![]() Yet practice forced me to catch up because the longer this machine was on, the more plain it became just how great it was. This meant that initial expectations were virtually non-existent. A few weeks earlier, the company established by Reinhard Thöress had still been entirely off my radar. Tube amps are rather rare guests in my manly audio cave. Having both the FirstWatt F7 and Thöress F2A11 under the same roof was like being in possession of two luxury exotic cars which serve completely different driving moods.Īfter several weeks with the Thöress F2A11, I concluded that it was as good as it is unique. I can't recall when Einstürzende Neubauten's Blixa Bargeld had been more present or convincing on "Sabrina" nor the female vocalist on "Zefiro Torna" from Michael Goddard's A Trace of Grace album. Finding myself in favourite music rediscovery mode was the result. This led to well-known recordings being presented from an unfamiliar perspective. Reinhard's amp cast bigger virtual sources and served them up a bit closer. It also focused me between the speakers, wasn't as airy and involved me in a more romantic and seductive way. ![]() The F7's treble decayed quite similarly yet had less energy to make its sound gutsier and darker. The sensation of musical presence was slightly weaker where the F2A11 integrated was all about the here and now. ![]() The amp from maestro Pass not only sounded thicker and warmer but also was calmer and, more colloquially, laid back. Here the F7 was softer, rounder, heavier and less vital. Yet the Thöress was the generally quicker and drew the slightly edgier bass contours. Then dealing with a bass reflex design and smaller scale again turned out to be somewhat difficult because such a change of pace and space was plainly audible. Subjectively speaking, these apes just weren't my all-times favourite once the Bespoke P15 loaners from Latvian Reflector Audio returned. Some credit of course also went to the Orangutan O/93 as the actual enablers of my private show. Chapeau to Reinhard for making a product without obvious weak spots. Its virtues were not individual pedestal features as though more pronounced than the rest. While Reinhard's product was euphonic-the valve charm is surely present-it likewise felt very natural and balanced. The outcome could be effortless, stress-free, mildly euphonic and engaging a sound crafted by someone who not only feels the music but knows how to regenerate it. For the F2A11 we add a generous amount of air between all visible elements for more openness and agility. My Trilogy 925 integrated does something similar yet is thicker and darker, so less lucid. But the Thöress F2A11 itself showed backgrounds like a champ. Even the space between instruments felt alive and any issue with ambient recognition was non-existent as long as this information was encoded on a given track - a completely different story.
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