Talking with Ken Stevens

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Well, today I had a very long chat with the CAT designer...Mr.Ken Stevens. Ken is a serious wealth of information on the technical aspects of all types of gear. I wish I could say that I could understood half of what he was referring to on the technical side; however, I did get a renewed appreciation for his love of audio and of the fact that this is more than just a business to him. It really is Ken's raison d'etre and that is truly obvious as he talks.:cool:
Ken has some strong opinions on several types of audio gear; I agree with most of them, but as is usual in this hobby, we had our disagreements as well. One thing is for certain, he seems to me to have a very good ear as to what he is listening for and where electronics in general seem to err. On all points in this area, I was completely in agreement with him.
The other thing that struck me and which has struck me in the past whenever I have talked to Ken; is how very open and outgoing he is compared to numerous other gentlemen in this hobby that won't even give you the time of day:mad:....To that I say: Thanks again Ken Stevens, you are IMHO one of the real jewels in our hobby. :D
 
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MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
Well, today I had a very long chat with the CAT designer...Mr.Ken Stevens. Ken is a serious wealth of information on the technical aspects of all types of gear. I wish I could say that I could understood half of what he was referring to on the technical side; however, I did get a renewed appreciation for his love of audio and of the fact that this is more than just a business to him. It really is Ken's raison d'etre and that is truly obvious as he talks.:cool:
Ken has some strong opinions on several types of audio gear; I agree with most of them, but as is usual in this hobby, we had our disagreements as well. One thing is for certain, he seems to me to have a very good ear as to what he is listening for and where electronics in general seem to err. On all points in this area, I was completely in agreement with him.
The other thing that struck me and which has struck me in the past whenever I have talked to Ken; is how very open and outgoing he is compared to numerous other gentlemen in this hobby that won't even give you the time of day:mad:....To that I say: Thanks again Ken Stevens, you are IMHO one of the real jewels in our hobby. :D

Ha! Ken will never be accused of pulling his punches ;)
 

Robert

Well-Known Member
Nov 10, 2010
163
3
405
I've heard at least one report of very serious issues in terms of product quality, reliability, service, and customer support. I've basically crossed CAT off my wish list as a result. Can anyone confirm or deny?

Also, what are the sonic charactaristics of his amps, for those who appreciate or dislike them. I only got to hear them once. They did not have a tube-like sound.
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Robert, the reason I had originally called CAT was to see if they could supply a replacement for my burned-out light in the power supply switch of my SL-1 Sig.
Not only did they immediately know which part I was referring to, but they offered to send me this part gratis:cool:
BTW,My preamp hasn't been under warranty for many years....
If that doesn't speak volumes for their support and customer service I don't what does:D
Regarding Ken's amps, I would have no qualms whatsoever incorporating them into my system...Like Steve said, they are terrific. Certainly, IMHO, one of the best--if not the very best--tube amps I have ever heard.
 

caesar

Well-Known Member
May 30, 2010
4,290
767
1,698
My friend has his large mono blocks and they are simply terrific

So what is their sonic signature? There are so many excellent tube amps out there - Lamm, VTL , ARC, BAT, Atmasphere.... How do they stand out from the pack?
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Caesar, I thought I would chime in here as to the 'sonic signature' of the CAT amps. Today, I had the pleasure of listening to a JL 3 Signature Mk2...which is by far and away the best tube amp I have heard to date. This amp was in a fellow 'phile's system matched up with a SL1 Ultimate Mk2 preamp and with B&W 800 D's. The front end was an EMM labs player and cabling was all Nordost Tyr. I think the most impressive thing with these amps was their ability to seemingly never run out of steam. I noticed a very large soundstage with great image placement and with very airy and smooth highs. We played the old war horse...'Red Nichols at Marineland on MFSL':rolleyes: and I was very impressed with the amps ability to delineate all of the crowd noises and bottom end heft.
The 'sonic signature' that I would attribute to these amps is one of "power":cool:. Compared to the BAT amps an the VTL's that I have heard, the CAT amps seem to be more in control and are more airy and less fatiguing than those amps. Whenever I have heard the BAT amps, they seem to have a very slight haze or grain compared to the real thing... I did not notice this with the CAT amps:cool:.
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
12,308
1,425
1,820
Manila, Philippines
I have the opposite impressions hearing the CAT with Hansens and the VK-150SEs with Sceanas. Listening was brief and under less than ideal show conditions however. It could easily have been because of speakers or sources so I am hesitant to pin it on the amps alone.
 

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