Hi Al,
Regarding the your review of the Octave preamp, I had not heard your system for a while, so the ceiling treatments, version 2 of the Yggy, and the preamp were all new to me. Your system has come a long way since the last time I had listened to it. The changes make a more inviting and engaging listening experience. I found the overall sound to be more realistically smooth, have great tonal color, rich and dynamic bass, a more balanced sound-stage perspective. In particular, I was happy to hear a sweetness on certain recordings that I felt was missing the last time I was there, while still offering fine detail throughout the frequency spectrum.
I appreciated the ability to compare the Octave directly to a couple of preamps I know rather well. While I know the changes in your system performance are due to a few changes, I was still very impressed with the Octave preamp. I imagine the tone controls will be welcome during the low humidity winter days.
Nice write up, Al. Your mention of Rite of Spring reminds me how much I enjoyed the presentation on your system with the Octave - with the BSO performance fairly fresh in my mind and the commanding presence of your system (with great instrument separation) it really made me appreciation the composition. Stravinsky is great but really needs an optimized system (or live performance obviously) to do justice to the complexity of the music.
Very nice review Al! While I have not listened to the Octave separates, I think the integrated line of SE units bring a lot of great value to the table, and have enjoyed listening to them. I would only imagine the upper preamplifiers and amplifiers, just bring that much more to the table. Enjoy!
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