2. amps-preamps
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Damned brands or not good electronics?

I posted a similar thread at the speakers category, I said that when you read reviews posted on Internet or magzines, you can read about what seems extraordinaries brands with no less excellents electronics, but the reality is that practically nobody knows, owns, sells or seems that has heard them.
This is a business game, and logically I think that all the dealers are looking for the best product, incluiding thats ones that are really expensives, because they know that always are people who can afford them.
Looking at the electronics department, there are brands that practically you can´t hear at any dealer:

VITUS
VIOLA
MESSENGER PREAMP
TRON SYREN PREAMP
REYAUDIO, that some people says is the best electronics in the world????????????
WYETCH
EMOTIVE AUDIO EPIPHANIA PREAMP
BLADELIUS
TOM EVANS
FM

WHO OWNS OR HAS HEARD ONE PIECE FROM THESE BRANDS?

You can says that these brands are expensives, but sorry what happens with others brands, that, SURE, you can´t say that they are EXPENSIVES, that many people and magazines says that are fantastic, with great price/quality relation, that sounds as brands that cost many times(x4 or 5).....but they are not growing as seems that they must to do:
SAS
MARSH
IRD
DEHAVILLAND
DEJA VU
EASTERN ELECTRIC
MOSCODE

WHO HAS OWNED ONE PIECE FROM THESE BRANDS AND HAS SOLD THEM AND ALMOST WHY?

Perhaps these inexpensives brands are not so good as they want that we believe? or their reability, due to a poor construction and components employed , is bad?

Peace for all.
newly
11 responses Add your response
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Wow so much info I'm thinking about it let you know soon.
gryphongryph
378 posts
 
Trainleader, what equipment do you play with the Thor?
salectric
755 posts
 
Bobheinatz, I sent you a message through Agon message system. Not sure if it went through. I would like to get more information on your Emotive amps. I also have a pair of Emotive monoblocks and am very happy with them.
bobheinatz
722 posts
 
I own emotive audio custom mono amps and they are the best amp I have had in my system. Nothing I have heard comes close.
trainleader
16 posts
 
Well..
I own a Bladelius Thor MkIII integrated. But Mr.Bladelius is a swede ofcourse.. just as I am.
I think its very good int.amp for the money ( cheaper i Sweden ofcourse)!
It became best high-end integrated amp of the year (£4000) in Sound and picture magasin 2013 (swedish biased magasine maybe..but still.. :).
It has a great performance and deliver what it is fed in to it with power and dynamics in a good and focused soundstage.
But you should not add some bright analytic source to it! Because it will deliver bright and analytic with great power (fatigue)! But fed with a just slightly warm and musicalic source it will and does perform greatly in it's pricerange! :)
Then there are more expensive preamps and poweramps as well from Bladelius... but I'm not som familliar with them.
have tried out some Audio Research Ref tube stuff that was real detailed and fantastic in lots of ways.. but not intierly quiet though compared to SS...
trainleader
16 posts
 
Well..
I own a Bladelius Thor MkIII integrated. But Mr.Bladelius is a swede ofcourse.. just as I am.
I think its very good int.amp for the money ( cheaper i Sweden ofcourse)!
It became best high-end integrated amp of the year (£4000) in Sound and picture magasin 2013 (swedish biased magasine maybe..but still.. :).
It has a great performance and deliver what it is fed in to it with power and dynamics in a good and focused soundstage.
But you should not add some bright analytic source to it! Because it will deliver bright and analytic with great power (fatigue)! But fed with a just slightly warm and musicalic source it will and does perform greatly in it's pricerange! :)
Then there are more expensive preamps and poweramps as well from Bladelius... but I'm not som familliar with them.
have tried out some Audio Research Ref tube stuff that was real detailed and fantastic in lots of ways.. but not intierly quiet though compared to SS...
trainleader
16 posts
 
Well..
I own a Bladelius Thor MkIII integrated. But Mr.Bladelius is a swede ofcourse.. just as I am.
I think its very good int.amp for the money ( cheaper i Sweden ofcourse)!
It became best high-end integrated amp of the year (£4000) in Sound and picture magasin 2013 (swedish biased magasine maybe..but still.. :).
It has a great performance and deliver what it is fed in to it with power and dynamics in a good and focused soundstage.
But you should not add some bright analytic source to it! Because it will deliver bright and analytic with great power (fatigue)! But fed with a just slightly warm and musicalic source it will and does perform greatly in it's pricerange! :)
Then there are more expensive preamps and poweramps as well from Bladelius... but I'm not som familliar with them.
have tried out some Audio Research Ref tube stuff that was real detailed and fantastic in lots of ways.. but not intierly quiet though compared to SS...
oneprof
147 posts
 
I own a Tron preamp, not the Syren, the Comet, I don't think the Comet is made anymore, but it was the 'entry level' Tron. I also had an Eastern Electric Minimax for a while. I think you are WAY off base regarding reliability, build quality,etc.; my guess is that it is just the opposite, these brands are MORE reliable and better built than other more 'popular' brands. The most likely answer for why you don't find them around at lots of dealers, or why they aren't 'growing' (this applies to the Tron at least), is that Tron is a one-man operation, each preamp is hand-built by the designer. Supposedly it takes about 70 hours to build one preamp. Do the math, two weeks to build one preamp, 52 weeks a year, makes a grand total of 26 preamps possible. Tron also makes amplifiers, phono stages, etc.; there are only so many hours in a day.
When you buy a Tron Syren, a Messenger, an Epifinia (BTW, I live about 90 minutes away from Emotive Audio) you are buying a high performance limited edition piece made by a perfectionist who cuts no corners and who (I am speculating here) doesn't necessarily want to hand off the work to someone else because there is no guarantee that the same level of craftmanship will be adhered to.
I also own a fair amount of David Berning equipment. David has none of his amps in brick and mortar dealerships. He builds EVERYTHING himself, and he also has a full time 'day job'. How much can one guy do?
jothompson's avatar
jothompson
27 posts
 
I have owned several Moscode 300's in my life. They were nice but not as powerful as a pure SS amp and to get the real warmth need to be warmed up for extended periods of time. Thus in and out of the house over the past 15 years.
Just recently I got the bug, again, and bought two of them. I put them away and didn't even play with them. My brother who has a Dunlavy Cantata, Bel Canto EVO4, AI Modulus 3A set up was looking for a move. I brought over a Moscode and we put it in, turned it on and let it cook for an hour. When we returned to listen we were both shocked at the sound. The Bel Canto was sold immediately. I went home and pulled out my SF Power2 and put in the other Moscode. I can't say which was better but for about $1500 differance the Power2 was sold.

Sooner or later I will sell them and most likely return to them.
phd
1,319 posts
 
Keep in mind Audiophiles represent a very small segment of the population and the average consumer is more than content with a mediocre system. Unless this consumer knows an audiophile that can show them what they have been missing they are satisfied living in ignorance.

I have tried Eastern Electric, the build & sound quality is surprisingly very good. But like any quality piece of gear, changing an amp for example can necessitate another component change for the sake of having synergy in your system, thus the reason you will see these sometimes for sale.

Anyway small upstart companies are in for the fight of their life to compete with much larger, reputable, & well established companies say like Conrad Johnson. It is known that US based, well established companies can afford to buy larger quantities of high quality electronic parts and then pass the savings onto the consumer. In addition it takes large sums of money to design, manufacture and bring to market a newly designed piece of gear.

However a trend of designing gear stateside then having it built to exact specifications with cheap labor overseas has somewhat offset this. On occasions you will see excellent audio engineers emerging in the East that have immediate access to cheap labor & the manufacture of off-brand, high quality parts, so never assume they should all be dismissed as poorly constructed & unreliable pieces of gear.
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
audiophiles are a fickled bunch. brands come and go in hype and popularity faster than restaurants. even if a product is great, its appeal to consumers beyond a handful of sales is a criteria for many retailers. its tough out there particularly for the little guys and the new guys entering this fragile industry(which is quickly shrinking into more of a fraternity).
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