New H20 Signature S250

FWIW:

I just auditioned the sig S250 and it didn't like my Transparent Ref networked cables. Henry suggested this would happen to me, but I have long cable runs and couldn't easily find a good substitute cable without it getting real spendy.

My friend also auditioned one (he doesn't have networked cables) and placed an order. He's in love.

If anyone wants to donate 26 foot quality speaker cables, I'd place an order right away.

It was odd. As if the mix of certain CDs (and not all of them) had been altered... some things were pushed farther into the mix. I had to turn it up to an uncomfortable point to retrieve them. I also thought (not really sure about this due to the fact I have a new room) that bass was emphasized.

I want to point out Henry Ho said that the network boxes would screw things up, and I believe he was right. He's a good guy with a good product at a great price.

I had three days listening with Anti-Cables after that, and thought they were much more harmonically correct than my Transparent Refs with the H20, but I couldn't fall in love for whatever reason - and it might have been listener's fatigue, to be honest with you and myself.

The H20 is a very very clean amp, IMHO, and if ever I can figure out how to listen to it on what I'd deem worthy wire without spending a fortune, I'd love to listen again. My goal was to get away from the tubes/retubing of my VT100 MKII - a great amp - just that I prefer the thought of no warm up, etc.

I search for a word - would have to say the VT is "cushioned" versus my brief run with the Anti-cables and H20 S250 sig... that combo was more dynamic and very very clean.

I still think/suspect I just didn't have the right cables and that what made my interaction with the H2O not work for me at this time. I think it's a great amp anyway. Now that has to be some sort of odd statement. My tubes, in comparison, aren't as exciting.

The sixth entry in this thread describes my problems with the 250sig and my Transparent ref speaker cables. Jafox put it so much better and I find most of his description about turning it up to try to get the mix better on MITs was exactly MY problem (and again, Henry Ho said his amp doesn't perform well with network boxed speakers.) I subsequently tried Anti-Cables and the harmonics and volumes felt much better, but I thought the Anti-Cables weren't up to the quality I had been used to in the Transparents on the end of my ARC VT100MKII. YMMV.

That's funny.

The Anti-Cables might be great. After almost two weeks of listening to odd sound via the Transparent fed H20 (till I got the Anti-Cables,) I had headaches.

I agree completely - someone will jacket them and bump the price.

I hope to have another listen to the H2O with different cable and am wheeling and dealing to make it so.

I wrote that backwards - sorry - the H20 was FEEDING the Transparents into my WP7s. I fed the H20 with Transparent Balanced Ref.

When I demoed the S250 sig, using the PS Audio P600 held back the dynamics in the h2o. It was MUCH better without. (Dedicated 20 amp circuit.) A friend also demoed the amp and found it much more dynamic without his BPT, much to his surprise!