A Perfect Pair? Does Mark Levinson's Integrated Amp and Speaker Pairing Prevail?

Hear Adrian's thoughts on Daniel Hertz' Maria 800 4 Channel Integrated Amp and their Chiara stand mount speaker combo. Has Mark Levinson succeeded again?
• Daniel Hertz Amber Mid...
• Daniel Hertz Maria 800...
• Daniel Hertz Demo at t...
• Daniel Hertz Chiara Ma...
• Battle of the Bookshel...
#highendaudio #hifi #audiophile
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[@bobdog43]

Adrian, another great review--thank you. However, I'm curious why the Maria 800 costs nearly *three* times as much as the 350? How does adding two more channels of amp-on-chip power justify the price bump--even if a higher power PSU has to be spec'd for the more powerful amp? (Note that I'm not necessarily talking about the performance delta, just the parts cost.) Given how much of the Chiara system's cost is accounted for by the 800, the price to bi-amp seems like a particular issue here. Perhaps you could enlighten me about the pricing strategy here? Thank you. And, again, great videos.

[@adrianlow2114]

Hi, the Maria 350 is 13,200 Euro while the Maria 800 is 33,000 Euro. I don't know why the cost is approx 2.5 times more but some of the obvious reasons are additional power supply, 2 more channels of power

[@louisperlman8030]

This is definitely a fascinating system, not for everyone audiophile. How about a comparison with the Watt Puppies and the Gryphon Diablo for around the same money. I’d also love to know how the tweeter compares to the PS Audio ribbon midrange and tweeter.

[@rickcarlson5916]

Great review, thank you Adrian!

[@adrianlow2114]

My pleasure

[@Maxxq123]

Thanks Adrian for your honest comments. Always appreciate your posting - unboxing and others 😊

[@net_news]

the unboxings are amazing!

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks!!

[@TrueAudio]

Daniel Hertz Maria 800 4-Channel Integrated Amp Sale price$48,850.00 CAD$ - Mighty Cat™ Class D chipset - wow, give us a break

[@bagelhunk]

How does the Maria compare with the McIntosh mc901?

[@Mark-rw3kw]

The Maria is obviously designed as as an active (or powered) speaker system with built-in DAC, with the amp and crossovers designed for that particular speaker included in the system. It's just that the Maria amp is in a separate box from the speaker, unlike many powered or active speakers. Whereas the MC901 is a 4-channel amplifier only (with separate amps for bass and mid/highs, with left and right channels) and can be used for any speaker system with bi-amp connections. Also, the Maria does the equalization and crossover in digital mode. The MC901 is solid state for the bass amp, and tube for the mid/high frequency amp, and the Maria is all solid-state. Also, the MC901 is amp only, with a separate pre-amp usually required.

[@mrg1911]

Speaking of, I’ve been focused on your watch the entire video……do tell please model and reference. Thanks!

[@adrianlow2114]

I can't remember, but I think it is the Concord Impressario Chrono with Zenith El Primero movement

[@joecartwright9221]

It’s a (FPGA) up scaler like the Cord Dave, tuned to be more musical and less analytical. Mark uses fancy, non specific language to describe something that’s been around 10 years.

[@woody168]

Here I was thinking that it would just be Daniel Hertz entirely, until you start busting out about watches, Adrian. I think the Ulyss Nardin “the freak” does take quite an acquired taste to like that watch. I wouldn’t put UN in quite the distasteful category of Richard Mille, 😅. But it is interesting looking one to say the least!

[@nirodha35]

Because it is produced according to the wishes of the buyer, it will not be popular on the second hand market. Maybe that is the reason you don’t see them there. Just or not, this will not be a high number line of products anyway. So….make sure this is what you want to be your endgame set or you will regret it.

[@mark9118]

Yeah, I think that probably not enough have been sold yet for very many of them to hit the used market yet.

[@bikemike1118]

I pretty much think - after the heritage Mark Levinson left behind - his products are more or less dead fish in regards of selling. And for good reason. He comes out every few years with „a new company/ brand“ … because the one before he burned down himself through dishonest marketing, cheap China manufacturing and so on. I think he eventually should RETIRE. The 80s/ 90s are long gone…when he had great products (the earlier ML‘s and Cello). Adrian tries to promote him or his products still by doing a bunch of videos for his Daniel Hertz components. Cheers on you, Adrian and thanks

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Maybe there is some truth to what you say, but I do think Levinson is on to something with doing speaker crossover and frequency response tuning in the digital domain, before being converted to analog. The main problem I see is the price, but I can understand that due to amount of design work done and the relatively low unit sales that would be expected. I believe that some day, all systems will be designed this way, and the price will come way down.

[@bikemike1118]

@@Mark-rw3kw … we‘ll see 😉. Thanks for your comment.

[@shankararora8117]

Great review. I’m certain this system sounds sublime, but 60,000 Euros, gosh that’s a hard pill to swallow. Let me preface that by saying I have a hifi set up in a similar value range, hence this isn’t a quip per se. I just can’t see myself spending that much on a system that looks this basic. It’s not about showing off to your friends; it’s about feeling you’re around something that looks and feel special when you walk home everyday. That and I can’t get myself to understanding why this costs what it does. Hifi has traditionally been about parts and heavy engineering. The IP here is the code in the Mighty CAT chip, which will undeniably go down in value 2-3 years down the line, as the tech gets licensed to third party manufacturers - in my humble opinion, this is where the money is and I’m sure Mark knows it. License the software/code out and the same set up will sell for 1/5th of the cost in a few years time. I say this in recognition of Mark’s genius; nothing else. For these reasons, it’s not for me..

[@adrianlow2114]

Like I said in the conclusion, I agree that it's a lot of money. But to be fair to Mark, the cost to do the actual design/programming of Mighty Cat and C-Wave must have been very significant. Imagine the cost of doing design work on a processor, and R&D programming costs. I suspect that's why there are no other companies in the high end doing the same. A decade ago, many of the high end companies offered surround processors. Almost none does now. And back then, most of the companies simply bought digital boards that were already designed. DH had to collab with small companies to do their own work. In the end, the Chiara/Maria 800 will likely remain a solution for a small number of clients who can afford it and see the value.

[@shankararora8117]

@@adrianlow2114 Agree and I have to take my hat off to Mark for attempting something so disruptive in the industry. I think we are at a very interesting time in hifi, and to even have a choice like the Maria speaks to a very talented and curious design language. The Aavik/Borreson lines from AGD is another tour de force, arguably with a more “global dominating” mindset! Btw I personally would love to see a series on your watch collection! Noticed the MAD watch you were recently and I’m debating biting the bullet on that timepiece! Sorry, totally outside hifi, but horology can be as obsessive as hifi 😂

[@adrianlow2114]

@@shankararora8117 Get it! I am constantly playing with the MAD just to see the rotor spin!

[@swd7901]

While I believe ML is a uniquely gifted engineer, I'm a bit (when Americans say "a bit," they mean "a lot!") skeptical about the design. The drivers are very different, you normally don't get both a deep and tight bass, and the vertical dispersion in the treble must be minimal (combined with a too high placement of the ribbon). I'm just speculating, and I do hear your excitement!

[@colekyler002]

The bass is in fact deep and tight. I had the Alta Celeste speakers before these and the bass, while low, was muddy and "one-note". These speakers (I have the original ones made of birch wood) are just musical and engaging. I do disagree with Mark where you do get a huge benefit from better cables (just not the supplied speaker cables) and source components.

[@Ivy13276]

Best reviewer on KZbin. Adrian, what power cord do you think worked best with the Maria in your experience?

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Any 120V 14 gauge or lower power cord attached to a decent power conditioner.

[@Ivy13276]

@@Mark-rw3kw is that the cable that comes with the Maria?

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@Ivy13276 No, I just don't think power cables matter much if you have a decent power conditioner, or lucky to have good clean power straight out of your electrical panel. I have built enough electronic equipment from kits (such as Hafler and others) that I know what kind of internal wiring is used for power inside the unit, so a really good power cable is not going to fix an electrical problem inherent in the circuit. To fix a noisy electrical circuit, a decent (not outrageously expensive) power conditioner is far better than a fancy power cable.

[@Ivy13276]

@@Mark-rw3kw I use a tweaked Puritan PSM156 , top quality outlets, very low noise dedicated power line. I know Adrian talked about trying different power cables with the Maria, looking to get his opinion on which one sounded the best and buying it. Adrian, do you mind sharing your opinion? I will gladly buy the cable from your store.

[@adrianlow2114]

Thanks for the kind words. I liked the Shunyata best

[@watja7889]

🎉

[@MasterofPlay7]

the edges look pointy not even chamfered....

[@ProfessorJohnSmith]

this is to prevent reflections off the edges

[@MasterofPlay7]

@@ProfessorJohnSmith yes the edges are flat, they need to be chamfered for this price point....

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Yes, seems like there could be some edge detraction that could have been reduced with chamfered cabinet edges.

[@mark9118]

@@ProfessorJohnSmith Having a sharp edge almost always produces a less desirable reflection off the edge than a rounded one.

[@Mark-rw3kw]

Who cares about the sound? I want to see the unboxing! OK, I admit I have a cardboard fetish, but that is beside the point.

[@mohammedsharokhan8097]

overpriced Class D amp with DSP end of the story

[@Pok-001]

Welcome to the future There’s computers in DACs. 10 of thousands songs on a computer that streams from the internet and amps that can efficiently and cleanly amplify through the digital domain. Is expensive and for a niche customer. But each their own. If I didn’t care about money and wanted a compact system I would definitely audition.

[@net_news]

it's a wiim amp!! xD

[@midikontrol1044]

WINAMP...it really whips the lamas ass

[@net_news]

@@midikontrol1044 😂 🙌

[@Mark-rw3kw]

@@Pok-001 Also handles speaker system crossover in digital domain, solving a lot of problems.