dshea_32665
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2004
- Posts
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I had the good fortune of spending last week in Boulder, CO. I knew Mikhail lived in the area and asked if I could stop by his shop and sample some of his amps. He was having a crazy busy week, but it turned out my hotel was very close to his metal shop. So, he was so incredibly gracious to offer to stop by my room with an MPX3, PPX3-6Sn7 and PPX3 Slam. I was in heaven!! A quiet room, my source, and the one of the great amp builders sitting next to me to answer any questions: Headfier nirvana!
Here are my impressions:
Source: Apogee Mini DAC
Cans: HD650/Zu
Amp: SR-71 (for comparison)
Interconnect: Zu Pivot mini-RCA
Music: Shostakovich Symphonies 5 and 11, Mozart Symphony 35, Mahler Symphony No. 4, Beethoven String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4, Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4, Christian McBride (jazz CD)
PPX3-6SN7
This was my first time listening to a tube amp. The amplifier was absolutely beautiful and exuded quality construction. I plugged in my headphones and was transported. The detail and quality of sound was fantastic. Whenever I have auditioned higher sources, it always seems as if the musical details come more to the front. It is similar to listening to music at high levels to get the detail and impact, but with this amplifer, I got this impression at comfortable listening levels. The sound had more weight, smoothness but was still super detailed and clear. Mikhail explained this is one of the great features of tubes. I am hooked.
I tested several specifics with the amp. The first is definition in fast passages, especially those involving low strings in the orchestra. I could clearly hear the definition of bowings on the low strings, even in fast passages. It was stunning.
Next, I tested the percussion. This is one thing that really stood out to me. Not only could I hear the detailed timbres of the percussion, I really could hear details that I never heard before. With the SR-71, I hear excellent bass drum and tympani. With the Singlepower, I could get a sense of how tight the drum head is and the musicians stroke of hitting the drums. Mikhail told me that they work very hard on percussion in particular and that is one of the most difficult things for an amp to capture. On the Christian McBride CD the drum set and McBride's acoustic bass were breathtaking.
I then tested woodwinds and voice with the last movement of Mahler 4. As a professional clarinetist who plays in two orchestras, I know what woodwind instruments sound like. The PPX3 nailed the individual woodwind tones. And then the voice, Wow. It really sounded like somebody was in the room singing. The soprano voice in the last movement of Mahler 4 was truly out of this world.
The last observation is dynamics. Mikhail said that along with percussion, that they work especially hard on dynamic impact. This was another area that this amp excelled. In powerful and loud orchestral passages, you felt the power and the weight of the orchestra as if they were in front of you. I have never experienced this with headphones. Quiet intimate moments of a soft solo violin were equally effective and could be heard comfortably. I am not sure how this works, getting such dynamic range while still remaining at a comfortable volume setting.
MPX3
Being my first time with tube amps, and we only had an hour or so before Mikhail and I had to be at other places, I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked with the MPX3. It was more extended in the treble and bass, and sounded incredible. I was so impressed with my initial exposure to the PPX3 that I didn't notice a huge difference between the two, although there was a difference. I was expecting to hear the MPX3 and immediately stop any consideration of purchasing the PPX3, but this didn't happen. I could tell that it was higher quality and if I had more time, I think the differences would have started to make more of an impression on me. I told this to Mikhail and he said that the PPX3 is one of the greatest bargains in amplifiers for what you are getting. I would have to agree.
Anyway, I listened to the same tracks and tested the same areas. The MPX3, which was the base model I should add, without any upgrades, was equally impressive. It had the same magic as described above, but with a hint of that extra x-factor quality. Couldn't really put my finger on it, but there was something there, perhaps just more refinement and more of what was so good with the PPX3.
I wished I had time to go back to the first PPX3 after listening to the MPX3. I suspect that I would probably be able to hear the differences between the amps more easily.
PPX3 Slam
As we plugged in the Slam, I got a call from my wife asking me when I was going to be through (the headfiers nightmare, here I was with these amps and ideal listening conditions
). I only had about 5 minutes of listening with the Slam, but it seemed to have more aggressive bass and attack to the unit. This amp had some serious dynamic power. Since I listen primarily to classical music, I thought the other units might be better. Mikhail agreed with the idea that for classical music the other units would probably be better, but not definitely so.
Conclusion:
I will be buying one of the these amps sometime in the Fall when I get funds together. How did it compare to the SR-71? It was better, although I really love my SR-71 and it stands up well. The tubes and quality of the Singlepower amps was pretty astonishing and brought the music to life. There was more weight to the sound, and the dynamic impact of the music was signficantly greater. Then there is the tube magic, wow, great smoothness but still great clarity and detail. For my equipment and music preference, tubes are the way to go. The SR-71 sounds beautiful, but isn't quite as detailed, dynamic and full sounding. It really isn't fair comparing the two because the PPX3 is twice the price, but since so many people have SR-71s I thought it might give somewhat of a reference point.
Thanks:
I would also like to thank Mikhail for letting me have a private audition. He was insanely busy last week, but he still took the time to bring by some amps to my hotel room. He was an amazing person and so gracious. His amps are unbelievable in their beauty and sound. It was a great privilege to have this quality time. Thank you Mikhail!!
cheers,
dshea
Here are my impressions:
Source: Apogee Mini DAC
Cans: HD650/Zu
Amp: SR-71 (for comparison)
Interconnect: Zu Pivot mini-RCA
Music: Shostakovich Symphonies 5 and 11, Mozart Symphony 35, Mahler Symphony No. 4, Beethoven String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4, Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4, Christian McBride (jazz CD)
PPX3-6SN7
This was my first time listening to a tube amp. The amplifier was absolutely beautiful and exuded quality construction. I plugged in my headphones and was transported. The detail and quality of sound was fantastic. Whenever I have auditioned higher sources, it always seems as if the musical details come more to the front. It is similar to listening to music at high levels to get the detail and impact, but with this amplifer, I got this impression at comfortable listening levels. The sound had more weight, smoothness but was still super detailed and clear. Mikhail explained this is one of the great features of tubes. I am hooked.
I tested several specifics with the amp. The first is definition in fast passages, especially those involving low strings in the orchestra. I could clearly hear the definition of bowings on the low strings, even in fast passages. It was stunning.
Next, I tested the percussion. This is one thing that really stood out to me. Not only could I hear the detailed timbres of the percussion, I really could hear details that I never heard before. With the SR-71, I hear excellent bass drum and tympani. With the Singlepower, I could get a sense of how tight the drum head is and the musicians stroke of hitting the drums. Mikhail told me that they work very hard on percussion in particular and that is one of the most difficult things for an amp to capture. On the Christian McBride CD the drum set and McBride's acoustic bass were breathtaking.
I then tested woodwinds and voice with the last movement of Mahler 4. As a professional clarinetist who plays in two orchestras, I know what woodwind instruments sound like. The PPX3 nailed the individual woodwind tones. And then the voice, Wow. It really sounded like somebody was in the room singing. The soprano voice in the last movement of Mahler 4 was truly out of this world.
The last observation is dynamics. Mikhail said that along with percussion, that they work especially hard on dynamic impact. This was another area that this amp excelled. In powerful and loud orchestral passages, you felt the power and the weight of the orchestra as if they were in front of you. I have never experienced this with headphones. Quiet intimate moments of a soft solo violin were equally effective and could be heard comfortably. I am not sure how this works, getting such dynamic range while still remaining at a comfortable volume setting.
MPX3
Being my first time with tube amps, and we only had an hour or so before Mikhail and I had to be at other places, I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked with the MPX3. It was more extended in the treble and bass, and sounded incredible. I was so impressed with my initial exposure to the PPX3 that I didn't notice a huge difference between the two, although there was a difference. I was expecting to hear the MPX3 and immediately stop any consideration of purchasing the PPX3, but this didn't happen. I could tell that it was higher quality and if I had more time, I think the differences would have started to make more of an impression on me. I told this to Mikhail and he said that the PPX3 is one of the greatest bargains in amplifiers for what you are getting. I would have to agree.
Anyway, I listened to the same tracks and tested the same areas. The MPX3, which was the base model I should add, without any upgrades, was equally impressive. It had the same magic as described above, but with a hint of that extra x-factor quality. Couldn't really put my finger on it, but there was something there, perhaps just more refinement and more of what was so good with the PPX3.
I wished I had time to go back to the first PPX3 after listening to the MPX3. I suspect that I would probably be able to hear the differences between the amps more easily.
PPX3 Slam
As we plugged in the Slam, I got a call from my wife asking me when I was going to be through (the headfiers nightmare, here I was with these amps and ideal listening conditions
Conclusion:
I will be buying one of the these amps sometime in the Fall when I get funds together. How did it compare to the SR-71? It was better, although I really love my SR-71 and it stands up well. The tubes and quality of the Singlepower amps was pretty astonishing and brought the music to life. There was more weight to the sound, and the dynamic impact of the music was signficantly greater. Then there is the tube magic, wow, great smoothness but still great clarity and detail. For my equipment and music preference, tubes are the way to go. The SR-71 sounds beautiful, but isn't quite as detailed, dynamic and full sounding. It really isn't fair comparing the two because the PPX3 is twice the price, but since so many people have SR-71s I thought it might give somewhat of a reference point.
Thanks:
I would also like to thank Mikhail for letting me have a private audition. He was insanely busy last week, but he still took the time to bring by some amps to my hotel room. He was an amazing person and so gracious. His amps are unbelievable in their beauty and sound. It was a great privilege to have this quality time. Thank you Mikhail!!
cheers,
dshea
