2. amps-preamps
  3. 1394806313

Is the BAlabo BC-1 MKII Preamp the reigning King?

Tube vs. Solid State...Tube vs. Solid State...Zzzzzzzzzz...
Those days are over. Several years ago both Robert Harley and Jonathan Valin reviewed and Amp and Preamp from a company out of Scotts Valley, CA. called BAlabo, (Bridge Audio Laboratory}. After extended listening sessions Harley and Valin concluded that the BAlabo BC-1 MKII Preamp and the BP-1 MKII amp are the worlds finest sounding products
and what they heard was the greatest listening experience of their entire careers. They concluded that their is no tube or solid state product anywhere on planet earth that even comes close to the performance level of these products.
Tubes have that special liquid, lush, blooming midrange and the BAlabo does all tubes will do but on a much higher, superior level from their solid state designs. Curious if any Philes out there own or have experienced these products.
audiozen

Showing 2 responses by larryi

larryi
4,303 posts
 
Declaring something is the "best ever," only to be surpassed by another "best ever" in the next issue is the modus operandi of Absolute Sound. I believe subsequent best linestages that followed included gear from Soulution and Constellation, and who knows what else.

I have not heard the BALabo gear. I would bet that it sounds nice, but, whether it does or does not obliterate the difference between tube and solid state is an issue I always find dubious. I have never heard solid state gear that quite had the same natural sounding initial attack and subsequent decay of the notes. On the other hand, tube gear that can deliver a lot of power and can control bass like the best solid state gear usually do not sound as good on initial attack and decay as lower powered tube gear, so one really cannot have everything. As for warm vs. lean, I hardly think this is a solid state v. tube issue. For example, I can hardly think of ANY top solid state gear that is nearly as lean and analytical sounding as Audio Research tube/hybrid gear.
larryi
4,303 posts
 
Yes, Halcro is a great example of "best." I believe Stereophile sort of chickened out a bit on this declaration by putting a question mark after the "best ever" designation.

I had only a limited exposure to the amp (at audio shows) so I don't know how it sounds at its best. I know an industry insider who told me that he nearly cried from the overwhelming sense of nostalgia he felt when he heard the Halcro; it reminded his so much of the old Phase Linear 700 (this was NOT meant to be a compliment).

Anyone who would declare anything as a "best" is not credible to me unless that person is limiting the description to a personal judgment in one particular setting (personal opinion based on the particular combination of gear and particular room and particular audition material).
More to discover