What lies beneath?
- Thread starter DaveyF
- Start date
An excerpt on the Concert Fidelity preamp...from Dick Olsher's on-line review...for all you Pass fans out there!
"Transient finesse and low-level resolution were also first-class. Struck cymbals shimmered exquisitely, and in general, transient decay could be followed amazingly far into the noise floor of a recording. There are plenty of solid-state preamps that can match the CF-080 in resolution and transient speed, but with one vital difference—most of them lack emotional combustion, the ability to ignite the music’s emotional content. Without that spark, they end up sounding mechanical, almost robotic in nature. Breathing life into a recording is a Concert Fidelity specialty. Microdynamic nuances were fully fleshed out. Familiar vocals took on a new life, revealing layers of expressive shadings. The transition from soft to very loud was also quite convincing, rivaling that of the Pass Labs XP-30 in this regard. Large-ensemble music was reproduced with plenty of verve and kinetic energy. Bass lines were tightly defined—no complaints here—but did not come close to matching the XP-30’s gut-punching bass slam. But then few preamps feature the XP-30’s super-low output impedance and current-drive capability."
"Transient finesse and low-level resolution were also first-class. Struck cymbals shimmered exquisitely, and in general, transient decay could be followed amazingly far into the noise floor of a recording. There are plenty of solid-state preamps that can match the CF-080 in resolution and transient speed, but with one vital difference—most of them lack emotional combustion, the ability to ignite the music’s emotional content. Without that spark, they end up sounding mechanical, almost robotic in nature. Breathing life into a recording is a Concert Fidelity specialty. Microdynamic nuances were fully fleshed out. Familiar vocals took on a new life, revealing layers of expressive shadings. The transition from soft to very loud was also quite convincing, rivaling that of the Pass Labs XP-30 in this regard. Large-ensemble music was reproduced with plenty of verve and kinetic energy. Bass lines were tightly defined—no complaints here—but did not come close to matching the XP-30’s gut-punching bass slam. But then few preamps feature the XP-30’s super-low output impedance and current-drive capability."
I'm not sure if I'm ready to handle emotional combustion just now. I guess nothing embarrasses the people who write this kind of stuff for a living.
"emotional combustion" and its definition, is a new one for me ...
"emotional combustion" and its definition, is a new one for me ...
Spontaneous human emotional combustion. That could wreck your whole day!
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