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Boxswap madness.
Who could guess that my hifi budget is refreshed annually on Jan 1?
Firebottle AIR hybrid power amp, atop this a QLS QA100 all digital amp (powerDAC).
To the right atop my longstanding CA Azur 851D DAC/pre is a newly arrived Auralic Vega DAC/pre.
Only 1 new amp still en route now.
Of the 3 new items that arrived today only the Firebottle AIR power amp has so far been plumbed in.
Playing now.
-- it came out of the box very cold - on turn on the L/R imagery was rather strange; a little phasey and biased just a little toward the R channel. Worrying!
And the presentation was a little matter of fact and uninvolving.
It took about 20 minutes to centre up, and settle down. Central image is perfectly centred now (I have to confess to being a bit anal about this!).
Initial impressions (after about a couple of hours of warmed up listening) - it's a damn fine amp!
Tonally rich and vibrant, very detailed and fast. Deep, powerful, controlled room-shaking bass when appropriate - but clean with no extra boom. Extended and realistically smooth top end, perhaps just a little too 'nice'? Maybe there could be just that little bit of extra air up top to advantage.
Well defined imagery in depth as well as lateral, just a little bloomy rather than pinpoint sharp, I think.
Very rhythmically able - my foot tap test track (Loreena McKennitt's Hurricane Beltane Fire Dance) playing now and it's Big Grin time. Not the very best I have heard, but bloody good all the same. I suspect that the best toe-tappers tend to be leaner tonally.
I haven't popped the lid so I don't know what make valve is inside - but I have a Siemens on the way to have a bit of a roll with. Top end extension and imaging may well benefit.
Hats off to Alan Firebottle. Without doubt a brilliant amp, imo, very musically convincing.
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Starting to look like a demo room in there Jerry. Thought you might like the AIR, it has a lot of 'rez'.
Current Lash Up:
TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.
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Ooo - I do like my rez.
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Try Pat Metheny Group 'Straight on red' on Live 'Travels' album.Keep it playing until the drum bit! THEN dance-or shuffle, as we're getting on a bit?
And not sure about 'Budget refreshed'-a bit like Train Companies Price 'adjustments' being euphemism for INCREASE! (-:
You're our hero, of course!
Chris.
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Actually the total annual funding (hifi + music) has remained static for quite a few years.
It got an effective shot in the arm a couple of years ago when I turned to streaming at £10 a month compared to my previous monthly budget of £50 for CDs. An extra £480 a year for the hifi.
And the final arrival from the New Year purchases ...
SAE XXXiB (31B) power amp - refurbed and sounding rather splendid.
A James Bongiorno design.
50woc, but with a lot of muscle behind it.
That's probably enough amps to play with .... for now.
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Coincidentally, I popped the lid on the AIR about half hour ago -- and there was a Valvo pcc85 in there. That ain't chicken feed!
I don't know if that is the original valve that Alan installed or if there has been some valve rolling going on before it got to me.
Whatever, I have just now installed a Siemens pcc85. Nice .....
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Listening now.
The Plan was to sample a few pieces already heard with the Valvo installed.
Scrap that! - I'm listening to the whole of the first piece tried - a 45 minute album.
That probably tells its own story.
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