Hello,
(Very) Long time lurker here, and first poster, from Paris France.
I like the discussion here very much, it has helped me build my first stereo and home cinema set, saving a lot of money on cables, audiophile plugs and other junk. I believe this website is playing a huge role in bringing customers better quality equipments, and I’m glad to have found it.
So, for my first post here I wanted to talk to you about a machine that oddly enough hasn’t been talked about much here, despite the glowing review Amir did of the room perfect system : the tdai 1120.
I was extremely hesitant between integrated amplifiers from NAD and lyngdorf. I wanted to listen to tidal in app, Have the best room correction my money could afford, and that my equipment would integrate within my home cinema system flawlessly. My front speakers are Kelinac 914MG (93db efficiency). These must be totally unknown in the US, but they are quite wonderful, they could be compared to focal kanta 3, to name another French brand.
The reason why I absolutely wanted room correction is that my speakers are lodged insidemy library, in some sort of alcove. The reflection of the walls around it heightens the bass, but I wanted to keep them there as it looks great and saves a lot of space in the living room.
after much hesitation, I decided to buy a Nad C658, undeterred by the bad review it got here. The Dirac correction When it was on sounded quite wonderful, but I was facing two problems:
First, when I compared the level of details between the NAD and my SMSL 500, I was hearing a big difference in favor of the later. The soundstage sounded much better with the NAD, but its DAC was simply not on par with Hi-Res music. Second, I ended up fidgeting way too much with the desired curb. I was listening more to the NAD thn to music itself. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. So I ended up sending back the C658.
From then on my mind was set on trying to a Lyngdorf.
The measurements of the 3400 scared me off, although it had everything I wanted (except the heavy Price tag)…
When I finally found a bargain on the 1120, I decided to take the risk.
And boy I wasn’t disappointed.
The 1120 came two years after the 3400. it has everything its big brother has, except tidal connect is replaced by Google cast, no optical out for plugging an additional digital Power amplifier, and 60 W output instead of 200. My speakers being 93db, I have a 15 dB headspace when I play music very loud like I usually do. It cost €2000 new and I got it for 1500.
when I first plugged it in without any room correction, it sounded great but the treble a little too shiny. But then I compared it to my usual set up (google cast, smsl m500 and Peachtree220 power amp) and realized it was just my imagination. The sound was very similar, except no noise in the speakers with the tdai when the music was off .
And then I calibrated room perfect.
Uh… Wow.
My very subjective sensation is that I was blown away.
The soundstage was absolutely extraordinary.
You have to understand my living room is it an L shape with an open kitchen on the left, about 340 ft.² in total. The sofa is against the brick back wall. There is carpets and books everywhere. up to that point, I had always had the sensation my stereo was whistling too much.
Now, I was in total bliss. I finally had the sound I was chasing after.
I recorded different focus positions, from when I’m working at the dinner table, in the kitchen making food, standing up and dancing, etc.
In comparing the different focus positions, the one that worked best for me was in a perfect triangle with the speakers, Just one meter ahead of the back wall. So room perfect will still work better if your listening spot is the best to begin with.
in using it for three months, I have had no issues with drops or anything of the likes. The 1120 is plugged to my AVR receiver and it works flawlessly in slave mode when I watch a movie. My subwoofer is plugged to my AVR. My front speakers being 30 hz- 20,000 Hz , I don’t think it’s necessary to add a sub to the stereo configuration. I might be wrong and I could try plugging the sub to the 1120 instead of the AVR, but I’m a little lazy, especially since my sound satisfies me so much as it is now.
I wrote this review because I think the 1120 is a great machine for a great price.
The fact Room perfect automatically adjusts instead of letting you do it yourself like Dirac, but still offers the possibility to add your own adjustments, to me is Game changing . And in my very subjective view, RP sounds much better than Dirac. Sure Trinnov might be better, but at what price range?
I would love for Amir to test it. if Lyngdorf has managed to get rid of the flaws of the 3400, while dividing the price by 2.5, it could be the ultimate machine for high sensibility speakers. (Keep in mind the RCA output are there to connect it to a subwoofer, as specified in the manual, not to a power amp. Everything stays digital inside this machine, the DAC might not be state of the art but that’s irrelevant.)
Hopefully once Spotify connect offers hifi, the tdai 1120 will be perfect for my use IMHO.
(Very) Long time lurker here, and first poster, from Paris France.
I like the discussion here very much, it has helped me build my first stereo and home cinema set, saving a lot of money on cables, audiophile plugs and other junk. I believe this website is playing a huge role in bringing customers better quality equipments, and I’m glad to have found it.
So, for my first post here I wanted to talk to you about a machine that oddly enough hasn’t been talked about much here, despite the glowing review Amir did of the room perfect system : the tdai 1120.
I was extremely hesitant between integrated amplifiers from NAD and lyngdorf. I wanted to listen to tidal in app, Have the best room correction my money could afford, and that my equipment would integrate within my home cinema system flawlessly. My front speakers are Kelinac 914MG (93db efficiency). These must be totally unknown in the US, but they are quite wonderful, they could be compared to focal kanta 3, to name another French brand.
The reason why I absolutely wanted room correction is that my speakers are lodged insidemy library, in some sort of alcove. The reflection of the walls around it heightens the bass, but I wanted to keep them there as it looks great and saves a lot of space in the living room.
after much hesitation, I decided to buy a Nad C658, undeterred by the bad review it got here. The Dirac correction When it was on sounded quite wonderful, but I was facing two problems:
First, when I compared the level of details between the NAD and my SMSL 500, I was hearing a big difference in favor of the later. The soundstage sounded much better with the NAD, but its DAC was simply not on par with Hi-Res music. Second, I ended up fidgeting way too much with the desired curb. I was listening more to the NAD thn to music itself. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. So I ended up sending back the C658.
From then on my mind was set on trying to a Lyngdorf.
The measurements of the 3400 scared me off, although it had everything I wanted (except the heavy Price tag)…
When I finally found a bargain on the 1120, I decided to take the risk.
And boy I wasn’t disappointed.
The 1120 came two years after the 3400. it has everything its big brother has, except tidal connect is replaced by Google cast, no optical out for plugging an additional digital Power amplifier, and 60 W output instead of 200. My speakers being 93db, I have a 15 dB headspace when I play music very loud like I usually do. It cost €2000 new and I got it for 1500.
when I first plugged it in without any room correction, it sounded great but the treble a little too shiny. But then I compared it to my usual set up (google cast, smsl m500 and Peachtree220 power amp) and realized it was just my imagination. The sound was very similar, except no noise in the speakers with the tdai when the music was off .
And then I calibrated room perfect.
Uh… Wow.
My very subjective sensation is that I was blown away.
The soundstage was absolutely extraordinary.
You have to understand my living room is it an L shape with an open kitchen on the left, about 340 ft.² in total. The sofa is against the brick back wall. There is carpets and books everywhere. up to that point, I had always had the sensation my stereo was whistling too much.
Now, I was in total bliss. I finally had the sound I was chasing after.
I recorded different focus positions, from when I’m working at the dinner table, in the kitchen making food, standing up and dancing, etc.
In comparing the different focus positions, the one that worked best for me was in a perfect triangle with the speakers, Just one meter ahead of the back wall. So room perfect will still work better if your listening spot is the best to begin with.
in using it for three months, I have had no issues with drops or anything of the likes. The 1120 is plugged to my AVR receiver and it works flawlessly in slave mode when I watch a movie. My subwoofer is plugged to my AVR. My front speakers being 30 hz- 20,000 Hz , I don’t think it’s necessary to add a sub to the stereo configuration. I might be wrong and I could try plugging the sub to the 1120 instead of the AVR, but I’m a little lazy, especially since my sound satisfies me so much as it is now.
I wrote this review because I think the 1120 is a great machine for a great price.
The fact Room perfect automatically adjusts instead of letting you do it yourself like Dirac, but still offers the possibility to add your own adjustments, to me is Game changing . And in my very subjective view, RP sounds much better than Dirac. Sure Trinnov might be better, but at what price range?
I would love for Amir to test it. if Lyngdorf has managed to get rid of the flaws of the 3400, while dividing the price by 2.5, it could be the ultimate machine for high sensibility speakers. (Keep in mind the RCA output are there to connect it to a subwoofer, as specified in the manual, not to a power amp. Everything stays digital inside this machine, the DAC might not be state of the art but that’s irrelevant.)
Hopefully once Spotify connect offers hifi, the tdai 1120 will be perfect for my use IMHO.
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