Living with the Firebottle Vivant (a follow-up)

[steveharman]

It's almost 9 months since the Firebottle Vivant arrived so I thought it might be worth doing a quick follow-up to my initial "first impressions" review.

TLDR summary: It's still amazing.

Sometimes it's easy to get carried away and self-justify new kit, convincing one's ears that the investment was worth it. Then after a while things settle down, doubt creeps in, the eBay "Sell" button comes into focus and so the cycle continues. The Vivant doesn't fall into this category.

Yesterday with an album that, like many I've known for years ("Wish You Were Here") I sat down for a coffee and a quick listen. Goose bumps. Sounds I hadn't heard before, notes at the beginning of tracks that still made me jump even though I knew full well they were coming. And somehow a new "dimension" to the sound that I didn't mention previously. Somehow the Vivant managed to place a horizontal wave, or layer of sound midway between me & the speakers. I don't know how Alan manages to do this with the Vivant, I'm only grateful that he does.

But the Vivant doesn't just suit "classic" albums from the '70s where people say production values and analogue mastering were better than today. Take "Oh Wonder's" eponymous album from 2015 (https://ohwondermusic.com/) - I've been listening to this on Grotify for a few years, having only recently acquired the vinyl version. The Vivant brings an entirely new perspective to the whole album. There are things in there I simply never heard in the dozens of times I've listened to it digitally.

Same thing for the two Christine & The Queens LPs (http://www.christineandthequeens.com/) from 2016 / 2018.

To really experience the magic of the Vivant, throw a magic album at it in the form of Will Varley's new "Spirit of Minnie". https://www.willvarley.com/ Passionate, British folk / rock at its best, I can't recommend his music highly enough. Goose bumps on goose bumps. managed to see him live in Norwich the other week - almost as good as the Vivant. ;-)

Was the Vivant cheap? Well it did cost a fair amount of money, yes. But then well designed, well manufactured, well supported things always do. Does that make it "expensive" ? I wouldn't say so, no. And since hearing our Vivant the parents-in-law ordered one for themselves. Haven't actually discussed a referral programme loyalty point scheme with Alan yet, but it's on my list. :-)

Sorry eBay, you won't be getting seller fees out of me with this one.

Steve

[Bigman80]

A really nice bit of feedback for Alan. Not unexpected either.

Price wise, it is what it is, a point to point wired piece of HiFi equipment, in a world of PCB based designs, with high quality parts and unrelenting support going forward. High quality build too.

Rest assured, if this were a commercial product, it'd be nearer £2000 at a minimum.

Congratulations on the purchase!

[steveharman]

Absolutely agreed. I have no problem with the price - worth every penny and some. I've always preferred dealing with passionate, skilled specialists who don't have retailers, warehouses and associated margins - the value is then in the unit tiself and not the supply chain.

As a bonus they usually turn out to be really nice people. As in this case and also the guys at http://www.decware.com/

Steve

[Bigman80]

Absolutely agreed. I have no problem with the price - worth every penny and some. I've always preferred dealing with passionate, skilled specialists who don't have retailers, warehouses and associated margins - the value is then in the unit tiself and not the supply chain.

As a bonus they usually turn out to be really nice people. As in this case and also the guys at http://www.decware.com/

Steve

It's not always the case mind you, there are some unscrupulous people out there who try to work the "small trader" angle. Luckily, like most of the guys and girls here, Alan is a genuine guy with a real passion.

[smangus]

I have his OTP, (keep meaning to send it off for the upgrade to the OTP2 but can't bear to be without it!) and mono blocks. There is something very appealing about the voicing of his kit , very even and none fatiguing to my ears , everything seems to be in the right proportion tone wise and with a lot of detail that comes out. They are a real pleasure to listen to , I can only imagine what the Vivant is like.

[mikeyb]

Nae photaes ?

[steveharman]

Hi,

I didn't really think about a photo as it was more of a follow-up review rather than an un-boxing. But then again, iirc I didn't add any photos to my original review either! :-)

Here's a quick shot and apologies for the poor light. The Vivant is the black metal enclosure with the bright blue LED.



https://ibb.co/iQXcv0

Steve

[Bigman80]

Here's the pic

[mikeyb]

Cool, thanks.

A different look to my one

[Bigman80]

Cool, thanks.

A different look to my one

The 'tone it down' look