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I can't agree

I bought this amplifier recently and I must say I don't agree at all with your review. I have heard that the Electrocompaniet customer service is rather poor, but the amps themselves are very good.

Two months ago, I was searching for a new integrated amp to replace my 8 year old Rotel 980 pre/power amp combination. I own a pair Dynaudio Contour 1.3 which I intend to upgrade soon. I read a lot of reviews of amps in the $2000 range an the ECI-3 was on my shortlist.

Somebody offered a one year old ECI-3 for half the original price on Ebay Germany, so I couldn't resist and bought it without listening to that amp, just basing myself on the description in magazines, which all said the Electrocompaniet was musical and smooth sounding. The financial risk was minimal, as I would have been able to resell this almost new amp (still 2 years warranty) with small loss. But of course it is not an ideal way to buy a high end component, especially since the seller said he was replacing it because an Accuphase better suits his setup.

When I received the amp I connected it immediately and found the sound to be rather dark compared to the Rotels. Tape hiss on some older jazz reissues was much less audible. After a few hours of listening I switched back to the Rotels and I found them too be too bright and harsh. I switched amp in 30 minute intervals and it soon was clear that the Electrocompaniet had the better frequency balance, at least with my Dynaudio speakers (which are supposed to be neutral sounding).

The high spectrum is much smoother, the stereo basis is more stable and the bass is tighter. Despite the lower treble volume, there is more transparency and air around instuments. After a few days of listening, I couldn't go back to the Rotels anymore, because the ECI-3 gave a much more integrated musical performance. I can't detect any lack of bass or details.

I am only able to compare the Electrocompaniet to my previous setup and not to similar priced amps, but I find it to be a big improvement. If you think it is inferior to an old Sansui amplifier, I guess there is something wrong with your setup (amp defective, or speakers which need bright amps) or you have gotten accustomed to a certain sound which the ECI-3 does not offer. I was very surprised too at the very beginning that the Electrocompaniet sounded darker than the Rotels, but just a few hours of listening and comparision convinced me that no musical details were missing and that the ECI-3 had the right sound.

Here's a post from another inmate who likes the ECI-3:

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=speakers&n=118250


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  • I can't agree - Nefertiti 01:55:49 04/11/03 (1)


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