Hello Folks and happy holidays.
I heard this amplifier at it's USA introduction in 2002 at the NY Stereophile show.
I remember meeting the passionate designer of the amplifier and his significant other (both from Switzerland) and spending well over one hour being so captivated by it's sound and the associated equipment that was being used including a Goldmund Studietto turntable which is one of the best I've heard.
The owner also pointed out that he was using very basic speakers (brand I forget) as well as very cheap speaker wire. Clearly he was trying to demonstrate that his amplifier design was more important to the sound then the speaker wire provided. (I know this starts another "debate" but save that for another thread.) I was playing vinyl examples that he owned. Most were MFSL pressings of the highest quality.
In one word this amp is musical. Everything thrown at it yielded a picture that leaned towards harmonic richness but also precise and balanced. Far from the overt sterility of so many other solid state designs.
If I also remember correctly, he may have used an older Joule Electra tube preamp that obviously contributed in a big way to the harmonic presentation that I am reporting.
Be that as it may, this is one of the finest solid state amplifiers ever built. Both in sound and construction quality. The only others in it's league or better are Pass, Musical Fidelity, Threshold and Krell.
I heard this amplifier at it's USA introduction in 2002 at the NY Stereophile show.
I remember meeting the passionate designer of the amplifier and his significant other (both from Switzerland) and spending well over one hour being so captivated by it's sound and the associated equipment that was being used including a Goldmund Studietto turntable which is one of the best I've heard.
The owner also pointed out that he was using very basic speakers (brand I forget) as well as very cheap speaker wire. Clearly he was trying to demonstrate that his amplifier design was more important to the sound then the speaker wire provided. (I know this starts another "debate" but save that for another thread.) I was playing vinyl examples that he owned. Most were MFSL pressings of the highest quality.
In one word this amp is musical. Everything thrown at it yielded a picture that leaned towards harmonic richness but also precise and balanced. Far from the overt sterility of so many other solid state designs.
If I also remember correctly, he may have used an older Joule Electra tube preamp that obviously contributed in a big way to the harmonic presentation that I am reporting.
Be that as it may, this is one of the finest solid state amplifiers ever built. Both in sound and construction quality. The only others in it's league or better are Pass, Musical Fidelity, Threshold and Krell.