FedEx delivered my new toy today - one of Roger's EM7 2.5 SE amps I purchased from Venus HiFi (thanks Brian :thmbsp: ).

First thing I noticed when I opened the box was that it wasn't double boxed. The unit was bubble wrapped with the tubes bubble wrapped to the unit. The bubble wrap was floating in about an inch or two of styrofoam esses. Kind of scary but it made it. I carefully unwrapped the tubes and the unit and saw nothing wrong with either.

Another point of contention was that there was no manual and no markings on the amp (to denote high and low impedance taps or combinations). I simply hooked it opposite the jumpers. I looked at the photos on MR's web site and noticed that there is no lettering and no logos, so I should have known better. Live and learn. The build quality appears acceptable, nothing outstanding - no complaints here as I am a minimalist after all. The unit is also quite light. The power switch has a good feel, though I won't be using it as I prefer to use the Monster 3500 to power the system on and off. The RCAs in the back are quite nice and feel strong.

I had to run smaller speaker wire as the unit couldn't accept the Monster Z2 I have (with the connectors I have). So I busted out some new small Monster wire I got for the foolishly low sale price of 75% off at the Rat Shack about 18 months ago, hooked it up along with the RCAs from the Mac C-22, plugged it in (that power cord is going in the bin as soon as I get a heavier one) and fired her up.

After waiting a few minutes for the system to warm up (check out my signature below if interested in system particulars), I popped in a few CDs and noticed right away that the EM7 didn't shy away from the bass at low volumes. Hmmmm. A little muddy right now and the highs are quite veiled. I'll give it 50 hours and see if things change for the better. Not bad at all for an initial impression, really. I sorta wish it had a gain knob adjustment (or separate gain knobs for balancing) like my MC225.

I also noticed that it is quieter than a whisper in a deaf man's ears at idle - very nice indeed. Will it redeem itself after the extra work and guessing at hooking it up? There may be a good chance this one is a keeper!

I'll write more as soon as I get 50 hours, and then 100 hours on the amp.

-Dave

EDIT: It should be noted that the amp was shipped to me directly from Music Reference - Venus HiFi had nothing to do with the packaging or shipping of the item.

25 Hour Update:

The EM7 2.5 is dead quiet at idle and adds nothing to the sound. That transparency is what gives it such magic at this point. :yes:

The bass is no longer muddy, but just as prominent with a better focus. The highs are more believable as well (no longer tinny or fatiguing). Don’t get me wrong – this amp will not play “Now This is What I Call Music, Volume 26” worth a crap (I believe this is one AWFUL CD, but my wife, bless her heart, just loves it – perhaps her way of staying connected with our kids). The CD is mastered at such distorted levels as it is, but the bass (in Soulja Boy among others) proved too much for the flea-powered amp (when played at 90db/1 meter, C-weighted) and caused it to clip accordingly. The Heresies didn’t much care for it either, so I suppose it was a combination of the two. :sigh:

Perhaps I should explain a little: I asked my wife to share in the listening experience for one song (Michael Martin Murphey performing "Wildfire"). She enjoyed it and thought I had the McIntosh MC225 hooked up. So I asked her what she wanted to hear and gently asked her that it should probably be something we could critically listen to together– something recorded in a loving manner with solid engineering that we had heard enough to notice any subtle changes. My mistake. She left the room and came back a few moments later with the ‘Now’ CD. I don’t like ANY of the music on that CD and none of it lent itself to an epiphany with this amp (or possibly any other IMHO). My wife, after noticing the Mac had no wires attached, said that the Mac had sounded so much better than this amp (the EM7 2.5) when she played her other ‘Now’ compilations while I was away last year and had no problem running them at that volume or higher ones. I then extolled the virtues of moderate and loud volumes and hearing loss along with the apples and oranges 25 WPC PP vs. 2.5 WPC SET comparison. She left the room with Now CD in hand as I continued to cringe.

No, this little amp sounds so sweet and wonderful with the music that I enjoy most – female vocals, classic rock, jazz, 70’s/80’s rock, and 80’s college rock. All played at moderate volumes. :smoke:

I heard each individual guitar (including some background rhythm parts I hadn’t previously noticed) in Hotel California. Joe Walsh’s guitar attacks have a fluid presentation about them that drew me in even more with the EM7 2.5. Don Henley’s vocals are not as smoky as with the Mac but blend well with the instruments.

There is a presence in the room when vocalists sing, which brings me to soundstage. This amp has lots of it! Instrument placement is both wide and deep while being quite accurate. Vocals eerily surround me. Instruments draw me in. Pacing is just right. Maybe this weekend I’ll have time to spin some vinyl…

I’ll update more as I approach the 50-hour mark. :banana:
-Dave

Hi Dave,

Thanks again for your purchase of this little amp, sound unheard!

When you first contacted me, you mentioned your desire to sample single-ended triodes, and it sounds like you're already getting a good idea of the signature of a well-designed SET amp: natural "presence" and tonality, holographic soundstaging, and unfatiguing transparency.

No, the Music Reference EM7 will not pump out the bass through your speakers in the same manner as your Mac amp, but that's more a function of the difference in wattage (2.5 versus 25 watts) between these two units than of their overall design. But do not doubt that the EM7 will continue to improve in every way - including bass output - as you approach the 100-hour mark.

Oh, and yes, this amp is among the quietest SET designs you will find at any price...

All my best,
Brian
Venus Hi-Fi

:worthless

So here they are!

Oh, and I don't currently have the MC225 hooked up - it's all through the EM7 2.5. The MC225 is still in the position of authority, though! :yes:

In the final picture, you can see a hint of purple in the tubes at idle. These are very pleasant tubes indeed.

-Dave

EDIT: I did obtain the proper spade connectors for the Z2 speaker wire, so I hooked them up just before these pictures.

Nice review Dave. Interesting amp and your description does a good job of conveying what it might sound like in-system; kind of matches what I heard when making the switch from higher power p-p tubes to low power SET.

Something to try on a rainy day; switch out those monster cables for some thin gage solid-core copper speaker wire - even single pairs stripped out of CAT-5 network cable (essentially free). I made the switch from garden-hose looking cables to this simple wire and found it improved things even more with SETs.

When you first contacted me, you mentioned your desire to sample single-ended triodes, and it sounds like you're already getting a good idea of the signature of a well-designed SET amp: natural "presence" and tonality, holographic soundstaging, and unfatiguing transparency.


That's what hooked me the first time I heard a good SET amp and with the right speakers they can bring even more to the plate - there is no turning back for me.

I'm looking forward to hearing the Modjesky amp at the next AKfest.

Something to try on a rainy day; switch out those monster cables for some thin gage solid-core copper speaker wire...

As it turns out, Music Reference is now selling exactly this kind of speaker cable to go with their amps and speakers. I'll be getting a pair soon to try out, but I have high hopes.

I used to import speaker cables like this from Japan - they were made by a company called Final Labs, and I really loved them! It's too bad that Final's cables are no longer available...

As it turns out, Music Reference is now selling exactly this kind of speaker cable to go with their amps and speakers. I'll be getting a pair soon to try out, but I have high hopes.

I used to import speaker cables like this from Japan - they were made by a company called Final Labs, and I really loved them! It's too bad that Final's cables are no longer available...

Please keep me in the loop when you get these. :yes:

Thanks again Brian!

The epiphany occurred when I listened to Nicolette Larson's Neil Young cover "Lotta Love". The sound is crisp and clean without being sterile. Her slightly raspy vocals lend a sultry edge to what was previously an unremarkable ballad. Instrument placement is around the room a bit more and bass more focused. I notice that I am sitting closer to the front end than before, with the Heresy's pointing behind me to the center of the back wall. It just seems more intimate. I can hear the air pass over the reed during the flute solo where it previously had a synthesized edge about it. Quite realistic.

Then I hooked up the Final Labs' speaker cables I recently purchased from WhiteSE. It got better. Way better. The bass smoothed out more with the highs even more clear. This is no longer a CD I am listening to - it is more like a trip inside the studio where the recording began, where the performance is taking place. Concerts do not have the clarity this does, too much air between me and the band (I usually don’t get seats close enough to the stage). :sadwave:

Soundstage has grown wider so the sweet spot can fit two people with no trouble. It doesn’t hurt that the room has just the right amount of reflection for my taste. I also swear I can hear vocals coming from outside the door and often look around but no one is there. The soundstage is THAT wide!

Ryuichi Sakamoto, “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” begins delicately and builds in volume and intensity. The grand piano is perfectly tuned, sitting in front of me. Off to the left, the violin expresses a beauty and gentleness more easily discerned than before. The cello shutters ever so slightly with a certain sadness. The piano reenters as delicately as it left with the pace slowly building to crescendo. Then, just as quickly, each instrument tires and cries, joining in the solace. The music brings me in that much more. That and each instrument’s timbre is so dead-on accurate.

Hotel California also took on a new manner. Instrument separation was more prevalent. Each guitar was easy to discern, painting the overall picture more wonderfully than ever before. I heard the song a hundred times but never as intricate as this . Joe Walsh's final solo sounds more controlled and loving whereas it was previously a series of haphazard guitar stabs that just happened to sound great. At 6:04, I heard a hand clap after the well-placed drum fill-in went around the room. I never heard that before. I now hear it on vinyl and CD. The Eagles just got a lot more interesting to me. :beer:

Def Leppard, "Pyromania", sounded thin and frail with the MC225 but the 2.5 watt EM7 brought out the smooth bass, prominent midrange, and resounding highs with clarity and accuracy while bringing me in to the music more so than when the album was first released. It surprised the hell out of me! I am no longer ashamed to play that recording (which definitely was not the best).

I then busted out some more vinyl - Steely Dan, “Aja”, 30th Anniversary Cisco 180gm LP. A friend, who couldn't care less if he was listening to a transistor radio, was visiting for the first time and looked in awe at the turntable as it was playing "Josie". He couldn't believe it was a record. "It’s so quiet and sounds real good", he noted. "I can't believe they still make this stuff and that it sounds this clear." He then asked how old the 'table was, but that's another story.

Now that I've fawned over the little amp that could, I have to say that it is still ill-suited to much of today's top 40. But, it doesn't stop there. Loverboy's "Take Me to the Top" lacked any sort of authority in the bass line and subsequently failed to shine in overall fashion. That's the short list as I can't really find that much fault with it. 2.5 watts peters out (distorts) at 92 db A-wt at one meter with the Heresies. Of course, if I wanted ear bleeding volume, I'd step up to Roger's higher-wattage offerings. He is definitely on to something here. It still impresses the hell out of me. So much so that I am sticking with it for a long time before I even think about tweaking again (rolling tubes or swapping speakers, etc.). It is that good.

The MC225 will not be replaced, but augmented by this wonderful amp. It does many things as good as or better than my venerable Mac, but that is its personality. The Mac, being PP and of a higher wattage, sounds different but still grand in many of its own ways. I think the crowning achievement of the EM7 2.5 is in its highly reasonable price point and exterior build quality. The wood is quite nice in appearance and has grown on me – it’s not just chrome anymore! I just wish the binding-post connectors were spaced further apart as my fingers are not getting any smaller...

Billfort, I stepped up to the Final Labs speaker wire this week and will try out the ultra-thin wire next. I don't know how it can get any better than it is right now - but you've piqued my curiosity...

Thank you, Roger, for making such a fine amp. Thank you, BrianB, for the great advice on obtaining this little beauty. :thmbsp:

The 2.5 watt love affair continues... :guitar::rockon:
-Dave

Hi Dave,

Thanks so much for your insightful and detailed descriptions of the Music Reference EM7. And, once again, welcome to the wonderful yet occassionally infuriating world of flea-power SET amplifiers!

You've hit the nail on the head several times when it comes to describing what makes such SET amps so wonderful: the natural tonality, the holographic soundstaging, and so on. And you've also summed up very well the frustrations that these kinds of amps can create. In particular, you always wish that they could offer just a little MORE power, because they are not going to be the last word when it comes to macrodynamics or bass response, unless of course you're using horns or comparably efficient speakers.

The high-end audio critic Art Dudley once expressed the opinion that any high-end audio fanatic and music lover ought to own at least two different amplifiers, because no one amp can do it all. It sounds like you are coming to the same conclusion yourself...

Happy listening!
Brian

i am so glad you are liking the amp.....start saving for his monoblocks! I actually used mine with a TVC passive pre.

i am so glad you are liking the amp.....start saving for his monoblocks! I actually used mine with a TVC passive pre.

I've often heard and read that this sort of thing (audio reproduction) is an addiction. And how sweet it is! :music:

The 'change jar' already has a few dollars in it for those monoblocks. :D

The 'change jar' already has a few dollars in it for those monoblocks.

If you do decide to upgrade to the monoblocks, don't forget about my trade-up program!

If you do decide to upgrade to the monoblocks, don't forget about my trade-up program!

Argh! You make it too easy, Brian! :thmbsp:

My mistake.


:lmao: Understood!

Great review, and congrats.

Pete