zachawry
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2013
- Posts
- 796
- Likes
- 246
I just auditioned the ZOTL40 power amp, and I thought I would write my impressions here in case they're of value to anyone.
First, my story: I am planning on buying a pair of Dynaudio Confidence C1 bookshelf speakers. These are actually relatively hard to drive, with most people on the net recommending at least 100-200W of power. Therefore, though I was interested in the ZOTL40 (since I love the sound of my MZ2 so much!), I had pretty much written them off. I was in AudioVision in SF, where I'm planning on buying the C1s, and mentioned this to the guy, who said, "We've got the ZOTL40 here; why don't you take a listen?" So, I came back the next day with my portable set-up, and had a great extended listening session.
My setup is an AK120II strapped to a Chord Hugo. They plugged this into a stock MZ2 with LPS, which fed the ZOTL40. They didn't have any C1's around, so I listened to a pair of C2's, which are bigger but have pretty much the same sound signature. After listening to the MZ2/ZOTL40 for about half hour, they let me switch to a Naim 200 and Naim pre-amp, a solid-state set-up.
Basically, the ZOTL40 sounded a lot like the MZ2, a sound I have grown to love. It's pure and pristine to the point of being dry, almost totally transparent, with a definite sense of air. The amp just totally disappears. I felt like I could listen to that setup forever.
Next, we switched to the solid-state Naim. In some objective sense, the Naim drove the speakers better. There was more speed, greater dynamics, and in general more "authority." But...I didn't like it. I mean, I would love it off the street, but I didn't like it in comparison with the ZOTL40. The sound from the Naim was definitely more dynamic, but also more "in your face," and while I felt like they actually showcased what the speakers are capable of better than the ZOTL, they didn't make the music sound as good to me. The ZOTL40 just got out of the way, while the Naim was an impressive, imposing presence.
In the end, I switched back to the ZOTL40 and decided what I liked about it was a sense of delicacy. It's just a pristine, delicate sound that washes over you, as opposed to the solid-state amp, which kind of grabs you by the lapels and makes you sit the hell up. My impression was that most people would prefer the Naim. I really, really liked the ZOTL40, and came away determined to buy it.
First, my story: I am planning on buying a pair of Dynaudio Confidence C1 bookshelf speakers. These are actually relatively hard to drive, with most people on the net recommending at least 100-200W of power. Therefore, though I was interested in the ZOTL40 (since I love the sound of my MZ2 so much!), I had pretty much written them off. I was in AudioVision in SF, where I'm planning on buying the C1s, and mentioned this to the guy, who said, "We've got the ZOTL40 here; why don't you take a listen?" So, I came back the next day with my portable set-up, and had a great extended listening session.
My setup is an AK120II strapped to a Chord Hugo. They plugged this into a stock MZ2 with LPS, which fed the ZOTL40. They didn't have any C1's around, so I listened to a pair of C2's, which are bigger but have pretty much the same sound signature. After listening to the MZ2/ZOTL40 for about half hour, they let me switch to a Naim 200 and Naim pre-amp, a solid-state set-up.
Basically, the ZOTL40 sounded a lot like the MZ2, a sound I have grown to love. It's pure and pristine to the point of being dry, almost totally transparent, with a definite sense of air. The amp just totally disappears. I felt like I could listen to that setup forever.
Next, we switched to the solid-state Naim. In some objective sense, the Naim drove the speakers better. There was more speed, greater dynamics, and in general more "authority." But...I didn't like it. I mean, I would love it off the street, but I didn't like it in comparison with the ZOTL40. The sound from the Naim was definitely more dynamic, but also more "in your face," and while I felt like they actually showcased what the speakers are capable of better than the ZOTL, they didn't make the music sound as good to me. The ZOTL40 just got out of the way, while the Naim was an impressive, imposing presence.
In the end, I switched back to the ZOTL40 and decided what I liked about it was a sense of delicacy. It's just a pristine, delicate sound that washes over you, as opposed to the solid-state amp, which kind of grabs you by the lapels and makes you sit the hell up. My impression was that most people would prefer the Naim. I really, really liked the ZOTL40, and came away determined to buy it.