 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
100.40.104.113
In Reply to: RE: "The Perfect Amp?" posted by E-Stat on August 09, 2015 at 09:00:18
And the hobbyist grew tired of it.
My understanding is, that in a parallel to dCS' "real" business being avionics, Halcro's "real" business was land-mine detection technology.
At the end of the day, building amps was a distraction, and I can understand how anything--even running a boutique vineyard growing Chardonnay grapes--can become a chore.
So, I think that the conclusion the above-quoted quote implies is not 100% accurate.
jm
Follow Ups:
Linn started as a side project of the UKs largest military engineering contractor that was later spun off.
Which is why they are in Scotland near to where the Trident submarines are serviced.
I quoted Srajen's comments in context.
What is your perspective on the Halcro's performance?
dCS has been in the audio business for over 25 years - and remains so. I'm not sure of your point about their "real" business.
Hi-
I wasn't shooting the messenger; I noted it was a quote.
While dCS has been in the audio business a long time, IIRC, they started in pro audio, yet today, as far as I know, they are no longer in pro audio. And in any event, whatever their consumer audio business is, I have a hard time imagining that it compares to their defense business.
About the sound of Halcro's amps. I had one pair on review loan, and I was very impressed.
I wrote:
START QUOTE
Given that nothing exceeds like excess, who was I to turn down US importer Philip O'Hanlon's offer of the loan of a $25,000 pair of Halcro dm58 monoblock power amplifiers? In they went.
Wowee. Zowee. "Amazing" was what my wife said.
So that I could fully utilize the Halcros' commanding reserves of power, the Goldbergs had to give way to Mahler, or at least Jamiroquai. And there was more than just raw power on tap: the reprise of the flute solo in the last movement of Jerry Bruck's recording of the Mahler-Wheeler Symphony 10 brought tears to my eyes. But even on the Goldbergs, the Halcros' speed, phase coherence, and tonal trueness unearthed more information, primarily room ambience (footnote 3). The Halcro amps sound musically authoritative (in that regard, they are among the top three in my experience), are remarkably uncolored but very liquid, and excel at re-creating a three-dimensional space. They catapult to the top of the Class A list in my book.
END QUOTE
Read more at http://www.stereophile.com/content/fifth-element-7-page-2#blIc8clFwmLYw4VT.99
Before I researched that, I had forgotten that it was the Halcro amps that gave rise to the much-debated "Class A+" on RCL...
But in the last retrospective analysis, I think that while I respect the Halcro amps I heard, I do not quite love them like the darTZeel NHB-108 I heard in roughly the same time frame, or my most recent premium-priced amp fave rave, Luxman's M-700.
jm
What speakers JM ....?
nt
About the sound of Halcro's amps. I had one pair on review loan, and I was very impressed.
Thanks. I heard a pair at Sea Cliff and neither of us was impressed.
The loudspeakers I mostly used with the Halcro amps were the Wilson Benesch Discovery, which are unique stand-mounted three-ways with a downward-firing isobaric clamshell woofer pair, so the stand was a backbone and not a platform. NTL, like most Wilson Benesches, they were a rather benign load on the amplifier. And the combination sounded fabulous.
Later on, the same pair or a different pair of Halcros was borrowed by Aerial Acoustics for the première of the first version of their 20T speaker, and in tests in the factory's listening room, the Halcros were not up to the job of that version's punishing load of very low impedance coinciding with a rather acute phase angle.
In stark contrast, the fallback amplifier, a Plinius SA-250, made the speakers sound full-sized as well as full-range, and at the time I attributed the difference to the diametrically different philosophies of power-supply design. I analogized the Halcro PS design to a residential toilet tank that takes a while to fill from a .25-inch feed, versus the Plinius' commercial urinal that could create a flood at the push of a button, because it is fed directly from a 1-inch pipe.
FWIW & YMMV.
JM
Basically my thoughts on the Halcro , best with high sensitivity 8 ohm speakers, piss poor PSU ..
Regards..
I heard sea cliff , at that time not impressed , funny how you types think you are ahead of the curve , yet so badly behind ...
The Halcro has poor drive , on real speaker loads a real Sap ...
Edits: 08/09/15 08/09/15
heard sea cliff , at that time not impressedWhen was that? Tell us of the system at the time.
edit; your lack of response confirms what I've known all along - you just make stuff up when you think the situation fits.
You wouldn't recognize Harry's dog if it bit you. :)
Edits: 08/09/15
The only way the comment makes sense - and even then, not too much... :-)
What does that say about the supposed "sameness" of human perceptions?
It is my understanding the Halcro used feedback,and lots of it...Yet, it brought tears (assuming tears of joy, of course) to the eyes of the professional, experienced, reviewer. if we are to believe the dogma, how could this be true???
try it! you know you want to!
Priorities clearly differ. Some like *hyper* detail.
It is my understanding the Halcro used feedback,and lots of it.
It's no mystery that's always how you get superlative THD specs playing sine waves. The Soulution amps follow the same design philosophy. Likewise some like it while others find its presentation unnaturally sterile. As Michael Fremer said in his review of the 710 :
"But superb measurements don't always yield superb sound. Amplifiers designed to produce vanishingly low distortion can sound cold and uninvolving. That's how I felt about the Halcros. There was no there there."
I guess it depends upon your reference of what live music sounds like.
And one's reference of live music but differ as well....
try it! you know you want to!
Folks can mutually agree upon what they hear, but express different preferences as to the components they choose in a system - especially when their musical tastes differ.
That's why most of us here post their systems and preferences - just like reviewers do. That helps folks put one's comments into perspective.
Sorry to hear you aren't comfortable divulging either, but I find it consistent with your attitude.
there is no "perspective" needed to understand my comments, they stand on their own, independent of any components I may have...
try it! you know you want to!
I enjoyed many an evening over the space of decades comparing gear with two TAS reviewers who became mentors.
It was rare that any of us disagreed as to what we heard - yet our systems reflected different preferences.
nt
try it! you know you want to!
I learned an incredible amount about music and how to listen from John Cooledge who remains a bass in the ASO Chorus. It was he who got me a spot in the Telarc recording of "The Firebird". Harry Pearson, his long time friend added to that with a even wider exposure to high end gear.
There were also many evenings with reviewer Randy Tomlinson, Julian Scharfmanm a high end dealer in the Atlanta area, Jud Barber of Joule Electra, Luke Manley of VTL, Mike Hobson of Classic Records among others.
Who assisted your learning of music and audio?
nt
try it! you know you want to!
what questions you ask.
Sorry you didn't have any audio mentors. That explains your reliance upon simple metrics to tell you how components sound.
I didn't ask WHO your "mentors" were, I asked about the number of them, "only two?" was the question. That refers to numbers, not names....
try it! you know you want to!
have the level of expertise and exposure with music and audio as they, you really don't need more. :)
I'm sure you really really know what you like now, especially with all those impressive mentors telling you what is best. You are truly blessed!
try it! you know you want to!
you never had anyone guide your learning process and expose you to better.
Hang on, exposing you to ........ ?
what was best for me by myself, not what someone else claimed was best. It's not algebra, it's entertainment, silly....I never needed a mentor to teach me about what food or wine I like best either. Some people have a need for support and confirmation from others. Whatever makes you feel good.
try it! you know you want to!
Edits: 08/10/15
.
nt
try it! you know you want to!
Any time an amp measures exceedingly well some people will poo poo it by bring up Halcro. It's a strawman argument. As if an amp that measures well must by definition sound poorly because another well measuring amp is said by some to sound poorly.
try it! you know you want to!
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
