching amps on and off can cause fluctuations that will eventually lead to a failure.

For the last four years I've been switching a Rega amp on and off on a daily use basis and some days it can be on for 12 hours if not more. I have at times left it on overnight (brain fog usually). Can't say I notice a difference and my amp gets turned off at the wall socket. I also have a headphone amp that gets turned on and used immediately.

Good choice the MF. I like Marantz, they do nothing wrong but I find the British amps can be more exciting.
 
Also of course I should have mentioned that the £1200 price difference indicates the relative build quality and driver performance between the Opticons and Rubicons.

Also obviously, the rule of diminishing returns is quite alive and shamefully real in hifi.

Nevertheless, Dali intend a difference between their ranges and there’ll be a noticeable one.

Only your ears and room will decide the worth of the difference. I’d only suggest that even subtle differences are well worth the extra outlay, especially considering the likely lifetime of the speaker in your possession.
Thats the thing. I'm thinking are the Rubicon 1200 better🤔. Just listened to London grammar California soil. Yes it sounds great and there's a good bas hit on occasions. Really low but not boomy.
Personal Jesus now. Thinking I like the Rubicon. They are definitely a good size for my room.
Only thing with the mf is no bass or tone control. Don't think I really used those much anyway.
Yes diminishing returns. I do keep telling myself this will probably be my last pair of speakers as I had my b&w for about 28 years or there abouts.

Omg just seen an interconnect cable for 499. Seriously 🤔
 
There is a school of thought that says to leave amps on 24/7 as they perform at their optimum when temperatures are kept in a workable range. It's also argued that switching amps on and off can cause fluctuations that will eventually lead to a failure.

For the last four years I've been switching a Rega amp on and off on a daily use basis and some days it can be on for 12 hours if not more. I have at times left it on overnight (brain fog usually). Can't say I notice a difference and my amp gets turned off at the wall socket. I also have a headphone amp that gets turned on and used immediately.

Good choice the MF. I like Marantz, they do nothing wrong but I find the British amps can be more exciting.
Yes I have wondered if it could make any difference. I am sure there things are designed to be switched on and off.
I wouldn't want to leave a device switched on all the time either. Possible to have electrical fault so I always switch these things off.
I hope the mf is a good choice as I always thought marantz was a safe bet.
 
Yes I have wondered if it could make any difference. I am sure there things are designed to be switched on and off.
I wouldn't want to leave a device switched on all the time either. Possible to have electrical fault so I always switch these things off.
I hope the mf is a good choice as I always thought marantz was a safe bet.
I always turn everything off at night. Old firefighter you see. Mind you I trust my fridge with my life. :)
 

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