Tubes Asylum: REVIEW: Hovland Company Sapphire Amplifier (Tube) by Steve K Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ

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Model:	Sapphire
Category:	Amplifier (Tube)
Suggested Retail Price:	$7800
Description:	Tube hybrid power amp
Manufacturer URL:	Hovland Company
Manufacturer URL:	Hovland Company

Review by Steve K ( P ) on August 04, 2002 at 20:26:35 IP Address: 66.227.197.199

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Hovland electronics...what's the first vision that comes to mind when you hear those two words? …Blue glow? Ok, now that that's out of the way, you can hopefully forgive me for starting a review of a serious piece of audio gear by talking about the box it comes in. When you fork over a fair amount of cash for a piece of audio gear, I do not think it unreasonable for it to look good. Pride of ownership, like it or not, is real and meaningful.

I have never encountered audio equipment that has received so many unsolicited comments from visitors. Turned off, on and no music playing, or at full steam in a dimly lit room...no amp [or preamp] I have ever seen or owned can match the Hovland's physical beauty. It is simply a visual work of art. The bare aluminum and chrome chassis with the tubes and output trannys bathed in blue light is an absolute treat to look at. Pictures do not do it justice.

Ok, this thing is supposed to make music too, so I'd best move on to its sonics...

The first thing I noticed about the Sapphire was a sort of cool sounding upper register, and then a progressively more and more goofy midrange. The vocals, after a short period, sounded damn near out of phase...and got worse over time! This all was within the first 100-200 hours of use. Please, please take note here...this amp can sound downright broken when it's fresh out of the box. I'd wager a fair amount of cash [or Japanese vinyl] that any comments you may have heard about the Sapphire sounding "weird" were made by an observer of a unbroken in unit [the preamp broke in, in a similar yet less dramatic fashion]. While most pieces of gear need break in to reproduce proper tone, the Sapphire seemed to gain proper stage with time.

Somewhere around 250 hours the amp made an about-face and began to make its music with what I can best call the "Hovland sound". What I call the "Hovland sound" can perhaps be best described in two words: even handed. Nothing stands out, you simply hear the music without any emphasis or embellishment...as best as any piece[s] of audio gear I've owned or heard. If you're looking for a lush, syrupy, tubey amp...the Sapphire isn’t it. To some that might imply that there's no life, jump or "tube magic" there...that it's sterile and cool. Not true. Liquid without syrup, warm without fuzz, slam without hash [sounds like breakfast at Denny's!]...that's how I'd describe the Sapphire. It delivers the music in an honest and even way that is quite intoxicating. Take Dire Straits "Communiqué" [Japanese Nippon/Denon LP]...Mark is right there, smack dab in-between the speakers mumbling and strumming away...it's quite magical. There's little sense of embellishment or grandeur to the soundscape...just one heckuva band goin at it. Everyone and every sound is clearly in it's own space, no mushing the instruments together. Recording after recording I notice this...everything in it's own space. An album like Art Peppers "Straight Life" [Japanese Victor LP] showcases this well but something more complex like Steely Dans "Katy Lied" [Japanese Victor LP...see any pattern here] perhaps shows this in a clearer light. While "Katy Lied" is a very good recording, it is no match for the other two I mentioned. It is, however, an excellent example of a well engineered rock and roll record with lot's of stuff going on. It's not simply drums, bass, guitar, and a vocal, all together in one chord...the arrangements are quite unique, and therefore so is the complexity of the soundscape that this record can produce. There is stuff going on all over the place, yet it never collapses in on itself...the electronics still manage to keep everything together harmonically yet separate in their own spaces within the soundstage. This is quite an impressive balancing act that the Hovland pulls off!

Dynamically this guy outclasses its power rating by a fair shot. The depth and tightness of the bass is amazing for a tube amp [the same can be said of the preamp]. I'm running some fairly inefficient speakers [86db/w/m] that also are a nominal 4ohm load...no picnic for a small amp. To top it off, I'm giving up some damping by running the 8ohm taps because I prefer the midrange with them...and still the bass is wonderful. Never bloated or flabby, just well extended and tuneful. When the kick drum hits, you know it.

Another interesting aspect of the Sapphire is what tubes it likes. Here, again it mimics the preamp but to a much greater degree. Alex [Hovland’s VP of sales and marketing] warned me about swapping tubes in the HP100 & Sapphire, as it would more than likely degrade the sound. True words…however I did eventually find a NOS tube combo that outperformed the stock offering in the preamp. The fact that this was so hard to do is testament to how much care they obviously take in voicing their components. They don’t just stuff the circuit boards and ship the product…they must listen and make some [many] decisions, as the stock setup is deceptively hard to better, even with the finest NOS! The Sapphire takes this to the next level. While I’ve settled on some Amperex 7316’s in the front end [the stock Ei 12AU7’s are pretty good, though], the Electroharmonix EL34’s present a real poser! I’ve thrown everything but the kitchen sink at those sockets…and the EH’s win every time. Genalex Gold Lion KT77’s, Amperex Bugle Boy [D-getters, brown bases], Mullard XF1’s, Mullard XF2’s, 1970’s Tesla XF1 copies…none match up to the Electroharmonix! The XF1’s come close…maybe even a tiny bit better in the heart of the midrange, but when you think of the $$$ you’ll have to spend to make that little improvement you’ll immediately see the merits of the stock tubes. If you need to tube roll…you may not wanna buy this amp…it’s designed to work amazingly well with it’s stock tubes. When Hovland recommends sticking with the stock tubes, don’t be afraid to listen!

If I had to make one criticism of the Sapphire it would be about the perceived depth of its soundstage if the listener is not positioned exactly right with relation to the speakers and/or rear wall. At first I thought I was hearing the same shallow soundstage that others have mentioned about the Hovland, and I’m sure I was, but what I didn’t realize was the [relatively] easy fix. Moving your head [or your chair] forward a few inches makes quite a difference! Perhaps this is not a real “criticism”, but rather just a setup issue, however, I’ve never had an amp that was so critical in this regard.

Before I finish this I’d be remiss if I didn’t make some mention of my personal experiences with the people at Hovland. Rarely will you find a more polite, professional and friendly bunch. Customer service is something that is often more of a theory than reality today…but I don’t think that’s the case here. This is quite important to me. I’ve got a lot of cash invested in this gear, and if I had any reason to think that if a problem arose it might not get fixed “right”, I’d be a little nervous. I like to talk to people before I give them lots of my money. I’ve been disappointed with “high-end” manufacturer’s service-after-the-sale before, so I’ve become inquisitive and cautious. Now, to be fair, I’ve never had to send anything to Hovland for service, but I suspect that if I did it would be handled in the most professional manor. What I do know is that they’re friendly, intelligent people who are quite proud of their work [for good reasons].

As you may have been able to conclude, I have yet to bring a Hovland product into my home and not be highly satisfied. The only thing left in their catalogue that I don’t have is the Musicgroove phono cable, which will be my next hi-fi purchase.

:-)
Steve

NOTE: You may see on my inmate system page that I’m the control systems programmer\engineer at the local hifi store. I want to make it known that I have no business relationship with Hovland, nor does the company I work for. These words come from an avid audiophile and a very satisfied customer.

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Product Weakness:	See above.
Product Strengths:	See above.

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Hovland Sapphire
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Hovland HP100mc
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	CD: Sony XA7es - Table: Denon DP59L w/DL103d cartridge
Speakers:	Dynaudio Contour 1.3mkII on Dynaudio Masterstands
Cables/Interconnects:	Hovland Generation3 IC & Reference speaker cable
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	See above
Time Period/Length of Audition:	5 months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition):	See my "inmate systems" page for more info and pics.

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