Opinions on Graaf Amps


Does anybody have any expereince with Graaf OTL amps? I'm especially interested in the little GM 20 but don't have a chance to listen to it where I live. Has anybody heard it? In my search for a new amp I have listened to the Carys (572s) and found them overall too bloomy. I don't like tube amps that try to sound like solid state (i.e., Audio Research or BAT) but I also don't want the tubes to color the sound too much. I've tried the Atma-Sphere S 30 which sounded terrific in my system, open, airy and very musical, but it just runs too hot. So now I am considering the Graaf or perhaps an Air Tight. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

My system:

Joule Electra LA 100 MK-III
Merlin VSM + BAM
Audiomeca Keops as transport and Audio Logic 2400 DAC
JPS Super + speaker cables, FX interconnects, and Power Cords

Many thanks,

Dr V
drv

Showing 1 response by mat0633

I have heard enough praises of the Graaf GM20 and think it may be the time for me to physically listen to one or two (in bridged mode). I use several different loudspeakers including the high efficiency models like vintage JBL4333A difficult loading Quald ESL-57 and the modern moderate efficiency French Jean-Marie Reynaud Reference 25th Anniversary and Bosendorfer VC-7. I received a pair from the new US and Canada distributorfew weeks ago. After a few days burn in I listened the GM20 with my different loudspeakers. Switching to different loudspeakers didn't change the tonal character of the GM20, it is highly analytical yet very smooth, with very liquid mid to high and pin point localization of the sound sources. Those characters are very favorable to muscial reporduction and I like them very much. According to my experience with other high end amps, the merits are not only limited to Graaf GM20s; you can find these characters on most of the high end power amplifiers. What wonder me is I find ALL these elements perform at the same time through a samll output amplifier. What even shock me off is something which unique to the GM20s, I haven't heard that character very often before especially with all the other tonalities mentioned above from a single amplifier. Not so even on very powerful high end amps like the already very bass powerful Mark Levinson 33H. It is the power, authority and resolution in mid to low range in bass ( from app. 180 to 45Hz ). Quality and realistic bass in reproduced music becomes very rare and expensive nowaday, I expereince many super systems, including Wilson Grand Slamm, IRS and Genesis V and not many of them produced qulaity bass with speed, accuracy, resolution and QUANTITY that can move your emotion not only by the music but also by the air and vibration which is in pace with the music. I was shock by the first time I used a pair of mono bridged GM20 into my Jean-Marie Reynaud Reference 25th Anniversary speakers without hooking to my pair of highly modified Triad Gold Sub-woofers; a pair of 2 X 10" push pull highly modified very "musical sub-woofer", now I can listen to only the Jean-Marie Reynaud Reference 25th Anniversary and enjoy the sweetness, open, airly yet powerful, full range down to 25Hz bass and coherent musical experinece. I have no second thoughs after I change to the GM20s from a pair of Atma-Sphere OTL and very powerful Parasound JC-1. I am now free from hardware induced compromise and enjoying music like nothing before.