Abrahamsen audio amp v2.0

[Electro]

Thanks to all for replying,

The speakers are mounted, each one, in a dedicated foot, just 40 cm from walls. I can't do better with that. The living room does not me allowe a better configuration, although I have separated them from the walls one meter and still the sound is amalgamed.

When I listen to a well recorded CD (Patricia Barber or other jazz music) sound is good but when I go for my rock records (Cure, U2, ...) and there are plenty of instruments the sound is like an amalgame, everything is mixed, there is no separation of instrument. I do not think the problem are all these albums (I miss high frecuencies also ). I have taken some of them to an average shop of music and played them in a budget dvd player/ampli with speakers less expensive than mine and the sound was clear and I could recognized the strings from one side, the drums too, keyboards, etc...

I know tha V2.0 UP is no the best amp of the world, I jsut thought that an amp giving more current and able to "move" my speakers at low volume could be that one. Yes, I lke music sounds good at low volume as I spend most of my nights awake while I work at home. I think my speakers have a medium/high sensibility (89db) and should deliver a good sound at low volumes. That is why I thoung the problem was the ampli. Of course I know very well that a cheap B&W will sound better with my marantz becase they match very well but , as I said, I'll be difficult to sell these speakers and I think they are good, juste need the right amp.

It's a shame I can not post in here a picture of my HIFI chain, I have a pic in my computer but I do not know how to doit.

Many thanks again

victor

To post pictures you will need to upload your pictures to a free hosting site like photobucket .

http://s1153.photobucket.com/

You can then copy a dirct link from photobucket and use the image tool at the top of the comment box to insert the URL and the picture will appear in your post.

The Abrahamsen V2.0UP has very high current delivery and should control you speakers very well separating out the strands and textures of the music and presenting them in a very natural way similar to how live music sounds.

I would definitely recommend one. *smile*

 

[plastic penguin]

Sorry, Electro. You are so unbelievably biased towards Electros and Abs.

The Electros are dreadful looking - cheap, nasty plastic facias... in fact I would say my entry-level Electro CDP is a bit more interesting. Not much, just a little....

Can't comment on the Ab but I doubt if it is such a great VFM amp. Of course Colin will say it is because he sells them. He's hardly going to debunk his bundles.

I would say the 2UP at around £900 isn't such great VFM. If you're a vinyl head, you'll need to add a decent phono stage.

By contrast, my Leema has a dual phono stage and it was brand new. That cost me £750.

(Out of interest, Colin did not compare the Leema with the Ab. He sold the Pulse long before he recieved delivery from Sweden or Norway).

I'm biased towards the Leema... up to a point. Get a life, man. Your system should sound the 'dogs', given the money you've spent.

I like you a lot, but PLEASE be more balanced in your views.

I've heard shed-loads of different systems since 1978 - at all price levels - and I've yet to hear anything that's vastly superior around the same price bracket.

 

[radiorog]

Thanks to all for replying,

The speakers are mounted, each one, in a dedicated foot, just 40 cm from walls. I can't do better with that. The living room does not me allowe a better configuration, although I have separated them from the walls one meter and still the sound is amalgamed.

When I listen to a well recorded CD (Patricia Barber or other jazz music) sound is good but when I go for my rock records (Cure, U2, ...) and there are plenty of instruments the sound is like an amalgame, everything is mixed, there is no separation of instrument. I do not think the problem are all these albums (I miss high frecuencies also ). I have taken some of them to an average shop of music and played them in a budget dvd player/ampli with speakers less expensive than mine and the sound was clear and I could recognized the strings from one side, the drums too, keyboards, etc...

I know tha V2.0 UP is no the best amp of the world, I jsut thought that an amp giving more current and able to "move" my speakers at low volume could be that one. Yes, I lke music sounds good at low volume as I spend most of my nights awake while I work at home. I think my speakers have a medium/high sensibility (89db) and should deliver a good sound at low volumes. That is why I thoung the problem was the ampli. Of course I know very well that a cheap B&W will sound better with my marantz becase they match very well but , as I said, I'll be difficult to sell these speakers and I think they are good, juste need the right amp.

It's a shame I can not post in here a picture of my HIFI chain, I have a pic in my computer but I do not know how to doit.

Many thanks again

victor

The v2up is a great amp. It will give you fantastic separation you are after, and will make music sound beautiful! (Organs sound incredible). For the amazing price direct from Abrahamsen, I can't imagine a better amp at twice the value. It is also good at medium listening levels, I don't believe it is made to go very very loud, but by your comments, will be plenty loud enough.

 

[iQ Speakers]

OK I can kind of be unbiased because the OP is in Paris and can buy directly from Abrahamsen. I also now sell more Nords in a month than I did Abrahamsen in the entire year of 2015. And to be honest not sold many at all in 2016 I'm too busy making Nord's. Also there communication is appalling. Looks are purely subjective though the Abrahamsen has a black glass front panel rather than Perspex in the Electro.

I did compare it to the Leema Pulse not side by side but the difference between the 2 amps means it’s pretty clear which has the better control, I did compare directly with the Sugden A21SE which I replace the Pulse with, I would take the Abrahamsen irrelevant of price. Whilst the pulse is a fantastic buy on the second hand market at £499 the Abrahamsen is easily better. I still have a soft spot for the Leema it’s a wonderful amp. No the Abrahamsen does not have a phono stage like the Pulse but then what you are buying is a massive power supplied, amp which grips speakers and produces a highly precise bass.

Electro knows what stunning value the Abrahamsen is and its low profile, that’s why he is so enthusiastic about it, he enjoys helping people obtain amazing sound for little money and should be commended not berated. You didn’t see him suggesting Electrocomaniet because he knows it’s not as good a value, more expensive than the Abrahamsen.

 

[Electro]

Sorry, Electro. You are so unbelievably biased towards Electros and Abs.

The Electros are dreadful looking - cheap, nasty plastic facias... in fact I would say my entry-level Electro CDP is a bit more interesting. Not much, just a little....

Can't comment on the Ab but I doubt if it is such a great VFM amp. Of course Colin will say it is because he sells them. He's hardly going to debunk his bundles.

I would say the 2UP at around £900 isn't such great VFM. If you're a vinyl head, you'll need to add a decent phono stage.

By contrast, my Leema has a dual phono stage and it was brand new. That cost me £750.

(Out of interest, Colin did not compare the Leema with the Ab. He sold the Pulse long before he recieved delivery from Sweden or Norway).

I'm biased towards the Leema... up to a point. Get a life, man. Your system should sound the 'dogs', given the money you've spent.

I like you a lot, but PLEASE be more balanced in your views.

I've heard shed-loads of different systems since 1978 - at all price levels - and I've yet to hear anything that's vastly superior around the same price bracket.

I don't think the fact that I am very biased is much of a secret. *smile*

But I can only tell the truth from my point of view, if you were to strip down an Abe into parts and compare it to a similar priced amplifier it would be obvious what good value it is.

The Abe V2.0UP direct from Abrahamsen is £750 at currrent conversion rates , but there will be a short wait as they have sold out until early next month.

There are many very good amps in this price bracket and I am sure the Leema is one of them, if Victor has the chance he should listen to as many different amps as possible.

Yes my system does sound the dogs dangleeese and as you say at the price it should do!

Oh and I like you too. *kiss3* *wink*

 

[Electro]

OK I can kind of be unbiased because the OP is in Paris and can buy directly from Abrahamsen. I also now sell more Nords in a month than I did Abrahamsen in the entire year of 2015. And to be honest not sold many at all in 2016 I'm too busy making Nord's. Also there communication is appalling. Looks are purely subjective though the Abrahamsen has a black glass front panel rather than Perspex in the Electro.

I did compare it to the Leema Pulse not side by side but the difference between the 2 amps means it’s pretty clear which has the better control, I did compare directly with the Sugden A21SE which I replace the Pulse with, I would take the Abrahamsen irrelevant of price. Whilst the pulse is a fantastic buy on the second hand market at £499 the Abrahamsen is easily better. I still have a soft spot for the Leema it’s a wonderful amp. No the Abrahamsen does not have a phono stage like the Pulse but then what you are buying is a massive power supplied, amp which grips speakers and produces a highly precise bass.

Electro knows what stunning value the Abrahamsen is and its low profile, that’s why he is so enthusiastic about it, he enjoys helping people obtain amazing sound for little money and should be commended not berated. You didn’t see him suggesting Electrocomaniet because he knows it’s not as good a value, more expensive than the Abrahamsen.

Spot on Colin. *drinks*

 

[Blacksabbath25]

Well the abrahamsen is very good value for money but it's up against stiff competition as there are lots of amps out there that can sound just as good . Colin is right in abrahamsen poor customer service and there lack of communication which is not good in this day and age . But that a side it's a lovely amp that sound good and will have no issues in controlling your speakers . I used to own a 2up myself and was very happy with it but I felt because of abrahamsen poor customer service , the lack of inputs , and I felt at the time the abrahamsen lacks something in the top end this one is a hard one to explain . my Yamaha gives me more of a 3D soundstage with very good top end and excellent bass control . I still would recommend the abrahamsen as it is a very good amplifier and glad I owned one .

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_337460183259838]

1- Why my Marantz PM6004 does not control my speakers? Why if it won the What Hi Fi price at its price? Why the PM6004 does not "move" a 89bB / max180W speaker? Is it missing a high current delivery? Is it that the raeason? I would like tot take my speakers to a spezialized shop and test them with an amp with same characteristics than the V2.0 UP and see if music "spreads" all over the room (or, at least, a bit more than now)

2- Do you know any place in Paris where I could find/buy the V2.0 UP? And also: If I mount the PreAmp V3.0 UP + Power Amplifier V4.0 UP... is that sound/control better than the provided by the V2.0 UP?

I hope I can take a decission soon, by the end of the year I'd like to have my new amp and try to sell the Marantz eventhough I will not get more than €200.

Best regards to you all!

V.

 

[iQ Speakers]

The V3.0 V.4.0 UP has the same performance and major components as the V2,0UP. The only reason to buy the V3.0 V4.0 combo would be that you can throw a switch an the back of the V4.0 and bridge them giving 240W. Better soundstage huge power and better control. Please feel free to contact me happy to help colin@iqspeakers.co.uk

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_337460183259838]

Thanks a lot Colin for your reply

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100002228099278]

My V2.0 UP arrived on monday and I hooked it up to my Q Acoustics 3050. The last few days I took the time to let it burn in, and this afternoon I sat down for some more serious listening. And I must agree with the comments in this thread. The amount and depth of the bass, and the tightness of it is unbelievable. But just as impressive is the amount of detail in the midrange and treble.

The only downside is that the amp isn't very forgiving of less than stellar recordings.
Oh, and maybe that my neighbours will start to hate me after a while *biggrin*

I was thinking of upgrading my 3050's too, but after hearing how good they can sound and how much I enjoy them, I'll probably hang on to them a little longer and invest my money elsewhere

 

[radiorog]

My V2.0 UP arrived on monday and I hooked it up to my Q Acoustics 3050. The last few days I took the time to let it burn in, and this afternoon I sat down for some more serious listening. And I must agree with the comments in this thread. The amount and depth of the bass, and the tightness of it is unbelievable. But just as impressive is the amount of detail in the midrange and treble.

The only downside is that the amp isn't very forgiving of less than stellar recordings.Oh, and maybe that my neighbours will start to hate me after a while *biggrin*

I was thinking of upgrading my 3050's too, but after hearing how good they can sound and how much I enjoy them, I'll probably hang on to them a little longer and invest my money elsewhere

Nice! Good choice. You've got some serious musical enjoyment coming your way!

 

[Electro]

My V2.0 UP arrived on monday and I hooked it up to my Q Acoustics 3050. The last few days I took the time to let it burn in, and this afternoon I sat down for some more serious listening. And I must agree with the comments in this thread. The amount and depth of the bass, and the tightness of it is unbelievable. But just as impressive is the amount of detail in the midrange and treble.

The only downside is that the amp isn't very forgiving of less than stellar recordings.Oh, and maybe that my neighbours will start to hate me after a while *biggrin*

I was thinking of upgrading my 3050's too, but after hearing how good they can sound and how much I enjoy them, I'll probably hang on to them a little longer and invest my money elsewhere

Well done, you made the right choice *good*

It will give you years of unrivaled musical pleasure, it will drive any speakers you have now or upgrade to in future perfectly.

*drinks*

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_337460183259838]

Hi Christophe,

Which was you previous amp?

 

[lindsayt]

The V3.0 V.4.0 UP has the same performance and major components as the V2,0UP. The only reason to buy the V3.0 V4.0 combo would be that you can throw a switch an the back of the V4.0 and bridge them giving 240W. Better soundstage huge power and better control. Please feel free to contact me happy to help colin@iqspeakers.co.uk

The manufacturer of my solid state power amps states that putting them into bridged mode will quadruple the power into 8 ohms (continuous), but that the sound quality will suffer.

Which makes sense when you realise that the signal will be going through twice as many components.

Are there ANY downsides to the sound quality of the V4.0 in going to bridged mode?

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100002228099278]

Hi,

My previous amp was an Arcam A19. I was happy with it but when pushed it started to sound thin and lacking bass control.

The Abrahamsen doesn't distort, no matter how hard you push it, sounds more neutral and digs up more detail. Soundstage is also a little wider in my opinion.

I will have to buy a separate headphone amp, since I like to listen to my headphones when it's a little later so I don't annoy the neighbours

 

[mocenigo]

The manufacturer of my solid state power amps states that putting them into bridged mode will quadruple the power into 8 ohms (continuous), but that the sound quality will suffer.

Which makes sense when you realise that the signal will be going through twice as many components.

Are there ANY downsides to the sound quality of the V4.0 in going to bridged mode?

Indeed it will get noisier, esp 50Hz noise. So, unless you really need the power ebcause you have a very large room (so you are listeinng at some distance anyway) or speakers with very low sensitivity (say around 83 Db/w/m over 8Ohm) and difficult to drive, esp in the lower range with some annoying impedance dips, it is not really recommended.

Also, the Abrahamsen are a great circuit (essentially Electrocompaniet), which is based on a very large power supply, and it is in the same case. Stray flux from the transformer is not greatly shielded, so any asymmetry in the channels will be very amplified by bridging, so you will possiubly get more distorsion and noise. The only way to avoid this would be to very closely match the two groups of 6 output devices and put additional shielding and regulation on top of the filtration, which would have increased the cost significantly. The current prices are a bargain and it is almost impossible to find anything better up to 2x the price, moderately diffiicult at 3x the price, but as with any amp there are compromises. It is not a SuperNait 2, it is not an Ongaku.

One reason to buy the v40UP alone is to use it with a high current DAC with volume control that can function as a preamp. For instance, Gustard X20U and Abrahamsen V40UP is a splendid match, where the slight darkness of the V40 will just make the extended highs of the DAC a bit mellow, and its granitic bass with exhalt the fabulous bass rendering of the Gustard. But you have to be careful with impedance matching of the components. The V30UP pre is "just" very good but one of the functions it does well is impedance matching with the soruces. Some aspects of the sound (width of the soundstage) are better without the preamp, other aspects (lack of fatigue, soundstage depth) better with it.

Roberto

 

[filok]

Hi,
I look for an amp to kef R500 and I am interesting Abrahamsen v2.0. How this amp will by compatible with Kef R500? I am truly interested. Unfortunatly I don’t have a posibility to test it and listen by myself. Another amps which I consider are Naim XC, Leema pulse, Arcam a39. For now I’ve used Rotel ra1062 and this is nice but I’m looking for something better. My system at that moment is: Kef R500,Rotel RA 1062,DacMagic100 tuning/Nuforce DAC80,IFI Zen Streamer, cables Tellurium Q Black,IC MB Audio Diamond, power to amp Furutech FP-3TS762. The music are Mike Oldfield,Yello,PF,DCD,Jarre,classic. Thank you for your advice.
Piotr

 

[Al ears]

Hi,
I look for an amp to kef R500 and I am interesting Abrahamsen v2.0. How this amp will by compatible with Kef R500? I am truly interested. Unfortunatly I don’t have a posibility to test it and listen by myself. Another amps which I consider are Naim XC, Leema pulse, Arcam a39. For now I’ve used Rotel ra1062 and this is nice but I’m looking for something better. My system at that moment is: Kef R500,Rotel RA 1062,DacMagic100 tuning/Nuforce DAC80,IFI Zen Streamer, cables Tellurium Q Black,IC MB Audio Diamond, power to amp Furutech FP-3TS762. The music are Mike Oldfield,Yello,PF,DCD,Jarre,classic. Thank you for your advice.
Piotr

Hi,
This thread is ancient and many posters are no longer on this forum.no
Abrahamsen no longer make this amp, anyway always best to get something you can actually listen to yourself.
Please start a new thread of your own.