Hello, all
My first post here.
I would like to thank you all for your comments over this topic. Partly because of these comments, I bought a Humboldt.
It is everything they say- the Stereo review is highly accurate.
This thing is dead-quiet.
No fuss setting it up.
The music is fabulous- tone-colour is dense, images have body and solidity to them, the power is palpable in the lower ranges- (the Heisenbergs must be absolutely SENSATIONAL!)
I have never heard a drum (high-hat or snare, for example) sound so real- the leading edge is real, the body and decay are real. My son played drums in the same room i now use for audio, so the suddenness of the impact, the rapidness of the noise , the ACTION of the drum is familiar, and the Humboldt is the only amp I've ever heard that gets it right.
Gryphon Antileon Sig was great, too, but lacked the tone colour to some extent, and made most recordings sound more similar than I think is real.
And, bizarrely, some recordings that I thought were hot, or bright, or thin, or crowded, are now MORE listenable, not less, despite what seems to be very, very high resolution.
When I think of a track to play, I put it on, then I think- no, wait, I have to hear how that OTHER one sounds.... but I can't stop, I have to listen all the way to the end of the current track, 'cos it sounds so real.
Lousy for background music, as it drags your attention into the music.
Heaps of power, but you have NO idea how loud it is until you leave the room- then you realise the whole family has been listening in. No distortion means no cues that the amp is struggling (or means no struggle), so you just turn it up to get more of a great thing.(you know what they say- my neighbours listen to quality music every night, even if they don't want to
)
I have had more goosebumps in the last week than in my whole life of audio. Exciting, dramatic, engaging, enjoyable. Fabulous PRAT, which i don't understand but definitely enjoy.
U2 Running to Stand Still, Bad
Coldplay The Scientist
Any Norah Jones track
Christian Lesbian Southern States Music (Indigo Girls)
Bach Cello Suites
Dire Straits etc etc etc
You name it- I've greatly enjoyed it through Humboldt. I've even started to like JAZZ because it sounds so good and there are lots of quality live recordings.
And when I'm done washing up after dinner every night, I head for the music room to enjoy more more more.
Wonderful stuff.
Bad parts:
-remote is milled aluminium with stupidly-sharp edges, and is quite uncomfortable to hold.
- battery holder in remote is cheap plastic, supposed to stick to the remote case by double-sided tape, which doesn't work (of course, as anodised aluminium is non-stick), batteries RATTLE, so I stuffed some cushion stuffing in to hold it still.
-On-off button illumination is off-centre and too bright- annoying!
-Screen dims to a bright blue-grey rectangle, I'd rather it went black, thanks
-crazy-heavy 61kg and hard to find a suitable stand (I use hardwood butcher block and 24 Isopucks)
I have zero criticisms of the amp's performance, it is great. Zero grain, zero glare, no compromise I can hear. I am sure there are better amps, but I haven't heard them. They will be a joy when I do, because this is wonderful.
