View Full Version : New arrival: Beard P35
I'm spending a very enjoyable morning, listening to the latest addition to my Hi-Fi. A Beard P35 power amp. Fabulous! Definite improvement over my Audiolab 8000s (which is now in pre-amp only mode). I think I may need to get the duster out though.
I also took the opportunity of adding some new Black Rhodium cables from http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/. Rumba Speaker cables, Illusion DCT between the amps, and Concerto between DAC and Pre-amp. Excellent service from David, as always.
Very nice sounding amp.
If you fancy a BB100 let me know. I have one for sale here: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?32655-FS-Bill-Beard-BB100-50-Watt-Valve-Integrated-Amplifiier
walpurgis
13-09-2014, 12:39
I've used both the P35 and the Audiolab and I reckon the Beard may respond even better with a pre-amp upgrade.
Nice, Rob, but you need to get yer duster out! ;)
Marco.
Ali Tait
14-09-2014, 10:32
No no, that's the magic fairy dust!
Floyddroid
14-09-2014, 12:16
To date Beard have been the best music amps i have owned. They were also high maintenance. Well worth it though.
No no, that's the magic fairy dust!
walpurgis, yes I am sure a dedicated pre-amp will be a good upgrade - but I'm happy with the audiolab for the moment. To be honest, my turntable is next on the list for upgrade (new power supply and a dynavector cartridge).
Geof (walpurgis), you were right! An Audio Note M-Zero pre-amp appeared on ebay for £350, and I couldn't resist. It has improved the sound again. I'm very pleased with it. It's a great partner to the Beard P35.
I was going to sell the Audiolab 8000S but I just couldn't bring myself to doing it. So instead, I used it to replace the old Nad amp I had in my home office system. My step son had the Nad (which he's pleased about). So basically, my office system is now my main Hi-Fi from about two years ago. Along with the Audiolab, there are my Heybrook HB1 speakers, Musical Fidelity VDAC, Sony CDP XB930 CD player. One day I must learn to let things go. :)
walpurgis
24-12-2014, 15:22
Glad you're enjoying the Audio Note Rob! :)
Eagle owl
24-12-2014, 18:05
Leave the dust where it is, it improves the sound quality. :lol:
Floyddroid
26-12-2014, 15:08
I have owned a few Beard amps and they have all sounded great. Bill certainly knew how to put a valve am together.
I'm spending a very enjoyable morning, listening to the latest addition to my Hi-Fi. A Beard P35 power amp. Fabulous! Definite improvement over my Audiolab 8000s (which is now in pre-amp only mode). I think I may need to get the duster out though.
Last I heard he was retired living on a yacht.
Pretty amazed no one has bought my Beard TBH. Fools all, LOL.
walpurgis
26-12-2014, 17:01
My mate had a P35 which was nice enough, but then he bought an EAR 861. There was no comparison and no going back, the EAR is vastly superior! Vastly dearer though.
I had an EAR 868PL preamp and ended up preferring a dodgy 2nd hand Chinese Cayin effort by a fair margin once it had some decent valves in it (rather than some cryo'd Mullards which IMHO had been totally shagged by that process).
I am certain some of the better Beard amps can sound at least as good as some of the better EAR efforts. But it is all personal opinion anyway so such statements are to some extent worthless.
walpurgis
26-12-2014, 18:41
Are personal opinions worthless?
Bill beard knew how to make a great amp (the P35 is one of them) but he could also mess a good design of his up as well, as he did with his first power amp a friend bought new.
The Audiolab S you have really does need to be promptly changed and even if it's a basic Croft, I think that will make a big improvement myself;) Just sayin' like...
BTH K10A
26-12-2014, 20:16
Bill beard knew how to make a great amp (the P35 is one of them) but he could also mess a good design of his up as well, as he did with his first power amp a friend bought new.
The Audiolab S you have really does need to be promptly changed and even if it's a basic Croft, I think that will make a big improvement myself;) Just sayin' like...
How abount an Audio Note M-Zero pre-amp ;)
Depends on the price guv! :)
jandl100
30-12-2014, 07:30
Depends on the price guv! :)
Check out post #9, Dave. ;)
I've often found that there is one piece of music that highlight's the improvement in sound that comes from an upgrade. I remember when I bought a pair of TDL RTL2 twenty years ago, it was a second voice that appeared in Horse McDonald's (http://www.horsemcdonald.com/) rendition of Skin on God's Home Movie CD single (http://www.discogs.com/Horse-Gods-Home-Movie/release/3544126). A voice in the background had always sounded like one voice, but through the RTL2's it separated into two voices.
For the Beard P35 / Audio Note M-Zero pre-amp combo, it has to be almost all of The Art of Sound's 'The Ambient Collection' (http://www.discogs.com/Art-Of-Noise-The-Ambient-Collection/master/18486). Instruments sound more real, but its the incidental sounds that are so much more interesting now. Bird song appearing out of the background, that I'd not heard before. An whispered voice. Horses hooves - running through puddles; now they're not just puddles - they are muddy puddles. I can almost hear the texture of the mud as the hooves squelch through.
I think I may be in heaven.
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