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

[LL21]

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.

would love to hear the big 3060 someday. I was very impressed by the 2060 back in the day, and still consider it a fantastic amp in the grand scheme of things. But i also believe the ante has been massively up'd by a number of designers, and that certainly includes Boulder by all accounts i have read. Congrats and enjoy.

You now have a fellow XLF owner in Microstrip, and now that he is 'assembling' a system around it (Vivaldi full stack is his original digital which i have to imagine will remain)...it will be interesting to see how he builds it.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Read the review no real surprise .

http://absolutehiend.com/ahe_files/pdf/ST2150.pdf


Congrats chuck on owning the 3060 .
A 3060 with a Convergent legend would be a dreamcombo for me

 

[DAG]

I would add Bryston and Pass labs to the list. Brystons are the most accurate amps I have ever heard and the Pass labs are the most musical ones.

 

[Rawlit]

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!

Hi,

That's an impressive list of gear and experience, how would you rank the others after the Ongaku?

Thanks

 

[morricab]

Hi,

That's an impressive list of gear and experience, how would you rank the others after the Ongaku?

Thanks

It’s a completely other experience from the top ther amps on that list…

 

[gian60]

And the Ongaku are producing now,is always same KSL Ongaku but Ongaku used Tango power transformer,while output transformer are made in silver by Kondo,and now that Tango closed the company,Kondo produce themself also Power transformer and against the KSL with Tango trans.,this last is more transparent that the previous.

I had 2 Ongaku in the past and are thinking to buy Ongaku for the second system to use with Thrax Lyra

 

[Audio_Karma]

You need add LINN to this list too

 

[ogshighend]

I tested the Ongaku with several speakers but in my modest opinion is absolutely over valued , i compared hand to hand with airtight atm-2211 monoblocks and with airtight atm-300r. All setup tested with vynil records and Tad 2404 speakers . For some friends and me airtight and kondo are in the similar level with very different price. Sound of airtight is more engaging and magic compared with ongaku with great sound stage and lots of detail and so natural with the soul i like. We test with 211 elrog 243 , rca, ge and 300b WE nos in the case of atm-300r

 

[Rhapsody]

I tested the Ongaku with several speakers but in my modest opinion is absolutely over valued , i compared hand to hand with airtight atm-2211 monoblocks and with airtight atm-300r. All setup tested with vynil records and Tad 2404 speakers . For some friends and me airtight and kondo are in the similar level with very different price. Sound of airtight is more engaging and magic compared with ongaku with great sound stage and lots of detail and so natural with the soul i like. We test with 211 elrog 243 , rca, ge and 300b WE nos in the case of atm-300r

Welcome to WBF.

With this being your first post I would first ask do you have any affiliation with an audio dealer? Are you an audio dealer? Only asking to make sure that you are just an audio user. Of course your opinion in your system with the TAD 2404's is respected.

Did you test the Ongaku with any other tubes? I use NOS RCA's or GE's in my Ongaku, it makes quite a difference. The Kondo supplied factory tubes are let's say ok at best.

 

[itay123]

I just read the thread,
I would strongly recommend taking PILIUM audio very seriously for this list.

Whatever you choose, good luck.

 

[bonzo75]

I just read the thread,
I would strongly recommend taking PILIUM audio very seriously for this list.

Whatever you choose, good luck.

excellent tone and clean transparent sound

 

[Audire]

We’ve recently completed our upgrade journey. We are using Vitus Masterpiece. We are still waiting upon our Taiko Audio Extreme, but as far as vinyl and Transport we’ve arrived at our final destination.

Vitus sounds like the artist came into our room to present their music. Unbelievable resolution, imaging, sound stage, and overall presentation. While individual Vitus components are each awesome in their own right, the synergy of an entire Masterpiece setup is unbeatable for us.

 

[Elliot G.]

Hey JFrech, if you are going to hear further Nagra amps, have you ever heard Vitus before? I continue to think of Andy Payor and his penchant for Gryphon, where perhaps Vitus is another stellar Class A amp.

FYI Rockport has some CH 10 series for quite some time

 

[LL21]

FYI Rockport has some CH 10 series for quite some time

Yes, I have seen that in some of their photos. Very interesting. I have heard great things about CH10...and Andy Payor using it is, in my book, probably one of the strongest reference points.

 

[Elliot G.]

Yes, I have seen that in some of their photos. Very interesting. I have heard great things about CH10...and Andy Payor using it is, in my book, probably one of the strongest reference points.

I am a big fan however like most I have not had everything in my room. I also believe if you want to know what the designer is trying to do owning amp and preampis the most consistent way of hearing a product. The CH 10 series works incredinbly well together with a lot of tools to dial in your system.

 

[bonzo75]

Yes, I have seen that in some of their photos. Very interesting. I have heard great things about CH10...and Andy Payor using it is, in my book, probably one of the strongest reference points.

there is a good CH Stenheim system in London you can go around to listen. It has gain, feedback impedance settings to be set right for it to sing

 

[LL21]

there is a good CH Stenheim system in London you can go around to listen. It has gain, feedback impedance settings to be set right for it to sing

Good to know...where exactly? I knew there was a CH importer, but not a set up for audition.

 

[bonzo75]

Good to know...where exactly? I knew there was a CH importer, but not a set up for audition.

PMed

 

[LL21]

Thank you.

 

[Verdier]

excellent tone and clean transparent sound

@bonzo75
How would you attribute the excellent tone of the pilium to the two paths you described in the following post (admittedly several years ago)?

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

Is Pilium more full bodied or more clean and transparent (whereby I do not want to claim that a full bodied playing amp could not also be transparent - but we certainly know what was meant by transparent here).