Phil Lawton
10-03-2023, 09:19
I've been trialling different genres and formats through the recently acquired Graham Slee Novo headphone amp over the past few nights.
My initial, happy reaction to the first few tracks funnelled through the unit have been tempered somewhat by further plays.
I've been doing an A/B comparison with vinyl (Slee and Marantz amp headphone outputs) and an A/B/C comparison with CDs (Slee, Marantz amp/Marantz CDP headphone outputs).
In almost every case, the Slee has been out-performed by either the output from the amp or the CD player.
The bass performance from the Slee is not as rich as first assessed...if anything, the output is too "toppy" (for the want of a better word...it's the musician in me), almost to the point of being annoying. Bowie's "Heart's Filthy Lesson" on vinyl via the Slee lacks the stomach punch I'd come to expect, while though the amp it comes alive. Same track on CD is much the same, with the CDP's headphone output being indistinguishable from that of the amp.
Underworld's "Little Speaker" on vinyl also disappointed; such a dense mix deserves some serious middle and bottom end, but the Slee was slightly muddy in both departments. Via the amp, the record was immediately engaging. Playing the CD version gave much the same result on the Slee as the vinyl had, while the amp and CDP both brought the track to life, with the CDP outperforming the amp, I felt, although there wasn't much daylight between them.
The Japanese pressing of Joni Mitchel's "Hejira" fared slightly better via the Slee - the soundstage was impressive, although the higher frequencies barely stayed inside the tolerance zone. Pastorius's bass was present, but lacked the character I'd come to expect. Through the amp, it felt as if a curtain had been drawn aside and the higher frequencies tamed...a much more pleasant experience.
LTJ Bukem's "Undress Your Mind" - on vinyl and CD from his rather splendid 'Journey Inwards' album - simply reinforced my feelings for everything else I'd played; lacking that certain something in the bass, giving a bit too much in the top end. Both formats via the amp were incredible.
I do realise that there is some burn-in time to happen with the Slee; I bought it from a hi-fi dealer on eBay who had listed it as "mint" (which it is), but I've no idea if it had been used as a demo model or not. I'll stick with it for a couple of weeks and then move it on if I think it's not for me.
My initial, happy reaction to the first few tracks funnelled through the unit have been tempered somewhat by further plays.
I've been doing an A/B comparison with vinyl (Slee and Marantz amp headphone outputs) and an A/B/C comparison with CDs (Slee, Marantz amp/Marantz CDP headphone outputs).
In almost every case, the Slee has been out-performed by either the output from the amp or the CD player.
The bass performance from the Slee is not as rich as first assessed...if anything, the output is too "toppy" (for the want of a better word...it's the musician in me), almost to the point of being annoying. Bowie's "Heart's Filthy Lesson" on vinyl via the Slee lacks the stomach punch I'd come to expect, while though the amp it comes alive. Same track on CD is much the same, with the CDP's headphone output being indistinguishable from that of the amp.
Underworld's "Little Speaker" on vinyl also disappointed; such a dense mix deserves some serious middle and bottom end, but the Slee was slightly muddy in both departments. Via the amp, the record was immediately engaging. Playing the CD version gave much the same result on the Slee as the vinyl had, while the amp and CDP both brought the track to life, with the CDP outperforming the amp, I felt, although there wasn't much daylight between them.
The Japanese pressing of Joni Mitchel's "Hejira" fared slightly better via the Slee - the soundstage was impressive, although the higher frequencies barely stayed inside the tolerance zone. Pastorius's bass was present, but lacked the character I'd come to expect. Through the amp, it felt as if a curtain had been drawn aside and the higher frequencies tamed...a much more pleasant experience.
LTJ Bukem's "Undress Your Mind" - on vinyl and CD from his rather splendid 'Journey Inwards' album - simply reinforced my feelings for everything else I'd played; lacking that certain something in the bass, giving a bit too much in the top end. Both formats via the amp were incredible.
I do realise that there is some burn-in time to happen with the Slee; I bought it from a hi-fi dealer on eBay who had listed it as "mint" (which it is), but I've no idea if it had been used as a demo model or not. I'll stick with it for a couple of weeks and then move it on if I think it's not for me.