I've had a few 'odd' things in my equipment vault. Reading through some postings one thing emerges with the consistency of a swiss watch; brightness in playback and listener fatigue.
Some ten or so years ago I had an amplifier made by John Shearne. I think it was a Phase One if memory serves well. First I had it play through LS3 5'as then I changed to Harbeth mini monitors (HLS 3something, they've long been sold) anyway ...
It was a funny looking amp, slim with a 'marble look' front. Build quality ... questionable in the best tradition of a small independent british manufacturer. Remote control? Dont be silly but the sound ... unbelievable. Scale, power, warmth and dynamics to die for! It was, I think rated at 50w/ch but it sounded way way more than that. It made an Audiolab 8000S, which I auditioned at the same time sound like a portable transistor radio. I still dont know how they managed to make it sound the way it did. Probably by deliberately engineering-in distortion but boy, if you crave a 'real' sound in your living room, IN THE ROOM, without harshness or listener fatigue you could do worse than trying to track one down. Just make sure, you listen to it first.
I eventually traded it in for a more expensive valve amp but still remember the unbelievable scale and power of the thing. A musician friend of mine still has his and would'nt trade it in for anything else. Did you have anything similar you still remember as a 'land mark' change in your particular system evolution? For me, it introduced me, in a roundabout sort of way, to valves. Something which I otherwise probably never would have considered.
Some ten or so years ago I had an amplifier made by John Shearne. I think it was a Phase One if memory serves well. First I had it play through LS3 5'as then I changed to Harbeth mini monitors (HLS 3something, they've long been sold) anyway ...
It was a funny looking amp, slim with a 'marble look' front. Build quality ... questionable in the best tradition of a small independent british manufacturer. Remote control? Dont be silly but the sound ... unbelievable. Scale, power, warmth and dynamics to die for! It was, I think rated at 50w/ch but it sounded way way more than that. It made an Audiolab 8000S, which I auditioned at the same time sound like a portable transistor radio. I still dont know how they managed to make it sound the way it did. Probably by deliberately engineering-in distortion but boy, if you crave a 'real' sound in your living room, IN THE ROOM, without harshness or listener fatigue you could do worse than trying to track one down. Just make sure, you listen to it first.
I eventually traded it in for a more expensive valve amp but still remember the unbelievable scale and power of the thing. A musician friend of mine still has his and would'nt trade it in for anything else. Did you have anything similar you still remember as a 'land mark' change in your particular system evolution? For me, it introduced me, in a roundabout sort of way, to valves. Something which I otherwise probably never would have considered.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram