2. amps-preamps
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Stupidgood: Ars Sonum

There are lots of "terms of art" used by audiophools to describe sound and equipment. I propose a new one - stupidgood - a piece of equipment that blows you away, as good as it gets (more or less), and the price or the looks of it makes you incredulous as to how good the equipment is. Of course, I did not come with the term; that would by Bobby P. (Mr. von Merlin) describing the Ars Sonum integrated amplifier. I've had separates from ARC, Joule, LAMM, and CAT, and I can tell you, the Ars Sonum is stupidgood driving Merlin VSM-MXes, which can driven very easily be this little 30 watt gem.
pubul57

Showing 3 responses by trelja

trelja
3,226 posts
 
Chaz801, Bobby is correct. The ARS Sonum is in the October Stereophile. John Marks did the writeup.

And, I agree, stupidgood!
trelja
3,226 posts
 
Denis, I think the ARS Sonum has a lot of the things that make the Jadis so likable to us.

My ears tell me that the amp slots between the Jadis Orchestra Reference and the DA30. I would probably choose it over a JOR, but a DA30 against it. The DA50S being another step up. Of course, the DA30/DA50S cost a lot more. None of them can compete with the DA60 and DA88S, where you gain the ability to really get things going because of their extra power.

In my opinion, the ARS Sonum is running a better tube complement, with a lot more thought and care going into the choices than any of the Jadis models. But like just about everything in the market, missing out on the trump card of the better Jadis products - those transformers, and that almost impossible to find dancing on the rose colored glasses side of reality. A very sweet sound, though more warm and lush than the Jadis offerings. For me, it certainly represents an alternative product to consider. All in all, highly recommended!

DISCLAIMER - I am the US/Canada distributor for Opera Audio/Consonance products. Factor that into the above opinion, if applicable.
trelja
3,226 posts
 
Pubul57, no I have not. I have not bought or played with an ARS. My experiences are only related to my own listening impressions, and speaking to Bobby and the designer.

Based on the sound I hear, and the impressions of the owner, I am more or less comfortable with his choice of tubes. That being said, it's always worth swapping tubes if for no other reason than to satisfy the need to see if one is maximizing the performance of any component in their own system, though it's going to cost a bit of money to roll the small tubes in this application.
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