Cat jl5
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In general there is more 'meat on the bones' and instruments sound fuller and more immediate. Violin leans a bit more towards wood than steel. Brass is less brassy than the Pass (if that makes any sense) but is less compressed sounding and more rounded.
I've been playing RCA Living Stereo Shostakovich 's Age of Gold Ballet Suite and it sounds incredible. Great separation of instruments, beautiful timbre.
As for using a solid state pre into tube amps, basically I'm mimicking people who go straight from a digital source (e.g. Berkeley Alpha DAC) into tube amps. It works.
I'm not sure how to answer the question about hall ambience - I'll have to think about that.
As for the amp support - funny story: I had a pair of HRS amp stands that I used to have under my Doshi amps. I pulled them out to use under the JL7's. I got very little bass and the highs were VERY forward. I then got advice to not use any stand with any form of mechanical isolation (which seemed to describe the HRS) so I removed the stands and the amps changed dramatically - bass appeared and the edgy highs disappeared. The JL7's have interesting flexible (rubber?) legs that provide all the isolation it needs.
Ian, if you do change your preamp to a CAT, I think you will then see why I am such a big fan of Ken's gear.
If your going direct from your Dac to the Cat's how are you playing your vinyl ?
Cheers,
I used the example of others using a DAC into tube amps as an example of solid state into tube amps. I'm using solid state sources and preamp into the CATs.
Ian thank you for the update. Very useful. Any CAT lovers in the forum have an experience on the sonic differences of the latest JL2 (Ultimate?) vs the JL7s? The JL2s are full power class A, so in theory they might be even purer. Is the KT-150 the standard tube for theses amps nowdays or you could substitute KT-88 and the like?
Thanks, Spyros.
That's probably the weirdest thing I have ever read - bass gone because of isolation?
But since the JL7s come with flexible, rubber isolation legs, why might putting the amps on some additional isolation platform make such a difference to Ian?
I'll let Peter speak for himself, but I did too and I mostly agree with Ian's assessment.
Thank you, Al. (You, like I, use tube amps so I am not surprised you mostly agree with Ian's assessment. I am sure I would agree too.)
I am very curious if Peter, also, appreciated those tube attributes.
PS: Just generally I know I personally would prefer Magicos driven by good tube amps (by "good" I mean other than old-style, flabby, slow, rolled-off tube amps) over the big solid-state amps I always seem to see Magico partnered with. The CATs on the M-Pros must make a fantastic sound! I would really like to hear your system, Ian!
I am very curious if Peter, also, appreciated those tube attributes.
PS: Just generally I know I personally would prefer Magicos driven by good tube amps (by "good" I mean other than old-style, flabby, slow, rolled-off tube amps) over the big solid-state amps I always seem to see Magico partnered with. The CATs on the M-Pros must make a fantastic sound! I would really like to hear your system, Ian!
You're welcome, Ron. I actually thought that Pass amps have strengths similar to tube amps *). In some real sense they do, but hearing the gear side by side reveals the differences.
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*) Spectral falls in that category too, in my view
I was able to compare the spectral dma 400 with spectral pre directly with the VTL 7.5 with VTL S400 into Wilson Alexandria XLF at innovative audio in N.Y.
Spectral is not like a tube amp. Not that it is a negative or a positive. The harmonics from tubes are obvious. Spectral does not have them. On the other hand, spectral is much cleaner, articulate, quick and dynamic and much more extended at both ends. I wouldn't say VTL has better vocals or midrange as compared to Spectral - the greater extension allows Spectral top present as if the vocalist is opening her mouth more to articulate her words.
Differences in choral were obvious with a plus going to Spectral. On the other hand, Spectral had lower midbass density. And it did not have the feeling of musical decay.
Marty has it right putting VTL pre into Spectral power, and I tried to demo with the lamm phono into the spectral gear but unfortunately the phono did not work properly.
Ron, I heard Ian's system last week with his new CAT amps. We listened first to the Pass, then to the CATs and then returned to the Pass. I made by preferences clear to both Ian and to Al. The CAT did some things well. The midrange was lush, warm, and beautiful. It really drew me into vocals and smaller scale music. Wind instruments and brass were particularly well served. But I found the Pass to sound much more tonally neutral and accurate. And natural. They had better control of the lower frequencies, and more resolution at both the highs and lows. They are more balanced to my ears.
We listened to my copy of Lorde's LP and to some Black Sabbath. The tubes were far too syrupy, transients were blunted, rhythm was lost and the bass was bloated/fat so we listened to the same Lorde track on digital. It was much better on digital and Ian's wife commented that this sounded more like with the Pass amps. Complex classical also sounded more convincing to me with the Pass amps mostly because of the tonal balance, resolution, and control of difficult musical lines.
Now, we all have our biases. I have been a fan of Pass Labs for many years. Al loves tube amps and did not seem to hear and he did not comment on the weaknesses that I heard. Ian seems to like some things about each amp. The M Pros are so revealing and transparent that the character of each amp came through very clearly to me. I think which one one prefers is very subjective and personal. It is what makes this hobby so interesting and surprising.
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