Forget about: osteopath...osteopathS (plural), physio pain clinic, and Scotland's leading orthopaedic surgeons on standby (if Brexit hasn't made them leave yet LOL).
Heavyweight amplifier showdown- Boulder 2160 v Wavac HE 833 mkII
- Thread starter infinitely baffled
- Start date
Gavin, I heard the 2160 two years ago - Just before I started blogging http://zero-distortion.org/yg-hailey/ - here it was really good, one of the best SS amps I heard. And with some tuning surely could be turned in to the best.
Then, Gian and I heard it with the big TADs at the Italian distro's place http://zero-distortion.org/the-italian-over-the-top-road-trip/. It also had the Atlas going through the boulder phono on a Basis TT. Maybe too clean a sound, and some mismatch between the speakers and the amps, not sure. Luckily for us in the next room was the Tenor 75 OTL
Then, Gian and I heard it with the big TADs at the Italian distro's place http://zero-distortion.org/the-italian-over-the-top-road-trip/. It also had the Atlas going through the boulder phono on a Basis TT. Maybe too clean a sound, and some mismatch between the speakers and the amps, not sure. Luckily for us in the next room was the Tenor 75 OTL
Red letter day today
My 2060 has returned ?
Necessarily a short post as listening is all i want to do
Left her warming up while the dogs got a wiggle, then launched right in.
And straight away, I'm amazed
Began with the album 'this is all yours' by Alt-j
(which in itself tells a story to anyone tempted to write it off as all macro dynamics and slam.
Alt-j are acoustic, intimate, delicate, dreamlike)
And it seems like in the short time i was out someone came round and altered the dimensions of my living room.
It has become a cathedral, soft walled and without sharp edges, with all the breathiness and decay of a truly exceptional, massive, performance space
Breathtaking
More soon
Plus i can now get the ball rolling with my shootout
Hopefully your patience will be rewarded
My 2060 has returned ?
Necessarily a short post as listening is all i want to do
Left her warming up while the dogs got a wiggle, then launched right in.
And straight away, I'm amazed
Began with the album 'this is all yours' by Alt-j
(which in itself tells a story to anyone tempted to write it off as all macro dynamics and slam.
Alt-j are acoustic, intimate, delicate, dreamlike)
And it seems like in the short time i was out someone came round and altered the dimensions of my living room.
It has become a cathedral, soft walled and without sharp edges, with all the breathiness and decay of a truly exceptional, massive, performance space
Breathtaking
More soon
Plus i can now get the ball rolling with my shootout
Hopefully your patience will be rewarded
I've just replaced the Amperex 12au7a's in the Wavac, with another set of the same. I find them quite delicious
May i ask what Wavac items you have surplus to requirements?
I might be in the market for another phonostage.... lcr-x2 perhaps.
Max, I find your post puzzling. In the Michael Fremer review and related Stereophile test the Wavacs ran into serious distortion trouble at the lowest frequencies.
Harmonic distortion can/may add to the "audible presence" of a frequency band. The thing I was talking about was the frequency-response into 2 ohms/4ohms that the amplifier produces.
think 'fat bass'. non-linearity's in bass performance can be perceived as bigger bass, the tougher the load, the greater the 'fatness'. like a Garrard 301 tt, it plays to particular musical types.
I heard the Stern + Heisenberg pairing a few weeks' back fronted by a Lampi Golden Gate and driving Magico S3 Mk2's. They take a while to warm up but once they do, there is a lot of magic going on. Incredibly low noise floor, vast soundstage in all directions, great separation in instruments / vocals, very realistic timbre (esp for SS design), and effortless drive. Female vocals were particularly stunning.
In fact the combo is so good, it quickly revealed the limitations of the speakers and the S3's were clearly choking the whole system.
I should get to hear the CH L1 + M1 monos next month on my own speakers which should be interesting.
In fact the combo is so good, it quickly revealed the limitations of the speakers and the S3's were clearly choking the whole system.
I should get to hear the CH L1 + M1 monos next month on my own speakers which should be interesting.
I want to spend a fortnight getting used to the sound of my 2060 again first.
Since i will be paying somewhere in the region of a thousand pounds to audition the Wavacs i intend to make the most of my time with them
(They belong to a private individual)
I understand the 2160 is ready to go, but i may only have limited time with it, so again, i want to immerse myself in the 2060 first so i have a baseline to work from
When i began this thread i thought i would have the 2160 while my 2060 was serviced. For logistical reasons it didn't work out like that
Since i will be paying somewhere in the region of a thousand pounds to audition the Wavacs i intend to make the most of my time with them
(They belong to a private individual)
I understand the 2160 is ready to go, but i may only have limited time with it, so again, i want to immerse myself in the 2060 first so i have a baseline to work from
When i began this thread i thought i would have the 2160 while my 2060 was serviced. For logistical reasons it didn't work out like that
I just want to echo these thoughts regarding the 2060. While I admit that my vitus front end may imbue a certain tube-like sound (maybe?) the 2060 is just effortless and lacks all grain, it’s extremely detailed, yet relaxed, it reveals everything but simply plays what is on the disk. I remember when I decided I was going to get a boulder, my then dealer offered to let me hear the 2060 and I declined. Instead I was happy with the Boulder 1060 and either a 1010 or ARC ref 40. The 1060 was excellent, detailed, and there was some need to reduce the volume after an hour or two. It was detailed, nuanced, but not as relaxed.
For several reasons I did not end up with the 1060 or either the 1010 or arc ref 40. Several years later I had a chance to upgrade my boulder 865 and listened to the 2060 and the 2160. Ok, both are great. The 2160 is better, but to my ears, not night and day better. It was a bit faster but the 2060 was so similar. And the deal I was offfered made the 2060 a no brainer.
i made this upgrade 6 months ago. This amp is the final stop... or a keeper for the long haul. Maybe a 3060 — which is just a world beyond anything I have heard. I remover thinking the 2060 is just not a solid state amplifier. The idea of tubes versus solid state goes away and you hear music. I remember reading about this and it didn’t make sense, but I get it now. I hope that makes sense!
Lol are you thinking of upgrading already. Brian flowers on this forum owns it. Bflowers I think
Gavin, at these levels, it's deffo not just hearing, it's experiencing, like live music.
FWIW, I'm thinking of moving to 1.46W, maybe 2W, possibly stretching to 3.5W LOL!
FWIW, I'm thinking of moving to 1.46W, maybe 2W, possibly stretching to 3.5W LOL!
Well, my 'logic', or to be more precise 'man maths', goes along the lines of;
If 2160 isn't so much of an upgrade from 2060
And since 2160 is possibly ~ 60% the cost of 3060
Why not just settle in for the long haul, and save the extra 40% ?
If 2160 isn't so much of an upgrade from 2060
And since 2160 is possibly ~ 60% the cost of 3060
Why not just settle in for the long haul, and save the extra 40% ?
I must confess to being a little distracted at the mo. Had an attempted break-in here two weeks ago, police currently investigating so i can't give the full (blooded) account i am just dying to....hopefully once charges are brought and convictions gained i can regale you all with the tale....
Gavin, that's really too bad.
In this day and age where most consumer items weigh nothing and can be picked up w one hand e.g. mobiles, laptops etc, it would have been true justice had one of yr "guests" got a prolapsed disc trying to pinch yr Boulder.
In this day and age where most consumer items weigh nothing and can be picked up w one hand e.g. mobiles, laptops etc, it would have been true justice had one of yr "guests" got a prolapsed disc trying to pinch yr Boulder.
Gavin, my gear is 20' above ground level, accessed by tight spiral stairs.
It killed us getting stuff up there, esp the 120kg Stacore pallets NO LOL!
I salute (with a brick) any enterprising soul attempting to take it all back down.
It killed us getting stuff up there, esp the 120kg Stacore pallets NO LOL!
I salute (with a brick) any enterprising soul attempting to take it all back down.