 |
| Letters -- November 2006 "How quiet...?" November 17, 2006 Editor, How quiet is the Vitus Audio amp compared to similar offerings from Gryphon, Burmester, MBL, or Edge? Tracy Although I am just getting comfortable with the Vitus Audio amp in my system -- it took forever to get through customs -- my initial reaction is very enthusiastic. There is no question we are in super-amp territory. As to just where it falls in the pecking order with the others I’ve heard, it’s too soon to tell. You should see an article very early in 2007….Jeff Fritz Vitus, Behold, and Audio Acoustics November 7, 2006 Editor, I very much enjoyed reading your review and responses to the Sapphire Ti-C Se from Audio Acoustics. As you have great enthusiasm for the speakers and the brand, I thought you would be a great person to approach with some questions about wonderful solid-state pairings for these very musical speakers. I know that Audio Acoustics prime choice are valves, and in particular Wavac. I don't really want to go the valve route and in any case the high-end Wavac phono, preamp and power amp are likely to be beyond my budget. From what I understand you are going to be reviewing two of the brands I am most interested in, namely Vitus Audio and Behold (APU768). So I thought I must e-mail you and ask if you would be kind enough to offer me some feedback on both these brands with regard to pairing them with the Sapphires, once your reviews are completed. I guess in some respects I'm looking for solid-state pairings that accord with the Audio Acoustics ethos of "doing nothing" and ultimate musicality, though the fantastic functionality of the Behold APU768 is a big pull. Thank you, and I enjoy reading your articles. I do hope you will consider responding to me when you've listened to the Vitus and the Behold rigs. Udayan I will report on the Vitus line very soon, and though I don’t have the Behold electronics scheduled right now, I have been quite impressed with them at the trade shows where I’ve heard them. Perhaps I can secure a product loan in 2007 from Behold. I would suggest you check out Simaudio as a possible good pairing with AA -- I really like their stuff. Keep checking back; we’re working hard to report on many of the finest products available, and have lots more planned for ‘07….Jeff Fritz Musical tastes and audio reviews November 3, 2006 To Dan Davis, This is in reference to the review of the Esoteric DV-60 that recently appeared on Ultra Audio. I was interested in reading a review of the Esoteric player as I was considering buying the audio-only version of the player, the SA-60. In his review, Mr. Davis stated that "you can extrapolate the SA-60's sound from my assessment of the DV-60's performance." Actually, I can't. I don't have a clue what the SA-60 would sound like in my system. Mr. Davis reviewed the player utilizing orchestral and operatic recordings with some mention of jazz recordings. Obviously that is the type of music that Mr. Davis listens to, and that is great. However, I listen to mostly older-generation rock and older- and newer-generation blues. How many times have you read a review of a piece of equipment that states something like "recommended for classical music lovers; rock fans may want to look elsewhere"? It drives my crazy when I read a review of a piece of equipment and the reviewer only utilizes his/her personal preference in music. Mr. Davis is certainly not alone in this regard. Reviewers should at least audition the equipment with all types of music so that the reader can get an idea of what it sounds like with something other than classical music. I'm not picking on Mr. Davis. I'm sure he put his heart and soul into the review. It's also hard to complain about being able to read a free Internet review. Tim Phillips Please be assured that it was never my intention "to drive you crazy," but you do have my sympathies in not finding the music you play used in my assessment of the DV-60. I often have the same reaction as I read equipment reviews whose source material is confined to music I never listen to. In reviewing equipment, I only use music I know, understand, and connect with on an emotional level. In the process though, I try to give enough detail about the music I use to give any reader some clues about how other kinds of music might sound through the equipment in question. Surely, the references to soundstaging, timbres, voices, and dynamics, among many other aspects mentioned, provide clues applicable to all kinds of music. Incidentally, the full sentence from which you selectively quote clearly says the opposite of what you suggest. It reads: "If you trust manufacturers' claims or don't mind rolling the dice when it comes to buying decisions, you can extrapolate the SA-60's sound from my assessment of the DV-60's performance." I don't think I've ever written a review where I didn't implicitly or explicitly urge the reader to hear the equipment for himself and not to take anyone's review as definitive. We all have different systems, preferences, and ears and should take reviews as one of many factors that go into buying decisions….Dan Davis
Ultra Audio is part of the SoundStage! Network. |
