Hello there,
I would like to share some opinions/experiences on the new EWA Claymore Retro and the old Inca-Tech Claymore by Colin Wonfor.
Is it still a current technology?
How do they compare to other classic British amplifier of the same level such as Naim, Exposure, Rega, Quad, Cyrus, Audiolab, Heed, Croft, Creek, etc?
Thank you very much.
Mauro
Hi Mauro,
The old Claymore isn't current by any means, some are now forty years old. The new EWA Claymore is what the original would have been, had high performance components existed and had Colin known what he knows now. It's very much a modern, very advanced version of the same concept.
The old Claymore still sound very well, especially after an upgrade and service by Colin himself.
It has the same power output as the EWA M-50, although it's not as sophisticated in many ways. In a friend's system, the M-50 has just displaced a Naim 250 driving DBLs. Another is about to go into an SBL based system. I've personally heard them compared favorably to exposure and NVA. As always, it's down to personal preferences. There are no absolutes.
There is a gentleman named Kristian (phorize) over on Audiochews who has both an Inca Tech and an EWA Claymore available for sale.
(I have vested interests in EWA as I sell them.)
The original was a stonking amp. However, i blew mine up due to my own stupidity.
I bought my Inca Tech Claymore back around 1988 in Norwich but upgraded to a Musical Fidelity A100X a year or so later. The A100 was a huge step up in my system after the Claymore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Haselsh1
How hot did the A100X get the original got very hot and boiled the caps.
It got bloody hot but I only kept it maybe three years before discovering valves.Quote:
Originally Posted by Colin Wonfor
Hi there,
I'm very happy with my 1980's Claymore - to my ears, it's an amplifier which is both remarkably musical and rhythmically engaging.
In terms of other British amplifiers of a similar era/similar range, my direct experience is limited to a Sugden C51/P51 combination, Nytech 252XDII and Ion Systems Obelisk 3/Xpak. The Sugden combo (admittedly pre-dating the Claymore by a decade or so) was very musical, but rather unfocused, which suited some music but overall was bettered by the Nytech (actually, the C51 pre amp was the weak link - the P51 power amp was very nice). The Nytech was a very nice receiver (very good tuner section!), but the din connections became increasingly frustrating as the world move over to phono connectors, and it did become rather unreliable. Sound-wise, it was musical but ultimately slightly "soft", I felt. The Ion was quite different (although Ion was effectively a continuation of the Nytech company, I think), with quite a muscular sound that, whilst being very strong on the "flat earth" principles of the day (it "gripped" the music very well), I felt it was tonally siightly lean and, ultimately, lacked a little musical "colour". For me, the Claymore kept the grip of the Ion, whilst overlaying it with an attractively musical presentation that I still find very engaging!
The current Claymore and MF A100 are cut from very different cloth. The A100 (any that survive today!) give a warm flowing sound which yes was exceedingly pleasant. The current Claymore is far more incisive and demands your active attention, there’s a far better soundstage too. Horses for courses. I can’t speak for the original Claymore as I’ve not heard one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Haselsh1
My first impressions of the A100X over the Claymore was of a very easy listen with no aggression. At the time I was using Rogers LS3/5a's and the top end of those did not suit the Claymore at all. The other huge step up was the stereo image of the A100X which when combined with the speakers was absolutely stunning. That was the first time I had experienced a truly 3D image especially using Q Sound CD's.
Again, each to their own. The A100X was my kind of sound at that time.
Colin recently upgraded an old Claymore for me. I never heard it before the upgrade but I can tell you it is now a superb amplifier. My son is going to be thrilled with his Christmas present this year :)