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Thread: Orchard Audio's BOSC - Review

  1. #11
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: West Yorkshire

    Posts: 714
    I'm Andy.

    Default

    Received the amps this morning and had them running this afternoon for a few hours with various different types of music.
    So far so good.
    Will listen more intently over the next few days and let you all know what I find.

    Had to move a few pieces around to get them connected up......





    Main system:
    Analogue.
    Michell Orbe with arm decoupling kit & Pete's Pylons. SME V arm, Denon DL103M (FGS), Firebottle OPT MKII phono amp
    Technic SP-10 in Obsidian plinth, AT1010 PMAC v8b arm, Goldring Elite MC Cart and BB3 Phono Amp
    Leak Lenco GL75 with Ortofon OM10 cartridge
    Technics RS-BX404 Cassette Deck
    Network Player.
    Raspberry PI plus R2-R DAC (also used as a CD player) plus Pi NAS Server
    Digital.
    Philips DCC 730 player
    Marantz CD50SE
    Amp.
    Audiolab 8000A
    Speakers.
    Reiver Jenna floor standers
    HeadPhones.
    Sennheiser HD545 Ref, HD600, HD477

  2. #12
    Join Date: Mar 2019

    Location: New Jersey, USA

    Posts: 230
    I'm Leo.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by gninnam View Post
    Received the amps this morning and had them running this afternoon for a few hours with various different types of music.
    So far so good.
    Will listen more intently over the next few days and let you all know what I find.

    Had to move a few pieces around to get them connected up......





    Looking forward to your findings. Nice looking setup you have there.

  3. #13
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: West Yorkshire

    Posts: 714
    I'm Andy.

    Default

    Had a few good days listening to the amps using my Myryad preamp and various front ends – Orbe through the Firebottle Phono amp, Technics CD player and also the Raspberry Pi, using stored FLAC files and the CD player up sampling the tunes to 176.4Khz on the Pi.

    Start with the TT first. Started with some simple music, not over produced with generally just voice and simple arrangements (David Sylvian being one) and found the amps to allow the music to flow without appearing to not add or subtract anything.
    Found it very easy to get lost in the music and before you know it the LP had finished. Wonderful.

    Next up was music with more going on, more electronic and a bit faster paced (such as later recordings by A Certain Ratio) – midrange was very good (valve like) but the bass seemed a bit more muddled compared to the Burson and the Pure Sound valve amp – no real issues with the high frequencies, perhaps a bit forward but not in your face.

    Next up, let’s go digital so step forward Mr Pi. Again, started with some simple (in structure and instrument wise) using FLAC files (such as Ludovico Einaudi) and absolutely no issues – the music appears to come across with nothing added or taken away and found it enjoyable. Used the same music through the CD players and very similar to the FLAC file (apart from the Technics CD player seemed to add extra sparkle to the highs – not the amps fault!!)

    Tried it using more electronic (Nine Inch Nails) and faster paced (808 State) music on CD and FLAC format. Similar to what I heard using the TT, the bass a little muddled at times but nothing too detracting and on CD, the highs sometimes brighter than using FLAC or the TT so not a fault of the amps.

    Very satisfied with how the amps were performing.

    Next few days I took the Myryad preamp out of the equation and used a passive preamp (thanks BigBottle) and also the Pi direct to the amps.

    The main difference with the PI now going direct was the bass seemed to be grasped better than when using the Myryad so perhaps the synergy with this and the BOSC amps wasn’t quite there (will look into this later).

    Using the Passive Pre, I tried the TT and found that the simpler music worked very well, although less impact from the bass than before but the rest of the audio spectrum sounded great then moved to digital music. Much as before with the same issue with CD and the highs.

    Went back to the Myryad and dug out some older (not sure who made them or where I got them from) interconnects and replaced the ones from between the preamp and the BOSC amps.

    Noticed a slight improvement with more complex and electronic music in the bass registers – not a massive change but a little clearer in the lower registers.

    Summary.
    In general, I found the amps to be very good (a slight step up on the Burson but I need to do some opamp rolling) and on par with the valve amp – perhaps better grip when the volume is cranked up.
    Liked the small form factor but found the PSU’s sizes to be on the large size.
    Didn’t find the sound to be ‘digital’ at all but did prefer them with more simple music (as you could probably tell with from the text above), but paired with the correct preamp and cabling I am sure will work a lot better for more complex tracks – the more I tweaked the better they sounded.

    Hope the above helps anyone interested in these.
    Main system:
    Analogue.
    Michell Orbe with arm decoupling kit & Pete's Pylons. SME V arm, Denon DL103M (FGS), Firebottle OPT MKII phono amp
    Technic SP-10 in Obsidian plinth, AT1010 PMAC v8b arm, Goldring Elite MC Cart and BB3 Phono Amp
    Leak Lenco GL75 with Ortofon OM10 cartridge
    Technics RS-BX404 Cassette Deck
    Network Player.
    Raspberry PI plus R2-R DAC (also used as a CD player) plus Pi NAS Server
    Digital.
    Philips DCC 730 player
    Marantz CD50SE
    Amp.
    Audiolab 8000A
    Speakers.
    Reiver Jenna floor standers
    HeadPhones.
    Sennheiser HD545 Ref, HD600, HD477

  4. #14
    Join Date: Mar 2019

    Location: New Jersey, USA

    Posts: 230
    I'm Leo.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by gninnam View Post

    Hope the above helps anyone interested in these.
    Thank you for taking the time to do this.

    Quote Originally Posted by gninnam View Post

    Didn’t find the sound to be ‘digital’ at all
    BOSC is purely an analog amplifier with the PWM being determined in the analog domain. The PWM is then amplified by the GaN power stages.

    Class-D has somehow become associated with digital over the years. The "D" does not mean digital it was just the next letter in the alphabet for classes.

    Class-D simply means switching amplifier, while a lot of companies use digital processing in their class-d amplifiers this is not required.

  5. #15
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: West Yorkshire

    Posts: 714
    I'm Andy.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by orchardaudio View Post
    Thank you for taking the time to do this.
    Your welcome!
    Main system:
    Analogue.
    Michell Orbe with arm decoupling kit & Pete's Pylons. SME V arm, Denon DL103M (FGS), Firebottle OPT MKII phono amp
    Technic SP-10 in Obsidian plinth, AT1010 PMAC v8b arm, Goldring Elite MC Cart and BB3 Phono Amp
    Leak Lenco GL75 with Ortofon OM10 cartridge
    Technics RS-BX404 Cassette Deck
    Network Player.
    Raspberry PI plus R2-R DAC (also used as a CD player) plus Pi NAS Server
    Digital.
    Philips DCC 730 player
    Marantz CD50SE
    Amp.
    Audiolab 8000A
    Speakers.
    Reiver Jenna floor standers
    HeadPhones.
    Sennheiser HD545 Ref, HD600, HD477

  6. #16
    Join Date: Mar 2019

    Location: New Jersey, USA

    Posts: 230
    I'm Leo.

    Default

    Even though Kickstarter was not successful, you can still get your hands on this amazing amplifier at $999.

    You can pre-order directly through Orchard Audio's website here:
    https://orchardaudio.com/shop?olsPag...ts%2Fbsc-mplfr

    As soon as I get 40 preorders I will start manufacturing and ship product within 12 weeks.

    Only 26 pairs left at $999, then price goes to $1099

  7. #17
    Bigman80 Guest

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by gninnam View Post
    Had a few good days listening to the amps using my Myryad preamp and various front ends – Orbe through the Firebottle Phono amp, Technics CD player and also the Raspberry Pi, using stored FLAC files and the CD player up sampling the tunes to 176.4Khz on the Pi.

    Start with the TT first. Started with some simple music, not over produced with generally just voice and simple arrangements (David Sylvian being one) and found the amps to allow the music to flow without appearing to not add or subtract anything.
    Found it very easy to get lost in the music and before you know it the LP had finished. Wonderful.

    Next up was music with more going on, more electronic and a bit faster paced (such as later recordings by A Certain Ratio) – midrange was very good (valve like) but the bass seemed a bit more muddled compared to the Burson and the Pure Sound valve amp – no real issues with the high frequencies, perhaps a bit forward but not in your face.

    Next up, let’s go digital so step forward Mr Pi. Again, started with some simple (in structure and instrument wise) using FLAC files (such as Ludovico Einaudi) and absolutely no issues – the music appears to come across with nothing added or taken away and found it enjoyable. Used the same music through the CD players and very similar to the FLAC file (apart from the Technics CD player seemed to add extra sparkle to the highs – not the amps fault!!)

    Tried it using more electronic (Nine Inch Nails) and faster paced (808 State) music on CD and FLAC format. Similar to what I heard using the TT, the bass a little muddled at times but nothing too detracting and on CD, the highs sometimes brighter than using FLAC or the TT so not a fault of the amps.

    Very satisfied with how the amps were performing.

    Next few days I took the Myryad preamp out of the equation and used a passive preamp (thanks BigBottle) and also the Pi direct to the amps.

    The main difference with the PI now going direct was the bass seemed to be grasped better than when using the Myryad so perhaps the synergy with this and the BOSC amps wasn’t quite there (will look into this later).

    Using the Passive Pre, I tried the TT and found that the simpler music worked very well, although less impact from the bass than before but the rest of the audio spectrum sounded great then moved to digital music. Much as before with the same issue with CD and the highs.

    Went back to the Myryad and dug out some older (not sure who made them or where I got them from) interconnects and replaced the ones from between the preamp and the BOSC amps.

    Noticed a slight improvement with more complex and electronic music in the bass registers – not a massive change but a little clearer in the lower registers.

    Summary.
    In general, I found the amps to be very good (a slight step up on the Burson but I need to do some opamp rolling) and on par with the valve amp – perhaps better grip when the volume is cranked up.
    Liked the small form factor but found the PSU’s sizes to be on the large size.
    Didn’t find the sound to be ‘digital’ at all but did prefer them with more simple music (as you could probably tell with from the text above), but paired with the correct preamp and cabling I am sure will work a lot better for more complex tracks – the more I tweaked the better they sounded.

    Hope the above helps anyone interested in these.
    Reading what you have written here, I was going to say that maybe the muddling may not be the fault of the amplifiers, but you said it yourself anyway lol. Cool. Thanks for sharing. I liked these a lot.

    I think If you want the best out of these amplifies, the right cables go a long way to getting there. Balanced would be ideal so if anyone else is trying these, if you can, avoid the adapters and if you can, use a pseudo differential cable.

    If you ever want that preamp pimped out, let me know. its got masses of potential. a nice SA could possibly change your life!

  8. #18
    Join Date: Mar 2019

    Location: New Jersey, USA

    Posts: 230
    I'm Leo.

    Default

    BOSC has reached 40 orders. The $999 price is available until November 5th. After that, the price will go to $1249.

    Order here:
    https://orchardaudio.com/shop?olsPag...ts%2Fbsc-mplfr


    This is the last chance to get these amazing amplifiers at this price.

    Manufacturing of the BOSC amps will kick off on November 6th. Deliveries will start taking place 8-12 weeks after that.

  9. #19
    Join Date: Mar 2019

    Location: New Jersey, USA

    Posts: 230
    I'm Leo.

    Default

    Today is the last day to get the highly reviewed BOSC amps for $999 ($500 off).
    https://orchardaudio.com/shop?olsPag...ts%2Fbsc-mplfr

  10. #20
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Kent

    Posts: 540
    I'm Twisted.

    Default

    Is there still a review pair touring the UK? I wouldn't mind giving them a shot against my 300b SET.
    Simon

    MINI DSP SHD; Longdog 300b; Reiver Fenwicks

    Twitter @siashmore

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