Audiophilepure

https://pt.audio/2024/10/25/ampsandsound-arch-power-amplifiers-part-2-review/

The word that keeps coming to mind is clean, almost squeakily so, but still has many stereotypical tube qualities. Holographic imaging in spades. Weight and body. A heft to the music. Pace and rhythm and timing. Maybe not as lightning-fast as say the TAD electronics I had in the house earlier this year, but I’ve never heard anything that fast before or since.

Is the Arch perhaps one of the best tube amps I’ve heard? Yes? No? As an amplifier, I found no faults. It did everything asked of it. However, I’m pretty sure that tube diehards, like those 300B lovers I work with (I’m looking at you, Brian, Marc, and Scot), I’m not sure this amp is “the one” for you. The push-pull configuration doesn’t give you a dripping midrange that oozes vibe. Look to the Bryce, Black Pearl, or Red October if you want vibe. The Arch is a different amp for a different application. If you want to avoid colorations, no matter how pleasant or desirable, then the Arch is what you want.

Switching to vinyl was transformative. There was a sweetness on delicate passages that I hadn’t noticed with digital. Instruments had a weight and timbre more akin to real instruments. But perhaps most importantly there was an emotional connection with the music that I was missing with the digital portion of my review. Decay became more natural and the effect was especially pronounced on piano keystrokes.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/canton-reference-7

While savouring grand orchestral works through the Reference 7s is a joy, it’s important to reflect on how these speakers might deal with more delicate pieces of music, such as Schubert’s String Quintet; Quartettsatz [CHAN 10978; 96kHz/24-bit]. Recorded with The Brodsky Quartet in honour of the group’s fiftieth anniversary, this is chamber music at its best, played by talented musicians who – very unusually for a quartet formation – never perform sitting down.

The last track here, ‘D 703 Quartettsatz’, nicely illustrates where the Reference 7s excel. With two violins, viola and cello varying between quiet and loud, these new Canton speakers show themselves capable of nimbly handling rapid changes and runs. Although this isn’t the ultimate recording of a cello, the Reference 7s exposed the deep vibrations of the instrument’s body, with a hint of warmth to make it really engaging. I do not choose that word lightly, as putting emotion into music is exactly what these floorstanders do incredibly well.