REM
07-12-2009, 20:54
Another Journey into Valves or How I Learned to Stop Hitting My Head Against the Wall and Hit the Bottle Instead......
Warning, long post...
....first of all a little background. My hi-fi has remained basically unchanged for the last 10/12 years and until earlier this year was pretty much standard 'flat earth' Linn/Naim based stuff. The LP12 was heading into middle age and showing signs of requiring major cosmetic surgery to regain its youthful vitality, much like its' owner. I'm sure I'm not alone in regarding the recent Linn 'upgrades' as somewhat pricey and even the alternatives (Sole etc) when added to new tone arm/power supply and whatever else still added up to a fairly expensive proposition and so, if a major investment had to made, why not go for a complete change? Having followed the story over the last few years of the resurgence of the D/D turntable it was time to check things out and after much deliberation (and considerable trepidation) a Technics 1210/TimeStep psu/SME 309 found itself replacing the Linn. I wont go over the details more than enough has already been written on the subject, suffice it to say I have no regrets what so ever.
The next couple of months were spent happily re-discovering my record collection, as you do, and a nearly (less than 30 hours) new Zu 103 cart found its way into the SME. That is some cartridge let me tell you and all was well, Chez REM, until one day in summer, the 1st of July, to be precise. The place, The Audio Counsel, the time 2pm, the event, Naims' Summer Roadshow which I'd attended out of curiosity to see what their new DAC was all about.
The first presentation was under way so a handful of us were herded upstairs into a small demo room, which over the next half hour or so would become known to history as the Black Hole of Cheadle on what later turned out to be the hottest day of the year, there to be greeted by a pair of monolithic gloss black floor standing speakers connected to Naims' new all-in-one Uniti. Given the heat and total lack of ventilation this did not bode well. On went the first track, Patricia Barber 'Let it Rain' (very funny Dave) and.... BLOODY 'ELL, this can't be right, how can this combo sound this good? What are these speakers? Enter the Zu Essence, a proper demo was booked on the spot and a week later a pair duly ordered.
After a 10 week wait (should normally be six) the Essences were installed and singing sweetly following a 3/4 week break-in period. No doubt that if there's one bit of kit you've read more about than Technics t/t's recently then it will be Zu speakers so all I'll say here is that they really are very special indeed. The Naims (102/Hi-Cap/180) have never had a load so easy and rewarded by providing the best sounds I've ever had but something was nagging away telling me that there was more to be had from the Zus. So, after traipsing round the Manchester hi fi show and auditioning various amps to no avail, a phone call to Simon@Musicology the Zu importer, had me persuaded to try out some amps from Atma-Sphere. Now I'm the last person to go for a valve amp (and an OTL one at that) but talk from Simon about synergy this, more prat than you can shake a stick at that and forget all your preconceptions etc., etc., got to me and a home loan of the entry (!) level MP-3 pre and S-30 power amps was arranged.
Following what seemed like another epic wait, a few weeks actually, the amps arrived safely despite the couriers' best attempt to transform them from precision electronic components into recycling material. The pre has XLR inputs on both phono and line stages although can take RCA line level in through its two tape loops, both pre and power amps are fully balanced. Unfortunately no xlr/phono adapters were included but a phone call to Simon got that sorted and whilst waiting gave me the chance to try the S-30 with the 102, through the S-30's unbalanced inputs, using a din-phono Mogami i/c cable. This was the pairing I was initially more interested in as it approximated a similar investment in taking a step up the Naim ladder to either a 282 or 250.
Initial impressions were very favourable, the S-30 needing only a little extra gain on the volume (from about 11 to 1 o'clock) for more than adequate loudness, the sound was instantly more refined, easier to listen to but also fuller and even more detailed. The biggest surprise was however, the bass. Although leaner it was significantly deeper and much more defined, bass instruments having much more of their own signature. This extra bass clarity allowed the music even more ebb and flow, instruments stopping and starting with more naturalness and in their own space, a valve amp with more PRaT than a Naim, well, who could have thought it! Gradually it dawned that what in fact was going on was the removal of grain and hash which had previously been masking so many details, obscuring the music. The S-30 is a class act.
A couple of days later the xlr/phono adapters arrive and the MP-3 can take its place driving the S-30. Right from switch on it's obvious that something very special is happening and over the first couple of LP sides the amps are warming up but even so, this is clearly music on an altogether different level. After 45 minutes or so the sound has settled and filled out, taking maybe an extra couple of hours or so to gradually reach its full potential. This is not valve amp sound, this is not warm, this is not soft, this is not lush, this is not rose tinted or any of those clichés that are banded about when people refer to thermionic amplification. Equally, to my immense relief, it is not typical Amplification Americana either, certainly it does sound staging (immensely) when called upon to do so but unlike so many of its colonial cousins it doesn't do it at the expense of all else. Instruments take on a life of their own, vocals suddenly sound more human, the sound seems more ‘organic’, natural, dare I say it, this is the ‘sound of music’.
Listening to Dire Straights 1st (and best, surely) LP is enlightening. Hands up everybody who thinks that this otherwise excellent recording is marred slightly by the rather sibilant nature of the vocals. Thought so, well guess what, you’re all wrong! I’ve had this LP for 30 years now and heard it on all manner of kit over the years and the sibilance has always been present to one degree or another. As soon as I played it through the MP-3/S-30 it was clear what was happening, Mr. Knopfler obviously learned his style at the Kirk Douglas School of Dramatic Art, that is to say ‘ya wanna let ‘em know ya mean business, then grit ya teeth good ’n tight ‘an shing thro ‘em, baby’. This is what I mean when saying that vocals sound more human, you are more aware of the nuances that go to make something sound more like a real performance, not just a cardboard cut out reproduction.
This low level detail is not just confined to vocals of course, in Take Five as the drum solo develops it is as though you can hear Brubeck leaning into his keyboard as he plays his metronomic figure underneath Morello’s patterns and then seems to lean out as the solo ends and Desmond’s sax takes over, uncanny, but very real. Taking of percussion, what the Atma-Spheres do with drums is astounding, kick drums really move tempos on as they should, it’s easy to become almost lulled into thinking that some tracks are maybe a little bass light and then THWUMP, in comes the kick drum and you jump, thrilling stuff. It’s not just drums, the almost palpable sense of hammers hitting strings on piano is remarkable and guitars jump into life. String bass has to be heard to be believed, Danny Thompson’s soloing on Haitian Fight Song from the Pentangle, Sweet Child album is sublime.
When it comes to sound staging the Atma-Spheres just tell you what is on the recording. A small group recording like The Ginger Baker Trio’s ‘Going Back Home’ with Charlie Haden and Bill Frisell seems to take you into the studio with them, similarly with jazz ensemble stuff such as Oliver Nelson’s ‘Blues an the Abstract Truth’ LP it’s as though you can see each soloist take to the centre, do his thing and then go back to the band. Given a ‘bigger’ recording again the MP-3/S-30 just get on with it, DSOTM has never sounded so well, ’er like amazing, man.
The demo amps have been with me for a fortnight now so really I suppose these observations are just first impressions, but first impressions are very important and I’m very impressed to say the least.
Downsides, well aesthetically they are from the form follows function school, personally I think the ’50s cold war Si-Fi B movie styling is great, you may not and there is no cover for the valves so not great if you have pets or kids about, the build quality though is also from days gone by, that is days when this sort of thing was meant to last, Atma-Sphere reckon on 20 years between services I’m told and tube life is also said to be good and long, which is just as well as there are a lot of them. These amps are not plug and play so would not suit everyone. Being an OTL design they need speakers above 8ohm and not being the most powerful at 30 wpc then you need to use efficient speakers to get room filling spl’s so that rules them out for driving ’briks and the like but suitably partnered (vintage Tannoys anyone?) the Atma-Spheres are truly magical.
Now all I have to do is wait (again) for 'mine' to be built and shipped from the US of A, got used to waiting this year:).
Warning, long post...
....first of all a little background. My hi-fi has remained basically unchanged for the last 10/12 years and until earlier this year was pretty much standard 'flat earth' Linn/Naim based stuff. The LP12 was heading into middle age and showing signs of requiring major cosmetic surgery to regain its youthful vitality, much like its' owner. I'm sure I'm not alone in regarding the recent Linn 'upgrades' as somewhat pricey and even the alternatives (Sole etc) when added to new tone arm/power supply and whatever else still added up to a fairly expensive proposition and so, if a major investment had to made, why not go for a complete change? Having followed the story over the last few years of the resurgence of the D/D turntable it was time to check things out and after much deliberation (and considerable trepidation) a Technics 1210/TimeStep psu/SME 309 found itself replacing the Linn. I wont go over the details more than enough has already been written on the subject, suffice it to say I have no regrets what so ever.
The next couple of months were spent happily re-discovering my record collection, as you do, and a nearly (less than 30 hours) new Zu 103 cart found its way into the SME. That is some cartridge let me tell you and all was well, Chez REM, until one day in summer, the 1st of July, to be precise. The place, The Audio Counsel, the time 2pm, the event, Naims' Summer Roadshow which I'd attended out of curiosity to see what their new DAC was all about.
The first presentation was under way so a handful of us were herded upstairs into a small demo room, which over the next half hour or so would become known to history as the Black Hole of Cheadle on what later turned out to be the hottest day of the year, there to be greeted by a pair of monolithic gloss black floor standing speakers connected to Naims' new all-in-one Uniti. Given the heat and total lack of ventilation this did not bode well. On went the first track, Patricia Barber 'Let it Rain' (very funny Dave) and.... BLOODY 'ELL, this can't be right, how can this combo sound this good? What are these speakers? Enter the Zu Essence, a proper demo was booked on the spot and a week later a pair duly ordered.
After a 10 week wait (should normally be six) the Essences were installed and singing sweetly following a 3/4 week break-in period. No doubt that if there's one bit of kit you've read more about than Technics t/t's recently then it will be Zu speakers so all I'll say here is that they really are very special indeed. The Naims (102/Hi-Cap/180) have never had a load so easy and rewarded by providing the best sounds I've ever had but something was nagging away telling me that there was more to be had from the Zus. So, after traipsing round the Manchester hi fi show and auditioning various amps to no avail, a phone call to Simon@Musicology the Zu importer, had me persuaded to try out some amps from Atma-Sphere. Now I'm the last person to go for a valve amp (and an OTL one at that) but talk from Simon about synergy this, more prat than you can shake a stick at that and forget all your preconceptions etc., etc., got to me and a home loan of the entry (!) level MP-3 pre and S-30 power amps was arranged.
Following what seemed like another epic wait, a few weeks actually, the amps arrived safely despite the couriers' best attempt to transform them from precision electronic components into recycling material. The pre has XLR inputs on both phono and line stages although can take RCA line level in through its two tape loops, both pre and power amps are fully balanced. Unfortunately no xlr/phono adapters were included but a phone call to Simon got that sorted and whilst waiting gave me the chance to try the S-30 with the 102, through the S-30's unbalanced inputs, using a din-phono Mogami i/c cable. This was the pairing I was initially more interested in as it approximated a similar investment in taking a step up the Naim ladder to either a 282 or 250.
Initial impressions were very favourable, the S-30 needing only a little extra gain on the volume (from about 11 to 1 o'clock) for more than adequate loudness, the sound was instantly more refined, easier to listen to but also fuller and even more detailed. The biggest surprise was however, the bass. Although leaner it was significantly deeper and much more defined, bass instruments having much more of their own signature. This extra bass clarity allowed the music even more ebb and flow, instruments stopping and starting with more naturalness and in their own space, a valve amp with more PRaT than a Naim, well, who could have thought it! Gradually it dawned that what in fact was going on was the removal of grain and hash which had previously been masking so many details, obscuring the music. The S-30 is a class act.
A couple of days later the xlr/phono adapters arrive and the MP-3 can take its place driving the S-30. Right from switch on it's obvious that something very special is happening and over the first couple of LP sides the amps are warming up but even so, this is clearly music on an altogether different level. After 45 minutes or so the sound has settled and filled out, taking maybe an extra couple of hours or so to gradually reach its full potential. This is not valve amp sound, this is not warm, this is not soft, this is not lush, this is not rose tinted or any of those clichés that are banded about when people refer to thermionic amplification. Equally, to my immense relief, it is not typical Amplification Americana either, certainly it does sound staging (immensely) when called upon to do so but unlike so many of its colonial cousins it doesn't do it at the expense of all else. Instruments take on a life of their own, vocals suddenly sound more human, the sound seems more ‘organic’, natural, dare I say it, this is the ‘sound of music’.
Listening to Dire Straights 1st (and best, surely) LP is enlightening. Hands up everybody who thinks that this otherwise excellent recording is marred slightly by the rather sibilant nature of the vocals. Thought so, well guess what, you’re all wrong! I’ve had this LP for 30 years now and heard it on all manner of kit over the years and the sibilance has always been present to one degree or another. As soon as I played it through the MP-3/S-30 it was clear what was happening, Mr. Knopfler obviously learned his style at the Kirk Douglas School of Dramatic Art, that is to say ‘ya wanna let ‘em know ya mean business, then grit ya teeth good ’n tight ‘an shing thro ‘em, baby’. This is what I mean when saying that vocals sound more human, you are more aware of the nuances that go to make something sound more like a real performance, not just a cardboard cut out reproduction.
This low level detail is not just confined to vocals of course, in Take Five as the drum solo develops it is as though you can hear Brubeck leaning into his keyboard as he plays his metronomic figure underneath Morello’s patterns and then seems to lean out as the solo ends and Desmond’s sax takes over, uncanny, but very real. Taking of percussion, what the Atma-Spheres do with drums is astounding, kick drums really move tempos on as they should, it’s easy to become almost lulled into thinking that some tracks are maybe a little bass light and then THWUMP, in comes the kick drum and you jump, thrilling stuff. It’s not just drums, the almost palpable sense of hammers hitting strings on piano is remarkable and guitars jump into life. String bass has to be heard to be believed, Danny Thompson’s soloing on Haitian Fight Song from the Pentangle, Sweet Child album is sublime.
When it comes to sound staging the Atma-Spheres just tell you what is on the recording. A small group recording like The Ginger Baker Trio’s ‘Going Back Home’ with Charlie Haden and Bill Frisell seems to take you into the studio with them, similarly with jazz ensemble stuff such as Oliver Nelson’s ‘Blues an the Abstract Truth’ LP it’s as though you can see each soloist take to the centre, do his thing and then go back to the band. Given a ‘bigger’ recording again the MP-3/S-30 just get on with it, DSOTM has never sounded so well, ’er like amazing, man.
The demo amps have been with me for a fortnight now so really I suppose these observations are just first impressions, but first impressions are very important and I’m very impressed to say the least.
Downsides, well aesthetically they are from the form follows function school, personally I think the ’50s cold war Si-Fi B movie styling is great, you may not and there is no cover for the valves so not great if you have pets or kids about, the build quality though is also from days gone by, that is days when this sort of thing was meant to last, Atma-Sphere reckon on 20 years between services I’m told and tube life is also said to be good and long, which is just as well as there are a lot of them. These amps are not plug and play so would not suit everyone. Being an OTL design they need speakers above 8ohm and not being the most powerful at 30 wpc then you need to use efficient speakers to get room filling spl’s so that rules them out for driving ’briks and the like but suitably partnered (vintage Tannoys anyone?) the Atma-Spheres are truly magical.
Now all I have to do is wait (again) for 'mine' to be built and shipped from the US of A, got used to waiting this year:).