Heard any good hybrid amps lately?

Cipherjuris,

I haven't used the Purist cables, so I can not comment on them.

However, I can state that the Jena Labs Pathfinder cables are pure magic, especially in the mid-range. It is not bright at all, (and in fact, it seems slightly dark sounding when used with my Lamm M2.1s). My friend uses it between his Lamm M2.2s (which are not dark sounding at all, unlike my Lamm M2.1s), and his Rockport Antares speakers, and there is no dark sound whatsoever. (My friend used to use the Nordost Valhalla cables before he tried the Pathfinders. (It was his switch to the pathfinders that got me to try them. Unfortunately, the synergy between the Lamm M2.1s and the Pathfinders was just not right. I think both have just a touch of darkness, and between them when combined it produced an audible darkness that I had not noticed before with any other cable.) Based on the success that my friend with the Lamm M2.2s has had with the Jena Labs Pathfinders, I think I would recommend them to you to try. (My opinion of course!)

For me, the Valhalla's have been a godsend. They have cured the slight darkness on the top end, and it, helped at the very least, cure the slight bit of mid-bass hump I used to have with my Andra II speakers. (I have done some minor room treatments, and played around with speaker placement some more, so it could have been that cured the mid-bass hump, but I think the Valhalla played a role in taming it too.) I don't really notice any leanness in the mid-range, so perhaps it was a leanness in the mid-bass that you noticed. I have heard some people state that they thought that the Valhalla was lean sounding. (Personally, I think they sound just very, very neutral.)

PS By the way, nice preamp and nice cartridge! :-)
(I use the same ones.)

Question: Did you ever use the phono boards in the Ayre?
(I use the phono boards myself.)
If so, how would you characterize the difference between them and the IO signature?

Kurt,

I have not heard Jena Labs cables but have heard good things about them. It sounds like the Valhalla's are the perfect match for your Lamm 2.1s. Finding the right mix is what it's all about, especially with cables, I think. For my system, the Purist Anniversary is just phenomenal. Unfortunately, so is its price. The Proteus Provectus is pretty darn good for much less money.

Yes, I used the phono board in the K-1xe for a year before I bought the IO Sig. There is a huge difference between the two both sonically and price-wise. IO Sig at more than 5x the price of the Ayre phono board plus $3,500+ worth of NOS tubes has a much fuller, richer sound with a deeper and much taller soundstage. Music throught the IO Sig is more emotionally involving. The K-1xe linestage is hard to beat. Hansen had to go to radical lengths with the KXR himself to better the K-1xe, and the KXR is significantly better, but at a steep price.

That said, there is so much competition for the dwindling supply of the best NOS tubes for the IO Sig that their prices have been escalating alarmingly. So much so that I just sold the IO Sig and bought an Allnic H3000. The Allnic will be here early this coming week, so I will post first impressions of it probably next weekend.

Ed

PATHOS INPOL series are superb...