I've sold my Portal Panache and kept the Cayin 265Ai. After about a month of testing both with the rest of my system I had to make a choice. The Panache is a terrific amplifier and is much more forgiving of so-so recordings. It's a bargain too. I liked the Cayin's more "in your face" way with vocals and the midrange in general. The high frequencies are more forward too and that's not quite as nice. The Cayin's much faster than the Panache, more dynamic and more resolving (that's not always a good thing). This might have to do with the class A topology.

These 2 amplifiers couldn't sound more different. It's literally night and day. I was used to the beautiful sound of the Panache so it really was a tough call but I just couldn't live without the more lively vocals the speakers were producing when paired with the 265Ai. They come alive.

That being said, I still think the Portal Panache will satisfy many audiophiles out there. It's definitely warmer, much less picky about recording quality and mates well with just about any other decent quality component. The Cayin is more fussy about what it is paired with and cabling. It gets HOT and is heavy as hell. I'll live with that cause the music on good recordings is addictive.

mikefl February 28, 2007 18:34

System edited: added picture with new rack and new integrated amplifier

mikefl February 11, 2007 18:41

System edited: updated pictures coming soon

mikefl December 29, 2006 17:53

The midrange is very good on the tannoys. I had to fidget with speaker placement before I got vocals to be pinpoint center. The sound of the panache is almost strange when you first hear it; at least I thought it was. It is such a liquid warm sound compared to the NAD and really sucks you in. My friend thought the same thing; it’s as if you know you are listening to something really great.

Male vocals sometimes sound a little laid back, but it really depends on the recording. I think maybe the Panache lets you realize how recordings really are that different from each other. Because every cd I listen to has totally different dynamics, spacing, and separation. Sometimes it gets annoying when even the same cd has so much variety in the songs, ex. coldplay has some songs that the vocals are really centered, than others where he’s off to the right.

I am sure I will be changing speakers in the near future, most likely the Sonus Faber grand pianos. I really love these speakers, and have listened to many Sonus Faber speakers. I think I am one of those guys who will take warm non-fatiguing sound over detailed analytical any day.

rtilbury March 21, 2006 02:27

I tried speaker placement changes and I much prefer them with no toe-in. Strangely enough I find female voices (Krall, Jones, etc.) very satisfying but male voices seem a little laid back. It's as if there is a slight dip right in that frequency range. I had NAD stuff too (C370 and C541i) before making the switch. I thought it was very decent for the money but the Panache and E5 are a definite step forward on all counts.

How's the midrange with your Tannoy's ? Are you thinking about trying different speakers too ?

I put the metering marks on the Panache. I like to see the volume level from my listening distance. I had some left over sticker material from the post office 'fragile' stickers and cut some very thin strips out of the white bits. It sounds worse than it is. :) It actually looks quite good even from very close. It comes off very easy so it's not permanent. I'll post some nicer shots of the whole system when I get a chance.

mikefl March 20, 2006 21:51

The buzzing is still present, but can't be heard unless my head is closer than a foot away. I also prefered the MIT to a Cardas Twinlink. I use the cardas now on my cd player. Maybe you can try speaker placement and toe-in, when switching from the NAD my soundstage was a lot different.

PS - did you put the white metering marks on your panache, or did it come like that?

rtilbury March 20, 2006 16:41

Hi. I saw and responded to some of your previous posts on Audio Asylum concerning the hum in your Panache. I've got it too but can't hear it from about a foot from the speakers. In my system I prefered the MIT PC to a Signal Cable digital reference and Ultralink Ultima. I very much enjoy the sound of my system too but I'd like male voices to be just a tad more forward. Perhaps the Castle's are a bit too laid back. I was thinking about trying some Tyler Acoustics Taylo's or Linbrook floorstanding monitors.

mikefl March 19, 2006 16:46

I also have the Portal Panache integrated and really love the sound it produces. what I thought was funny though was that I also use the MIT z-cord II. I thought it made a good companion with the Portal. My system sounds so lush that I can just listen for hours.

rtilbury March 17, 2006 15:21