Dominic Harper
15-10-2011, 21:56
We had a very productive and enjoyable day on Friday, courtesy of Ion from Ikon Audio. I met him, along with his marvelous amps and speakers etc at the Whittlebury show a couple of weeks ago.
I was so impressed with his dem room and the Tsakiridis tube amps, we chatted about the possibility of me becoming a dealer for the amps, and also the Audioplan speakers.
We arranged a demo here at Northwest Analogue. He kindly brought along two sets of mono blocks, one pair being the Apollo plus 90 watt amps, and also the Orpheus 25 watt SE mono's. He also brought some Audioplan stand mounted speakers and matching stands, a Symphonic Line amp to act as the pre and a Jadis CD player. Cables were also provided by Audioplan.
Apollo mono's
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/ikon/DSC02057.jpg
Orpheus mono's
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/ikon/DSC02068.jpg
Audioplan Kantata speakers
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/ikon/DSC02074.jpg
Vinyl was courtesy of the trusty 401 in slate plinth with prototype duo pivot arm and Koetsu Rosewood.
Both amps performed flawlessly. The Apollo's having far more control as would be expected at 90 watts, but were also an open window on whatever was being played. Bass was exceptional along with a fabulous soundstage. A very accomplished amplifier indeed.
The Apollo's were very versatile as they will accept many octal type tubes and just need re-biasing to suit, a very simple task. Plus they also feature toggle switches on the top of the chassis for selecting either pentode/triode operation and also the amount of feed back employed. These amps were totally UN-flustered driving difficult speakers.
Next we tried the 25 watt Orpheus mono's. These too were wonderful, having possibly the finest midrange and treble I have ever heard, only downside was the bass. Don't get me wrong, there was bass, but in this set up I felt it lacked the last ounce of control and weight compared to the Apollo's. The Orpheus amps would be perfect for those who listen to jazz etc and not head bangers.
Symphonic Line amp and Jadis CD
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/ikon/DSC02060.jpg
I am now a dealer for these fantastic products and the Apollo mono's are on permanent demo here at Northwest towers.
The Apollo's are priced at £1900 a pair.
Still awaiting the prices for the other items, but rest assured, all are fantastic value compared to the competition.
I was so impressed with his dem room and the Tsakiridis tube amps, we chatted about the possibility of me becoming a dealer for the amps, and also the Audioplan speakers.
We arranged a demo here at Northwest Analogue. He kindly brought along two sets of mono blocks, one pair being the Apollo plus 90 watt amps, and also the Orpheus 25 watt SE mono's. He also brought some Audioplan stand mounted speakers and matching stands, a Symphonic Line amp to act as the pre and a Jadis CD player. Cables were also provided by Audioplan.
Apollo mono's
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/ikon/DSC02057.jpg
Orpheus mono's
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/ikon/DSC02068.jpg
Audioplan Kantata speakers
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/ikon/DSC02074.jpg
Vinyl was courtesy of the trusty 401 in slate plinth with prototype duo pivot arm and Koetsu Rosewood.
Both amps performed flawlessly. The Apollo's having far more control as would be expected at 90 watts, but were also an open window on whatever was being played. Bass was exceptional along with a fabulous soundstage. A very accomplished amplifier indeed.
The Apollo's were very versatile as they will accept many octal type tubes and just need re-biasing to suit, a very simple task. Plus they also feature toggle switches on the top of the chassis for selecting either pentode/triode operation and also the amount of feed back employed. These amps were totally UN-flustered driving difficult speakers.
Next we tried the 25 watt Orpheus mono's. These too were wonderful, having possibly the finest midrange and treble I have ever heard, only downside was the bass. Don't get me wrong, there was bass, but in this set up I felt it lacked the last ounce of control and weight compared to the Apollo's. The Orpheus amps would be perfect for those who listen to jazz etc and not head bangers.
Symphonic Line amp and Jadis CD
http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af30/hifimaster/ikon/DSC02060.jpg
I am now a dealer for these fantastic products and the Apollo mono's are on permanent demo here at Northwest towers.
The Apollo's are priced at £1900 a pair.
Still awaiting the prices for the other items, but rest assured, all are fantastic value compared to the competition.