Dan D’Agostino has good and – for European customers – bad news: including the announcement of a new M400 MxV and a price increase for all products.
Let’s start with the bad news. Importer Reference Sounds feels forced to raise the price of all Dan D’Agostino products: ‘The continuing weak position of the Euro against the Dollar means that we unfortunately have to raise the prices of Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems. No fun but necessary. The new price list can be found here and will be effective as of February 1, 2022′. Act quick and you might be able to still grab something for the old price!
MxV
The importer continues: ‘In addition to the new prices you will also find an important change in the type designation of the Momentum Series power amplifiers on this price list. The addition of MxV after the model number of the M400 Mono and S250 Stereo amplifiers symbolizes an impressive upgrade of Relentless proportions. Besides the actual announcement of the new price list, we would of course like to tell you more about the new borns’.
Influence of Relentless and Progression
Reference Sounds also introduces new members to the Dan D’Agostino family: ‘For a long time, the Momentum M400 was the very best Dan could make and perhaps one of the very best power amplifiers ever. The insights into perfecting every step within the amplifier circuitry gained traction with the Relentless and recent Progression series that now find their way into the M400 and S250 MxV.
Under the hood
In practice, it means that mainly the exterior has remained the same. Inside, the amplifier is almost completely redesigned. The power supply has been completely overhauled, its core formed by a much more efficient transformer that is able to deliver a higher secondary voltage at the same size. ‘This higher voltage reflects immediately in greater stability and more limited saturation of the transformer. In combination with the huge buffer capacity and further optimized DC voltage stabilization, this forms the heart of the amplifier. Power supply is everything and so Dan is doing everything possible to perfect this even further with great sonic consequence in terms of peace and convenience. The sonically crucial input stage that prepares the audio signal for the delivery to the output stage has been completely redesigned. In the new circuit, among other things, an improvement of the quiescent current setting has been sought so that the class A range has been further extended’, the importer informs us.
Copper heat sinks
Combined with new driver transistors, the bandwidth of the input stage has been further increased and distortion further minimized. After the input stage, the audio signal is offered to the output stage of the Momentum amplifier circuit. Here Dan D’Agostino employs the same power transistors as in his ultimate Relentless power amplifier. In the case of the M400 MxV there are no fewer than 26 of these, which are mounted to copper heat sinks by means of a special coupling.
‘Insane’
The directly coupled output stage with new transistors, input stage and driver stage actually reflect the qualities of the Relentless in Momentum format. Reference Sounds: ‘It gives the musical energy of the M400 and S250 even more body, even more mass while spontaneity and speed have only increased. No brute power but finesse and nimbleness mastered with a copper fist. Large-scale and holographic, bloodstained and colorful. Insane, in other words! It brings these two power amplifiers from the Momentum series a giant leap towards the non-plus-ultra Relentless power amplifier and that is given the physicality of these beauties actually the biggest compliment’.
Upgrade
Of particular interest is the possibility of upgrading an original Mono Momentum (the M300), M400 or original Momentum Stereo (the S200) or S250 to the latest generation MxV. The case remains but the interior is completely updated to the latest technology. Prices for this upgrade depend on the current version of the Momentum amplifier and are as follows:
- M300 to M400 M xV €17,490 per mono power amplifier
- M400 to M400 M xV €11,990 per mono power amplifier
- S200 to S250 M xV €17,490 per power amplifier
- S250 to S250 M xV € 11.990,- per power amplifier