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I have had the Rhumba 1.2 Extreme in my system for 24 hours now and I
would like to share my first impression of it - WOW!!! I have 3 different
power cords as well as 3 different pair of tubes so I'm still getting it
voiced, the cords are not new so they are already broken in, the tubes are
NOS so they need some time.
I have thrown every "go to" track at it as well as a lot of others,
rock, jazz (both classical and contemporary), soul and some funk. If it
could speak it would asking "is that all ya got"? It presents a bit of a
wider soundstage with a slightly more forward presentation than I'm used
to but that is ok, it is different than what I'm used to and if I feel
the need to I can play around with speaker placement as the room is long and narrow,
I don't have the ability to place the speakers on either short wall due to the design,
it is what I've got and I'm sticking to it.
The top end is very detailed and airy while being natural and liquid,
no brightness or grain here. Snares, cymbals, piano and upper brass are
extremely life-like without being slow or syrupy, this thing is rhythmic
and fast which was my first impression when I originally heard it at Bobs.
The mids are punchy and accurate, sitting in the sweet spot you are there.
What really surprised me is the bottom end. This thing really digs deep.
While it has prodigious bass, it controls it with a seemingly iron fist.
No mush or gray area. Razor sharp, black and white. Think Porsche
911 nimble and quick - not your normal tube preamp.
I will update as I get further along. My plan is to get which PC and
tubes I prefer sorted out by monday. Next weekend I have 5 days off.
I have some guys comming over to listen and I'll be going back and forth
between the Extreme and my JMA Peach 2 for a final evaluation, I think
my preliminary one speaks for itself.
Happy listening, Wood
Follow Ups:
Hey Wood,
Glad to hear such good initial impressions from the Rhumba. Standing by for the rest.
What amp and speakers did you say you were pairing this with?
Sorry for not posting sooner but I've been having too much fun.
I will get right to the point, I called Bob Backert last tuesday
and advised him that he WOULD NOT be getting this back. One week
later I have not a shred of "buyer's remorse". I feel that for the
first time I'm really hearing what my system is capable of. Initially
I was concerned with leveling the field so to speak, in retrospect
it didn't matter at all, the Extreme walked all over the Peach 2
in every aspect.
The top end is airy and detailed. Instruments are separated with
an air around them so as to spotlight so to speak. No brightness or
etch, attack is razor sharp and decay is gradual and defined as
opposed to the Peach's on and off.
The mids where most of the music comes from are rich and punchy.
Absolutely no bloom or bloat so as to cover other deficiencies.
What I originally thought was a more forward presentation is actually
a deeper, better spaced soundstage, slightly outside of my speakers
for the first time. I could go on but I'm not replicating "War and
Peace". Suffice to say that the Extreme does the mids VERY WELL.
They don't sound reproduced, they sound conveyed.
The bottom end is to die for - period..... I could understand
the topend and mids that I got out of this (although well beyond it's
pricepoint IMHO), but the bottom end is DEEEEEEP and focused,
seemingly controlled with an invisible iron fist. As razor sharp
as you can get with bass.
I will make a few additional points over the next few days, but
that's all for now.
Happy listening, Woody
I'm still doing the rhumba, baby, I can't seem to quit
If my mama catches us doing the rhumba, mama would just pitch a fit
But I can't help myself, it's much bigger than me
If I were you, I'd hang onto a rhumba man like me.
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