Anyone using Octave amps or preamps?

Thank you for your response. As I live in germany I have maximum exposure with Octave products, been to the factory a couple of times and own Octave gear myself, the MRE130's with SBB and HP500SE with phono.

I am glad to see that these products are finally getting some exposure in the US as they are great products. I agree with you about being a great bargain for the money. That is why I am interested to see how they will fair against other well known name brand companies already established in the states.

Thank you again,
V/r
Audioquest4life

Thank you for your response. As I live in germany I have maximum exposure with Octave products, been to the factory a couple of times and own Octave gear myself, the MRE130's with SBB and HP500SE with phono.

I am glad to see that these products are finally getting some exposure in the US as they are great products. I agree with you about being a great bargain for the money. That is why I am interested to see how they will fair against other well known name brand companies already established in the states.

Thank you again,
V/r
Audioquest4life

I picked up an Octave Jubilee preamp from a guy selling his entire hi-fi system. It is only two years old and includes the remote control option. It was at a price point that fit within my budget.

Compared to the Octave HP500SE the Octave Jubilee preamp really shines in the low level resolution. The details in recordings seem to be present in the music versus the HP500SE somewhat lower level of resolution. The HP500SE with built in phono still a great bargain because it is an excellant unit. I compared the 500SE against the Einstein Tube, well, the Octave HP500SE remained in place, until recently, when I had the opportunity to get the Jubilee preamp for a great sale price.

I will be writing a user review in the not too distant future about the Octave Jubilee preamp.

I am also awaiting the Octave Phono amp to test on my system.

I think slowly the best secret in audio, Octave, will be coming to light in North America.

I found an recent review of the Octave MRE 130's. It is in issue 37 of the online zine, Tonepublications.
It is a pretty interesting read;
http://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_037.pdf

What caught my eye in the article was the reviewer opted to try some KT120's and replace the 12AU7's with the new Psvane equivalents. I ordered the same tubes the following day after I read the article. The KT120's do add some more bass, a noticeable increase, and the dynamic range does seem to be greatly increased. I do not have but 10 hours or so on these new tubes. Compared to the EH KT88's, one of my favorites for the MRE 130, and the Svetlana Winged C, another favorite of mine for the MRE 130, these seem to have all of the traits I like in both those tubes. One caveat, the midrange is really pronounced. It is not bad, but may be irritating for an extended period of listening at higher volums. I think it will settle down some after a few more hours. Overall, I am satisfied and I am optimistic the pronounced mids will settle down. These tubes do provide more of everything, more highs, more mids, and a pronounced deeper bass.

I have experimented with the sub on and off, and these new tubes are really giving the sub a run for the money in my current configuration. I mean the bass does have a more subterranean note. Note I am driving B&W 800's.

From the music I have thrown at the amps, Kansas (Lefoverture), Miles Davis (Sketches of Spain), and others such as Robin Trower, the music is detailed, has wide separation, and is stunningly captivating. I believe these new KT120's are a pretty good match with the Octaves.

Fellow Octave owners please continue to post your experiences, tips and tricks, mods, and whatever your experiences may be with Octave in general.
Thanks.
Audioquest4life