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Have you all heard about this "little" 30 wpc Spanish integrated (EL34) amp that Bobby espouses........(Ars-Sonum Filarmonia)Well, I now have about 35 hours on mine.
More complete review to follow.Initial impressions: glorious, full bodied, quick, loud, articulate and gorgeous.
I am pleased. I have also owned a Berning and Belles 150a Reference.
Satisfaction abounds.
Follow Ups:
English tech document:http://www.lasalademaquinas.com/fila/Fila_tech_en.pdf
Spanish tech document:
http://www.lasalademaquinas.com/fila/Fila_tech_e.pdf
Inside the machine:
http://www.lasalademaquinas.com/fila/SE_Inside.jpg
Silver front:
http://www.lasalademaquinas.com/fila/SE_Front_S.jpg
Gold Front:
http://www.lasalademaquinas.com/fila/SE_Front_g.jpg
Rear:
Hello,This amplifier makes a terrific combo with the SP1/2, I have one Filarmonia SE with over of 300 hours (The amplifier needs 200h for a full break in, I don't use criogenic tubes), and it makes magic with my speakers.
Regards
Curious to know how the Berning/Joule compares to this integrated in the female vocal department. Always looking for that elusive perfect midtone.
I am waiting for one now. Hopefully I will receive it in about a month or two.
For me, after some thought, the bottom line is that if Bobby says that it is great with his speakers, then great it is. I have heard the ARS at his facility and it did indeed sound fantastic.
The weird holding/sticking point for me was that it "only" costs $3500. I was able to jump over that hurdle, however :)
Also I'm assuming it does have a tape loop for the BAM? I can imagine one day having the BAM integrated into an AMP so we can save on cabling : )
The original Filarmonía doesn't have a full tape loop, just the tape out connection. But for users with speakers using devices like the BAM or the ones who like using room correction devices, it can be ordered with a kind of tape loop which actually is just an open loop at the preamp input, so if you plug something between the tape out and that added input, it will act, but if you remove the device, then you'll have to put some IC's or jumpers to close the open loop.
AFAIK it's possible that in the midterm (maybe a couple of years) the amp is mounted in a bigger chassis offering a full tape loop and more inputs, but surely it will change its charm. The amp is wonderful as is.
I have several sources, but my unit is "regular" without that open loop to plug the BAM in, so if I want to use it with all sources, I'm changing ICs. I really don't mind, it takes ten seconds.
....how much the damn thing costs?!?!?!?
As bobby says, it is $3,500.
It includes cryoed tubes AND a Cardas Golden Reference power cord.
Also, upgraded Cardas speaker posts and some other stuff.
See Bobby's post uner AJ's.
run it for over 50 hours ;-) Then, keep waiting for the 150-200 hours point, you'll be amazed.I have listened to about 6 different units of the Filarmonia including my own one, which is now at the 70 hours point. Even brand new with 0 hours on the tubes and caps sounds great, but a bit "ordinary". The "normal" tubes take about 50 hours to sound fine, although they improve a bit with some more time, but the silver in oil caps take well above 150 hours to really break-in and open up the sound and completely smooth the lower treble. The sound is adictive because it doesn't matter what music you throw at it, it simply makes it right.
Enjoy it!
I have asked Bobby about this amplifier but for some reasons he does not seem to respond. Maybe I am outside US or i am just not an important customer to him ... :(So anyone have more information on this would be very helpful to me ...
if you send me a request by e-mail i will send you the information. it is by file so you have to open it.
perhaps if you look at the e-mails i sent you, you will see that there were files included that you have to open.
that is of course, if you did indeed ask.
everyone is important to me.
bobby at merlin
I am sure you care about your customers :). May be my email did not reach you, will try again anyway ... thx
I recieved info on this amp from you about 6 months ago. Am still considering, but do not want to go with an integrated amp. I just picked up a Joule preamp in the past year and plan to keep it.
Hello,Ars-Sonum make a amplifier only of his Filarmonia, when I bought my Filarmonia, I had the chance of buy the amplifier only version.
nt
Hi Champion,If I'm not wrong, Bobby has distribution rights for US and Canada. If you're in New Zealand you might wish to contact the manufacturer in Spain. They're building their website, by now there's not contact information, but it will be added soon.
Cheers,
AJ
the unit retails for $3500 in the us and merlin has distribution rights all over the world.
bobby
Hell, this little integrated cost less than my Joule La-150 preamp, never mind the Berning ZH-270. Jud is going to be VERY angry with you Bobby.
paired with an Audiosynthesis power amp and I'm not selling them. As Bobby says they're different animals and you can achieve different goals in different rooms using either. Don't forget that the Filarmonia costs less than the LA-150 alone and is "just" 30wpc. Into a mid to big room the Fila won't have the power to make sounding a full phylharmonic orchestra as believeable as the Joule with one of his amps or the Berning. But for the budget conscious using it in a mid to small room, the Fila makes the greatest pairing with the VSMs I can think of.
this is an outragiously good integrated but...
the joule la 150 and berning are in another league and cost 3 times what this costs and has over double the power...come on now...
i would never do anything to hurt jud or my friendship with him. i still own the 150 and vzn 100s and will do the show with joule in vegas.
b
Original comment made with tongue in cheek. :-) Nothing is going to pry my Joule and Berning away from my MXs, except maybe the VZN 100s. Eternal love affair I'm afraid.
Thanks for the info A.J. How much is it sold for in the US/Canada? Just want to get an idea. Thanks.
I really don't know, something in the 3K range, but not sure. Ian or Bobby will tell you.Rgs,
...what's the price of admission?
VSM-MX's and ARS Sonum Filarmonia that is. I've gone and sprung for both in one shot. Sounds like I'm going to like them. Thanks for the 'teaser'. Please post more when you can. Thanks.
I have corresponded with Bobby regarding this amplifier and it is very interesting, indeed. He tried to send me a spec sheet- but my computer couldn't open the attachment, for some reason.Any additional info would be greatly appreciated..
regards,
WEEZ,I tried to email you but the system will not work for whatever reason.
I have the info that you are looking for that Bobby send me back in July. Send me an email if you want me to forward it to you.
You have an e-mail (if the system 'worked' from my end)
Is it doing the depth and layering thang too? Will you be able to post pics? I've seen a few but it would be nice to see a private users. Please keep us posted. Thanks
Some photos of the Filarmonia.http://audio-nirvana.fortunecity.net/pag_eng/filarmoniag.htm
good pix here:
the us version has a different face plate and a lot of changes done to the unit, just so you know.
bobby
Those are pics from an earlier version of the Filarmonia. The current Filarmonia has different faceplate and different (way higher quality) passive components inside. Jut one (but not the only) of those changes are the use in the current version of Mundorf Silver in Oil caps instead the Philips MKP showed in the pics at audio-nirvana website.I have one Filarmonia right now at home (I´m from Spain) driving my VSM-MX (waiting for the BAM to come upgraded from Bobby´s factory) and is simply superb. I´ve had a lot of electronics driving my previous Milleniums and now my MXs (Berning ZH270, VZN100s and A LOT of SET amps) and this little jewel it´s like a "twin soul" for the VSM-MXs. Very pure and "spot on" in tone and easeness with genuine transparency and a extremely open and fleshed mids. I thought that I knew all the good and bad things about what a EL34 P&P design were capable of...but this is really a BIG (and happy) surprise. I think the most part of the secret of the sound of this amp comes from the in-house designed and build OPTs. By the way the amp is absolutely reliable, easy to use, and dead silent.
Hi JR,Wait until you come to my place and listen to the last model with the cryoed tubes. I thought I had heard it all, but I was wrong, I'm two inches away of having that sound you know I was missing ;-) Maybe it's just the time the caps will take to fully burn-in. I'll tell you in a couple of weeks.
Regards,
nt
saw your post about BC gear. You should ping "Sordidman" as he has BC and merlin.I will try to post pics but need to figure out the process.
BTW, this amp replaced a Belles/Ultraverve combo.
Yeah, I've tlaked to Sordidman. The BC202 has me very interested. Have you heard the BC hybrids with the VSM?Any thoughts you'd like to share on the UltraVerve? Thanks.
samac-i really liked the UV Remote that I had. it was the belles 150a Ref that i thought was a pig. it sounded good but emitted a loud buzz from the amp that was audible thru my mxs from 10'+ away. it also took a giant "dc dump" and blew out one of my merlin woofers. bobby was awesome about sending me a new one (at no charge) but my system was down for months as a result.
i enjoyed dealing with kara and george. good people. i think the Ultraverve makes the merlins sound good. put it with a berning or sim amp.......but, i prefer the Ars-sonum at this point.
-
samac -- for what it's worth I've heard the BC 204 with the VSM and it's a combination that will serve as a reference for me from here on out. The combo is just plain stunning. I'd hitherto thought that you have to compromise something with any speaker, and that living with the compromise is like suspending disbelief. I suppose there are compromises with that combo, but any compromises seem so far outweighed by the merits that you'd have to indulge an extreme degree of audiophilia nervosa to overlook all the things they do right together.How'd it sound? Frankly, I'm not quite sure how to explain. I've never heard anything sound so musical, sumptuous and still have a breathtaking clarity and amount of detail. Great dynamics. Great soundstage. Awesome control. All the benefits of neutrality without the drawbacks of being analytical.
I haven't heard the VSMs with anything else and I've only heard other Blue Circle gear with other speakers, so one has to do a bit of extrapolating to make comparisons. Whether the BC hybrids are the best mate with the VSMs I really can't say. At some point though you just sort of forget that sort of thing and enjoy the hell out of what's there because it sounds so damned good.
Hope that helps....
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It's not I'm anti-social,
I'm only anti-work,
Glory Osky, that's why I'm a jerk!
Zero,Thank you very much for taking the time. You comments are very helpful. Seems to be alot of good things to be said about BC.
bc i have done shows with and have customers that love it on the merlins. what else can i say.
bobby
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