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In Reply to: wyethec sapphire 300B, who listened? posted by georgemg on January 28, 2007 at 04:58:41:
Hi gerogme,I owned the Sapphires for 16 months. I just recently sold them so that I can purchase the soon to be released Wyetech Ruby 211 amplifers. I miss the Sapphires big time. I only used the Sapphires with Avantgarde Meta Primo loudspeakers that are 107 db efficent. I have no idea if they could drive your 89 db efficent speakers. Having demoed and listened to many (Audionote, Sophia, Cary, Wavelength, Manley, Art Audio, Audiopax, and Deja Vu) highly touted 300B/KT88/PX25/45 amps I preferred the Sapphires by a wide margin. Many of the tube afficandos will not like the Sapphires because they are not overly warm, syrupy, and highly colored sounding amplifers. Bass is extremely tight for a tube amp while the high's are extended and not rolled off in the least. Noise is non-existent with the Sapphires especially at the low gain setting. Build quality is unsurpassed IMHO. As you are probably aware of, Wyetech only sells direct and their U.S. retail prices are a relative bargain in the crazy pricing of high-end audio. They have been getting a little bit of press lately in TAS and at 6moons. Great amps!
Follow Ups:
I would like to say first, I haven't heard the wyethec amps, but I would doubt if they are SET, not push pull, that they will provide realistic dynamics with 89db speakers. Are they 2 x 300b or 4 x 300b. I think you will get volume, probably high enough to listen in the upper comfort zone in a normal room. However dynamics and sound stage will be compresses, making the SET route pretty pointless.I would buy them if you love the sound, but allow for a quick speaker change in your budget. There are plenty of high efficiency speakers around these days, Audio Note and Zingali come to mind.
I love SET, and once you here it in your setting/system you will not go back. But you need to seriously get the rest of your gear sorted to gain the benefits. I have found the more Audio Note I have put in my system the more synergy it has, and the higher the quality level.
In respect to a post here, I would strongly argue that I have found my Audio Note amps are NOT coloured. They are much closer to a live performance (accurate) than anything else I have had in my system, tubes PP and many SS amps, or heard in my price range at shows etc.
The thing to remember with hifi is if it moves you buy it if you can afford it. Reading stuff, looking at reviews is only part of the story. If it makes the hair stand on the back of your neck, you will be happy listening to it, for hours.
One other thing, were the Sapphires at all on the lean side, as Srajan found them?? The Inner Ear Report found them just a tad on the lush side with 3 different speakers.
Hi Enzo,I was told several months ago that they would be out somewhat soon. Wyetech is also coming out with a remote-controlled Ruby preamp that will be out in 2008. That's funny, I asked the same question regarding the contrasting opinions of the two reviews when I was looking into the Sapphires. Here's even a different opinion; I didn't think Sapphires were were either lean or lush. I did not like the sound of the stock TJ 300B's as they sounded a little distant with vocals. I immediately switched them out with then EML 300B's which sounded much better. I was using a BAT VK-51SE preamp, Audionote DAC and Cardas cabling.
quite the departure for Mr. Hebert...must be responding to market pressure!
The Ruby preamp will be a step above the Opal and will retail for around $15K. I would have purchased the Opal preamp but I could not live witout remote-controlled volume.
Good news
I live in Brazil,so I depend on opnions about equipment, I bought some without listen. Really I can not live withou a remote control, in this days I do not understand how one factory of fantastics preamplfiers make them withou one remote control.Some months ago I send a email to wiyetech asking if they could make one preamplifier with RC, and they said that unhappy that was impossible.Now I am going wait for the ruby preamplifier.
I should hope not.I ask you though ... who really wants that sort of sound these days? My Welborne Lab Laurel IIxs 300B SETs don't have that sort of sound either.
I'd love to hear the Wyetech Sapphires in my system!
Regards,
Geoff
"I ask you though ... who really wants that sort of sound these days?"Many of the tube audiophiles that I know crave the warm "LUSH" sound of tubes. In fact, one of the dealers who I purchased gear from admitted to me that he likes very lush sounding tube gear. I never got to demo the Welborne gear, but I did hear some very good things about them.
Did you mean "Mush"?Have you ever stood next to a concert grand piano while someone who knows what they are doing played it? A grand piano sounds very "Lush".
Some tube amps of poor design sound like mush but music, real music, is very lush. A person needs educated ears to know the difference.
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
real instruments and real space IS the absolute sound
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