[eskamobob1]

Thanks for the sharing! How about Viva 845, have you ever heard it…?

I can comment on that one. It's easily the most different of the three. It leans much dryer with huge stage and a very energetic presentation But not necessarily any more slam or bass

 

[pgkrish]

I was close to pressing the button on the AIC until the recent price spike

The price increase has been mentioned a couple of times now. Is anyone able to share the latest msrp?

 

[Frankie D]

The price increase has been mentioned a couple of times now. Is anyone able to share the latest msrp?

I found this in the web. Maybe try calling them on Tuesday to verify. I am not familiar with this company.

 

[jlbrach]

20k,wow

 

[pgkrish]

It was 18k earlier. So a 10% increase.

Better than the Viva 845 which used to be 18.5k but recently has jumped to 22k

 

[jlbrach]

the whole thing is out of control,there seems no limits

 

[fdsa654hg]

I've been using this G73-R tube from Vietnam with my Meze 109 Pro headphones, which are super sensitive, and there's quite a bit of background hiss. But when I switch out the tube, the noise goes away. Seems like it's just this particular tube that's the issue.

And also, with my 1266 headphones, there's absolutely no hiss at all using the same tube. So it really seems to depend on the headphones.

 

[goldwerger]

very senstive headphones will pick noise floor that less sensitive headphones will not. I've only picked any (minimal) noise floor with the AIC with the most sensitive of headphones. And, it absolutely varies by tube model (and, sometimes, speicifc tubes within a model if one's life is at its end).

 

[orrman]

Also depends on the headphones output vs the speakers taps. I couldn't use Utopia from the back because of noise but no problem with the front with the same tube

 

[kawhia]

I have a busy weekend ahead of me. My family is gone, no obligations. And the past week DHL, UPS etc lined up in my street, now I have quite a pipeline of new items:
First of all my Aqua LinQ streamer arrived!! Very excited about that.

G73-R from Vietnam, I finally bit.

New Ethernet cable and ferrites. Some people say it is worth a try.

Last but not least, a wall socket from Schnerzinger. Haha. I have no idea what this is all about

So far the LinQ is an absolute beast. Replacing my dear old Auralic Aries streamer, the sound is superb!! What a treat. Through speakers I can listen louder, room modes and reverb seem to have been diminished quite a bit. By a streamer, don’t know that is possible really.
Happy listening

A quick recap: The Aqua LinQ is such a great streamer, highly recommended. And I haven’t even started using the HQ player module inside. Just plain streaming. By swapping out my Auralic Aries with the LinQ the sound is more organic, calmer, more refined, less grainy, and the biggest win is improved timbre. All these changes are subtle, and I can appreciate them especially when going back to the Aries and then back to LinQ, then they are obvious.

I am particularly happy that the upgrade improved timbre. This has been a minor quirk I had with the combination of DAVE and the 1266. with the LinQ this minor weakness of artificially sounding acoustic instruments is gone!! Super happy. Acoustic instruments sound as they they should now.

 

[Miller]

Just coming back from a longer hiatus of listening to my Riviera I was keen what chat GPT would have to say.

Quote:
The Riviera AIC-10 paired with the Hifiman Susvara is an absolute delight for any avid audiophile. The organic timbre of the sound produced by this combination is simply unparalleled. The analog-like reproduction of music creates an immersive listening experience that truly melts HiFi and music together in a harmonious blend. It's like rediscovering your favorite tracks with a new depth and richness that brings out every subtle nuance. If you're looking for a truly transcendent audio experience, look no further than the Riviera AIC-10 driving the Hifiman Susvara. It's a match made in audio heaven!

I couldn’t agree more

 

[dsyzling]

tubes - i had the G73R and mullard shark teeth on hand and i much preferred the G73R by significant amount. It fits my preferences much more and makes the amp lean to more solid state but adds more technacalities. the mullard shark teeth is def warmer and lusher but i feel you lose some resolution and technacalities. Shark teeth is def sweeter with vocals. I also listen to a huge amount of electronic so for me the G73R is the tube i would use if i bought this amp.

Great review, really appreciate your time to write that up and compare with the other interesting amps and the headphone list. There's so little written about the Red October and I think the comparison with the WA33 is really interesting. The type of sound you describe would be really interesting to hear with the Immanis.

This is the one issue (as well as the recent price increases of course) that concerns me about demoing this unit with a dealer is that it will be running with the stock tubes. I may conclude that it's too lush and lacking in technicalities for my personal preference and one tube change would make such a huge change giving me that 'perfect' combination. The price makes it difficult to almost buy blind with the view to changing the tube and then hoping I would like the sound.

Are the G73Rs difficult to source?

Maybe there will be one at CanJam London? I heard a Egoista/dCS Rossini Apex/Susvara at last year's London CamJam and there must have been something wrong with that unit's setup. I kept turning up the volume but just couldnt hear the depth and slam - it doesn't line up with anyone's description of how that model sounds so I put it down to something at the show. Compared to the Primavera next to it with Dave/Susvara which I really enjoyed, speed of attack and tone was superb.

 

[walterboss]

Great review, really appreciate your time to write that up and compare with the other interesting amps and the headphone list. There's so little written about the Red October and I think the comparison with the WA33 is really interesting. The type of sound you describe would be really interesting to hear with the Immanis.

This is the one issue (as well as the recent price increases of course) that concerns me about demoing this unit with a dealer is that it will be running with the stock tubes. I may conclude that it's too lush and lacking in technicalities for my personal preference and one tube change would make such a huge change giving me that 'perfect' combination. The price makes it difficult to almost buy blind with the view to changing the tube and then hoping I would like the sound.

Are the G73Rs difficult to source?

Maybe there will be one at CanJam London? I heard a Egoista/dCS Rossini Apex/Susvara at last year's London CamJam and there must have been something wrong with that unit's setup. I kept turning up the volume but just couldnt hear the depth and slam - it doesn't line up with anyone's description of how that model sounds so I put it down to something at the show. Compared to the Primavera next to it with Dave/Susvara which I really enjoyed, speed of attack and tone was superb.

I've got Red October incoming next week and home demo of AIC soon. Will be glad to offer impressions and comparisons.

 

[DJJEZ]

I've got Red October incoming next week and home demo of AIC soon. Will be glad to offer impressions and comparisons.

Will that be with stock aic-10 tube?

 

[DJJEZ]

Great review, really appreciate your time to write that up and compare with the other interesting amps and the headphone list. There's so little written about the Red October and I think the comparison with the WA33 is really interesting. The type of sound you describe would be really interesting to hear with the Immanis.

This is the one issue (as well as the recent price increases of course) that concerns me about demoing this unit with a dealer is that it will be running with the stock tubes. I may conclude that it's too lush and lacking in technicalities for my personal preference and one tube change would make such a huge change giving me that 'perfect' combination. The price makes it difficult to almost buy blind with the view to changing the tube and then hoping I would like the sound.

Are the G73Rs difficult to source?

Maybe there will be one at CanJam London? I heard a Egoista/dCS Rossini Apex/Susvara at last year's London CamJam and there must have been something wrong with that unit's setup. I kept turning up the volume but just couldnt hear the depth and slam - it doesn't line up with anyone's description of how that model sounds so I put it down to something at the show. Compared to the Primavera next to it with Dave/Susvara which I really enjoyed, speed of attack and tone was superb.

The aic10 changes quite drastically with tubes. I can tell you the g73r for me is what makes the amp and if I hadn't heard it with that tube I wouldn't of been so impressed, the mullard shark teeth for me wasn't the right synergy for my preferences and i imagine the stock tube JJ tube would be too soft sounding and too smooth for me and yes G73R's are hard to get hold of but not impossible. People are constantly selling them on here plus hanoitubes in vietnam. If you want to know more comparisons of wa33 elite v red october v aic10 you can pm me. I can go into much more detail about each amp and pairings/synergy.

Also in terms of technacalities the only 3 things I would say aic is missing is huge soundstage width, it doesn't have the absolute best detail retrieval, wa33 and hm1 etc are superior for that plus its treble extension isnt the best as it's a bit more laid back but everything else Is absolutely stellar.