Can't wait to listen to this beautiful Viva Solista with the gear currently here!
In the far right of the pic: B.A.T. VK80i is still burning in.
In the far right of the pic: B.A.T. VK80i is still burning in.
Viva is now in the house....
- Thread starter Synaxis
- Start date
Should be trying it tomorrow or Friday.
I was listening to the Aries Cerat Genus more today.
The dealer asked me to try it with the Psvane tubes first to see they are not bad for a cheaper replacement than the Elrog's.
I just put the Elrog's in today, biased them and listened.
Holy crap the difference is NOT subtle.
Yes I see his point it still sounds good with the much cheaper replacement option of the Psvane's, but the sound upgrade with the Elrog's is SO MASSIVE and positive it's unbelievable.
The Genus is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL sounding amp and could easily be an end game option for sure.
I also was able to compare the TripleFET options to the more traditional Aries Cerat tube designs at the dealer. While they both sound equally as good (it's simply a matter of personal preference as to which one is the right one) my wife and I did prefer the more traditional tube Aries Cerat.
I had the Genus with 813s and now I have a Protos, which is TriodeFET. I haven’t heard an 845 based Genus but I know AC only recommends the Elrog tubes, so I am rather surprised that the others were suggested. As to the traditional SET vs. TriodeFET, I can understand this because depending on the tubes used (there are several choices) and bias setting AND how many hours of run in on the amp it can sound radically different than a wonderful SET like Genus. How the dealer had it setup could affect the preference.
To be fair - he was only saying that even though the Elrogs are the preferred tube, he meant it as a show if someone doesn't have the money to retune with Elrog's its still a good amp with the Psvane's.
I made sure I set the re-set the bias to the factory specs after one day of listening as-received and you are right - bias makes a huge difference. The dealer was also helpful in explaining all that and share quite a bit of helpful tips.
Wonderfully easy to set bias - though I would suggest the knobs be a little less sensitive to setting the bias.
I was so impressed with what I was hearing I stopped taking notes and had to voice record my thought as I was talking so fast. LOL
I expect the Viva will give me that same level of extremely high sound quality. Interesting I read the viva manual and it give you the option of either 4 845 tunes or running a pair of 211's and 845's together.
He compared Achilleas to Geminae. So not apples to apples there
On horns Geminae is not the best TriodeFet out there, and the Achilleas is ..Achilleas
Oh, I see…He compared Achilleas to Geminae. So not apples to apples there
On horns Geminae is not the best TriodeFet out there, and the Achilleas is ..Achilleas
Thank you Stavros for this info.He compared Achilleas to Geminae. So not apples to apples there
On horns Geminae is not the best TriodeFet out there, and the Achilleas is ..Achilleas
What is your opinion on the sound difference between the Genus and the Protos?
Comparing the Genus to the Viva - they are very different sounds.
To me the Genus is more saturated and harmonically rich - all sounds I LOVE. The Viva is more neutral sounding and sounds a bit lighter on its feet.
There is no right or wrong and they are both top shelf performers for sure.
Before I get into the Genus vs. Protos, I am quite surprised that you found the Genus more saturated. What bias settings did you run the input tubes at? To be clear though, my Genus was an 813 version and I have heard that the 845 versions don't sound quite the same. I considered the Genus 813 to be about the most neutral SET I have heard...the Amplifon SET42 SE being the other. There was for sure a tonal correctness, meaning a natural level of tonal richness but clearly varying from recording to recording as it should. The Genus has the usual Aries Cerat extremely solid foundation of sound...around here we call it architectural (think Cathedral solid). Viva always sound warmer and fuzzier to me. Image stability with Genus is also the best (other than higher model AC products) and is probably a byproduct of the prodigious power supply. Dynamics were better than other SETs as well (again other than higher AC models), although the best I had in house was the Diana Integrated (no longer available).
Now onto Genus vs. Protos. Protos has less SET "bloom" but has gotten more since it has been breaking in (I think it has finally stabilized). Protos has more controlled and powerful bass, not that Genus was obviously lacking. Transparency with Protos is somewhat better and Genus might be a bit warmer tonally but that can be easily altered with the Protos and I run it with a slightly elevated bias to get a closer to Genus tonality from my Protos. The Protos has the same foundational sound with incredible image stability and great 3d and soundstaging capabilities. Is it a lot better than Genus? Stavros would say yes but I really like the Genus sound, so I would say it is but not night and day to my ears. Maybe if my sources were better the difference would be more obvious? Not that they are bad but I had a Kassandra with the Genus that I don't have now and that was probably quite synergistic with the Genus. I do get better sound with an Incito preamp in front of the Protos (locking the volume control and using it as a power amp) with my current sources...significantly better dynamics (both macro and micro) and even more 3d imaging and soundstaging. High frequency detail comes through much better with a preamp and non-AC sources.
Protos (and Genus too) both have a quite low input impedance. Aries Cerat sources (DACs and phonostages) have VERY robust output stages and being transformer coupled, low output impedance. They then couple very well with AC integrated amps. Most other SETs have relatively high input impedance and are therefore easier on the source. If you have a good preamp, put that in front of the Genus and lock the volume control at the highest setting where you don't hear any hiss from the speakers (will depend on your power and your speaker sensitivity), using Genus as a power amp. My experience is that the saturated sound that you are reporting can be from a source that is struggling with the low impedance and somewhat low gain.
Awesome info - thank you for sharing.
The Diana had caught my eye so it's disappointing it was discontinued.
To me in my current system: Tobian 12FH speakers, STEALTH Audio cables, and an Aqua La Scala DAC (NOS tubes), AND making sure the Genus is biased per the manual, the Genus had a warmer tone to me vs. the Viva.
The viva made vocals sound a bit more out front and overall what some people may call a "cleaner" sound. It sounded a bit leaner and lighter overall (not bad, just different).
They both are superior to most other gear I've had hear to listen to without a question and you can't go wrong with either one. But the Genus added that touch of bloom and richness that some love. I'm sure swapping out the tubes in the Viva may accomplish a similar thing.
I've listened to the Genus, then the Viva, am now back to my reference VAC to confirm the differences I've heard are in fact true and consistent.
Tomorrow I'm going to:
- Add in the Helene with the VAC (as that is my baseline sound I know best);
- Then add the Aqua to the Genus to regroup;
- Then add the Helene to the Genus so I can approach this is a systematic way.
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