head-fi: guilty for keeping me from buying the NX-02 (Rudistor)

[Cris]

On my search for a suitable home amp I came across the following 3 candidates:

1. HA-2 (meier-audio) - get's good reviews and includes crossfeed

1. Black Cube Linear (Lehmann) - also a few good reviews

1. NX-02 (RudiStor) - no review till now, should be a good companion to my Ultrasone Proline 750.

So this is my dilemma:
I would buy the NX-02 unheard and I know I would be happy with it (Wow, this one looks fancy). The reason: I have no similar amp for comparison (only PortaCorda).
But to definitely stay happy, I would have to resist reading future posts on head-fi.
The danger would be that a famous contributor of head-fi doesn't like the NX-02 and all my happiness would fade away (it's all so subjective

).

Well, the real danger of course is, that I buy one of these amps and I could have bought a better sounding amp for the same money.

So please help me out of this misery and post some remarks about this 3 amps before I make my decision.
(It seems that nobody has already heard the NX-02 so this could be a problem.)

Are this 3 amps comparable?
What's the difference in their sound trait?
Which one would you prefer and why?

State now or keep silent forever

Thanks
Cris

 

[Andrea]

Sorry, I'm just going to ask a question ... which is, could you please tell how the PortaCorda fares with the Proline 750 in terms of raw "drive"? I'm asking as I'm a (little) bit anxious about the driving abilities of the PC, and I know the 750 is a good test for that.

 

[Cris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea Sorry, I'm just going to ask a question ...

Wait, something is wrong here

- no, not questions, I need answers - just kidding.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea could you please tell how the PortaCorda fares with the Proline 750 in terms of raw "drive"? I'm asking as I'm a (little) bit anxious about the driving abilities of the PC, and I know the 750 is a good test for that.

I am not sure if this is what you meant - but here we go: I use the PC mainly with my laptop and occasionally also as my home amp

. I have configured my PC to lower gain and there is no problem with driving the PL750.

Hope that helps - now, please also answer my question

.

 

[Andrea]

Thanks, it does. (and sorry for the intrusion)

 

[Cris]

Nobody out there who has heard the NX-02?
Maybe someone who is planning to buy one?
Any rumours?
Nothing?

What about solid state amps from Rudistor in general?
And the other two amps? Which one would you prefer?

thanks
cris

 

[Jahn]

You might be the first. You should check it out, and if you like it, report back! No matter what you read here in the future about it, as long as you like it, that's what counts.

 

[Joey_V]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn You might be the first. You should check it out, and if you like it, report back! No matter what you read here in the future about it, as long as you like it, that's what counts.

I think what the OP refers to when he says he will be sad if bad reviews come up is that due to his lack of experience, the amp might not be as good as what he thought they may be. Especially since he is spending that much money, he wants to be sure that the amp is as good as any other amp at its price range.... he isnt worried how it compares to the Porta Corda since it should blow it away.

 

[Jahn]

Oh in that case he's operating in a vacuum since indeed there are very few reviews of that amp here, if at all. If he wants to get something that has had a ton of good reviews about it, he can always go to the usual suspects, hehe! In fact he can read the latest audio magazines. There was one that compared the A1 Simpl, the Bithead, the Porta Corda II, and the, um, I forgot the other one. Anyhow, the Porta Corda came out nicely from that review, as did the Bithead. The A1 didn't fare so well as I recall. Rats, I should have picked it up AH the mag was called "The Absolute Sound" and it's on shelves now!

 

[Cris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joey_V I think what the OP refers to when he says he will be sad if bad reviews come up is that due to his lack of experience, the amp might not be as good as what he thought they may be. Especially since he is spending that much money, he wants to be sure that the amp is as good as any other amp at its price range.... he isnt worried how it compares to the Porta Corda since it should blow it away.

Thanks for that summary - that's what I tried to say - it only took me a few words more than you.
The last days I was wondering why I favor the NX-02 at the moment. I think the point is how nice it looks. Shame on me - it's only sound that matters. Well, not exactly. This amp would find its home in the living room. So it should look nice ...and of course it should sound great

.

Maybe I can get a chance to hear the Lehmann at a local retailer and then order the NX-02 to see how they compare. But I doubt I can tell a difference just from memory.

 

[Cris]

OK, so nobody heard the NX-02.

What about the other 2 amps mentioned? Which one would you suggest?
If you don't have any lines to drop you can use the poll to give me an idea of your 'gut feelings'.

I would also be happy about some general sentences about Rudistor solid state amps. Would you assume that the NX-02 is in the same class like the others?

Thanks for your patience with me.
cris

 

[Solude]

I've been looking at the RP33 or NX-02. Rudi says they are very different animals. Both are pure class A, zero negative feedback designs, the RP33 is discrete, the NX-02 is discrete/ic mix, RP33 is dual mono, NX-02 is single board... Sound wise the RP33 is more similar to the RP5.1 or other tube amps presumably smooth and warm while the NX-02 is colder and sharper. Hope that helps.

I read that to mean the NX-02 is typical SS, a technical success while the RP33 is great SS reaching into tube musicality without the fuss. Course until we get more listening impressions its academic. RP33 also has source selection and dual jacks on different gains.

The Rudi RP5.1 shouldn't be dismissed. It easily bested my HeadAmp Lite V2 and continues to impress on both the Senn 650 and Beyer 880. The variable gain is invaluable as is the floating ground switch if you have loop problems.

 

[Cris]

Thanks so far for all your replies.

I just made a decision and ordered the NX-02

. I will post my impressions on a new thread. But in lack of experience don't expect a detailed review.

 

[Solude]

That's great news. The NX-02 on paper looks a lot like an answer to the Gilmore lines. Given my experience so far with the RP5.1, the NX-02 should be something special in it's 'flavour' segment. Guess we'll know soon enough. Rudi burns in his amps quite a bit so a few hours to stabilise should be enough to warm this sucker up. Let us know.

 

[neilvg]

Solude - I just got a RP6.5-DQ for my Senn's (600 & 650) and I would love to know what your impressions are on the RP5. I have read the soundstage review this month, but frankly, compared to the level of knowledge and information on this forum, the soundtage review was a little dissapointing. If you decide to do a review and put it in the reviewed amps list, I would do the same, and a possible future comparison might be worth it, especially with the NX as well.

 

[Solude]

Unfortunately my Senn/Cardas is still burning in. At about 75 hours right now so I'm waiting until the 200 hour mark before writing up a 'review' for the Senn, Cardas or Rudi.

On the Beyer 880 the RP5.1 is magic. This amp is so fast but without ringing that the Beyer more upfront sound was pleasant, dynamic and quite natural. On the HeadAmp Lite I always found them a little bright for my taste. So my preferences dictate that the Senn 650 is better for my goals so would rather review the Rudi in the best light.

Not to start a crusade but these amps should really have more thread time than they do. I took a chance on the RP5.1 because I wanted a contained tube amp and it paid off.