Audiophilepure

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“The Stereo 100’s rear-panel toggle lets you choose between connecting its KT120 tubes’ screen grids to an Ultralinear (UL) tap on the output transformer’s primary or to the tubes’ anodes, creating faux triodes. Per the owner’s manual, the Stereo 100 is specified to output 100Wpc in UL, but no power rating is given for Triode mode. I assumed it would be about 30Wpc, but it appears I was wrong.”

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When one is considering an amplifier for one’s system, many factors come into play. A few of these are how much power is needed, whether one prefers solid-state or vacuum tubes, and especially whether or not an amplifier the matches the rest of one’s system. The Merrill Audio Element 118 deserves to be part of a system that has associated equipment that might not be top-of-the-line, but close to it. I could even imagine one building a system around the Element 118 and then acquiring the rest of one’s system to match its high-level of performance”

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“The existence of a coherent field of micro detail manifests both as an ambient field in the mids and higher ranges and also as low-frequency ambience. Ambience is usually a property of the high frequencies; here, we distinctly had it in the bass. Imagine that — bass ambience. Normally, a really full bass foundation means you are listening to a solid-state amp, which also usually means there’s a little muddiness or a one-note quality that isn’t quite natural. What I heard here were the color and lifelike presentation of tubes — like the famous tube midrange but in the bass. Most of you have heard the way a solo voice, via a tube midrange, can glow and radiate out from center stage. Now think of that in the bass. It was really nice. Unfortunately, my Lansche 5.1 speakers do not quite fully extend to the deepest bass regions. Pity. I’d never missed it before, but I would have loved to hear what a high-resolution speaker with really deep bass could do with these amps.”

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“Even if you never head down the analog path, the STR is incredibly versatile. If I were nitpicking, it would be really handy if they did include a streamer component – that’s the only thing keeping it from being 100% perfect. Our Naim Atom is a Roon Ready component and in a house and studio environment that gets all its music served thusly, it’s nice to have all components exist within one music data infrastructure. In all fairness, this wouldn’t stop me from purchasing an STR.

If you want an integrated amplifier that delivers major audiophile performance, sounds great, and offers major flexibility, this is the one you want. Designed and built in Canada, Anthem components have a long reputation for being rock solid, so if you do all the firmware updates, you just might be handing this one down to your kids.”

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“Constellation Audio’s Performance Centaur II 500 is one of the best-sounding amplifiers I have auditioned in my system. It offers high power, excellent low-frequency control, and clean, clear high frequencies. The accuracy and stability of its stereo imaging are to die for, coupled with a superbly transparent view into the soundstage.And it is very expensive. I fear I must leave it to you, dear reader, to decide if it is too expensive.”

Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/constellation-performance-centaur-ii-500-power-amplifier-page-2#CpKOomJxIyKIIbKl.99

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“The Zanden’s limitations are few. Yes, this will not find favour among those wanting to cram as much top end energy as possible into every musical experience. And if you play this into difficult loudspeakers in a huge room, and then deluge it with heavy opera, the Zanden will eventually run out of puff. The valve regulation, however, seems engineered well enough to withstand complex themes without folding up and compressing the midrange.

You know you are onto a winner when a brand is spoken of in hushed tones. Zanden Audio Systems is one such brand, and the 9600Mk2 is part of the reason why those hushed tones are uttered. Of course this amplifier deserves world-class partners and that makes it extremely expensive in context, but it defines a musical performance the likes of which you simply don’t get from other components. That doesn’t just put the Zanden in the audio A-List, it turns out to be Audio Royalty, and you want that music in your life more and more.”

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“Of all the power amplifiers, integrated amplifiers, and pre-power combinations to have spent time in my reference system, the pairing of Audio Research’s tubed Reference 160M monoblocks and REF 6 preamplifier stands out as having sounded the most musically neutral and natural. Other components may offer more warmth and glow, or wider soundstages, or greater dynamic contrast, or more bass slam, transparency, and detail—but there was an inherent rightness to the sound of this supremely musical ARC pairing that puts it in a class by itself.

Since hearing the Reference 160Ms and REF 6 together, all of my preconceptions about the sound of tubed equipment have gone out the window. While choosing an amplifier will always be based upon many factors—economic means, personal taste, and the willingness to monitor and occasionally replace tubes among them—I’m convinced that the Reference 160M will find a home on many a solar- or wind-powered desert island. It’s that good.”

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“The bass in particular exhibiting a muscular sinew to every thrum as Cole’s voice floats ethereally above and at the fore, running point-source on the track for every other instrument to track from, again clustering around his voice in a way that mimics a deep, V-shaped sound stage, but that also completely envelopes and stretches beyond the room. Here, near the end of the review I’m circling back to some of my opening impressions of the 611s: they have an uncanny ability to paint a sonic picture much larger than the four walls you find yourself listening to them in. And that, is one of the deepest points these amps impressed upon me, they can make small, intimate acoustic recordings of a guitar sound like it is being played directly in front of you or recreate the spatial cues of a massive recording studio filled with dozens of artists. The choice is yours, as the 611s will simply and transparently project whatever program you choose to play through them.”

R