Colin Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 And one on the bel canto http://www.stereotimes.com/amp102300.shtm Lets get the heresy over with right now. A solid state "digital" amplifier that weighs less than the Bright Star Little Rock that sits on it and runs as cool as the Black Diamond cones it rests on, has three dimensional imaging, timbral accuracy, midrange texture, micro dynamics and decay as good as, no, better than any tube or hybrid amplifier Ive heard. Agility is not just straight line "speed." It connotes balance, and poise during a brief pause as well as the startling quickness of a musical transient. Im sure the technically astute among us could quantify this character in terms of slew rate, rise and settle times, but Im sure its more than that (by the way, the slew rate is actually over 6000 volts per microsecond, which is more than 10X faster than any analog power amplifier). Of all the amplifiers I have owned, loved and lusted over, I never expected to get in one package the transparency of my Pass Labs Aleph O monoblocks, the recreation of the human voice and the three-dimensionality of my CJ Premier 12's, or the single-ended beauty and dead quietness of the magical KR800's. But there's more: the speed and dynamic prowess of my solid-state Balanced Audio VK1000 monos, the speed and fury the hybrid Lamm M1.1 amplifiers. At this ridiculously low price? Yes! Remember, these reviews are on cones, not big ole horns, which while they certainly dont need the power, definitely do need low wattage quality. 2000 article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erukian Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Fun review to read, I share many of his opinions about the sound of the tripath chip and the amp unit itself. Thanks for the link Colin, if you find any more, post em up! -Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 Now how am I supposed to be getting interested in tubes when you post something like that? ............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 I briefly heard Mark Maples modified Teac in Indy, and it knocked my socks off. Tight, crisp, open, smooth, and dynamic. It would have been nice to spend more time with it, but we were running short on time. Contrasted to the digital amplifier technology Klipsch demonstrated, the modified Teac was on a completely different level. I've been using an unmodified Teac off and on over the last couple of days, and it falls way short of the modified unit I heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted July 26, 2005 Share Posted July 26, 2005 dean, what had he done to it? what mods did he implement? tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erukian Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 ---------------- On 7/26/2005 8:45:47 PM mdeneen wrote: Well, there you go - the fifth complete demise of tubes in 40 years! mdeneen ---------------- Tubes will never die. Their distortion works like an equalizer making it sound nice which is ALWAYS going to bring in new people until Class-D can emulate tube distortion. But this is, for sure a full transformation of solid state happening before our very eyes. Exciting times. -Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotbuck Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Greetings, A short time ago I checked out both the Teac and Sonic Impact amps with kg-4's, which were my speakers at the time. This combination sounded incredible -- actually better than a relatively expensive single-ended toob amp. However, when I purchased a pair of La Scalas, I found that the tripath amp sounded dull and that my toob amp never sounded better (bring out the Mullards!). It would appear that the relative merits of any individual piece is only half the story; whether it achieves a synergy with the system as a whole appears to be at least as important. All the same, with the right speakers I bet the Bel Canto sounds stunning! Take care, Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travisc Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 http://www.redwineaudio.com/ thats the mod page =4-5 hundred $ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 Slew rate of 6000 Mv./sec ....??? snake oil, again..... we ain't talkin' Microwaves here, just home audio ... i don't know if there is an Audio benefit to, say, more than 30 Mv/sec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgeraci Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 ---------------- On 7/26/2005 9:48:38 PM sunnysal wrote: dean, what had he done to it? what mods did he implement? tony ---------------- Tony, I believe Travisc is correct. The Red Wine Audio battery mod. That is the same mod that Guy Landau had performed, and he really loved it. However, I believe Guy's modded unit was severely damaged en route to another member for a listening tour. I do not know if he has had it replaced. Carl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivendell61 Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 Duke, Not 'snake oil'. I did not see where you got the 6000 V/usec quote--but that would be within normal specs for a class D amp. However....if someone implied that the higher slew rate was better, in an absolute way, than another class D amp with lower slew--or an A/B class amp--that would be 'snake oil'. The high slew rate of class D amps is just part of the architecture and is not indicative of sonic performance as it might be in a linear amp. The high slew rate is also a pain in the neck since it causes Audio Analyzers to 'slew rate limit' and go unstable--making the measurement of D amps a challenge. ----another guy doing Teac mods is here: http://www.boldercables.com/Store.asp?m=TheBolderCableCompany&n=10&k=134306&s=+MODIFICATIONS He does it without resorting to batteries. I would suggest moving on from Tripath though. There are better implementations out there now. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markmaple Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 Yes, my Teac had the Redwine mods listed on this page. I got the $449 package plus the upgraded binding posts ($30). http://www.redwineaudio.com/Teac_AL700P_mods.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I am sure that improving PS in these amps can reap benefits BUT I think the approach taken by bel canto and carver pro makes more sense to me, stay with traditional PS design but filter it better and beef it up so that the tripath chip does not run out of gas. some trannies, caps and resistors added...I am still thinking of battery power as a bit of a fad thing...tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erukian Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 ---------------- On 7/28/2005 9:55:38 AM sunnysal wrote: I am still thinking of battery power as a bit of a fad thing...tony ---------------- I'd have to disagree. I think battery power is a great solution for the DIY'er who want's the cleanest power pretty much out there. It saves bundles of money that would otherwise be spent on filtering out interference that goes into high-end power supplys. It seems the high end consumer and the audiophile now care about clean power (line conditioners) so I think battery power is here to stay, at least in the DIY community for sure. Eventually something cleaner/smaller will come out and replace the technology, but I can't see SLA's leaving the hearts of DIY'ers as the cleanest power source. -Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I would suggest moving on from Tripath though. There are better implementations out there now. Not unless you spend $2K or more. Mine is on it's way to be modded as soon as I scrape up the cash. $500 for the sound I heard from Mark's Teac is a no brainer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louis Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I had one of the early bel cantos and it was great sound and now used can get arround 900.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted August 4, 2005 Author Share Posted August 4, 2005 not such a good Red wine Clari T review: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue18/clari-t.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 ---------------- However, when I purchased a pair of La Scalas, I found that the tripath amp sounded dull and that my toob amp never sounded better (bring out the Mullards!). It would appear that the relative merits of any individual piece is only half the story; whether it achieves a synergy with the system as a whole appears to be at least as important. All the same, with the right speakers I bet the Bel Canto sounds stunning! Take care, Scott ---------------- Try a high powered Triparth with the La Scalas. That big woofer likes a lot of power (more than you think). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfyr Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 Hard to believe that many folks can 'like' something here unless it costs at least several thousand bucks! After all, I know now that sub-thousand dollar turntables don't cut it and that one must spend at least $2500 for a reasonable CD/DVD player! So in keeping with this enlightened point of view, here is a version of the tripath that you might like. At least it meets the entry requirements of costing far too much for any rational person! http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/audioresearch_150m_5.htm http://www.soundstagemagazine.com/measurements/arc_150_2/ Just what the world needs, ANOTHER $7500 amp! Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meuge Posted August 4, 2005 Share Posted August 4, 2005 ---------------- On 8/4/2005 11:42:54 AM Colin wrote: not such a good Red wine Clari T review: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue18/clari-t.htm ---------------- The review is very close to how I felt about my Teac. It had a nonexistent noise floor, and extreme clarity, but it just couldn't handle complex musical material, and its soundstage was very narrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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