Great amps! and I am a huge fan of anything LKV! bet it sounds super...
Raven Audio Osprey
A long overdue review...I’ve owned my Raven Audio Osprey integrated amp for almost six months now.
My system is a hobbled together mix of of new and used. A Rega RP10 (Apheta 2 cart) feeds the Osprey through a used LKV Research Veros One phono section. The Osprey, in turn, powers used B&W CM10 S2 speakers. I deliberately sought out the Osprey, the other components were purchased based on opportunity. I was a little worried about powering the CM10s with 30 Watts, but my concerns were unfounded.
Before buying the Osprey, I had gone to some local dealers and listened to a few other integrated tube amps. They were nice but not for me. Given Raven Audio’s “at home trial” I decided to give them a try.
The Osprey arrived with some decent new old stock pre amp and inverter tubes and new power tubes. It sounded quite nice out of the box but I felt it could do better.
I emailed Dave (great guy!). After discussing my system, he suggested some tubes that may be a better match. He promptly shipped several different nos tubes for me to try. Included in these was a set of NOS Brimar 6060 Yellow T’s. Wow! I was hooked!
Much tube rolling ensued. Eventually, I settled on the Yellow T’s in the front row, and purchased some Siemens ECC801S for the middle and Amprex 7316 for the back, all NOS. The power tubes, also NOS, are quad matched RCA 6L6GC Blackplates. Pricey, yeah. But much more bang for your buck than cables costing twice as much or more. (All my cables are from BJC) On a tighter budget, I’d have still put the Yellow T’s up front and left the rest stock...possibly putting RCA clear tops or Amprex Bugle boys in the back row. (British tubes up front, German in the middle and Dutch or German in back seemed to be a trend). This combination worked for my system and tastes and may not be for others.
The Osprey sounds truly stunning. A hypnotic massage for your neurons. This is honestly the only purchase I have ever lost sleep over...I can’t stop listening!
The output is amazing and belies the 30 watt rating. No, it’s not going to break the neighbor’s windows, but this is less about blunt force and more about fine listening. This is perfect for me. Yes, there has been a time or two where I wanted to blast it louder, but 99% of the time I listen with the volume control between 9 and 11 o’clock and it’s plenty loud. More than enough. Especially if you want to preserve your hearing and enjoy the perfection for many years to come.
Wow. Getting late, again! Alison Krauss & Union Station (1/2 speed master mofi) I Can Let Go Now playing. Chills from Alison’s voice. Bedtime.
Love it! Thanks Dave!
My system is a hobbled together mix of of new and used. A Rega RP10 (Apheta 2 cart) feeds the Osprey through a used LKV Research Veros One phono section. The Osprey, in turn, powers used B&W CM10 S2 speakers. I deliberately sought out the Osprey, the other components were purchased based on opportunity. I was a little worried about powering the CM10s with 30 Watts, but my concerns were unfounded.
Before buying the Osprey, I had gone to some local dealers and listened to a few other integrated tube amps. They were nice but not for me. Given Raven Audio’s “at home trial” I decided to give them a try.
The Osprey arrived with some decent new old stock pre amp and inverter tubes and new power tubes. It sounded quite nice out of the box but I felt it could do better.
I emailed Dave (great guy!). After discussing my system, he suggested some tubes that may be a better match. He promptly shipped several different nos tubes for me to try. Included in these was a set of NOS Brimar 6060 Yellow T’s. Wow! I was hooked!
Much tube rolling ensued. Eventually, I settled on the Yellow T’s in the front row, and purchased some Siemens ECC801S for the middle and Amprex 7316 for the back, all NOS. The power tubes, also NOS, are quad matched RCA 6L6GC Blackplates. Pricey, yeah. But much more bang for your buck than cables costing twice as much or more. (All my cables are from BJC) On a tighter budget, I’d have still put the Yellow T’s up front and left the rest stock...possibly putting RCA clear tops or Amprex Bugle boys in the back row. (British tubes up front, German in the middle and Dutch or German in back seemed to be a trend). This combination worked for my system and tastes and may not be for others.
The Osprey sounds truly stunning. A hypnotic massage for your neurons. This is honestly the only purchase I have ever lost sleep over...I can’t stop listening!
The output is amazing and belies the 30 watt rating. No, it’s not going to break the neighbor’s windows, but this is less about blunt force and more about fine listening. This is perfect for me. Yes, there has been a time or two where I wanted to blast it louder, but 99% of the time I listen with the volume control between 9 and 11 o’clock and it’s plenty loud. More than enough. Especially if you want to preserve your hearing and enjoy the perfection for many years to come.
Wow. Getting late, again! Alison Krauss & Union Station (1/2 speed master mofi) I Can Let Go Now playing. Chills from Alison’s voice. Bedtime.
Love it! Thanks Dave!
2 responses Add your response