What's Best? Soulution, CH Precision, Vitus, or Ayre?

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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:) can you send me yours for a few weeks? I promise to mail a check soon :)

Sure would be fun to hear them with your Altairs if i could make the trip with them!
 

morricab

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Apr 25, 2014
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I went from Nagra class A valves to solid state. With Vitus the over spec UI transformer has a lot to do with the valve like presentation. No replacement valves or biasing to worry about. With the SIA 025 you forget it's an integrated, you forget its only 25 watts in class A. It's just switch on and enjoy.

Please explain to me your justification for saying that an overspec UI transformer has a lot to do with the valve like presentation of the Vitus. This is the power transformer, right? There are not output transformers on this amp, correct?
 

Rhapsody

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Of the amps have compared Vitus and boulder are my.favorite. I have heard CH and Ayre in shows only so can't compare, though the vivid with CH at a show was sounding great.

The Vitus is full bodied and dense and a great tone, extremely liquid and flowing. The boulder is clean, fast, transparent, more power, and sounds very different from Vitus. If I select Boulder, it will be over Spectral, Gryphon, and Burmester, while Vitus will have a very different sound.

Boulder microdynamics and inflections in vocals were great. Ian for you it's easy to go to Manhattan and listen to Vitus at rsvinta's on Magico. Pick up one of his many Goldmund Apologues on the way back. He won't notice if one is missing, he has been selling so many

Hey Ked, thx. Ian (Madfloyd) was scheduled to come down for a Vitus/Magico listen, but it has not happened as of yet.
 

MadFloyd

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Hey Ked, thx. Ian (Madfloyd) was scheduled to come down for a Vitus/Magico listen, but it has not happened as of yet.

I looked up those Goldmund Apologues - holy crap!
 

Rhapsody

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I looked up those Goldmund Apologues - holy crap!

Installed 3 pairs of Apologues this year, one in Soho/NYC, one in Houston Texas and one on Long Island, NY.

Btw, the Apologue "Anniversary" model was a special limited production run of 25 systems. 24 have been sold and installed, one last pair will be produced and then production on the Apologue "Anniversary" model will be completed.
 

Audiophile Bill

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Installed 3 pairs of Apologues this year, one in Soho/NYC, one in Houston Texas and one on Long Island, NY.

Btw, the Apologue "Anniversary" model was a special limited production run of 25 systems. 24 have been sold and installed, one last pair will be produced and then production on the Apologue "Anniversary" model will be completed.

I heard that the last pair actually has a gold plaque on the side stating "Property of Mad Floyd" :D
 

MadFloyd

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howiebrou

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I've owned Gryphon Colosseums, Goldmund Telos 2500, Constellation Audio Centaurs, Soulution 710, Vitus SM101s, Mcintosh MC2000 but so far my favourite amp is still the Kondo Ongaku. The others were pretty good too!
 

KeithR

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be careful what you ask for.

you should read Fremer's Boulder 2150 mono block review in the new Stereophile. you have to select the compromises you prefer.

Mike, I have to admit when I read that review it confirmed all my Boulder demos/thoughts in the past - I honestly thought I was the only one. I think people are addicted to the build quality moreso than the sound.
 

Mike Lavigne

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Mike, I have to admit when I read that review it confirmed all my Boulder demos/thoughts in the past - I honestly thought I was the only one. I think people are addicted to the build quality moreso than the sound.

well....I agree with that.....but more so I think it speaks to references used when judging a mega amp. who has another mega amp sitting there to compare it to that has no global feedback and minimal parts count that succeeds at musicality objectively. I think if you listen to a Boulder compared to many solid state amps it's relatively musical. but in relation to what? and that's the rub.

the great is the enemy of the merely very good.

of course; Fremer does not need to be politically correct. if that was Absolute Sound it would read quite different.

choose your compromises wisely.
 
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chuck

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Dec 19, 2011
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Note that I did not say the 2000 series, I said the 3000 series. I auditioned the 2160 for a long time and decided NOT to buy it. I heard a lot of amps before I bought the Boulder 3060. The 3000 series are in a whole different league. You should read the 3050 review in Tone Audio.
 

Mike Lavigne

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Note that I did not say the 2000 series, I said the 3000 series. I auditioned the 2160 for a long time and decided NOT to buy it. I heard a lot of amps before I bought the Boulder 3060. The 3000 series are in a whole different league. You should read the 3050 review in Tone Audio.

what amps do they compare the Boulder 3000 series to in Tone Audio?

added note; I did go and read quickly through that Tone Audio review (which it appears was done at the Boulder factory or listening room). very over the top and I'm sure it's an amazing amplifier that few will experience due to the power grid requirements (and investment required).

the only comparisons are with other Boulder amplifiers. so we are left to only guess at how our different amplifiers might compare.

congrats on owning those monsters.
 
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andromedaaudio

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Is the 2150 a full class A design , i know from the boulder site the 3000 series are , .....well it reads about the same as the 2150 after all :D

Bias operation is Class-A to full rated output power and managed with an analog circuit that minimizes heat and power consumption ( 3000 series )


This is all i could find of the 2150 : Full Class-A biasing actively managed with an analog circuit that reduces heat and improves efficiency.

From my expirience with the 1060 ( AB design ) it sounded somewhat( not a lot) sterile/reserved , so the " Class A Glow " might solve that , havent read the review yet.

Best Solid state basscontrol i ever heard apart from halcro , and construction wise , well love it , it could indeed be a reason to own boulder.

Convergent has great control too ,but its in a different way
 
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andromedaaudio

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Another sure thing that the CAT JL 2 sign will never achieve besides some annoying transformer hum is this :

Boulder 2150 : Signal-to-noise ratio: 135dB, unweighted, 20–20kHz.

Boulder is dead quit which improves dynamic contrast
 

MadFloyd

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Mike, I have to admit when I read that review it confirmed all my Boulder demos/thoughts in the past - I honestly thought I was the only one. I think people are addicted to the build quality moreso than the sound.

I guess you're not a fan of neutral, Keith?
 

chuck

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Dec 19, 2011
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I finally read Mike Fremer's review of the 2150s. It reads very like the review of the Boulder 2060 in www.positive-feedback/Issue27/2060_boulder.htm some years ago. I agree with his review of the 2150s but he does, IMHO, make one error. He writes at the very end of the review: "You can't have everything." Actually, you can.

The reason I did not buy a 2160 (the stereo version of the 2150s) is that it was only a little better than my 2060 and I had already heard the 3050s at the Boulder factory. The 3050s get it all - the Tone Audio review is right. I expected the 3060 (the stereo version of the 3050s) to also get it all -- and it does. My audio friends who complained that the 2060 wasn't quite "musical" enough were floored by the 3060.
 

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