View Full Version : I couldn’t be happier with my new Gemstone Blue Diamond 200X7 amp =)
Gemstone Blue Diamond 200X7
http://gemstoneaudio.com/index.php?in=d
I couldn’t be happier with my new Gemstone Blue Diamond 200X7 amp, my large, 1200sqft., media room finally sounds like the theatre I wanted it to. The room is very large with a lot of open space around the viewing area, pool table area on the right side, bar and games area in the back, and a wide 5’ hallway on the left.
I’m using a Pioneer vsx-45tx as the pre/pro, and had been using 3 marantz ma6100 125watt THX mono blocks for the front. I was very happy with the mono blocks, but really felt they over powered the sides and rears in the more dynamic parts of movies. My speakers are Paradigm Monitor Series .v3, 11’s, cc370, across the front, adp370’s sides, and 5’s in the rear. http://www.paradigm.com/Website/SiteParadigmProduct/ParadigmModels/MonSeries/MonitorSpecs.htm
I demoed 2 other amps before ordering the Gemstone, the Arcam P1000 135X7, and the Rotel RBM-1077 125X7 (digital). The Arcam, sounded a lot like my Marantz mono’s, very good with music, and seemed to fill my surround speakers in the more dynamic parts of the movies. All and all a pretty good amp. The Rotel was very good with movies, very dynamic in all speakers, I was hearing things I never heard in movies before. It’s a very good movie amp. But with music, and my speakers, it was way to bright for my ears. It’s not that I don’t like the digital sound as I do have the Panasonic XR-55 in my family room, and listen to music on it every day. But I do have older Paradigm .v1 Titan, cc170, and adp100 speakers that may make a difference.
The Gemstone is way beyond the Rotel and the Arcam. It’s Very Dynamic for both movies and music, without any brightness at all. The Dynamics are there at all listening levels, I’m hearing things at lower levels that I didn’t hear with the Rotel, Music sounds amazing at any level, and I‘ve got a few more levels now. The highs are open and airy, and the lows seem tighter and deeper. I know I’m not comparing like powered amps, but wow what a difference the Gemstone makes. And in Canada the Gemstone is cheaper than the other 2.
I couldn’t be happier with my new Gemstone Blue Diamond 200X7 amp, and I couldn’t be happier with Gerry (sales), and Steve (owner) at Gemstone, who both spent a lot of time and their dime talking with me about amps. This made me very confident spending my money on a Factory Direct Amp. This is the single best investment in my media room yet and I’ve been lurking around here for a long time reading and trying different things.
Thanks Gemstone!!!
Thanks for the report! I'd like to get this amp, too, but it's simply too big for my rack. Did Steve tell you anything about his digital plans? IIRC, a while ago he hinted that he might offer a digital amp sooner or later, if he can get it to sound as good as his analog one. Or maybe I'm confusing things here? That's just what I remember right now...
Btw, did you demo a Sunfire amp? I'd love to hear how it compares to the Gemstone. Probably the Gemstone sounds better, but I'd like to know for sure.
Steve did talk to me about the digital amp he's working on, but said that he can't get it to sound as good as the Blue Diamond, and won't be selling it until it does.
No I didn't demo the Sunfire, there are no dealers in my area. And all the internet dealers that I talked to didn't make me feel as good about an internet purchase as Gerry, and Steve. All they were interested in doing was making the sale, Steve and Gerry were more about making me a happy customer.
dsmith901
04-10-06, 02:28 PM
I was wondering if Gemstone was still in business since nothing has been posted lately. Good to know.
[QUOTE=ody]Steve did talk to me about the digital amp he's working on, but said that he can't get it to sound as good as the Blue Diamond, and won't be selling it until it does.
No I didn't demo the Sunfire, there are no dealers in my area. And all the internet dealers that I talked to didn't make me feel as good about an internet purchase as Gerry, and Steve. All they were interested in doing was making the sale, Steve and Gerry were more about making me a happy customer.[/QUOTE]
Thanks!
Ahhhh..I just picked up a Earthquake Cinenova Grande 3..and also have it hooked up to a Pioneer Elite but the 47tx...as impressive as the 47tx internal amp is..its nowhere neer the Earthquake Cinenova...its brute but delicate...its runs super cool ..what an awesome product..this is the last of my upgrades for a while. Im on personal punishment, bought a whole setup of Rocket speakers and bought some GIK acoustical panesl and this amp..IM DONE - for now :rolleyes: - and this was a nice final touch...
Congrats on the Gemstone.. :D
"I was wondering if Gemstone was still in business since nothing has been posted lately. Good to know."
I'm not sure why more people are not posting about this amp? It has to be the "Best Bang for the Buck" Audiophile amp, even cheaper than the pro amps here in Canada.
richlo, Nice amp, a bit too pricey for me though. I hope you don't over power your fronts with that monster.
[QUOTE=ody]"
richlo, Nice amp, a bit too pricey for me though. I hope you don't over power your fronts with that monster.[/QUOTE]
it was a lot cheaper than what you may think...brand new from authorized seller..more than a $1.00 but less than $1300..
dsmith901
04-11-06, 10:15 AM
" Nice amp, a bit too pricey for me though. I hope you don't over power your fronts with that monster. "
Not trying to hijack the thread, but for those who cannot afford the Gemstone I highly recommend the Sherwood Newcastle A-965, which can be had for about $1K, as an affordable 7 channel option. As for overpowering speakers, more power is far better than not enough, which causes clipping.
"As for overpowering speakers, more power is far better than not enough, which causes clipping."
The Head room that his front 3 speakers will have now may over power his surrounds in the more dynamic parts of the movie. I had this problem, and the 3 monos I had were the same power as my receiver. But the Pioneers power may not be as good as the specs say.
"it was a lot cheaper than what you may think...brand new from authorized seller..more than a $1.00 but less than $1300.."
Not Bad, But I do think your going to need 4 more channels of power.
The Gemstone hits the sweet spot in the 7 Channel, Price, Performance area.
All I need is for the front end which are 4/6 ohms speakers, rears are 8ohms..So the 3 channel works awesome for me..i havent noticed any overpowering - I think that so long as you calibrate them you should not really notice it - I would guess a weak amp in the recvr will be an issue but the Elits arent so bad in that department - they just could be better..but that is typical with most recvrs..
The Gemstone is one heck of an amp - at least by those who have reviewed it or who have owned it such as yourself...
rushisrighton
04-12-06, 11:32 PM
Hey ody, where in Canada are you? I live right on the canadian border in ND, was wondering where (in Canada) the Gemstones came from, do they have a storefront? I tried calling gemstone but didn't get an answer. Might shoot them an e-mail, I'm pretty interested in this amp.
atdamico
04-13-06, 08:38 AM
[QUOTE=rushisrighton]Hey ody, where in Canada are you? I live right on the canadian border in ND, was wondering where (in Canada) the Gemstones came from, do they have a storefront? I tried calling gemstone but didn't get an answer. Might shoot them an e-mail, I'm pretty interested in this amp.[/QUOTE]
Call Steve at: 763-753-9349
He is the owner of the company and great at returning calls.
[QUOTE=rushisrighton]Hey ody, where in Canada are you? I live right on the canadian border in ND, was wondering where (in Canada) the Gemstones came from, do they have a storefront? I tried calling gemstone but didn't get an answer. Might shoot them an e-mail, I'm pretty interested in this amp.[/QUOTE]
I'm up in the Edmonton, AB area. The Amps come from somewhere in Quebec, I can't remember what town right now. They ship from the factory for Canadians, and ship from a US warehouse for you in the states.
When you call, leave a message and they'll call you back and talk to you as long as you want, on their dime. Great customer service, makes you really feel good about your purchase.
I just found out that Steve's in Mexico until the 18th, but I'm sure Gerry Can answer your Questions, and take your order. ;)
http://gemstoneaudio.com/index.php?in=d
rushisrighton
04-13-06, 06:12 PM
I got ahold of them today, and talked to jerry. Very nice guy, I must say that if there service is as good as their customer relation/sales, you gemstone owners must be very happy with your purchase. I've been holding off on buying an amp because I haven't found exactly what I want in an amp or processor, the gemstone sounds like it has about 90% of what I'm looking for, so it is definently on my short list. I'm not quite ready to jump in and buy just yet, but when I am, I'll definently be giving them a call again. If it wasn't for the fact that I've allready purchased so much in such a short time & the fact that I'm married,
I'd just throw one on the credit card and be done with it!
rushisrighton
04-13-06, 06:16 PM
Forgot to ask them about Rca/xlr cables and what there preferences were, I'm not the kind to apply voodoo science to it, to me, most any cables a cable, but it would've been nice to see what they think about it and if they had a preference for the gemstone.
[QUOTE=rushisrighton]Forgot to ask them about Rca/xlr cables and what there preferences were, I'm not the kind to apply voodoo science to it, to me, most any cables a cable, but it would've been nice to see what they think about it and if they had a preference for the gemstone.[/QUOTE]
I agree, a cable's a cable. But in the manual for the amp it says, "some sonic performance gains can can also be realized using RCA-XLR adapters" So I went with RCA-XLR cables from
http://www.avcable.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PPC&Category_Code=RCA_CABLES
They seemed like a good quality audio patch cable, at a good price.
I did talk to steve about power cables as I need a longer one. He said to get a bigger gauge shielded cable, but don't break the bank on it.
I am catching up to this thread a little late but wished to contribute my recent experience with the Gemstone Blue Diamond amplifier. For the last couple of years I've heard exhuberant claims of satisfaction from a variety of friends and acquaintances who upgraded to this amp.
I have had my unit for 5 weeks and have been most pleased with it as well. I tend to sympathize with the camp that believes in minimal differences in the ways that different amps sound. Not so much that they all sound the same, but that they are all constrained by the quality of speakers and inputs that are used with them. Thus, I was more than a little surprised by the increase in quality of the overall listening experience with the Gemstone in play. I feel that it clearly <pun very much intended> promotes the full potential of other equipment in my audio chain. Clarity at all volume levels and wide soundstage are among the differences that I hear. Gerry and Steve's attention to detail and fine service are icing on the cake.
In my case the Gemstone plays very nicely with an Anthem Statement D1 pre-pro and Denon 5910 for both music and movies. My advice would be that if you don't feel like you're getting the most from your robust speakers and inputs, give the Gemstone a try. Comparing favorably to amplifiers at several times its price point, it might become the defining piece on your rack. It has on mine.
nethomas
04-17-06, 05:49 PM
I am also running the Gemstone with a D1 and the sound is excellent. I am pushing Tyler Acoustic speakers and both 2-channel and HT sound awsome. I have talked with Jerry and Steve and found them to be helpful and not pushy. I actually bought one of the first amps and they gave me a good trade in on my old amp. I have used Adcom B&K and Proceed and I like the Gemstone best.
NETHOMAS
Beaudreau10
04-27-06, 09:46 PM
I also have the Blue Diamond 7X200, with the Pioneer 74txvi front end. When a separate preamp with the feature set of the Pioneer becomes available, I'll consider upgrading the front end, but I'll probably stay with the Gemstone for the next 20 years. Very pleased, great customer support, but I hope I never have to move it again!
Yeah this thing is heavy 88lbs?
I can't see ever needing to upgrade my amp again.
Before puchasing this amp did anyone compare it to the Outlaw 7700-7? It too has a fully balanced design and similiar specs for less money.
Thanks
The Outlaw was on my list, but after taking with Steve and Gerry about what goes into the Gemstone. How the components that they are using compare with amps costing much more. I thought I would give it a try and if it wasn't much better than the amps I had demoed, send it back. They said instead of spending money on marketing as Outlaw does they put the money into the amp, and would let the amp sell it self. Needless to say I think I got much more amp than I would have with the other 2 amps, and it didn't go back. I can't say anything about Outlaw as I haven't demoed it, I'm sure it's a fine product.
tlf9999
04-28-06, 02:30 PM
I am yet to be convinced that the use of "quality" parts automatically leads to "quality" sound. It is not like your amps of gold-plated resistors sound any different from amps of ordinary leaded resistors.
[QUOTE=ody]Gemstone Blue Diamond 200X7
http://gemstoneaudio.com/index.php?in=d
I couldn’t be happier with my new Gemstone Blue Diamond 200X7 amp, my large, 1200sqft., media room finally sounds like the theatre I wanted it to. The room is very large with a lot of open space around the viewing area, pool table area on the right side, bar and games area in the back, and a wide 5’ hallway on the left.
I’m using a Pioneer vsx-45tx as the pre/pro, and had been using 3 marantz ma6100 125watt THX mono blocks for the front. I was very happy with the mono blocks, but really felt they over powered the sides and rears in the more dynamic parts of movies. My speakers are Paradigm Monitor Series .v3, 11’s, cc370, across the front, adp370’s sides, and 5’s in the rear. http://www.paradigm.com/Website/SiteParadigmProduct/ParadigmModels/MonSeries/MonitorSpecs.htm
I demoed 2 other amps before ordering the Gemstone, the Arcam P1000 135X7, and the Rotel RBM-1077 125X7 (digital). The Arcam, sounded a lot like my Marantz mono’s, very good with music, and seemed to fill my surround speakers in the more dynamic parts of the movies. All and all a pretty good amp. The Rotel was very good with movies, very dynamic in all speakers, I was hearing things I never heard in movies before. It’s a very good movie amp. But with music, and my speakers, it was way to bright for my ears. It’s not that I don’t like the digital sound as I do have the Panasonic XR-55 in my family room, and listen to music on it every day. But I do have older Paradigm .v1 Titan, cc170, and adp100 speakers that may make a difference.
The Gemstone is way beyond the Rotel and the Arcam. It’s Very Dynamic for both movies and music, without any brightness at all. The Dynamics are there at all listening levels, I’m hearing things at lower levels that I didn’t hear with the Rotel, Music sounds amazing at any level, and I‘ve got a few more levels now. The highs are open and airy, and the lows seem tighter and deeper. I know I’m not comparing like powered amps, but wow what a difference the Gemstone makes. And in Canada the Gemstone is cheaper than the other 2.
I couldn’t be happier with my new Gemstone Blue Diamond 200X7 amp, and I couldn’t be happier with Gerry (sales), and Steve (owner) at Gemstone, who both spent a lot of time and their dime talking with me about amps. This made me very confident spending my money on a Factory Direct Amp. This is the single best investment in my media room yet and I’ve been lurking around here for a long time reading and trying different things.
Thanks Gemstone!!![/QUOTE]
this sounds like a freakin advertisement
[QUOTE=ddannv]this sounds like a freakin advertisement[/QUOTE]
It's not!
And I'll take it as a complement on my writing :D
[QUOTE=ody]It's not!
And I'll take it as a complement on my writing :D[/QUOTE]
Definitely not an advertisement...its more like a recommendation of a happy buyer..Hmmm..kinda like the subject line...
Gemstone has a rep for being that good...
Good job Ody -
I've had the Gemstone for about a year now; include me among the satisfied customers.
I upgraded from an Outlaw 750 amp - I did side-by-side listening tests (unblinded, so take it for what it is worth), the Gemstone had better definition in the highs and spatial seperation of instruments (less muddled on dense passages). The extra power makes for a more involving surround experience too - the Outlaw was underpowered for my 4 ohm Seas Thor/Odin speakers - which are inefficient buggers, but nice neutral sound!
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