31
Oct

Streophile reviews the GoldenEar Aon 2

Normally I write my own blog, but on a lazy day I just cut and paste. This time I am giving you a cut an paste of an email from Sandy Gross, founder of GoldenEar Technology. If you click on the page you can go directly to the review.
Wylie
“Stereophile is one of the most discerning high-end audio magazines, and their reviewers among the most critical. When I received Bob Reina’s review of the Aon 2, (Stereophile – November 2013) I was as blown away by it as he was with the speaker! I found his introduction discussing his meeting with Saul Marantz very apropos, for as many of you know, Saul was both a good friend and mentor of mine.

Aon 2 Review - Nov 2013

As I started to go through the review today in order to pick out some of the best quotes, I realized just how difficult a task it was to choose, as the whole review is just one blockbuster rave after another. But I’ll try, beginning with…
“…as much detail as I’ve heard with much more expensive speakers” and, “the lower midrange had a warm richness that made it sound like a much larger speaker” and similarly,
“the Aon 2s low-end extension and naturalness through the mid bass also suggested a larger more expensive speaker”.
Of course getting into the specifics, Bob waxed eloquently that,
“The range from ppp to fff was breathtaking through the GoldenEars, and I was taken by the silky, uncolored male and female voices, which floated holographically over the orchestra during even the most demanding passages”.
He also loved the way,
“each note was surrounded by a delicate, airy envelope” and the way,“all transients were lightning fast without losing any of their delicate subtleties”.
He then raved that,
“the bass response was forceful” and “I could hear the skin of each drum resonate after each attack, but without any smearing”.
As I said, the raves for our little Aon 2 are just stupendous and go on and on and on. But you already knew how great the Aon 2 is, for music and of course home theater, when paired with our new SuperCenters. Please read the whole review, share it with your team and customers, and prepare for an Aons gone wild! Click here or on the image above to download
Posted in Bookshelf Speakers, Speakers | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
11
Oct

Oh frabjous day…

I received my absolute sound 2014 high-end audio buyer’s guide today. Sure it was mostly stuff priced like new cars, but as always I was pleased to see so many reasonably priced components from my brands on the list.
GoldenEar Technology Aon 3 $999
“.. agile, detailed, nuanced mids when serving up bass that matches the quality of the speaker’s midrange and trble. …Those listeners willing to sacrifice some of the Aon 3’s extended low range performance may find GoldenEar’s slightly smaller Aon 2 offers even more compelling three-dimensional imaging.”
GoldenEar Triton Two $2998
” … an elegant full-range floorstander that sounds astonishingly refined, delivers spectacular 30-D imaging, and provides robust full-bodied dynamics.”
Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.5
Sadly discontinued, and all sold out. But the new Strada 2($1998) pair) has the same midrange and tweeter, so using a pair of subwoofers makes a system amazingly close to the 3.5. And one reviewer whose personal reference is the Ref 3.5 reviewed the Strada 2 with two Gallo subwoofers to the Ref3.5. He does a thorough comparison of Strada 2 w/subs to Ref 3.5 w/sub amp at this link

Marantz PM8004 integrated amp $999
70 wpc “…tonally neutral, clean, clear, transparent…phono stage with all-discrete circuitry…bass, treble and midrange tone controls… build quality is superb.”
Vincent Audio PHO 8 phono preamp $400
“…Operation is quiet the sound liquid, the soundstage liquid, the soundstage vivid and dimensional wth just a hint f warmth … A joy to use .. you’ll need a much bigger wallet to beat it.”
Marantz SA8004 Two channel SACD/Redbook player$999
“…Tonally neutral authoritative and natural with just a hint of warmth…a music lover’s dream. “
Marantz Reference Series Universal players SA 11S ($3999) and UD9004 (5999)
Both are marvelous but at these prices nobody even asks how good a deal they could get on a special order.
Channel D Pure Music $129 software
I don’t sell this, but it’s such a deal that everyone who uses iTunes should get it ASAP.
Grado Prestige Gold cartridge $220
“…dynamically expressive midrange…presentation is lively and conveys an engaging sense of openness…”
Ortofon cartridges at $2199, $2599, $3899 and $8495.
So many and so expensive that I got too lazy to put in the quotes. I stay with the 2M series, all under $500 my price.
Analysis Plus interconnects at $875 and speaker cables at $1350
Sure they are wonderful but if by chance there are audiohiles in S. Louis who would buy these even if they were half price I have yet to meet them. Maybe they shop at Music for Pleasure, St. Louis Stereo, or even The Sound Room, all of which exude a higher-end aura. I suppose my penchant for “affordability” doesn’t help.
WireWorld Equinox 7 interconnect $200
TAS compared the sound to the Cardas Light that costs three times as much. Now that’s a compliment!
WireWorld Equinox 7 speaker cable $$870/3 meter
TAS says it’s very similar to the Cardas clear Sky and similar in price, too so it’s fine cable but not a bargain.
WireWorld also got recommendations for their Electra 5.2 power cable, Platinum Starlight USB ($599), and Silver Starlight USB ($275).
Grado SR60 and PS1000 headphones , at $79 and $1695 were listed as well.
Happy listening,
Wylie
Posted in Bookshelf Speakers, Gallo speakers, Speakers, Tower speakers, Vincent Audio | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
1
Oct

New GoldenEar Technology SuperCenters are here!

GoldenEar-SuperCenter-XL-and-X-HR

Yes, they are here, in stock and on demo for interested parties.

The photos don’t show it, but their 11 ” depth specification is real; way bigger than the 4″ depth of the SuperSat center speakers, and it doesn’t take much imagination to expect deeper bass When I looked at the specs and saw bass response down to 45Hz for the SCX and 36Hz for the SCXL that said to me that they would perform very well if used in pairs as bookshelf stereo speakers without a subwoofer, so when I got my demos I put two SCXL on speaker stands as a stereo pair . Verdict – they live up to their specs on bass and they sound amazingly like the Triton 7. I don’t expect anyone to buy the new SuperCenters for bookshelf use, though they would be perfect for many rooms with fixed bookshelves that lack height for a substantial bookshelf speaker..

The real test came when I went to a customer’s home with the SuperCenter XL to test against his SuperSat 60C. He put his receiver in Direct Mode so that full range music was sent to the center speaker. In this mode the new SuperCenter was clearly superior. Once the receiver was set for a crossover frequency to reduce the bass the superiority in dynamics and bass was still audible. He was pleased and bought then new SuperCemter.

This gentleman is a serious audiophile/videophile, with a 120″ screen projection system in a completely light-controlled and acoustically treated theater room so his standards and expectations may be greater than most of us. However, for those who want to make a change I allow 80% of purchase price on trade in of GoldenEar SuperSat centers.

Here is GoldenEar’s product information release

GoldenEar’s new SuperCenter X (SCX) and SuperCenter XL (SCXL) center channel loudspeakers have been developed in response to requests by dealers and their customers for more substantial center channel loudspeakers. They are most appropriate for use in nstallations that can accommodate larger units, and that don’t necessarily require the more compact, svelte profiles and/or on-wall or on-bracket mounting options of our very popular and highly reviewed SuperSat center channels.

The SCX and SCXL are ultra-high performance center channels appropriate for the highest quality home theater systems. They are designed to perfectly complement and match our Triton Tower and Aon Bookshelf loudspeakers, both sonically and cosmetically. Their sophisticated industrial design is both attractive and functional, both minimizing their apparent size as well as enhancing their acoustic performance. Both new center channels incorporate a D’Appolito Array of 2 newly developed long-throw 5-¼” bass/midrange drivers surrounding one of our signature High Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR) tweeters. The 5-¼” drivers incorporate spiderleg cast baskets, for minimal internal reflection, as well as multi-vaned phase plugs, to minimize cross-apex wave propagation interference. Both also utilize top-mounted pressure-coupled quadratic planar low frequency radiators that both extend the bass response as well as provide the bass/midrange drivers with ideal acoustic loading and damping. Only 1” of clearance is required above the bass radiators. The SCX incorporates one 7”x10” planar radiator, while the SCXL benefits from dual 6-¾” x 8”units.
Sonically, the new centers offer the same lifelike, highly detailed, high-resolution, smooth, open, boxless sound quality that our SuperSats are famous for, with even greater dynamic range, impact and low frequency extension. The retail price of the SuperCenter X is $599; the SuperCenter XL is $799.

Specifications:
SuperCenter X- Dimensions: 5 ¾” H x 20” H x 11”D,
Weight: 15 lbs.,
Frequency Response: 45 Hz- 35 kHz,
Efficiency 90 dB,
Nominal Impedance:
Compatible with 8 ohms,
Driver Complement: Two 5-¼” cast-basket bass/midrange drivers, One High-Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR™) radiator, One 7” x 10” quadratic planar low frequency radiator,
Rec. Amplification: 20-200 watts/channel $599 each

SuperCenter XL- Dimensions: 5 ¾” H x 29” W x 11” D, Weight: 21 lbs., Frequency Response: 36 Hz. – 35 kHz.,
Efficiency: 91 dB, Nominal Impedance: Compatible with 8 ohms,
Driver Complement: Two 5-¼” cast-basket bass/midrange drivers, One High-Velocity Folded Ribbon (HVFR™) high-frequency radiator, Two 6-¾” x 8” quadratic planar low-frequency radiators.,
Rec. Amplification: 20-250 watts/channel $799

Posted in Bookshelf Speakers, center channel speaker, Speakers, Subwoofers, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment
14
Sep

New Goldenear Technology center speakers coming

I don’t usually write about new products that are not yet available, but when the maker announces them at trade shows the word gets out on the internet and customers start emailing me with questions. That happened to me this week when, at the 2013 CEDIA trade show, GoldenEar Technology introduced their new SuperCenter X and XL speakers. I knew that new center speakers were coming sometime but that’s all I knew. I emailed my sales rep and got this reply:

Hi Wylie,

Both models should begin shipping by the end of this month. SuperCenter X is $599.99, SuperCenter XL is $799.99. The SCX is 5.75″ h x 20″ w. The SCXL is the same height and depth but is 29″ wide. Orders are welcome!

Since GoldenEar already has three center speakers you might wonder why two more are coming out. The reason is that some listeners feel that the original center speakers don’t have as much warmth and fullness as they want. In truth, since the originals are very small and have thin aluminum cabinets so they can be placed on the wall, they do not do as much bass and midbass as larger wood cabinet speakers. If placed on the wall the reinforcement from the wall helps a lot, and the equalization performed by the receiver’s Audyssey should take care of any making the response right. How can this fail to satisfy? When the speaker is placed on a cabinet the wall reinforcement is missing, and when Audyssey is used its results do not always satisfy. And of course some listeners have high expectations.

GoldenEar has heard some suggestions and the new speakers are the response. Personally I haven’t heard any shortcomings with the original center speakers, but I do not pretend to be the most astute listener. Any of my customers who might want the new speakers may audition them and if the new ones are preferred I will take back the originals and give credit for the full purchase price against the new ones.

A GoldenEar owner read on the internet of the forthcoming center speakers and emailed me for more information. I told him what I had and he replied:

Perfect! I’ll be finished with my remodel in a couple/three days, but I expect the SuperSat 60C to be the “weak” link in the chain at that point (at least to my ears). The beefier center is exactly what I was hoping for.

BTW, the Triton Seven’s are sounding incredible as they break-in in my bedroom system. The Triton Two’s sound better, but I would have been very, very happy with four Triton Seven’s across the front sound stage of my dedicated home theater (fronts and wides). They beat the Aon’s for detail and separation – not an easy feat – and they go deep with even more authority. They’re graceful and “gymnastic.” I don’t know how GoldenEar managed to make them so agile. I’m just glad they did! I experienced that so powerfully in a Bach concerto for unaccompanied cello last night. In my experiece, many speakers don’t do justice to the richness of the cello. The Aon’s do the cello proud, but the Seven’s take the sound to a whole other plane of existence. 🙂 But don’t get me wrong. I still love the Aon 3, too. It’s a great center for the Triton Seven’s. I think I’d put it in my main home theater instead of the 60C, but it won’t fit. That’s why the Super Centers couldn’t be coming at a better time.

I went on line to find more and found a link that has photos and some information. The SuperCenters are box-type speakers with angled sides and top, using the same design as other GoldenEar products – cast basket midwoofers, folded ribbon tweeters, and passive radiators.

As so as I have better photos and specs I will put them in a newsletter, and when the new speakers arrive I will tell everyone.

Happy listening,

Wylie

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1
Sep

More opinion of GoldenEar Technology Triton Seven

I’ve just received feedback on the Triton Seven. A friend (and customer) had been waiting to hear them so he came over for a listen. On hearing them he was very positive in his praise, and said that he will use them in his home as soon as a remodel is finished. As he left, knowing him to have a good ear and a good writing style, I asked if he would email me with his comments, so I could put them out for others. Here is his email.

Hi Wylie,

Thanks for the demo of the Triton Sevens, Wylie. And thanks for letting me bring my Denon receiver, so I could hear them with the amps I use at home. It makes evaluating speakers that much easier for me. My high resolution HD Tracks music demo material told me everything I needed to know about the Seven’s.

Had I heard the Triton Seven’s before I bought the Triton Two’s, it would have made for a more difficult decision. Here’s some history, just as a reminder of my experience with GoldenEar speakers. I started with Aon 3’s, because I had heard them at a friend’s house. They’re remarkably good bookshelf speakers. I went with 3 Aon 3’s across the front for my bedroom system, with two SuperSat 3’s as rear surrounds and a ForceField 3 sub. I was so happy that I decided to try the Aon’s in my main home theater room. I’m sure there are many, many people who would be perfectly happy with that configuration, even in a large-ish home theater. They’re that good. But I was used to larger towers, with more impact. I had Energy RC70’s in the room at the time. They lack the GoldenEar’s refinement, but they were great speakers for that space. The little Aon 3’s couldn’t quite fill the space the way I wanted.

As you may recall, I demoed the Triton Three’s and Triton Two’s on the same day at your house. I didn’t find it difficult to select the Triton Two’s over the Three’s. They suit me better. It wasn’t a direct A/B with the Seven’s and the Two’s the other day, but I thought the Seven’s were amazing. Your listening space is even larger than my dedicated home theater room, but the Seven’s filled them easily – which the Aon’s couldn’t quite manage to my satisfaction. They were also more open and airy than the Aon’s, as though the beautifully packaged sound of the Aon had been opened up and allowed to breathe even more freely. The Seven definitely has “big speaker” sound, with absolutely remarkable bass. With no sub connected, IMO the Seven’s easily managed the same low level as my Aon’s and ForceField 3 sub in the bedroom system.

I know I would have been happy with the Seven’s in my main home theater. They beat the Energy RC70 speakers in every category I hold dear. They don’t best the Triton Two’s, which open up the sound stage even more and image beautifully. So, the Seven’s are going to take a place in my bedroom system, where they’ll serve as mains for home theater, and for two channel music listening. Two of the Aon 3’s will move to the main home theater room alongside the Triton Two’s, to serve as Audyssey “wide” speakers.And by the way, I’m finishing up a remodel of my home theater room, thanks to GoldenEar speakers. My old configuration had the right main speaker crammed up against a wall. As incredible as the Triton Two sounded in my “old space,” I had to figure out a way to let it “breathe” more easily. In the end, the best way to do this meant gutting the theater room, cutting a hole in the wall and placing the projector in an adjacent room. Much of the summer has been taken up with this transition. I expect it to pay big dividends in terms of sound quality. In terms of the image, I wouldn’t have tackled such a makeover. My “old” home theater room was plenty dark enough. But the Triton Two’s begged me to give them a better home. In the process, their little brothers, the Seven’s, will provide me with an even bigger sound for my secondary home theater room.

I realize this isn’t a review as such, just a sketchy overview of my experiences. Regardless, I’ve fallen in love with GoldenEar speakers, and primarily for two huge reasons. First, the ribbon tweeter that all the GE’s share is a thing of aural beauty. It’s unbelievably smooth, and I’m sure it’s a big reason reviewers are so profuse in their praise of GoldenEar speakers. But just as important, the crossovers of all the GE’s I’ve listened to are completely seamless, making a warm and creamy transition from the tweeter to the midrange. And the speakers cross just as cleanly to the bass in the Aon’s and Triton’s. In many other speakers, the drivers don’t sound as pristine, or the transitions are more ragged or abrupt. Not so with GoldenEar. This makes for remarkable listening.

Posted in Bookshelf Speakers, Speakers, Subwoofers, Tower speakers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
31
Aug

First Listen GoldenEar Technology Triton Seven

My demo GoldenEar Technology Triton Sevens arrived two weeks ago, two days before we left for a ten day trip. Since I had been told that the Sevens need 100 to 150 hours break in, their arrival before the trip was a stroke of luck. I put a CD on repeat, turned the volume up, and let them play all the time I was gone. As far as I am concerned, they are 100% broken in.


I make no pretense that this is a thorough review or a valid comparison to the other GoldenEar speakers, because it’s just a first listening. I will have to listen more, get some other people over to listen, substitute other speakers (mainly the Triton Two and Three), and swap some electronics before I can try to describe the small points. The big point, however, is already settled – these are winners.

Once I got home from the trip it took only a few minutes of listening to render that verdict, and later listening continues to confirm my first impressions. These speakers do it all, beautifully. The sound is almost electrostatic in its clarity, and the midrange is so transparent they invite a comparison with the Triton Two. My demo material includes enough deep bass for a valid listen, so I think I can safely report that the bass is good, deep, and dynamic. I am impressed, and my wife even volunteered that she considers them “excellent”.

They are good enough to show the characteristics of different amplifiers. I have used the Vincent Audio SV237 hybrid integrated amp, the Bel Canto REF 500 monoblocks, and a Denon receiver so far, and was able to easily distinguish the sound of the amps. That says a lot about transparency and neutrality.

I just had a visit and a listening session with a friend who has the Triton Two and the Aon Three in his home. He brought his own hi-res demo material. After he finished listening to the Sevens I asked if he liked them. He was astonished that I asked. He loved them – was amazed at the dynamics and the spaciousness, etc. etc. I hate to misquote anyone, but he seemed to be saying that if he had heard these before he heard the Triton Two, he might have been happy to buy them instead.

GoldenEar had more orders for the Sevens than they could fill with the first production run, so I only have my demo pair on hand. But I have just learned that the next four speakers of my order are scheduled to be delivered Wednesday the 4th of September, and the last pair should be here in late September. Demos are available – just call or write.

You a may recall that a month or so ago I sent a newsletter with the first review of the Triton Seven. If you want to re-read it, here is a link:

 Sound And Vision Magazine
Happy listening,

Wylie

Posted in bel canto design, Integrated amplifier, Speakers, Tower speakers, Vincent Audio | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
2
Aug

The Sound of Vincent Audio amplifiers

The recent buyer of a Vincent Audio SP331MK has continued to email me with updates. His latest is a good explanation of the Vincent sound and I believe it characterizes well the sound of the SP331, SP331MK, and the SV237.

Vincent_SP-331MK

I’m finding the amp incredible! The tones are excellent! They have a set of 6n16 tubes soldered in … and a 12Au7 which can be rolled. I suspect the amp is not popular due to the soldered in set of tubes, and because they don’t know about the soldered in tube. Its like what? I can’t roll that! Yes you can if you can solder. If you ‘re good, it wont take that long. But there is really no need to roll the 6n16 tubes. There are a few variations of that tube available … I do believe Musical Fidelity also used a variation of whats called subminiature tubes. These tubes are tough and can out last other tubes by years … ten years and beyond. But the following article explain it much better than I.

Link: effectrode.com

Quote:

The first practical subminiature tubes were designed and developed by Raytheon in the 1940s. These tubes were sometimes referred to as “pencil” tubes because of their small stature. They’re approximately a quarter of the size of the miniature B9A tube types found in guitar amplifiers, and instead of pins they have flexible leads just like transistors. These tiny tubes were manufactured to meet the stringent MIL-E-1 specification for reliability and designed for long service life under conditions of severe shock, vibration (up to 20,000G), high temperature and high altitude. These tubes were some of the most meticulously built and most rigorously tested of all tubes, as their main intended use was extreme military applications, such as missile guidance. The subminiature tube represents the pinnacle of tube technology and offer more consistent and reliable performance than the early NOS germanium transistors. The Raytheon datasheet boldly states, “Tubes developed for this purpose proved so rugged that in-operative failures became very rare.”. Impressive stuff, eh. It’s also fascinating to consider that if the development of the transistor had been delayed for just a few more years, these tubes might have become the standard amplification device used in the audio industry today.

The SP331MK is the darnedest thing I have seen as far as burn in. Around the 30 hour mark, the amp changed for the worse. It started sounding funky again. I was like what in the world is going on!?! One online consumer review said it takes a full 40 hours….another guy stated his changed a few times, and it takes a full 3 weeks. I called Audio-advisor and they said a full 100 hours, and finally I called the North American distributor and they said a full 100-150 hours. Geez! Never had an amp to burn in like this, and change back and forth like this. But around that 35 hour mark she started opening up again and with close to 50 hours on her she is sounding great with her character starting to take hold…even better than I first reported.

It’s a tad too the right of neutral making for a tad darker presentation and back ground. This makes detail a little more noticeable but just a little. The amp has all those attributes..things that good amps should have, but the staging and the bass are the stronger points with this amp….it seems to add the idea that you are sitting in front of the performance. It’s like it really creates a space as if you are sitting there….especially when the recording is live. It gives you the sense that you are in the room. It’s really a back to front sound stage that expands left to right if the recording is good. I guess you can call it atmosphere. It’s not an overly detailed sound, but its got musicality. Don’t get me wrong, its got detail….but too the point where it seems to create space between instruments in the recording. It helps you hear all the music playing as a unit which brings your attention into the performance. It’s hard to explain but you start to see the musical performance with your mind’s eye. With symphony and classical, the stringed instruments have great tone due to the tubes. those soldered in mini tubes are outstanding. They give the warm, textured tones that’s needed, and that to, can be tweaked by rolling the 12AU7 tube. The class A lets the silent to loud passages classical is known for, to come across with force.

One other thing… the tad darkness, which is very little, still lets the true nature of a hot recording come through. Its not going to hide it. If it’s a bad recording it’s not going to make it right. Some people want their gear to fix the recordings … I’m not one. So, I have discovered more poorly recorded music in my collection. Its really a great amp. I have about 50 hours now and it’s still running in. I have entry-level cabling and speaker wires now, but down the road I will move up to the good stuff … which will enhance what I am already hearing.

In addition he sent me an email of an online exchange he had with an audiophile (Matt) considering the Vincent SP-331MK vs. Parasound A21

Matt wrote: 

I’m looking to upgrade my amplification, and right now, the Vincent SP-331MK and Parasound A21 are at the top of my list. Naturally, I’ve been following the recent thread by slippers-on about the Vincent with interest. Does anyone else have experience with either amp or a different one packing similar power and within approximately the same price range?

Important amp characteristics:

  1. Magnifying glass detail
  2. Big dynamics
  3. Large soundstage (width, depth, height)
  4. Neutral to slightly warm tone

My current system:

  • Amp: B&K ST-140
  • Preamp: Anthem TLP-1
  • Speakers: Alon II
  • Turntable: Beogram 8002
  • etc.

His reply:

Matt… I think you’ve made two fine choices, but naturally you know where my pick will be. Let me also add, I have an audio pal who post over at Audioreview.com as well as Audiocircle.com who has the A21 and he is looking to get from under it and looking to the SP-331MK as one of his finalist with the Van Alstine hybrids…he has expressed his intentions to me as of late.The SP-331mk is a very nice amp…well above what I expected. It has a way of creating atmosphere and has the best front to back I’ve heard in an amp of this price and some above. This amps makes you want to take advantage of excellent recordings in a huge way. I don’t know what preamp you’d mate it with but I’ve also got a Vincent tubed preamp and what I am hearing as this thing continues to run in is absolutely stunning… a real joy! I’ve got about 55-60 hours on amp … I stopped keeping actual time after around 35 hours and its all a guess now. The US distributor told me at the 100-150 hour mark she should be fully burned in, and I believe him. So if you do purchase, have a little patience. In the beginning around the 25 hour mark I sorta thought I made the wrong choice, but not now…this thing creates wonderful music … sounds strange, but it has some of the best cymbal taps I’ve heard, especially recordings with nice decay.My 2 channel room is about 24X24 or maybe 24X20 I forget, and I don’t play really loud most of the time, for the most part…I go too about the 45-50 mark with the 30 mark being 0, and I sit about 9, 10 feet away and this thing sound excellent. In the early morning hours I go to the 35 mark and it’s perfectly fine with all the detail. Its got excellent tones … timbre and has a plush, lush … rich midrange, a very nice top end that never fatigues, and the bass has very good presence with drive. But of course that’s just the beginning of what she can do but the best thing is you don’t listen to it but you hear the music and enjoy it. If you want neutral, you’ve found the right amp … she is a tad to the right of neutral making it a tad dark … I believe that helps with the nice tones of the music as well as the drive.The combination of the Vincent preamp and amp together is at a nice price point making for a very nice system as a unit … great to build the rest of a system around. While I don’t have the matching preamp, but the SA-T1, But if you did get the matching preamp as well as the amp, trust me, you will be a proud papa of your new baby.

Link:sciencedaily.com

Posted in Amplifier, Hybrid amplifier, Hybrid integrated amplifier, Integrated amplifier, Vincent Audio | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
29
Jul

Miscellany from Wylie

NYTimes article:

“The New Audio Geeks — A high-tech audience catches on to the appeal of high fidelity.”

The article discusses the slowly growing phenomenon of a few iPod/earbud listeners moving up to actual sound systems. An interview with Roy Hall of music hall audio is part of the article. He said “The kids are not idiots… A nice little hi-fi system with a good turntable sound amazing — way beyond an iPod.”

Link: http://nyti.ms/1dVE9xG

Part of the article is about headphones. Don’t expect to read that kids are becoming audiophiles; the popular headphone is Beats by Dr Dre. If you are unfamiliar with them don’t get excited. Reviews say they are bass heavy to suit adolescent tastes.
 

So many Subwoofers

If you were to Google “Subwoofer” in Google Shopping you would find prices from $65 to $2999, so apparently they don’t know about expensive subwoofers. If you are looking for subwoofer priced under $1000 I invite your attention to GoldenEar Technology’s Forcefield 3, 4, and 5. Their claim to fame is value. There are other good subwoofers, and some are better, but the ones that are better are priced higher. Actually some that have about the same or less in performance are priced higher. In a review of the Forcefield 3 one reviewer said “the output of the ForceField 3 is excellent for its size and price. In the low bass octave (40-63 Hz) it averages 116.4 dB, which is in the range of what I usually measure from similarly sized (but much prettier and more expensive) ‘lifestyle’ subs like the B&W PV1D and the KEF R400b, to give two recently tested examples.”

To equate the measured performance of a $499 sub to an $1800 sub and a $1900 sub is a good example of what GoldenEar speakers are in the world of speakers—performance that is totally out of line with price in comparison to the others.

Follow-up on Vincent Audio SV237 Integrated amp

My customer who emailed me detailing his succession of changes noticed continued changes, so he emailed WS Distributing, the USA importer, and asked about the break-in period. Their reply—

Hello ———,

The warranty on Vincent is two years. There is a burn-in period for your SP-331MK that should take about 100 to 150 hours. Give it some time and it will sound much better, possibly with the Pangea cable as well. The Pangea cables are some of the best for the money.

Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Thank you, WS Distributing

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24
Jul

A new owner’s odyssey with the Vincent Audio SP331MK power amplifier

My customer picked up his new SP331MK last Saturday. The SP331MK is a 150 watts per channel power amplifier “Editors’ Choice Award” 2012 – The Absolute Sound Magazine, retailing at $2399. He is using a Vincent Audio SA-T1 tube preamplifier.

Over a period of five hours the next day he sent me four emails describing his evolving experience. It’s an intimate view into one person’s process in tuning his system. I think it highlights the effects of break-in, power cables, and tube rolling so I am sharing the emails with you.

5:36 PM

OK… this amp is strange. Now it’s sounding darker. I did read where it takes about 40-50 hours of run in… I’ve got less than 15 hours. I can also tell you this, the more resolution an amp can give, the more it will tell you what a bad recording is. This is a stange amp to say the least. The Rotel was a brighter sounding amp but not as good with bass. This amp has a nice sound to it…puts meat on the music, but the highs are changing… first they where nice now not so nice or as bright as the Rotel. But we will see… let it get 50 hours of run in. After that period, I may get some other cables and power cords… but I do like it so far.

5:38 PM

I’ve gone back to the Vincent power cord and its not as dark as the Pangea power cord. The amp was neutral out of the box, but now its a little on the darker side of thing. But since I removed the Pangea, its a lot better. One thing I’ve notice, these $99 A+ I have are going to have to go. I think they are out classed by this amp.

The amp seems to bring the highs but its the little subtle nuances that are kinda lacking…but I did notice they sort of left when I put in the Mullard tubes in to the preamp a few months ago. I may go back to the Gold Lines to see what they are like. Right now I am listening to some Vinyl and boy it sure sounds great! I have not really being playing that much… I have only about 16 hours on it so far and I do like what I hear. But I really think the warmth of the Vincent and the Warmth of the Mullards may be a tad to much… giving the sp-331MK more darkness than needed.

5:49 PM

OK… I have changed the tubes back to the Gold Lion and all my fears are gone! The Mullard in the preamp and the warm tubes in the Sp-331MK was a tad to much. I don’t have as much richness to the tone as before like with the Mullards but my highs are back! With the Rotel amp the Mullards worked against the Rotels highs masking the highs abit making it more neutral, but the Gold Line is not as warm as Mullards but more neutral. The Gold Lions are not as loud as the Mullards and dont have the stage as the Mullards so it may be a matter of me tube rolling to find the right tube, but as of now I have what I am back on track. The mids with the Mullards and the SP-331MK were a bit too much, but now they are right. I will be on the hunt to find the right tube some time down the road after total run in but now its about enjoyment.

10:24 PM

Wylie… got about 20 hours on it now and the amp has opened up. My vinyl collection has never sounded like this. This thing is incredible. I mean it’s sounding really great! I would say its neither dark, nor is it bright. Its more neutral in my opinion. The resolution is really great!

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22
Jul

Bel Canto Design in 2013 Stereophile Recommended Components

Three were tested – three made the list. All Class A.

Bel Canto e.One DAC3.5VB Mk.II: $3495

Like other Bel Canto products, the e.One DAC3.5BV is roughly half the width of a typical audio component and boasts a black-painted steel chassis with a beautifully milled faceplate of naturally finished aluminum. It accepts resolutions up to 24-bit/96kHz and offers a wealth of inputs: RCA and BNC digital, balanced AES/EBU digital, TosLink, ST fiber-optic, and a single pair of analog RCA jacks. While its D/A section is similar to that found in Bel Canto’s e.One DAC3, the DAC3.5VB has revised jitter-rejection circuitry for improved performance with high-jitter sources. Meanwhile, the optional VBS1 power supply ($1495) provides 12V DC and adds heroic LC filtering and energy storage. EL was most impressed by the Bel Canto’s ability to produce big soundstages with exceptionally quiet backgrounds. Adding the VB-REF power cable ($495) opened up those stages even more, reduced treble grain, and lowered the perceived noise floor. On the test bench, the Bel Canto exhibited high resolution and low jitter. The Bel Canto traded the sweet tone of Weiss’s DAC202 for greater overall clarity and cleaner highs; compared with the dCS Debussy, the Bel Canto lacked some bass, but offered a warmer, more musical sound, with blacker backgrounds and fleshier images, said EL. Review was of original version; Mk.II has improved power supply and a master clock with lower phase noise. (Vol.34 No.6, Vol.35 No.1 Read Review Online)

Bel Canto Ref1000M monoblock: $5990/pair

Outwardly identical to the original Ref1000, the 500Wpc 1000M uses an updated version of B&O’s ICEpower module, a more complex input board, and a new power-supply board. The new Bel Canto was “dead silent” and sounded “clean, powerful, and neutral,” with a heftier bottom end and a more natural midrange. No longer marked by the shortcomings of other digital amps, the Bel Canto “can be compared with the cream of the other amps I’ve had in my system,” enthused Kal. JA’s measurements revealed the REF1000 Mk.2 to be very powerful, delivering 600W into 8 ohms or 1200W into 4 ohms. It will work best with higher-impedance loudspeakers, however, and at lower frequencies. (Vol.32 No.3, Vol.33 No.7 Read Review Online)

Bel Canto C7R: $2995

Made in the US, the versatile C7R is a 60Wpc solid-state FM receiver with four S/PDIF digital inputs (two coaxial, two TosLink), two pairs of analog inputs (one phono, one line), one pair of line-level analog outputs, a front-panel headphone jack, and a built-in DAC with USB input capable of handling resolutions up to 24-bit/96kHz. Though it lacked some midrange clarity and high-frequency smoothness, the C7R sounded clear, immediate, and powerful, with excellent dynamics and tight, tuneful bass, said EL. “I loved the Bel Canto C7R. I recommend it to anyone who wants simplicity and great sound,” he concluded. “Overall, the C7R is a well-designed piece of hardware,” said JA. (Vol.36 No.3 Read Review Online)

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