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Came across this standout review of the Soulution amp in the Absolute Sound.http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/soulution-711-stereo-amplifier-701-monoblock-amplifier-and-725-full-function-preamplifier/
Germane to much discussion here lately is this quote from the review:
"Let's face it (as I've tried to do in review after review), most gear appeals primarily to a certain kind of listener "be he a "fidelity-to-source" or "absolute sound" or "musicality first" one. This doesn't make such equipment "unworthy", far from it-it simply means (if one is honest and objective, rather than biased and absurdly dogmatic about our hobby) that what is perfect for a given listener with a specific taste in sound and music and a certain kind of hi-fi system isn't necessarily going to be as perfect (or close to as perfect) for another listener with a different taste in sound and music and a different system. This, friends, is the way the world works, ignoring such variables and telling readers what they should prefer (because the reviewer himself prefers such things) is, IMO, propaganda."
Furthermore:
"It goes without saying that the Soulution 711 gets my highest, warmest, and most enthusiastic recommendation, as does its companion preamplifier the 725 (for which see the sidebar). Once again, it is the most consistently beautiful, thrillingly dynamic, and persuasively lifelike amplifier I've heard in my system thus far, no matter the music or the source. It is also, in case you haven't yet noticed, the winner of The Absolute Sound's highest honor, our 2014 Overall Product of the Year Award (which it shares with its monoblock cousins and its companion-piece, the superb Soulution 725 preamplifier)."
Keep in mind it is a ss amp with a switch mode power supply and negative feedback when you read:
"the most consistently beautiful, thrillingly dynamic, and persuasively lifelike amplifier I've heard in my system thus far, no matter the music or the source."
Generalizations about the superiority of certain amp types or classes is indeed nothing but propaganda...
try it! you know you want to!
Edits: 09/18/15Follow Ups:
This brand of gear is on my short-list to demo.
nt
try it! you know you want to!
"Nor do I find it difficult to understand why some find the sound unrelenting, less than fully fleshed out, and somewhat skeletal."
As you are fond of saying, it's just a matter of taste.
There is no perfect amplifier, nor is one ultimately superior than another based on design or measurements.
"as one friend put it after a listen, you'll hear less meat on the bones than you might like. "
That's my impression of high NFB designs as compared to live, unamplified music.
I found the sound of the Soulution amps to be more Ghost like. They are certainly smoother than other amps of this ilk and do seem to have the highs under control to the point of making a good soundstage (so does Krell and some others like Vitus) but the images themselves are not solid and tonally correct...kind of grey and outlines only. Skelatal from a tone density standpoint but more ethereal than real sounding.
I don't believe in ghosts..
What speakers ..?
Thiel CS7.2, Magico Q1, Magico S5, Magico Q5, Magico something or other (big new one...looks a bit like Q7).
"To get the ideal balance, I'd rather start with an astonishingly neutral component like the Soulution and fiddle with the lumpier transducer."
Like I said, I too prefer my amp to be as free from distortion as possible and add any special sauce in a controlled manner.
"depending on the rest of your system and your tastes in sound, you'll either find the Soulution 710's presentation of harmonics just right and in keeping with the rest of the amp's magnificent performance, or, as one friend put it after a listen, you'll hear less meat on the bones than you might like."
Another professional reviewer who recognizes the fact that tastes differ and that an amp is part of a system and thus the overall performance in dependent on its interaction with that system.
try it! you know you want to!
.
...the Harry Stoner novels.
And selling cables on manufacturer loan. The Soulution amps follow the Halcro mold.
They are the best ......
They are the best
are "they" and what are they best at ?
Take a PR home and try them on the screens , spend time , no wait , spend the same effort you did to get the sound you now have from your microphonic Toobs
Try it , or are you afraid ....
Edits: 09/19/15
I don't find an answer to either question I asked.
I'll add a new one: What is a "PR?
No problem , theres a soulution for your problem , just around the corner ....
.
nt
try it! you know you want to!
...what a reviewer says about a $45,000 amp.
At that price there should be no criticisms.
nt
try it! you know you want to!
.
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