Constellation Audio TAS review

ack · Aug 14, 2011

I have to admit I enjoyed the technical description of this latest best-in-the-world (according to TAS, that is) line of electronics. The rest of the review was... ahem... as predicted. Let's see what others think...

I would invite Damian Martin to discuss more of this intriguing design... especially those light-sensitive resistors in the volume control and elsewhere.

KeithR · Aug 15, 2011

I yawned after skimming the review. 200k separates just have no place in audio imo, but that's a separate issue.

putting a bunch of separate mosfet amps into 1 big box didn't seem that innovative to me. maybe i read it incorrectly. the volume control seemed really cool

ack · Aug 15, 2011

KeithR said:
the volume control seemed really cool

Indeed, but LDRs are everywhere; I wanted to see what more there is in the devices they use and how they compare with metal-film resistors, as LDRs are not really very high quality, in general... feel free to correct me

Revel Salon 2 · Aug 15, 2011

So now we have a new champion...remember when it was Halcro (when Kharma was king.....),Soulution,Balabo, Technical brain....when will it stop ? in the review Harley says he wish the amp put out deeper bass...at this price I would expect the bottom end to be well covered...

mep · Aug 15, 2011

Revel Salon 2 said:
So now we have a new champion...remember when it was Halcro (when Kharma was king.....),Soulution,Balabo, Technical brain....when will it stop ? in the review Harley says he wish the amp put out deeper bass...at this price I would expect the bottom end to be well covered...

Yeah, who likes a bottom end that isn't well covered? Seriously, if this monster (both price and size) doesn't have a good bottom end, it's fatal flaw time. This is worse than Fremer saying that you can't expect a $3K cartridge to plum the bottom octaves. Now Mikey is back at it again in the latest SP with his review of the Dr. Frankenstein table. The table sells for $8k with no tonearm and doesn't plumb the bottom octave either. Mikey said it's "a tradeoff easy to endorse at this price." Really.

MylesBAstor · Aug 15, 2011

mep said:
Yeah, who likes a bottom end that isn't well covered? Seriously, if this monster (both price and size) doesn't have a good bottom end, it's fatal flaw time. This is worse than Fremer saying that you can't expect a $3K cartridge to plum the bottom octaves. Now Mikey is back at it again in the latest SP with his review of the Dr. Frankenstein table. The table sells for $8k with no tonearm and doesn't plumb the bottom octave either. Mikey said it's "a tradeoff easy to endorse at this price." Really.

Now Mark, that first sentence can be interpreted in many ways

Depends who's wearing that skirt

OTOH, I can't remember the last review where the reviewer questioned the ability of a top ss amplifier to plumb the depths. Could you imagine someone saying a Krell amplifier lacked balls? And I have to say, the better the bottom end, the better the imaging, sense of space and harmonic integrity.

LL21 · Aug 15, 2011

Revel Salon 2 said:
...in the review Harley says he wish the amp put out deeper bass...at this price I would expect the bottom end to be well covered...

Agree...i read with great interest and then noted that comment, too...a surprising comment and a disappointment. At this level, you expect someone to be able to say "no compromises"...only superlatives, with the primary caveat being one of personal taste/flavor/relative value for money, etc. It's akin to having a 200K speaker which only rolls off below 40hz.

Steve Williams · Aug 15, 2011

Interesting what the reviews said because when I heard the amp at the recent Cali Audio Show played through Magico Q5's the sound was magnificent but both Ron Party and I said that the sound would have been better with some subs

LL21 · Aug 15, 2011

Steve Williams said:
Interesting what the reviews said because when I heard the amp at the recent Cali Audio Show played through Magico Q5's the sound was magnificent but both Ron Party and I said that the sound would have been better with some subs

...and there you have it...

Revel Salon 2 · Aug 15, 2011

I guess I made a 'pun' without knowing about it !! English is second language to me so I am prone to these mistakes !!

KeithR · Aug 15, 2011

MylesBAstor said:
Now Mark, that first sentence can be interpreted in many ways Depends who's wearing that skirt

OTOH, I can't remember the last review where the reviewer questioned the ability of a top ss amplifier to plumb the depths. Could you imagine someone saying a Krell amplifier lacked balls? And I have to say, the better the bottom end, the better the imaging, sense of space and harmonic integrity.

Not to mention---70k/piece amplifiers that weigh like 300 lbs with multiple 1500 kva transformers in each.

I think bigger bass ala Krell can trick audiophiles into "it's better." Dynamics are easy for most to discern, unlike nuance.

The interesting thing is that Harley said it sounds SET like in nature. i would have to hear that to actually believe him.

KeithR · Aug 15, 2011

mep said:
Yeah, who likes a bottom end that isn't well covered? Seriously, if this monster (both price and size) doesn't have a good bottom end, it's fatal flaw time. This is worse than Fremer saying that you can't expect a $3K cartridge to plum the bottom octaves. Now Mikey is back at it again in the latest SP with his review of the Dr. Frankenstein table. The table sells for $8k with no tonearm and doesn't plumb the bottom octave either. Mikey said it's "a tradeoff easy to endorse at this price." Really.

Tidal sells a 50k monitor---interested Mark? lol.

aln · Aug 16, 2011

Is it just me, or does Harley sound like he is writing ad copy for the manufacturer. That is what, to me, distinguishes his writing from HP's. HP's writing always informs the reader of the relationship between the music and the component under review. It is a shame that HP does not get the top speakers for review anymore.

KeithR · Aug 16, 2011

My problem with RH is he pretty much has stopped comparing pieces. Then it sounds like ad copy to me.

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