You and I exchanged emails about two years ago. I bought this unit, but now it needs repair (the built in IC). One of my options is to replace the IC with Sogon. Just curious, why you sold yours and any advice you might have on putting more money into this vs. Many thanks, Michael Marks
Michael, Always glad to help. Sure, upgrade the cable as you want as it is truly a great unit. As for why I sold mine, quite frankly the reason the Ongaku and 6c were sold is that Enjoy the Music.com nearly put me into bankruptcy and so sold what I had to keep food on the table. Both units are dearly missed. In life we all make choices and sometimes even some of the very best material objects get sold to keep our dreams alive and the loved ones close to us happy. Have a wonderful weekend and as always... Enjoy the Music (James Taylor "Fire And Rain" right now), Steven R. Rochlin
Nice review on the Consonance 211 amps. I have just placed order for these monoblocks but went for the 845 at this moment. I have been told by many that the 845 sounds simply better than the 211 but you have listened to an Ongaku and many of them haven't. Without wanting to waste too much of your time what's your take on this? I am tempted with the 211 as NOS 211's are still available and more affordable compared to the 845's. Many would say comparing these and the Ongaku is really not a comparison, I would like your opinion so that I could ultimately decide. I listen on a pair of Harbeth Compact 7 ES 3's and was just wondering if the 211 amplifiers would do enough justice on them. Regards, Dixon Chen
Hi Dixon, Thanks for your e-mail and while we all hate blanket statements, am simply not a fan of the 845 if given a choice of a 211. Like many things in audio, there are always exceptions and we have personal preferences to take into account. As for if it will drive the Harbeth Compact 7 ES 3' loudspeakers, they are rated at a lowish 86B/W/m and present a 6 Ohm load. Hmm... that is a tough one as it depends on how loud you like your music, if it has a lot of bass and the room/acoustics. It could work as the 845 version produces 28 watts. Without actually trying it, no way to really know if it would work for me. Years ago I remember pairing some JMlab small, inefficient monitors to a small 30-ich watt amplifier and it was not that happy. Since I was toying around, and the then top-line Threshold staggeringly large monoblocks Amperage-laden units were in my reach, I tried this mating and the result was beyond my expectation. It was truly stunning, beautiful... amazing! Guess in the end it is hard to say. Have seen some very interesting things work that seems they should not. Who knows? Can you find a pair and try it before you buy? On the other hand, perhaps at some point you will find different speakers and that could change the entire scenario. Thanks again for your e-mail, you ask a tough question and appreciate you getting me to think about it and remember my past experimentation. Be well my friend and as always... Enjoy the Music, Steven R. Rochlin
Hi Steven, I thank you so much for taking time to reply. Hope you don't get me wrong on the what sounding best for what speakers as I started with the Harbeth on solid state and am currently on a 6550 push pull setup still with them. Matching good sounding speakers are hard to find here. Closest being Audio Notes. If it doesn't take too much of your time what do you like in the 211 that the 845 does not have and of course lastly the 211 Consonance not being near Ongaku but since you have compared it with the Ongaku previously I am very curios to know, how many percent of the 211 Consonance is that of the Ongaku? Its a long shot question but thought I'd just ask. Guess I want to know is that is it a poor man's Ongaku? Regards, Dixon
Dixon, Excellent question and I'd say the Consonance 211 with the NOS GE VT4C is about 90 percent of an Ongaku. It is hard to explain what those last 10 percent really means, the Ongaku can be mind-bendingly good and gets me musically emotional like virtually no other. You could get the 211 and play around with the capacitor, as the engineer of the Consonance and I discussed this. The Ongaku uses a handmade silver foil capacitor, and I truly so mean HAND made. It looked so primitive, but who am I to judge about looks when it sounded sooooo good? The engineer said they chose the capacitor they did as musically it was best. You could get a 'more accurate' sound per se with a different capacitor, but then you lose on other aspects of the overall sound. Engineering and measurement gear is only so good, then comes using one's ears to make parts type/brand choices. With each choice may come change. Change may neither be good nor bad so to speak, it simply is. Hope this somehow helps and I do have the Audio Note ANJ/SPx silver wire/crossover here and they did work very well with the Consonance 211 with GE VT4C. Lovely speakers, am right now using them as my reference… and waiting for something else that will probably be my new reference as they are being built for me as I type this. Sorry, can not disclose as it will also be a world premiere review. Always glad to help and remember, in the end what REALLY matters is that you…. Enjoy the Music, Steven R. Rochlin
Hi Steven, Just thought I'd let you know that the Cyber 211's arrived yesterday and I put them to listen on the stock
Chinese 211's. Remarkably absolutely stunning out of the box! The solidness of the voice ( absolutely 3D and natural) and the way how the surrounding notes are reproduced are no less than remarkable.
It has been a long time since any one sound system lingers in my mind after listening to it, while I am writing to you now it still lingers in my mind on the way music was reproduced. Regards, Dixon
Dixon, That is wonderful news. Now turn on the stereo and as always... Enjoy the Music, Steven R. Rochlin
I just came across your review of the Bryston 7B SST2 C-Series monoblock power amplifiers. I have read and re-read the review but could not find what speakers you were using or what the front end consists of? In fact I went to the page to see what the contributing editors systems are but you are not listed there. Would you be kind enough to tell me what your system consists of; speakers, preamplifier, CD player and analog if you use a turntable what is it arm and cartridge and phono stage? Of particular interest to me is your mention of: the "Acoustic Revive XLR and RCA interconnects as well as their SPC-PA speaker cables." There is nowhere for me to audition these cables and I have read positive reviews of their power cords. Did you have an opportunity to compare these cables to other cables and if so which ones? The Audience? Thank you in advance for your time and attention in this matter. Sincerely, Christopher Frank
Christopher Frank, I was not completely listed in the Enjoy the Music.com reviewers bio only by mistake, another reader also mentioned that to me and I passed it on to my publisher and it has been corrected to show complete data. Loudspeakers used for the review were the Legacy Focus 20/20, preamplifier was the Monarchy Audio M33 (actually a DAC/Preamplifier combo). CD playback for that review was a Rega Apollo player and turntable is the Oracle Delphi MK1 with Grace 707 tonearm, Denon DL-301 II Moving Coil Stereo cartridge with Whest Phonostage .20+MsU .20 power supply. As for the Acoustic Revive cables they worked well for me in my system, my room, to my ears. I did have some Audience Conductor E cables both interconnect and speaker cable (which did cost considerable less than the Acoustic Revive), and found them very good but less detailed however once again they do make a more expensive AU24 E which I would think would be more interesting and a better comparison price-wise but I did not have them on hand to listen to. I would always prefer to listening to cables before I make a purchase as well. Thanks for reading, Anthony Nicosia
I am looking for a solid state integrated amplifier. I have the Atoll IN100 right now and tested the new Bluenote S-1 signature but did not like it - too clinical, not lush and full. Then I demoed a Luxman 505u and was blown away. I loved the richness, full-bodied but detailed sound and could not believe the difference between the 3 amplifiers. Question: What other integrated amps should I try that are sonically comparable to the Luxman? You help is very much appreciated. Best wishes, Wolfgang Frank
Dear Mr. Frank, This is a difficult question to answer because I don't know very much about you or your system or your budget. It's much easier to stick with the amplifiers you just mentioned I assume they are within your budget. One at a time, I understand the Gamut DI-150 is very quick and detailed, the SI-100 is still to new to be included. The AAron is something I have not see in the U.S. The Japanese Accuphase line includes 4 integrated amps so I can only generalize about the product. The E-550 uses a MOSFET power stage and the sonic qualities of MOSFETs can mimic the qualities of tubes and combine the advantages of solid state that might be a good place to look. Lastly there is the PASS 150 integrated, I have a lot of respect for Nelson Pass products at $7,150 it is expensive but worth an audition. If it were my system I would start with the Pass Labs 150. Good listening, R. Nagle
I've been reading you review on EMM Labs CDSA, and I'd like to know if you have ever heard the improved version, with the new German-made drive? Also, do you still think that the CDSA is still comparable to the best one box players on the market. I had the opportunity to listen to the latest version and I'm very impressed with the sonics attributes. However, I'm a little afraid of the less than perfect build quality and reliability on a long term, as it is a very heavy investment. Thank you, your opinion will be appreciated. Best regards, Paulo Silva
Hi Paulo, Yes, indeed. My CDSA SE was updated to Mk II status earlier this year. The changes are subtle, but definitely for the better. Resolution is higher, the background blacker and the overall sound more liquid. Along with the new version comes a new higher price tag. I still believe it to be the best one box player in the world, although there are some players I have not yet heard. Other players bring different qualities to the mix that may lead to different opinions. It has no digital input, which is quite a drawback for some, and it is 2-channel only, which may not satisfy others. My biggest complaint would be the ergonomics, but the designer has made the choice to sacrifice some ease of use for sonic purity. It is of course a big investment but I would expect EMM Labs to look after their customers in the event of any malfunctions, and to offer upgrades over time, which is quite unusual. Enjoy The Music, Phil
I want to thank you for your review of the AKG K701's. I am new to the world of audiophile and Its time for a killer set of headphones. I wanted to ask you if you would suggest purchasing the K701's if I don't intend to power them through a headphone amp. I noticed the Graham Slee Solo is very pricey and I am building a home studio from scratch. A Graham Slee Solo Amp isn't at the top of my list of gear to buy in the next year. Thanks for your time, Josiah Reed
Hi Josia, The AKG's do take a fair bit of driving, but there are a number of lower cost head amps that I can recommend. I would start with the high output Grado RA1 ACHG but there are lots of other manufacturers to look at including Creek, Rega and Project. Please try before you buy! Enjoy the music, Phil
I am writing just to let you know, a pair of Bat VK-55 amplifiers as mono blocks would retail for $7990 and do auto bias they are proudly made in the USA they are rated at 110 WPC they should be considered for review. I would be very surprised if they didn't out perform the Chinese made amplifiers that you just reviewed. Rich
Dear Rich, I agree, I would most certainly would like to review any BAT component unfortunately they do not hand out many samples. You do realize that you make reference to a pair of mono amplifiers that cost nearly twice as much as the Antique Sound Labs amplifiers. For that kind of money they need to be better or the BAT people would be out of business. Everything I said about these components was influenced by their price/performance ratio and it was obvious to me where they cut corners. Now if the BAT guys would drop their price to $4,000 that would really be something to write about! Ron
Great article on the Reference 3a Grand Veena. I heard them at the Montreal FSI show this past spring. I am in the market for new speakers and am considering the Grand Veena. My only concern is my room may be a bit small -- it measures 12 ft by 20 ft and the speakers would be placed on the shorter 12 ft wall. I have the following equipment: 1. Amplifier: Bryston 4B-SST The other speakers on my shortlist are (in order of preference): 1. Gemme Audio Tanto v2 Do you have any experience with these speakers? I have heard them all in extended listening sessions (but not on my equipment, although very similar to). I really like the Gemme Tanto and Reference 3a Episode. The only reason I am considering the Grand Veena is because I can get a lightly used pair at a good price. Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Todd Evans
Hi Todd, I agree the Grand Veena may not be ideal in your room. My room is bigger but still not ideal. They really strut their stuff in a much bigger space. I have tried the Tanto but not the new Tanto v2. It's a beautiful speaker physically and I would certainly include it in my shortlist. If you enjoyed the Grand Veena then the Episode may be exactly what you are looking for given the size of your listening room. The Sonogram is another excellent choice in this price range and I hope to review it soon. I haven't spent enough time with the Harbeth speakers to give you good feedback. But you shouldn't be listening to me. You've tried these speakers yourself and you should trust your own ears. See if you can hear them in your own home before committing. Enjoy the Music, Phil Gold
I share like you the love for the LPs (and nobody will convince me that CD, SACD or other thing can really sound better (to not say as good). There is my situation : So, I focus on the oracle first but I read in your review that there was a ''slight lack of deep bass, below 45Hz would be my guess'' I want to be sure I really understand: this doesn't mean that there's no bass under 45khz and that this table is not able to produce deep bass. Would you be able to compare the opera with my original choice (If you heard it), so I could know about what's the difference? You can also make me see the difference between the opera LP and the Oracle (I know that Scott Faller reviewed it). I had a friend that had compared the Orbe to the Opera LP, so I'm able to make the parallel. Thank You,
Mario, Thanks for your e-mail. My comments are highly, super critical. There is indeed deep bass and, perhaps, it was the cartridge as I now use the Van den Hul Frog and the bass is very nice. Sorry I have not updated the review, so much work, so little time. In the end I am very, very happy with the Oracle and it is bringing me hundreds (perhaps thousands) of hours of musical bliss. Hard to ask for more than that. Enjoy the Music, Steven R. Rochlin
I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of a component similar to the Warm Regards, Jonathan Catuccio
Jon, Alas, I know of no component that is like it that is also balanced. While I fully understand the premise behind going balanced, this obviously adds to the cost and complexity of ensuring that each leg (+ and -) are perfectly matched. Wish I knew more. Enjoy the Music, Steven R. Rochlin
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