My experience with the First Watt F7
I think that many of us have a mental list of components and speakers we would like to try if circumstances and finances allow, and I'm no different. My finances are more limited than many members, but within my means I have been able to try quite a few different things over the years.
About six weeks ago I saw an ad for an F7 in great condition and having efficient speakers, it had been on my wish list to try not only because it was made for speakers just like mine, but also because I had never read a negative review of it or any of the other First Watt amps.
I want to say here that I have a lot of respect for Nelson Pass as a innovative designer and a businessman, and I once had a very positive experience with Pass Labs on a service issue. The reason that I am writing this brief review is because one member who knew that I had bought it had requested my impressions, and I am also curious to know the impressions and experiences of others here who may have owned this amp.
When I first received it, I gave ir a couple of hours to warm up. I sat down to listen, and initial impressions were good, but not great. There was good clarity in the mids and treble region, and stage width was very good but not better than what I was accustomed to. I noticed two negatives on the second day. The first was that the perceived size of instrumental images, for instance Stan Getz's sax, were 15-20% smaller. That wasn't a deal breaker, just an observation. I also noted that the timbre/tone of the sax, as well as other wind instruments and strings was not as natural sounding as I am used to.
Three days in, I was listening from the next room while working, and by now I knew that there was something else about the presentation that was more serious that was bothering me. I stopped what I was doing and put on a couple of specific songs to test a hunch, and that is when I identified the problem. The amp had no "flow", and even though individual instruments were well separated and clear sounding, nothing hung together like a real group playing together. Each instrument sounded like a separate event that didn't relate to the others. I had never had this experience before, but once I identified it, I couldn't "unhear" it. I also noticed at that time that electric guitars sounded different and less authentic than they had on other tube and solid state amps I have owned.
Finally, and this was surprising, the bass was noticeably opaque and lacking detail. I sat there in front of it listening one day, and I thought that if I was young again, and new to audio, this would probably be an amp that would impress me.
I sold it within two weeks, confident that it was not the amp for me, but grateful that I had the opportunity to try one for myself.
I would like to hear the experiences of others familiar with the F7.
Ideally the recommendation for power amp input impedance to preamplifier output impedance is a ratio of 20/1. So a genuine output impedance of 500 ohms and less is preferable. A very low output impedance of 47 ohms shouldn’t present an issue at all.
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Pretty much it. There are those who love the XA 25 amplifier and others who’ve tried it and subsequently moved on. Nothing new with that. This scenario can be applied to any amplifier/audio product in existence. We happily decide on our favorite audio flavor and live with it. | |
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You have considerable High End audio listening and DIY experience. knowing the make up of your audio system and reading your insightful posts, I feel that I have a good read on where you’re coming from. I’d be quite interested in your take on an AGD amplifier as compared with your 845 and 300b amplifiers. Charles | |
It does not seem to me that folks are generalizing F.W. sonic presentation but rather expressing their experiences in specific instances, unless my inference is off. No question that F.W. amplifiers have many happy owners. And who doesn’t respect Nelson Pass and his long audio design history? It always depends on what one is in search of. @roxy54 specifically referenced the F7. I see his point given the listening experience. Charles | |
So very true. There’s a natural fluidity when I listen to live acoustical music that’s simply the antithesis of mechanical and stiff. Charles | |
Now that’s an interesting and significant finding. This musical flow/pace/rhythm along with tone and timbre are make or break parameters for me. If an audio component can not get this right, no other positive attributes can make up for this deficiency. I can appreciate your disappointment. Roxy in my experience I find that musical flow and cohesion a strength of good quality tube amplifiers (As well as terrific tone/timbre abilities). Charles |
