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IDEAL INNOVATIONS - COMMENTS & FEEDBACK
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Date:2003-08-28
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| Name: Karl |
| Email: karl_zimmer@vwr.com |
Comments: Good Morning Syd,
I hope this eMail finds you in good health and spirits.
LONG VERSION :
So I got the Stereo 30 amp home and had to completely re-arrange my office for the new tube amp.' This kind of work every tube owner must truly enjoy.
About 8 months ago I had to sell my very nice stereo to a good friend who was interested ( and I needed the money ).' So my NEAR Speakers ( hand made by the owner of the company, now absorbed by another audio company ),Veritas solid-state amp
( http://www.virmode.com/'' I compared it to a solid state Krell integrated and the Veritas was better - so it sits in very good company ), and a SONY ES9000S SACD player, Analysis Plus cables; all had to go.' The system sounded quite good.
This evening I connected up the Ideal Amp to a temporary SACD player ( Phillips 963 - it's OK ), and some Meridian Speakers, custom made cables and carefully followed all of your directions to a T.' I used lint-free cloths to handle the tubes - they popped in perfectly.' I truly was like a kid in a candy store - I've never experienced so much anticipation and excitement in setting up a system before.' This was my first personal tube experience.' So I fired it up, dropped in my favorite blues CD ( Boz Scaggs, "Come on Home", Virigin Records 7243 8 42984 2 5 ), dimmed the lights ( for better tube viewing )and pulled up a chair.' I've listened to this CD well over a hundred times,on many different systems, one system was valued at over $80,000 and has won competitions.' Well, I heard subtleties, resonances, and whole instruments I NEVER heard before.' And the bass was wonderfully in balance and had an authority, a realness.' That's it, a realness was revealed on all of the instruments and vocals.' There were two times my mouth was hanging open in amazement - that I was hearing these new tones and being enwrapped in the music.' As they say, "Now I know what all the fuss is about".' Solid-state technology brought us computers so you can read this eMail, but tubes are made for music, recreating beautiful music.' It's great to have music back in my house again.
The other CDs I test with are Tab Benoit, "These Bluse are all Mine",Vanguard Records' 79546-2' and Costes, "La Suite" Wagram Musoc 384 ( France ).
SHORT VERSION : Your tube amps are great!
Thank you again for a new beginning into music via your tube amps!
Viva la tube 'lectronique!
Warm regards,
Karl |
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Date:2003-08-02
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| Name: Jerry Martin |
| Email: jerrymart49@aol.com |
Comments: I BOUGHT A STEREO CLASSIC 50 FROM NORM SKILLINGS A FEW MONTHS AGO AND I HAVE TO SAY ITS GREAT. THIS IS MY FIRST TUBE AMP AND I CAN REALLY TELL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SOUND. I JUST HAD BOUGHT A NEW TURN TABLE JUST BEFORE I BOUGHT THE AMP. I NEVER KNEW THAT THEY SOUNDED SO GOOD. I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU GUYS THAT YOU HAVE SOLD ME ON TUBE AMPS.
I NEVER KNEW THAT TUBES SOUNDED S0 SMOOTH.AND THE DETAIL AND SOUND STAGE IS SO OPEN WITH SUCH DETAIL.
NOW EVEN MY CD'S SOUND BETTER. THEY A NOT SO HARSH ON THE HIGH END AND THE BASS IS MORE POWERFUL AND TIGHT.THE ONE I BOUGHT HAS SOVTEK 6L6'S AND SOVTEK 12AX7'S. I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD GIVE ME SOME
IDEAS ON SOME BETTER SOUNDING TUBES. I'VE HEARED THAT
MULLARD CV4004 NOS WOULD BEE THE BEST INPUT TUBES BUT WHAT DO I NEED FOR THE OUTPUT TUBES?
GREAT BUILD AND GOOD SOUND AT A GOOD PRICE
BOUGHT MINE FOR 400.00 BEST MONEY I EVER
SPENT
JERRY MARTIN |
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Date:2003-07-17
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| Name: David Jenkins |
| Email: Mr.Toad@pobox.com |
Comments: When I ordered the Custom Class A monoblocks and Custom pre-amp, I hadn't heard any of the equipment that Ideal Innovations makes, so it was a bit of a risk, mitigated somewhat by the fact that the equipment was very reasonably priced.
Over the years I have gone through home built tube amps, Quad II tube amps, and Rogers, and Quad solid state amps. I had my eye on the new Quad II-40 tube amplifiers, but they seemed overpriced. So, when the Ideal Innovation monoblocks arrived along with Syd, the designer of the amps, I hooked them up eagerly to see how they sounded - placing them on the shelf had to wait until later since they seemed to be heavy enough to be the mother of all monoblocks. My speakers are Paradigm Eclipse - reasonably efficient dipoles (I am waiting to try the amps on my mothballed Quad ELS 57 speakers). As soon as my first CD started, I knew these amplifiers were something special; there was a sense of air around the instruments that I hadn't heard before on any of my previous amplifiers.
This was an initial impression, of course, so I settled down in the evening to listen to a variety of music, still using a solid state pre-amp, since the new tube pre-amp wasn't ready, yet. Further listening confirmed my first impressions; the bass was as solid and deep as my solid state amp and the treble as extended and detailed - but with less of a gritty quality at high levels. Most of the magic, though, occurs in the mid-range: there is a sense of air around everything (perhaps this is low level ambience being reproduced more effectively), a better impression of the instruments being layered front to back and a general warmth - without loss of detail. The monoblocks are rated at 27 Watts in class A and 40 Watts class AB (the first 20 Watts being Class A); the mode is selected with a switch on the rear. My solid state power amp (Quad 405) is rated at 100 Watts; the 40 Watt monoblocks sound louder before audible distortion sets in. They coped with the Telarc 1812, Eric Clapton, jazz and Glenn Gould's humming with equal aplomb. The Class A aspect of these monoblocks means that they do get hot, even in Class AB mode; useful in the winter; a small price to pay in the summer. The monoblocks are also a delight cosmetically: the glitz and flash of aluminum panels is thankfully absent. Instead, there is solid (very solid) workmanship, a hefty steel chassis, quality components and great attention to detail - curved tube cages, felt lined at contact points, immaculate wiring, machined solid aluminum knobs, ceramic sockets for power tubes, tube rectification, etc.
All of this made my wait for the pre-amp to be completed even harder; I had high expectations for it. Part of the wait was my own fault, since I had asked for a number of my own tweaks to be made to the pre-amp. When it finally arrived - along with Syd, again - I wired everything up to it with great excitement. I found the same attention to detail on the pre-amp: curved tube cage; a NOS (1957!) 6X4 rectifier tube, and so on.
So am I satisfied? Yes! The only problem is, I have to find time to listen to my entire music collection again. I notice that Syd has a 'no questions asked return policy'. Forget it, Syd, you can't have these back!
I also take some satisfaction in knowing that these amplifiers were carefully hand made by someone who cares how they turn out; no mass production here.
One final note: Syd, the owner is a great person to deal with. You will not find a big company so willing to accommoDATEVALUE your wishes.
If you are dithering on whether to buy an amplifier from Ideal Innovations, don't hesitate; do it now before the price goes up!
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David Jenkins |
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