6e.

_L

i

(oj’~

co

iia

n69 2’ (o 01

oc

gD o o

Li-i. 1-’ ( L

-

[a

-n‘-1

c

ii4f

1

‘o

0

1~

e

4 o

•~

4.

o4

o.4

CI

4-

e

oo

4if&

0-

f

ee

,

•

•ff

e

L~i~

LL

o

o, o.

e

t,-~

.:

•1

~

4’.

ao

o3,

D

v v y v v v y 7 v 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

SAM TELLIG DJCS DEEPER INTO DJRECT-HEATED TRJODES

A year or so ago the Britislimag, Hi-Fi Neu’s & RecordReview, pubiished a “Valves

and Vinyl” supplement. There was afeature articie on thc Audion SilverNights—a pair ofdrop-dead—gorgeousmono tube amplifaers using the 300Boutput tube—made by a companynamed Alema, founded by David ChesseU and Erik Andersson, both formerlyassociated with the UK firm Audiolnnovations.

First thing 1 did was fax the manufacturer: “Do you have a North Americanimpor ter?

Not at that time? But they asked meif 1 would iike to purchase a pain

Purchase a pair?1 could see that, with shipping charges,

ir wouid make no sense to bourace areview pair back and forth across theAtlantic. But buy a pair, sight unseen andsound unheard? 1 heid on to my wallet.

David Chesseli was not deterred.“You won’t be sorry’ he said. “Severalreviewcrs in Europe have already boughtthem.”

1 returned to the HFN/RR article andlusted after the amps—beautifully fan—ished with a brass nameplate on top, cladin gleaming brass on other parts ofthechassis, and those beautifui, glow—in—the-dark Shuguang 300B output tubes.1 sent Mr. Chessdil my check. (1 often doimpuisive things in hi-fi.)

The amps arrived a week later tojoinmy system: a Pioneer Elite PD-65 CDplayer, Audibie lilusions Modulus 3 preamp, a pair ofQuad ESL-63 USA Monitors, and an AR turntable with an SME309 arm and a Shure Ultra 500 cartridge

These beauties did things right straightout of the box: truth oftimbre, sweetness, smoothness, detail, deiicacy. And,for their rated 2OWpc, they had a surprising amount of get-up-and-go (up to a

point—20W—ofcourse).The Silver Nights are rated at 2OWpc

for the export version, l8Wpc for thedomestic UK version. The 300B outputtubes, two per side, are sourced fromShuguang. There are two other tubes perside: an ECC88/6922 Sovtek input tubeand a 5687 double—triode driver tubesourccd from National that says ‘Madein USA:’ Silver wiring is used throughout the amp, and transformers are saidto be designed in-house.

The manufacturer notes that the initialbreak—in period is two to three days.After that, the amps should be given awarmup period of 10—15 minutes. I’dgive ‘em two to three weeks’ burn-in time(without the amps on ali te time), usingthe arnps 6—8 hours a day, before makingany “yudgments” (as Larsik likes to say).The amps require about an hour’s

warmup in order to sound their best.This is not unusual—some amps takeeven longer. With the amps sitting onhomemade stands, 1 used as short a runas possible ofKimber STC—the excel—Ient cable 1 keep corning back to2—toeach speaker. When using the Quads, 1put the stands under the speakers, whichare raised with Arcici stands.

Each amp is equipped with a leveicontrol, so you can run a CD player orprocessor straight in and keep your system simple. file amps are mirror imagesof one another, so the volume-leveiknobs can be placed right ncxt to oneanother?) This may be an excellent idea2 l 111w Kimber 8TC because lts nos a viajo, ofíashion—is’s never “kabie ofthe rnonth?’ What is is,shough, is righs.

3 Tbe connecsiona in shc baek are aiao mirror—imaged;ook carefuiiy ao you dons eonnect yossr speakers uns

ofpisase.

SAM s SPACE

1 Tias Audion une o(ampiiíiers is now imporsed insoshe US byJay Bersrand oíAudio importa, 49 FairviewAve., Nasisua, NH 03060. Tei: (603) 883—1982. Fase:(603) 880-4533. Tias Silver Nighs ‘viii resail for $3900.

STEISEOPHILIS, FsnRuARy 1994 45

for those whojust play CDs—you cancut out che une stage or preamp. Thcreare conneetions for 2, 4, and 8 ohms: 1ran the Quads off the 4 ohm tap andfound thcy werc a little more gutsy,maybe, than if they were run off the 8ohm tap

No overali feedback is used, and theainps are supposed to incorporate “advanced phase eaneellation cireuitry.” Inother words, this ain’t a single—endeddesign—it’s push-pull, using a phasesplittcr. 1 wouldn’t get hung up on thispush-pull or single-ended stuff(aithough1 do think you Jose some liquidity com—pared to the Cary 300SE mono amps 1wrote about last November, in VoL16No.11, p.69)—what niatters most is howwcll a particular dcsign is exccutcd.

1 hcar a strong family resembianceamong ali amplifiers that use the 300Boutput tube—whethcr the tube issourced from Shuguang/GoId Dragonor che American-made CetronlRichardson. (The 300B is a direct-heated triode.)

The most remarkable thing about thcSilver Nights—as with othcr 300Bamps—is truth of timbre, or tonalaccuracy. This is not so much a iushncssas a riglitness ofsound—a freedom fromanything that sounds mechanicai, concrived, or artificial. Of course, goodrecordings hclp; but cven not-so-great

recordings can sound okay with thisamp. 1 espccially like listening to thingslike old Benny Goodman, Glenu Milier,and Bing Crosby records—and theysound great with the Silver Nights. Whatdo you want me to listen to—JenniferWarblcr? Amanda McSweep? New Age?A bunch ofSwedes trying to play yazz?(Sorry, Larsik.)

lfyou’re Iistening to a multi-mikedmcss, this amp will reveal the rccordingfor the botchcd job that it is. On the otherhand, ifyou have a recording that soundsspacious and natural, this amp will giveit to you in ali its sonic splendor. Unlikesome tube amps that seem to wrapeverything up in a phasey haze, the SilverNights don’t cover things up—they’retransparent. Llnfortunately, they have away of showing up other amplifierswhich obscure $0 much detail—hide itbehind a whale (or “veil,” ifyou don’tspeak Swedlish).

Don’t expect killer bass from theseamps—it’s not thcre in solid—statc terms.On the other hand, don’t expect flabby,l—won’t—name—the—manufacturer tubebass, either—there’s nothing soggy onthe bottom. Bass is tight, tuneful, andsurprisingly fuil without being overripe,as it is with, to some degree, the Mcln—tosh 275 Commemorative Edition (1 stilllove the Big Mac).

The Silver Nights reaily shine in themidrange and the treble. Coupled withthe truth of timbre, thcre’s remarkableclarity—a hcar-through quality that you

just have to experience. Ofcourse, therest ofyour system should be up to snuff.I’m not sure that some speaker owners—like Thielers, Loganites, or WKJ’E—willbenef,t as much as others. (Punishingioads, you know.)

Up to a point, the Silver Nights didfairly wdll with the Quads—the soundstage had a tendency to come forward abit compared with more powerfiil amps,especially transistorjobs, and things hada tendency to llatten out. This is too bad,because when you coupie that with theQuads’ in~ate inabiiity to focus—in, say,LeicaiAgfa Rodinal—type tcrms—you’releft with a somewhat homogenizcdsoundstagc

The Silver Nights rcaliy came intotheir own with the ProAc Response isspeaker. This is one of the mosi magi—cai combinations 1 have ever heard in hifi: power apienty, and a breathtakingiywide and deep soundstage with stunningprecision offocus. With a great recordingand performance, the Silver Nights onthe ProAcs have the powcr to make youwecp forjoy—and 1 mean that iiteraily.

Sure, thcse amps will run out ofpower, but by the time they do, you’d

“To Reach The Summit Of Speaker PerformanceYou Must Master The Steep Siopes.

In 1958 Sir Edmund Hillary mastered the steep siopes of Mount Everest.A generation later ‘FM Curu” Richard Modafíeri conquered the problem of inter-speakerwave interference by CREATING the steep Infinite Slope” crossove~ Our patented speakersystem delivers open, clear sound with uncanny accuracy, incredibie imaging and amazingsoundstaging at a very affordabie price. No~ why would the man who designed thelegendary MR78 tuner want to tackle the problem of wave interferenceÇ

BECAUSE IT WAS THERE!So,why stay on the “bunny trails” of loudspeaker technology~ Now you can thrill to ali themusical magic oF a realiy steep siope! Infi~iie Siope”' only From

IosephAudioEFFORTLESS MUSICALITY • EXCLUSIVE IECHNOLOGYTM2 Pineridge Road White Pia ins New York 10603

Cal! 1(800)474 HIFI for a free White Paper and a dealer near yovDealer & Expori Inguiries: R&G Audio (914) 783-6674

Produced under license (tom Modafferi Acoustical Labs US Patent #4771 466

ST,inEopHILE, FEI,RUARY 1994 47

Lo turn down the ProAcs anyway.As for the Quads: 1 think their lack of~ower shows up in Lhe somewhat flat~ped soundstag~~ (On Lhe other hand,Lhese amps should be terrific with oldQuads.)

When you switch over Lo most otheranlps. you’ll realize how much detailyou’re missing: the Silver Nights are~~credibly clean, but not squeaky-ciean—theY’rC clean without turning clinical(unlesS the recording is poor, in whichcase you’ll hear it).

I’d guess that most Monitor Audiospeakers~ especially the floorstanding~ncs, are sensitive. These speakers don’thave a killer impedance, like so manyAmerican speakers which appear te bedesigned. in part. in order te let dealerssefl more amps by Krell,JeffRowland,or Mark Levinson (Lhe brand, not Lheman).

“What about yooce? What aboutyooci?” Lars asks. He’s become truiyAmerican—he craves power. The ironyofthis sitüation is deicious: Lars has anamp designed by a Russian. AlexanderNevsky returns Lo conquer Lhe Swedes.1, Lhe Russophile with Russian wife andRussian-speaking child, have an amphalf-designed by a Swede.

Too bad this is such a male hobby—music-loving women (if they weren’t seintintidated and turned offby se manydealers) would leve a pair of these amps.The Silver Nights have plenty ofWAF(wife acceptance factor). My wife freaksout about their beauty—she actually polishes them. “Ali che other stuffyou canseu:’ she said. “You keep the ProAcs andLhe Silver Nights, righc?”

4Right’The Silver Nights have not misbe

haved in the slightest—no hums, nobuzzes, no hisses, no solid—state listen—ing &tigue. They also have more ilfe: notonly do Lhey let more air iii, but they alsolet more sunlight in there’s more happening between and around the notes,even with digital. While iistening to - -

- - ‘s system,l was conscious ofhow littlelife there was—everything was dampedand dead. When 1 went home andiistened to the Silver Nights, there wereLight and life that went beyond delicacy,detail, and transparency. These are trulyextraordinary amplifiers.

CONRAD-JOHNSON PREMIER IIThe Premier 11 is not a 3008 amp, butwhat Lhe heck—1 have Lo fit it in some—where.

Some months age 1 was favorablyimpressed with the Conrad-JohnsonMV-125, a 125 Wpc stereo amp that re—tailed for $3995. 1 had borrowed Lhe amp

Connd-johnson Premier II power amplifier

from Howie Mandei and thought itoffered good tube-bang for Lhe buck.What 1 liked most about it was the sarnething Martin Colioms liiced in hisreview:4 a sense ofspaciousness, the presentation of the recorded acoustic. Thiswas a big, rich, generous tube amplifier.SuL 1 wouidn’t rank it tops in Lerms ofciarity. Also, 1 was bothered by a certainglare in Lhe upper midrangellower treblewhich l’ve come Lo associate with Lhe GE6550 output tube. Like Diclc Oisher, I’mnot particularly keen on Lhe Lube and goLvery disappointing results when 1 substituced a quarteL of6550s (from Lhe Premier 11) for Lhe I<388s in my Mclntosh275 Comrnemorative Edition. 1 lost darity and got more giare—Lhe soundturned harder, fuzzier.

In tbis tegard, too, 1 Lhink that LheJadisDe~,-7, which uses a total of twelve6550s, is lacking in subtlety, sweetness,definition, and detail compared Lo themore costiy Jadis JA 80 monobiocks.The DeÍS’—7 is a little crude in compar—ison te the more raffln’Jadises.

So, what about the Con-John?1 beieve the Premier 11 was originally

going Lo be Lhe MV-70 and was Lo retailfor around $2500. The MV-125 was testay in Lhe lime. BuL instead ofLhe MV-70,we goL Lhe Premier 11, which retails for$3295. i’m sure there are changes (especially cosmetic) which have added Lo Lhemanufacturing expense. The Premier 11is one of the more handsome ConradJohnson amps. The beautiful, glowingtubes aren’L hidden behind a piain-janefaceplate—the glass is on dispiay, whereit should be.5 The power is rated aL70Wp e.

4July 1992. VoliS No.7, p122.

5 A cage is supplied. but mosi uscrs probably wontwant to use it—uniess~crying Lo prolect lada orcais.

i tried Lhe Premier li first wiLh theMartin-Logan Aerius. Bass wasn’t particuiarly tight or taut. There was a nicespaciousness, or paipability, LO Lhesoundstage, but 1 was not overwheirnedby Lhe amp’s ability Lo come clear withwhat was being presented. 1 decided toput Lhe arnp aside and try it later wiLh LheProAc Response Is.

1 meL more success with these smallspeakers, perhaps because Lhe arnp wasn’Lbeing asked todo very much in Lhe bass.The whole sound was very pleasantnoLhing Lo bite me on Lhe ear, none of Lhedry quality 1 usually hear from solidscate. The soundstage was spacious, butnot Lo the degree 1 heard with Lhe MV125. (tinfortunateiy 1 didn’t have botharnps on hand aL Lhe sarne tirne for directcornparison.)

When 1 substituted the Mac 275, 1heard a fuiler bottom end with LheProAcs—aiLhough Lhe Mac doesn’L haveLhe greatest degree ofbass control. 1 alsoheard more apparent decail and resolution, and iess glare, with Lhe Mac. Incomparison, the C-J sounded slighLlyv~iled, as if a soft-focus filter had beenapplied Lo Lhe lens.

The glory of the MV-125 was its big,wide, deep soundsLage, which had a greatsense of Lhe musicians’ palpabie presence.The Premier 11 has some ofLhat too, buLnot as much. But it sells for 82.5% ofLheMV-125’s price. The bigger amp, withits four outpuL tubes per side (eight total),really ftlled the room with sound. lfitdidn’t produce Lhe greatest degree oftransparency or definition, it was greatin its abiliLy Lo re-create Lhe acoustic andconvey aLmosphere.

The Premier 11 sounded smaller thanthe MV—125. In fact, the Premier 11 re—minded me of another amp 1 used Lohave. Lhe Conrad-Johnson MV-50, which

4.

o L

.

.

STgREoprnLE, FEBRUARY 1994 49

used £1.34 outpuc tubes and used co retailfor around $1500. The Premier 11 waspieasant co iistcn co. Vocais had an easy,natural quality to them, and it produceda good sense ofair. in these respects, cheamp as typicaliy Conrad-Johnson, andfans of this sound wiili not be disappointed. But for $32501 found myselfwanting more: more detaii, resolution,soundstage, focus, tightness ofbass.

1 know inflation has taken its toil—ifchis amp was the MV-70 and retailed forunder $2500, 1 couid be considerabiymore positive. Yes, the Premier 11 is atleast 62.5% as good as chc MV-125. Thetrouble is, it seus for 82.5% of che MV125’s price.

SoNlc FRONTIERS SFS-80Sometimes 1 don’t have a iot tosay abouta particular product. When that’s thecase, 1 cry not to say anything unneces—sary. The Canadian-made Sonic Frontsers SFS-80, revsewed byJack Englishiast April~ is a good exampie ofan ampabout which 1 have little co say. it’s cer—tainiy nor bad; in fact, 1 think it’s quitegood, especiaiiy the quaiity ofits con—struction. Rated ar 8OWpc, ir retaiis for$2895.

lniriaiiy, 1 tried rhe SFS—80 with thc

6 Vai 16 No.4. p.i90.

the Serbs gave way co che Czechs—thatis, when 1 swapped the YugosiavianKT99s for Goid Aero Tesia E34Ls, arsome sacrifice in power to about 6SWpc(rhe best guess ofSonic Frontiers’ ChrisJensen). Now che amp sounded lessdynamic and aggressive? Buc the bass7 lis coo bad thac ibe deal for Gold Ano co buy mio cheTesia subi faccory apparensiy íeil through, Rumor hasis chai che Tesla sobe facsory is no more. 1 siaspeci,ihough, shac she nachinery. ifnos ihe iaccory. is souaround. My daughser works for che US Embassy inPrague and speaks Czcch is anyonc use snserested omanufaccunng subis o she Cacei. Repubise. sfic’s nosslready soo lace’

was scifl cighr fbr a tube amp. And 1 heardmore sweetness, smoorhness, deiicacy,and detail. The whoie soundsrage becarne more inviting and airy. 1 starred tochange my mmd abouc rhe SFS-80; rhisis reaiiy a nice amp, even if it’s nor onethat 1 couid personaily fali in love with.

One indisputably good thing aboucthe SFS—80 is thac you can subsciture outpur tubes and thus tailor the sound toyour taste: E34Ls, EL34s, 6550s, K’TE8s~Rebiasing is easy wich the builc-in meter.

Anocher praiseworrhy characteristicofche SFS-80 is char it appears to be abieto drive demanding ioads. 1 didn’r haveche Martin-Logan Aerius speakers onhand when rhe Audion Silver Nighrsarrived, bur the SFS-80 drove cheMartin-Logans wich no probiems ar ali.ibere was surprising solidity inche bass.So you may have a moderately pricedtube amp that’s capabie of drivingspeakers like the Martin-Logan Aeriusesor rhe Thiei CS 2 2s.

lfthis isn’r che arnp for me,it may beche amp for you? 1 rhink it offers something that ocher manu&cturers have forgotten abour: value for money. Like lsay,l’m not keen on che ICfl9s, buc wirh rhecurrent situacion in Serbia, this may bepureiy acadernic. Maybe you shouldiook into che Sonic Fronriers SFS-40,which, for rhe time being, comes equippedwith two Goid Aero Czech E34Ls perside and rerails for a mere $1695. Rumorhas it rhar rhis amp packs a powerfuipunch for irs 4OWpc.

CARY CAD-300-SSEBack to the 300B output tube.

The Cary CAD-300-SSE arrived tooiate co make ir mnco my rube-amp coiumnIasc monrh. This 25Wpc srereojob retailsfor $5495.

Wow!lt sure is dynamic for 2SWpc—you’d

never beieve rhe baUs. Subjeccivciy, chisis the mosc powerful of che three Cary300B-based amps chac I’ve heard—chisis true witlphe ProAcs and che Quads.Norhing ~ifh~py about chis amp. Burchere are limitarions, ofcourse.

When 1 went co visuc my daughrer inPraguc last fali, 1 ioaned this amp ro afriend so he couid liscen to it on hisMartin-Logan Aerius speakers. “Okay,”he said in response co ic. Very pieasing8 lfyou wanc 6550,1 recommend che Rsaasky Sovieksobes. Ive íoond Lhe Golden Dragon KTflS Supera 50sound bati. reliable and good aichougl. one ampmanufaccurer seus me dia slaey iend to blow iap fyoubise aliem ator dose ao 100 malisampi Chancae I(TSSsondrnae nos co enjoy alie greatesc repucasaon for reliaIiry flui chen again, why are diere se few remainingnasais fl$~ NOS (Neve OId Scock)? flccauae chey’ve1 biown up?

Tisisis my vanacson on my favonte une (‘tom sheoldHagh Fiddigy magazine: “Ifwe socand enchua.aaoc aboot

is amp, thar’s because we are,’

sound—no nascies, no harshness. But irdadn’t have enough power for the Aeriuses (no surprise), or enough transparency for che money.

1 wish 1 could love chis amp more. (lr’dbe nice co have a few remaining friendsira rhe induscry.) 1 wish 1 found ir as open,transparent, delicate, derailed, and wonderftully liquidas che monoblock CAD300-SEs, which remam one of che finescamps l’ve ever heard, and retail for$3695/pair—$1800 icss chan the CAD300-SSE.

In comparison, rhe CAD-300-SSEjusc didn’t cur it forme. ic had a reiativeiack oftransparency. 1 tried ir with rheQuads.1 tried it wich the ProArs. 1 didn’tactually hear anything wrong with thisamp. lt tries so hard to be nice—verysmoorh and liquid, and ciearer and moredecailed than cerrain other cube amps 1could name. Buc to me, the amp soundeddark, recessed, slighrly mufiled—it didn’topen up, it didn’t breathe.

FLASH!Afrer 1 wrote thus column, 1 receivedJohn Beyer’s B&K ST-1400 sohd-srareamp. (Despite irs iow price, the formerST-140 was a champion amp wirh theQuad ESL-63s, sol couldn’r waic ro tryrhe ST-1400.) Guess what? Lars may beright abour this “yooce” business. TheQuads may need more power chan che2OWpc chac che Audions provide.

To pur it anocher way: When drivenby lOOWpc, che Quads do certain rhingsthac they may nor do when driven by2OWpc. (‘rhis wiii be rhe subjecr oCafrucure colunin, of course.) But rhe Quadssounded much more dynarnic with theB&K ST-l400. Moreover, the soundstage was deeper and wider 1 ccli youchis not co confuse you, burro caution

you. Yes, you can drive rhe Quads wichthe Andion Silver Nighrs. Bur shoukyou?That’s for you to decide. My advice roQuad owners isto rry before you buy.Now chat che Silver Nights are offidallyimported into the US, you might be abieto íjnd a dealer and borrow his demopair. In fact, Øven the fact chat these ampsproduce “only” 2OWpc, borrowing andcrying them wich your speakers, wharever they mighr be, is probably rhe bestidea. lfthe soundstage shrinks, ifthedynamic range concracrs, rhen you maynoc have enough power. (lt’s too badrhere aren’c many high-sensirivicy, efficient, high-qualicy speakers on the market, but thac’s the way it is.)

1 remember the days when Larsik and1 each owned a pair ofJadisJA 30s 1had an eariier pair ofQuad ESL—63s arthe cime. Yes, rhe Jadis, wich “oniy”3OWpc, drove che Quads surprisinglywelI. Bur when 1 put a soiid-srace ampon che Quads (the EleccrocompanierAWIOO, in parcicular), rhe Quads didcertain chings they didn’r do with thcJadisJA 30s. Dynamicafly, the speakerssprang to iife.

As 1 said eariier, the Audion SilverNights did berrer with the ProAcResponse Is.

FLASH 2!ljust heard about a store in Ncw YorkCity rhar sells mostiy used or comrner—ciaiiy unavailabie stuff (see “InduscryUpdate,” p.27). According roJA’s rides,this is stuff chat can’t be officially re—viewed in Stereophik. This is what everywriter craves: exciusivity! Meanwhile,my friend, the infamous Steve,just coldme abour a killer 3Wpc amplifier.

20W, 9W, 3W, 1W. . . che incredibleshrinking Sam! $

1•~.t0

Sonic Frontiers SES-BO power ampuifier

suppiied Goid Aero KT99 Yugosiavianourput tubes. (Presumabiy these are preembargo Serbian tubes.) Maybe 1 wasn’tpacienc enough, but these rubes didn’t doir for me. They had an exciting charac—ter that some tubies like—rhat dynamicsound that aimosr malces rhe amp goover rhe cliff. But 1 thoughr this dynarnicching was roo much. 1 missed sofrness,sweetness, deiicacy, and deraii—i didn’rhear much of any of rhese whiie thesetubes were in the amp.

Things changed for che becter when

Cary CAD 300SSEpowtr ampuifier

An~ for FM-Stereo

,fl91U2F$4

1 4Hs

The EM tuner frr those wIu he/iex’e some aeciuïicy is e ~‘ervthing.

MAGNUM

dynoIQb ‘Thc EM Spccuaiists

J’~ (hs’ LJSr (237 Ezsst Main Sti~et. i3ldg. h2.

ia ihc IJ.S. C:slI1 -S00-44S-8490

Itii I11(3fC iii tsrfllatinhl

Rochesler NY 14609 FJ%X ~7 6) 4)~2-K~59

Cwiula & Espmí: X Strathc~sm Avc. # 9. Bramplon. Osilario Ló] 4L9 (905) 791-5SHK MX (905) 79i-55~3

50STEREOPHiLE, FEISRUARY 1994 STElsEOpijiLE. FEBRUARY 1994 51