7.5' triangle in 14x24x8 asymmetrical damped room. Monos mounted under floor joists for WAF and cooler environment. EMC-1 MkII IS that good, and the Encores are stupefyingly natural! Interesting that the copper Essence is more detailed and lively than the silver/copper Silways. Quelle surprise! Don't yet believe in PC cords. System is DEAD quiet (probably due to that Aleph P), despite Red Dawn pre/power ICs (XLR, though). Monos double down to 200w/ch/4ohms, so the Encores get REAL punchy when asked to. Seven foot nearfield setup throws HUGE (12' wide by 20' deep!), multilayered stage, yet a bit asymmetric due to my Steinway angling back there. (Yup, Ms. Krall actually turns and winks!) Suggestions for TRULY beneficial, affordable pc? Thanks. Nordost and Pass mate well. Encores work extraordinarily well with woofers set up forward-firing, in the nearfield, in this moderate-sized room. The recent addition of the EMC-1 MkII has removed ANY and ALL semblances of glare, digititis, and treble crap from decent Redbook. Hooray!
The Aleph 2's do not double down to 200 watts at 4ohms. They are 100 watts at 8 ohms and 160 watts at 4 0hms. The owners manual does say 200 watts, but the service manual says 160 watts. I spoke with Peter at Pass Labs and he confirmed that it is 160 watts. I've owned them and they are great amps. I upgraded to the Aleph 1.2's. They are 200 watts at 8 ohms and 300 watts at 4 ohms. They are by far the best amps I ever owned.