Well maties, eventually made it there & back.
It was a very tiresome journey, I just hate long haul flights, can't stand it! The service was great and all that but after 3.5hrs I started getting leg cramps and passing too much gas... even though I stood up walked around for about an hour it didn't help. Plus my big butt was always in the way for the drinks trolley to pass through or if someone wanted to use the loo. Spending quality time with pops was well worth it and he was really surprised to see us! That was the plan. I dearly miss him though, I also miss the warmth and culture of our people, which you will never find in Aus. It's a completely different planet but this is our home now. Hasn't changed much since I last visited in 2012 but Spore truly has! It's vibrant as usual and they thrive on duty free markets with chaos!
There were quite a number of top tier private demos I attended, which I could make a movie out of but I'll stick to the core topic. Just to mention: the Diptyque ribbon panels by the French team, driven by Jadis Mk2 80 monoblocks were superb!!! It really makes a wonderful addition when driven properly, and especially high performance speakers. That addition is all about dynamic swings, limitless extensions and start - stop acceleration, my goodness! The best part is the Diptyque panels aren't too pricey either. No where near Alsyvox or the Clarisys line and still perform exquisitely!
So, I can confirm that if you're looking for top flight options in top line panels, Alsyvox, Clarisys and Genesis are always available but for a fraction of that price, I sincerely believe Diptyque takes the podium. This for sure will be on my next short list, most probably when retirement is due. Hopefully hearing is intact!
Some of the other combos I really enjoyed were the Dartzeel driving Alsyvox and the Solution gear driving Magico's Another fabulous experience was CH Precision driving Focal's. This particular set-up also had the top of the line VAC Statements but no Genesis though... looks like by the time I got there they were sold, I don't know. Overall, top flight stuff without a doubt and very pricey even though it's supposed to be duty free. Add shipping and handling charges plus other costs insurance... it's a BIG spend. I was surprised to see many well known gear quoted at nearly half the price of what I'd pay in Aus... so that part was very very tempting but the added shipping costs and our customs duties is not an easy gig.
So this particular set-up I know extremely well and my good mate has been adding all sorts of gear to his collection, having the Alsyvox, and ML Statements parked in another room, it was a full CLX & BF212 set-up. Had two BF212's, one per channel and also included a Reel to Reel deck by Teac. There were a few others by Revox and Teac but that R2R source was something awe-inspiring! Fantastico!
The ART108A's matched with the ART88 is probably that perfect combination money can buy in terms of pre-power finesse! It doesn't get any better than that, and it easily surpassed my benchmark of 40% in improvement, no doubt.
Having all the glory and wonderful presentation in full 3D holographic detail and bliss, there's one major factor I noticed. Sometimes on certain recordings, background tunes, such as brass, piano or strings or other instruments aren't that profound. They're there but sort of linger in the background and sound bit thin or just plain flat... I'm not sure if this is the source, cables or anything or the gear... not really sure. Anyway, with the ART amps, these background tunes are all there! It has a full lifelike presence and doesn't sound thin or flat. It also varies according to the tune and has superb affects in terms of dynamics or transients when called for. Overall, just a joy to listen to, fabulous! Then of course there's the most neutral part of these ART amps, they completely get out of the way, nothing seems artificially enhanced or sugar coated, just pure pure music. I'm very glad I demoed high quality recordings, both on R2R and vinyl. The TT used at the time was the Michell Orb, one of my favourites of all time. A superb TT for the price. Obviously it all depends on the components etc., I guess sky's the limit.
The Class A power of the ART108A's is really tops! This is serious Class A power, doesn't flinch one bit and I'm surprised how chief designer JF manages to incorporate the KT88 in this particular type of Class A topology. Most KT88 configs I've heard are either soft or very relaxing but certainly not these! They have all the power and brute force typical of KT120's or KT150's but I guess with a velvet touch that makes these amplifiers so lovable. Just glorious!
Then there's the outstanding ART88, outstanding is truly an understatement, I really don't have any words to describe it. The ART88 is truly by far the best in Class I've heard to date! It's all tube design can very easily be matched with the ultra-high-end and it doesn't cost as much as the ultra-high-end. So I guess, if you're financially sound and can afford it at this level, this is one SUPERB preamp! Mighty finest in SOTA.
I'm thinking that those background tunes coming out in full swing must be a factor of the ART88... don't know.
At first glance, it's not much to look at compared to the GAT, ACT2 or CT5... those preamps look like spaceships, really special ART Deco I must say. Only when you get really close to the ART88 and touch & feel, oh boy! We're in for a fabulous night. I was up listening till 4am and spent the night then it was all done & dusted, we flew out. Then I realised, caught in the glorious moments ... I didn't take a single damn photo! Uh, must have been too busy enjoying those finest finest tunes!
As for me, at this stage I've achieved what I was after. There are quite a number of areas I could further improve on and then spend another fortune and be broke! Rather, focus on life and health in general, family and loved ones and at the same time enjoy the music. As of now, it's mighty good enough for me. So I'll pass on this particular upgrade but I must say though, it was very very tempting ... oh well, perhaps in another lifetime.
Cheers to all and keep safe.
Woofty woof'n! RJ
It was a very tiresome journey, I just hate long haul flights, can't stand it! The service was great and all that but after 3.5hrs I started getting leg cramps and passing too much gas... even though I stood up walked around for about an hour it didn't help. Plus my big butt was always in the way for the drinks trolley to pass through or if someone wanted to use the loo. Spending quality time with pops was well worth it and he was really surprised to see us! That was the plan. I dearly miss him though, I also miss the warmth and culture of our people, which you will never find in Aus. It's a completely different planet but this is our home now. Hasn't changed much since I last visited in 2012 but Spore truly has! It's vibrant as usual and they thrive on duty free markets with chaos!
There were quite a number of top tier private demos I attended, which I could make a movie out of but I'll stick to the core topic. Just to mention: the Diptyque ribbon panels by the French team, driven by Jadis Mk2 80 monoblocks were superb!!! It really makes a wonderful addition when driven properly, and especially high performance speakers. That addition is all about dynamic swings, limitless extensions and start - stop acceleration, my goodness! The best part is the Diptyque panels aren't too pricey either. No where near Alsyvox or the Clarisys line and still perform exquisitely!
So, I can confirm that if you're looking for top flight options in top line panels, Alsyvox, Clarisys and Genesis are always available but for a fraction of that price, I sincerely believe Diptyque takes the podium. This for sure will be on my next short list, most probably when retirement is due. Hopefully hearing is intact!
Some of the other combos I really enjoyed were the Dartzeel driving Alsyvox and the Solution gear driving Magico's Another fabulous experience was CH Precision driving Focal's. This particular set-up also had the top of the line VAC Statements but no Genesis though... looks like by the time I got there they were sold, I don't know. Overall, top flight stuff without a doubt and very pricey even though it's supposed to be duty free. Add shipping and handling charges plus other costs insurance... it's a BIG spend. I was surprised to see many well known gear quoted at nearly half the price of what I'd pay in Aus... so that part was very very tempting but the added shipping costs and our customs duties is not an easy gig.
So this particular set-up I know extremely well and my good mate has been adding all sorts of gear to his collection, having the Alsyvox, and ML Statements parked in another room, it was a full CLX & BF212 set-up. Had two BF212's, one per channel and also included a Reel to Reel deck by Teac. There were a few others by Revox and Teac but that R2R source was something awe-inspiring! Fantastico!
The ART108A's matched with the ART88 is probably that perfect combination money can buy in terms of pre-power finesse! It doesn't get any better than that, and it easily surpassed my benchmark of 40% in improvement, no doubt.
Having all the glory and wonderful presentation in full 3D holographic detail and bliss, there's one major factor I noticed. Sometimes on certain recordings, background tunes, such as brass, piano or strings or other instruments aren't that profound. They're there but sort of linger in the background and sound bit thin or just plain flat... I'm not sure if this is the source, cables or anything or the gear... not really sure. Anyway, with the ART amps, these background tunes are all there! It has a full lifelike presence and doesn't sound thin or flat. It also varies according to the tune and has superb affects in terms of dynamics or transients when called for. Overall, just a joy to listen to, fabulous! Then of course there's the most neutral part of these ART amps, they completely get out of the way, nothing seems artificially enhanced or sugar coated, just pure pure music. I'm very glad I demoed high quality recordings, both on R2R and vinyl. The TT used at the time was the Michell Orb, one of my favourites of all time. A superb TT for the price. Obviously it all depends on the components etc., I guess sky's the limit.
The Class A power of the ART108A's is really tops! This is serious Class A power, doesn't flinch one bit and I'm surprised how chief designer JF manages to incorporate the KT88 in this particular type of Class A topology. Most KT88 configs I've heard are either soft or very relaxing but certainly not these! They have all the power and brute force typical of KT120's or KT150's but I guess with a velvet touch that makes these amplifiers so lovable. Just glorious!
Then there's the outstanding ART88, outstanding is truly an understatement, I really don't have any words to describe it. The ART88 is truly by far the best in Class I've heard to date! It's all tube design can very easily be matched with the ultra-high-end and it doesn't cost as much as the ultra-high-end. So I guess, if you're financially sound and can afford it at this level, this is one SUPERB preamp! Mighty finest in SOTA.
I'm thinking that those background tunes coming out in full swing must be a factor of the ART88... don't know.
At first glance, it's not much to look at compared to the GAT, ACT2 or CT5... those preamps look like spaceships, really special ART Deco I must say. Only when you get really close to the ART88 and touch & feel, oh boy! We're in for a fabulous night. I was up listening till 4am and spent the night then it was all done & dusted, we flew out. Then I realised, caught in the glorious moments ... I didn't take a single damn photo! Uh, must have been too busy enjoying those finest finest tunes!
As for me, at this stage I've achieved what I was after. There are quite a number of areas I could further improve on and then spend another fortune and be broke! Rather, focus on life and health in general, family and loved ones and at the same time enjoy the music. As of now, it's mighty good enough for me. So I'll pass on this particular upgrade but I must say though, it was very very tempting ... oh well, perhaps in another lifetime.
Cheers to all and keep safe.
Woofty woof'n! RJ