|
|
|
IDEAL INNOVATIONS - COMMENTS & FEEDBACK
|
Date:2016-02-18
|
| Name: Fabrizio |
| Email: cicciofabro@hotmail.com |
Comments: I received a week ago my integrated vintage tube amplifier serviced by Idealinnovations.
They did a great job everything works perfectly and the amp sounds amazing.
What a great service thank you Syd.
The amp is a Japanese Trio/Kenwood from the 60's
7189a tubes. |
|
Date:2015-09-21
|
| Name: Marco |
Comments: It is 3 months now that I picked up the preamplifier elite 4 and the power amplifier elite 80 from Syd Beaumont at Ideal Innovations. What can I say in few words... Syd, your amplifiers have opened my love for music than I expected. The rare moments of blissful listening I had with my previously system are now part of my everyday life. Everything that is well recorded which I play through the elite 4 and elite 80 is brought to life in a musical way that is incredibly pleasing.
Syd was a pleasure to deal with, very patient with the many many questions I had for him. He is an expert in his field and his honesty is evident. It is rare to meet people nowadays that you know you can trust when money is involved. Syd is one of them.
My previous amplifier was a 70 watt Nakamichi integrated solid state from the 80's. It drove my 90db sensitivity Tannoys with ease, with a very good bottom end. I was a bit worried about replacing it with a 20 watt tube amp. Syd told me that I should be fine so I went for it.
It took couple of months for Syd to build them. I chose a maple wood surround for them which looks stunning. From the very first minute I turned them on, I fell in love with the sound. The elite 80 is very musical, has a beautiful tone with detailed treble, and a deep powerful bass, which surprised me from a tube amp. I did an AB comparison with the Nak and the elite 80 was better on every level. Of course, it has a much better tone, giving you the lush mid-range tube amps are known for, incredibly more details and spaciousness around each instrument with a very wide soundstage. The treble is less tiring than the Nak without being rolled off, and it has an even better bottom end. The bass is deep and controlled, tight like a good ss amp.
Syd was right, 20 good watts is enough to drive my Tannoys 95% of the time. My system is setup in the main floor of the house, which is open and fairly large, and still, I rarely feel I need more power, and I like very loud rock from time to time. I do feel I need to upgrade my speakers eventually, as I feel they don't allow the elites to shine as they should and also to get more headroom if I move to a detached house...
I used to play records with a cheap audio technica preamp hooked up to the Nak. It always bothered me that my digital side sounded better than the analog. Well, this problem is over. I didn't need an AB comparison there, the phono stage of the elite 4 is fantastic. I play high resolution files through a very decent schiit bifrost dac, and I now choose to play records too because they sound even better.
The elite 4 preamp has a magic loudness pot. This feature is pretty rare nowadays but it is awesome. You can adjust the top and bottom end as you wish and it is fantastic to be able to listen to music at lower volume and still get everything.
The elite 80/elite 4 combination is very revealing musically, which one would expect from a good hi-fi system. If an album is well recorded, it sounds amazing, if is it not, well, it is better not to play it. It is especially true with a good pair of headphones connected to the headphone jack of the elite 80. Forget about your compressed mp3 files with headphones on, it really shows you the quality of what you give the amplifiers.
Anyway, thank you Syd, I am now set for a long time with your amplifiers. Very happy.
Marco
|
|
Date:2015-08-10
|
| Name: fred scott |
| Email: chadfjscott@hotmail.com |
Comments: Hey Syd,
Mega thanks for correcting the problem with my 1967 Fender Princeton. It was pleasure to meet someone who ranks above many in your business. I was majorly impressed with your shop and could tell you took pride of what you build, etc For those reading this, Syd even made time for me and my amp on a Sunday aft, the drive was well worth it. If my Princeton needs future issues repaired i will certainly take it to him. Syd even corrected other wires by refastening to a better proper location which the last person didn't plus explains knowledge as he did the repair. No more static either. Thanks again!
Cheers
Fred
|
|
|
|
