Mike L. brought up the issue of bass. Let me chime in with a few points. From my experience, the Stellavox bass is fundamentally different from other amplifiers. An easy comparison is with the Soulution 717s and my previous Goldmund’s. The moment you turn on the 717s (and Goldmunds) they announce themselves with a deep low-end authority. It is unmistakable - they’re powerful, and frankly exciting. One of my go to records is Cat Stevens Tea For the Tillerman. Listening to the first few moments of Where Do the Children Play through the 717s clearly reveals their power and authority. It is evident from the first note. When I played the same track with the Stellavox, the opening notes were light, delicate and airy. My initial reaction during the first ten seconds was OMG - where is the bass? Twenty seconds later when the bass and Cat’s voice kicked in, I was knocked back not just with the power but the definition. The Stellavox’s low-end is different from anything I remember. I am now able to hear newfound textures and detail. The bass is alive and visceral, but only when it exists on the recording. The Stellavox is NOT the deepest bass impact in the world. I’ve heard bass in my system that was louder and heavier, and at first blush seemingly more powerful than the Stellavox. To test this, I broke out all of my low-end challenge tracks - Jennifer Warren’s Way Down Deep, Greg Brown’s Brand New ’64 Dodge, Donald Fagen’s Morph the Cat, Yello’s Oh Yeah, and Dean Martin’s Blue Moon. All the low-end info was definitely there, but with a purity, and detail that I never heard before. From my perspective, the depth, detail and timbre just feel natural and right. Missing was any hint of “heavy thickness” which in retrospect could give the illusion of deep bass.
Two points that Gideon made during the install. The Stellavox amps were designed to be the proverbial window into the sound without a character of their own. That makes them highly revealing of the source components. I agree, with Stellavox I am uncovering and discerning new details between and among vinyl, tape and even digital. Also, there is an undeniable synergy with Zellaton. Without a doubt they bring out the best in Zellaton speakers - they are magic together.
Although my Soulution 727 is an excellent match, it is my understanding that the new Stella pre is supposed to maximize the IDEM- looking forward to hearing it once available.
I do understand that this might not be for everyone’s taste - but for me it’s been a revelation.
