by Michael

Best Tube Amplifiers, Most Respected Tube Amplifiers

We’ve been wondering about just who would be on a list of the top contenders for the Champion of the World in several categories of high-end audio equipment.

Contenders are either the products we know to be great and hearing them several times actually *sound* great, those that we suspect to be great, and those that are generally considered to be great.

Note that some of this has to do with fashion, and some has to do with popularity, and some to do with actual performance.

To put it simply, if you won the lottery today – what would you want to audition tomorrow?

Tube Amps:

The Audio Note (UK) Gaku-On (This is other worldly)

A slew of Audio Note (UK) amps using various tubes and configurations (Ongaku, Kegon, Kageki, etc.)

The Kondo Ongaku (still legendary)

The Lamm ML3 (an amazing performer)

The VTL (has a good reputation)

The WAVAC SH-833 (Most expensive and has a good reputation)

———–

Others? Anybody? Remember they have to recognized as a top performer by at least some percentage of audiophiles.

There are a TON of tube amps out there. There are even some with unique designs that perform quite well – but are not quite well known. The Berning OTL amps sound quite good, as do the LARS 300B amps.

If you want to nominate others, please leave a comment!

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / Popular 2 comments
 by Michael

The Best Turntables, the Most Respected Turntables

We’ve been wondering about just who would be on a list of the top contenders for the Champion of the World in several categories of high-end audio equipment.

Contenders are either the products we know to be great and hearing them several times actually *sound* great, those that we suspect to be great, and those that are generally considered to be great.

Note that some of this has to do with fashion, and some has to do with popularity, and some to do with actual performance.

To put it simply, if you won the lottery today – what would you want to audition tomorrow?

Turntables:

The big Continuum turntable (the hype has died down quite a bit, but I think it is still on the list)

The Clearaudio Statement (this has really good dynamics)

The Walker Proscenium (price has doubled in the last two years, yikes! but a top performer)

Goldmund Reference II

Rockport Sirius III (a classic and still a contender)

Brinkmann Balance and Lagrange (people find the simplicity and elegance very appealing, and they are a good performer)

Da Vinci AAS Gabriel (a set of interesting people we respect seem to like this turntable)

———–

Others? Anybody? Remember they have to recognized as a top performer by at least some percentage of audiophiles.

There are a TON of turntables out there. The big Transroter has a lot of bling but it relatively unknown. The TW-Acustic has a lot of arms – but many turntables now support this.

If you know of others, please leave a comment!

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / Popular 0 comments
 by Michael

System #3: Marten Coltrane, Lamm ML2.1, Jorma Prime, HRS MXR

The System: Marten Coltrane speakers, Lamm ML2.1 amplifiers, Jorma Prime speaker cable, HRS MXR equipment rack. Also Lamm L2 preamplifier, Audio Note CDT-Two and DAC 4.1x Balanced. Nordost and Shunyata cabling.

We mentioned how amazing this was sounding in our review of the Jorma ‘Prime’ interconnects.

What does does amazing mean?

Here is what amazing means:

The Coltrane speakers are so freakin revealing… The Jorma Prime cables are slightly more forward than their No. 1 and even the Valhalla, and this new effect was already taking hold. Now, with HRS’s MXR rack [we set it up yesterday, much more on this later :-)] in place of the Acoustic Dreams, the system sound is even more ‘present’.

We kind of take it for a given that the Coltrane speakers are a little laid back – given the highest quality, completely neutral components up front. But maybe not…

Witb these two new, admittedly over the top, additions to the system… the sound is much more of a engulfing, in the room type of experience.

Our good Canadian friend, Dave H., [you there Dave? Missed you in Monteal] used to talk about how he wanted the sound to come to him, to not have to focus on listening to what was being played, to have the sound ‘take control’ [my words] as it were.

The system was already subtley sinister in the way it would sneak up on a person and make one stop mid sentence, whether one wanted to or not, as the music Took Control.

But now, …

It is hard to move, much more hard to get up.

It is like ‘if I miss this next note, my life will have been worthless and empty’… ‘I must hear this next note!’

I think this house is going to be much more quiet now… because if we start playing any music, we aren’t going to get ANYTHING done.

[Though I am much more disclipined than Neli, and this system is on the same floor as her office. She, she is doomed. So if you can’t get her on the tele as easily as you could before today, you’ll know exactly why!]

And the new Audio Note CDT-Three transport just arrived. We are doomed! 🙂 🙂 🙂

in Audio Note / High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / HRS / Jorma Design / Lamm / Marten Design / Nordost / Popular / Reviews / Showroom 3 / Sounding Off 3 comments