M Jarve
Audio Geek and NGE Freak
Let me first say that what follows is just my very first, initial, etc, etc impressions of my new integrated amp. I've not yet really listened to it, aside from checking for function and to make sure nothing is seriously wonky.
I would like to start with the bad, which is not all that bad, but by the end of this I want you to remember the good, so I'll get the low points out of the way now.
First, the build quality is something of a mixed bag. It seems that they started with a great amp and worked down to meet its price point and still maintain a profit. To that end, the metal casing and cover is really only a step above tin foil. The entire chassis flexes and twists if you pick it up at the corners, and the cover looks like it has gentle wrinkles where it meets other areas. Another weakness is the input selector- if you switch to another input while a different one is still playing, you can hear it bleed through a little. It's not as bad as some input selectors, but it is below average, in my experience. A final initial critique has to do with ventilation. Again, it is a situation where it could be worse, but it would not have taken much to make it a lot better. The top is well ventilated, but the bottom only has some slots directly below the board. Even the substantial heatsinks have no vents below them, though again, it is well ventilated above. I will allow the lack of ventalation on only one observation: I have a Marshall hybrid guitar amp (VS65R) that also contains an ECC83 pre with a solid-state amp, and that has no ventilation whatsoever- it's lasted 10 years without issue.
That about does it for the criticisms (as they are now); lets look at the good stuff.
Component selection is actually rather top-notch. Nippon Chem-Con main filter caps, genuine Toshiba transistors, and Spanish made Piher trimpots. Other electrolytics are by Sanyo and Matsushita (Panasonic), by their markings. The main filter caps are further smoothed by banks of nimble, high-voltage film caps. The tubes have their own 190V secondary taps on the rather good sized transformer. All internal wiring, save the power LED, are jacketed, keeping things neat and tidy. To make up a bit for the flimsiness of the casework (apparently), the cover does have dampening material applied that would make the otherwise veritable resonance chamber of a cabinet quite inert. Finally, the front baffle is made out of a billet of aluminum thick enough to make a Marantz envious.
The heatsinks for the output transistors are anodized aluminum and in the 20 minutes or so that I've played it so far, never became more than warm to the touch.
Since it came to the office, I have not really had a chance to listen to it aside from testing, as mentioned above. In the shop, I have a set of Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 speakers that I hooked up and connected the amp to my P'Mac G4. Although I've owned and run tube equipment in the past I am, admittedly, something of a novice when it comes to tubes. I only let the amp warm up for about 30-seconds before giving it the gas. I have to say that the sound pretty well knocked my socks off in a good way. During the 20 minutes or so that I allowed myself to bother my fellow co-workers, the sound got sweeter and more detailed- no doubt a result of the tubes warming up. Norah Jones' vocals in particular were positively sublime.
The current tube complement is a pair of Chinese 12AT7's and a pair of 12AU7's, though both sets can be replaced by 6N1's. At this point, I see no need to engage in tube rolling, as the sound is quite satisfactory to my ears, but it is nice to know that I have some choices in the future.
I intend to do a lot of listening over the weekend. I mentioned to a couple of you via PM's that I would take the amp down to the T.C.'s mini-fest if it did not embarrass itself in the privacy of my own home. I think you can count on seeing it down there!
I would like to start with the bad, which is not all that bad, but by the end of this I want you to remember the good, so I'll get the low points out of the way now.
First, the build quality is something of a mixed bag. It seems that they started with a great amp and worked down to meet its price point and still maintain a profit. To that end, the metal casing and cover is really only a step above tin foil. The entire chassis flexes and twists if you pick it up at the corners, and the cover looks like it has gentle wrinkles where it meets other areas. Another weakness is the input selector- if you switch to another input while a different one is still playing, you can hear it bleed through a little. It's not as bad as some input selectors, but it is below average, in my experience. A final initial critique has to do with ventilation. Again, it is a situation where it could be worse, but it would not have taken much to make it a lot better. The top is well ventilated, but the bottom only has some slots directly below the board. Even the substantial heatsinks have no vents below them, though again, it is well ventilated above. I will allow the lack of ventalation on only one observation: I have a Marshall hybrid guitar amp (VS65R) that also contains an ECC83 pre with a solid-state amp, and that has no ventilation whatsoever- it's lasted 10 years without issue.
That about does it for the criticisms (as they are now); lets look at the good stuff.
Component selection is actually rather top-notch. Nippon Chem-Con main filter caps, genuine Toshiba transistors, and Spanish made Piher trimpots. Other electrolytics are by Sanyo and Matsushita (Panasonic), by their markings. The main filter caps are further smoothed by banks of nimble, high-voltage film caps. The tubes have their own 190V secondary taps on the rather good sized transformer. All internal wiring, save the power LED, are jacketed, keeping things neat and tidy. To make up a bit for the flimsiness of the casework (apparently), the cover does have dampening material applied that would make the otherwise veritable resonance chamber of a cabinet quite inert. Finally, the front baffle is made out of a billet of aluminum thick enough to make a Marantz envious.
The heatsinks for the output transistors are anodized aluminum and in the 20 minutes or so that I've played it so far, never became more than warm to the touch.
Since it came to the office, I have not really had a chance to listen to it aside from testing, as mentioned above. In the shop, I have a set of Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 speakers that I hooked up and connected the amp to my P'Mac G4. Although I've owned and run tube equipment in the past I am, admittedly, something of a novice when it comes to tubes. I only let the amp warm up for about 30-seconds before giving it the gas. I have to say that the sound pretty well knocked my socks off in a good way. During the 20 minutes or so that I allowed myself to bother my fellow co-workers, the sound got sweeter and more detailed- no doubt a result of the tubes warming up. Norah Jones' vocals in particular were positively sublime.
The current tube complement is a pair of Chinese 12AT7's and a pair of 12AU7's, though both sets can be replaced by 6N1's. At this point, I see no need to engage in tube rolling, as the sound is quite satisfactory to my ears, but it is nice to know that I have some choices in the future.
I intend to do a lot of listening over the weekend. I mentioned to a couple of you via PM's that I would take the amp down to the T.C.'s mini-fest if it did not embarrass itself in the privacy of my own home. I think you can count on seeing it down there!
