Heavyweight amplifier showdown- Boulder 2160 v Wavac HE 833 mkII

[infinitely baffled]

I love Boulder.
I mean seriously, unaturally adore their power amplifiers.
In my experience nothing else conveys the scale and emotional content of music, of any genre, as a Boulder fed by a Wavac pre amp.
So that is why, when it came to purchasing a new beating heart for my system, these are the two brands that i will audition.

There is a 2160 currently winging it's way toward me.
And as luck would have it, i have been offered a pair of Wavac HE 833 mkII monoblocks for the same price
So the mother of all auditions beckons

Will keep you updated

Best wishes
gav

 

[infinitely baffled]

Each contender, as heralded by their respective manufacturers:

https://www.wavac-audio.jp/he833mk2_e.shtml


http://boulderamp.com/products/2160-stereo-power-amplifier/

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Can’t see the Wavacs suiting your Focal Stella speakers and dance music as much as the Boulder tbh.

Look forward to your impressions.

 

[bonzo75]

Can’t see the Wavacs suiting your Focal Stella speakers and dance music as much as the Boulder tbh.

Look forward to your impressions.

I hope you are never the commentator for one of those WWF matches - you will be like can't see the smaller guy winning. You are supposed to warm up the crowd for the match.

 

[dan31]

My bet is the Wavac impresses with wonderful tube sound. My bet is the Boulder is a much better pairing with your speakers, especially long term.

 

[cjfrbw]

Button down SS vs. warm womb, heart beat second harmonics. Are you an explicitist or a sensualist?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

very interesting comparison to me.

6 months ago I did a very similar comparison in my room; the dart 458's verses the Lamm ML3's then later also the big VAC Statement 450's.....all with the dart preamp.

comparing this situation to mine; gav has amps that are more extreme in their solid state-ness and tubey-ness than the 458's and ML3's. so the choices will be even more divergent. and the Wavac's will have closer to adequate power (with considerable measured distortion) on gav's speakers than the ML3's might have on my speakers. (not an issue for the big VAC's).

then there is the Wavac preamp which could shift things in various ways.

my thread went on for 1200+ posts. I'd say this one could also be very entertaining; although the 'Lamm Nation' fanbase (said with much love) was quite passionate on many aspects. not sure Wavac will get the same degree of (unconditional) faith, not that it's not deserving (at one point I came very close to buying a set of HE-833 Mk2's myself).

 

[KeithR]

man, this sounds like fun!

 

[GMKF]

Have fun. Probaly the one of "best" and one of the "worst" measuring amps beeing compared is always fun.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Lol. I think the Wavac will defo seduce for a while but Gavin is a bass junky and listens almost exclusively to dance music with loads of deep bass. The Focal woofers like juice...

 

[GMKF]

Lol. I think the Wavac will defo seduce for a while but Gavin is a bass junky and listens almost exclusively to dance music with loads of deep bass. The Focal woofers like juice...

The Wavacs are known for their bass, because of their design. Can be as high as +7dB into 2 Ohms...

 

[bonzo75]

The Wavacs are known for their bass, because of their design. Can be as high as +7dB into 2 Ohms...

Your insights never seem to surprise me. For the rest of the forum members, this guy is barely 20 and he has every hifi detail on his tips

 

[GMKF]

Your insights never seem to surprise me. For the rest of the forum members, this guy is barely 20 and he has every hifi detail on his tips

Although I know nothing, literally zero about how to set up a vinyl system.

 

[bonzo75]

Although I know nothing, literally zero about how to set up a vinyl system.

That's how it is at twice your age as well

 

[cjfrbw]

VTL Statement 450's.....all with the dart preamp.

Did you mean VAC Attack rather than VTL Attack?

 

[morricab]

I love Boulder.
I mean seriously, unaturally adore their power amplifiers.
In my experience nothing else conveys the scale and emotional content of music, of any genre, as a Boulder fed by a Wavac pre amp.
So that is why, when it came to purchasing a new beating heart for my system, these are the two brands that i will audition.

There is a 2160 currently winging it's way toward me.
And as luck would have it, i have been offered a pair of Wavac HE 833 mkII monoblocks for the same price
So the mother of all auditions beckons

Will keep you updated

Best wishes
gav

Well, depending on how far you sit from the speakers and how loud you like to listen, I see no reason that the WAVACs can't sound pretty awesome with those speakers. I did a demo of the Grande Utopia Be EM (electromagnetic woofer damping) with the KR Audio VA350i and it embarrassed a pair of Electrocompaniet Monos (big 400 watt ones). Also, had a very nice demo with a pair of Mezzo Utopia Be and the same amp and also a very nice sounding Jadis Defy 7 MkIII with Siltech wiring. Both amps made the Mezzos sing.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Did you mean VAC Attack rather than VTL Attack?

yes, of course....my bad. thanks.

I will edit my other post.

 

[morricab]

Button down SS vs. warm womb, heart beat second harmonics. Are you an explicitist or a sensualist?

One of the best sounding amps I ever heard was the WAVAC HE805, which is one model below the one in question...however, it is a very different output tube than this 833 beast.

 

[cjfrbw]

One of the best sounding amps I ever heard was the WAVAC HE805, which is one model below the one in question...however, it is a very different output tube than this 833 beast.

I still have a pair of Ampex 805 tubes in my tube closet that I bought but never installed in the first Chinese 805 SET that convinced me I wanted to go to SET from PP tube. I suppose I should try to sell them rather than let them moulder, but I have so much stuff to sell that it gives me a headache to think about it so I just procrastinate. Coupla Wavacs, too.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

I heard these on the Pnoe. They were okay but nothing more tbh. Obviously system dependent.