New Tenor Hybrid

hi mike, to my knowledge.....the first prototype stereo 150 is not yet built.....so there is no comparative info yet. considering Tenor's track record......my guess would be that the stereo 150's will be virtually indistiguishable from the mono 300's except where the additional power is usefull.

there are always marginal differences between stereo and monoblock versions of amps as far as stage size and noise floor so i would expect some minor differences here.

i hope all is well with you and your wonderful system.

Chuck....or Johnny....or...

i've had my Tenor 300 watt Hybrids for about a month. i did post a mini-review on AA...here it is;

since i oredered my Tenor 300 watt Hybrid monoblocks i have been skeptical. after living with the Tenor 75 watt OTL's for the last 2 years.....and comparing them to many of the best amps out there......they had set a standard that, in my mind at least, was going to hard to equal, let alone beat. i was expecting more dynamic control, less heat in my room.....and possibly more speed. but i thought i would also lose some naturalness and clarity. i expected the Hybrids to be less texturally complex and articulate.

then i spent time with the Hybrids in SF at the Stereophile Show and it was very clear to my ears there that they were quite a bit better overall than the OTL's. but......i rationalized that somehow the OTL's were underperforming at the Show.....maybe bad power.....or something.

then the Hybrids arrived in my room......really from the first note it was clear the Hybrids did EVERYTHING better than the OTL's. first, much more neutral.....and......much lower noise floor.....and yet.....completely organic and natural. i was not prepared for that combination of supurlatives......as i have never experienced it before outside of live music. the Hybrids actually have more clarity, speed and inner detail and texture than the OTL's (which had set the standard in these areas for me). combine those attributes with much greater dynamic control, better pace and drive, more solid frequency extention, bigger more focused soundstage and better overall coherence and lack of strain......and you have simply raised the bar for amplification.

the easiest way to describe it.....it just gets out of the way of the music......you don't get a sense that it is there.

the way the Hybrids reproduce pianos, horns, and voices must be heard to be appreciated. there is a seeming complete absense of the recording and reproduction process.....these sounds just sound real.

many people focus on bass performance as that seems to be the 'hard part' of any amp/speaker performance. no system is completely fulfilling without great bass performance. the Hybrids are simply unbelievable in this area. the bass is extended, balanced, articulate, fast, textured and has a presence and effortlessness that makes it completely complimentary to the musical event. and it does all those things in complete coherence with the rest of the frequency range.

these are not cheap.....but i have heard plenty of just as expensive or more expensive amps.....and the Tenor 300 watt Hybrid monoblocks go to a new level. i consider them a bargain. and they will work well with about any speaker that i know of.

as far as your comment..."however, those that have given the amp(s) glowing reviews seem to align themselves with a certain dealer in the Seattle and Portland area"....there are only 4 sets of these amps in customer's hands so far. if you are going to assume that there is somehow a lack of honesty with the feedback from these customers......maybe you could justify that assumption.

do you really think i would purchase a $30k set of amps and sell my 2 year reference amps unless i felt the new amps were better?

when you get a chance to demo a set of these amps in your system you could help us all out with your perspective.

please listen first....then comment.

Chuck, your inference that any feedback from this "dealers" customers was less than genuine did offend me. the first thing i mentioned in my comments was that "I" was skeptical.....even after hearing the differences for myself in SF. i was even given a special private opportunity at SF to a/b the hybrids and OTL's.....and i was "STILL" skeptical. so in the context of my skepticism, i think it should be clear that i don't (and never have) just jump (ed) on anything that "this dealer" recommends.

>>>>"Also, my comments were implying that every time a new amp from tenor comes out it seems to be the "flavor of the Month. This is the cause for my skepticism."<<< since Tenor has only had one product......where are you coming from here?......there is no pattern of activity with Tenor as flavor of the month. 2 to 3 years ago, the Tenor OTL's set new standards for performance.....to some listeners.....and until the Hybrids came out.....that was the only Tenor product.

you could have said that you were skeptical about the amps and left it at that......and that would have been a reasonable thing to say.

i never have any problem with someone disagreeing with my opinion......people can judge the merits of anyone's perceptions for themselves. but when you question my honesty or motivations it does definitely offend me since that gets personal.

you didn't need to add your "dealer in Portland and Seattle" comment in your answer to Husk. that was just a cheap shot. if you have a problem with that dealer.....maybe get some facts that hold water. you can't just make accusing inferences that are not justified and not bring into question your own integrity.