I thought that I'd give my valve amplifier combo a proper work-out for the first time to see if this 'shitty little 60W Yaqin amp' from China (modified by our resident friend and forum moderator Anthony Matthews of Tube Distinctions) could hack it with some hardcore dance music at serious levels
Needless to say I shouldn't have worried. I've just emerged from my darkened room in a state of shock, sweating, and shaking my head in disbelief at the sheer scale, physical impact and intensity of the sound
I had previously slipped 'Elements of Life' from Tiesto into the Sony's slick transport mechanism, turned up the Croft to just over half volume, and pressed play...
Track 6 was chosen and 'Sweet Things' majestically flooded into the room. I was greeted by wall-to-wall synthesised beats which shook the floor and literally pinned me to my seat. I felt a rush of adrenaline as I watched the Spendor’s 12” bass drivers pumping in and out with a piston-like precision, moving serious amounts of air, as they pressurised the room with the pounding bass-line.
The track's low frequencies were delivered with massive visceral impact such that it felt as if Joe Calzaghe had just delivered a fearsome punch to my chest, as the haunting voice of the (unknown) guest female vocalist caressed my ears with an angelic sensuality and combined with the pounding bass-line to surround me in a magical dreamlike and widescreen soundscape. This was truly amazing: I have never heard dance music reproduced before with such intense fun factor from my (excellent as they are) solid-state 200W ECS monoblocks.
I sat transfixed and in awe as I wondered how the sheer scale of the sound which I was experiencing was possible from a mere 60W of push-pull valve power. How can this be right, I thought, aren’t valves supposed to sound soft and ‘mushy’? However I didn’t get much time to dwell on that thought as ‘Sweet Things’ faded out and the gentle trance-like intro to ‘Bright Morningstar’ floated somewhat spookily into the room seemingly contained within its own acoustic space whilst cocooned in a surreal inky blackness. A feeling of relaxed tranquillity pervaded over me but no sooner was I drifting off into a sleepy state of relaxation than I was rudely awakened by a bomb-like explosion of near-nuclear intensity as the bass-line signalling the arrival of the business end of the track shook the room, pummelling my ears.
The scary thing was there was simply no sense of strain whatsoever – in fact there was a sense of almost unlimited headroom, as I cranked up the volume another couple of notches to take the Croft to three-quarter volume, which pressurised the room further creating a sound of such depth and power that it made me feel quite queasy: I simply basked in the atmospheric intensity of the music. It was abundantly clear that my ears would give in long before the Yaqin and Spendors would, so fearful for my hearing I played it safe, turned down the volume, and then proceeded to enjoy the remainder of the album at more normal listening levels. But nothing could remove the grin I was wearing from ear to ear after partaking in such an enlightening musical experience.
So, in terms of bass, what of solid-state's renowned control and extension? Pah! Valve power rules!!
Marco.