If you saw my previous system you already know that I'm the Italian distributor of some brands, so please be aware of this. I'm also a Music lover and a real passionate of audio gears since 1987... when I was fifteen. The new reference system with German Physiks omnidirectional speakers is something that you can easily appreciate if you are used to attend live music events. With the entering of this fabulous speaker the sound can be now compared with real music only. Dynamics, liveliness, timbric accuracy and all of the other words normally used to describe a great system seem now pointless: just put a piano sonata recording, or a live jazz double-bass, sax and drums trio, or even a single female voice... then close your eyes. You'll hear the musicians in your room as never happened before. When you hear what this system is capable of, there is no going back. And you will start rediscovering all your music collection... as happened to me.
The great Reference table made by Franc Kuzma in Slovenia. Known all other the world.
Kuzma Stogi Ref
The perfect match for the Ref TT.
Koetsu Signature Red
Not a bad cartridge... ;-)
German Physiks Loreley
Omnidirectional speaker from German based company. German Physiks is often the first choice of many important musicians all over the world and a statement for the most expert and demanding audiophiles. Not surprisingly, they are not for all pockets.
thanks for your post and for talking with me at the Milan show. I have not compared the old Performance I or II with the Bravo, but I think that the present line is much better because the parts are intrinsecally better than 20 years ago. More, the circuit was improved according with the 20 years of more experience in audio. Anyway, why not asking Tom Colangelo directly ? The mail of the factory is [email protected]. I am sure he will reply shortly.
I know the Symphony quite well particularly compare to the Duet 350 (of which I own a pair), more transparency, articulation and low octave reach. I thought that the Milan Show surely didn't do justice to the Bravo (sorry for the grief I gave you but I think the culprit was the "equalizer"), I would like to know how does the Bravo compare to a pair of Performance II, if you don't know then according to Tom.
I'm asking the question because it doesn't seem that the relationship is always the same, for example some people prefer the Encore 50 to the Forte Mono (I don't think that would be the case for the Duet vs Symphony for example).
Thank you Jack667. After more listenings and breaking in I can only suggest all of you looking for a definitive amp to try to audition the Bravo. I think you would agree with my previous thoughts.
I have reached the first 120 hrs (on 300 suggested) of breaking in on the Viola Bravo. I can say that this amp is as near to a non existing amp as possible and surely the best I ever heard by a huge margin: it is neutral, fast, absolutely no grainy, it delivers enormous quantity of power effortlessly, the sound is fluid like in a small single ended amp. It seems to have absolutely no limits both dinamically and in terms of timbric fidelity. Honestly, I would never have thought that a big solid state amp could be so delicate during the low passages and immediately after explode in a fortissimo without strain. I believe that the Bravo is most likely the best solid state amp ever.
thank you for your nice comments on the new pictures. Talking about the worldcup victory, I just walked a bit in and around the main square of my town... as you can imagine there were many people singing, dancing, making noise and so on. It was just a brief immersion in the madness...
System edited: Just received the bigger brother of the Symphony, the Bravo Reference amplifier: Tom Colangelo engineered it to be the very best solid state amp ever. The power is conservatively rated at 350w/ch on 8 ohms but it's capable of driving even the most difficult speakers thanks to an incredibly oversized supply section (the heart of every amp). The amp consists in two different sections: the power supply and the amp itself, connected with a special 10 wires umbilical cord. I have just started the broken in process but, even straight out of the box, the Bravo reveals its strenghts: huge and effortless dynamic capability, perfect control over the 9 drivers of each Eggleston Savoy, neutrality and resolution even in the most difficult and load music passages. I'll let you know more after the recommended 300 hours of breakin in.
Hi Pat, I have emailed you privately. The Savoys are wonderful and a totally different animal than the Andra II: you should hear them if you can. Regards, luca.
Hi GD, thanks for your thought. I believe that I will participate at the street celebrations instead... but later I'll surely relax with some good music :-)
thanks for your nice comment. The piano is one of my favourite instruments but I don't have the ability to play it unfortunately... so I have to listen to it with my beloved speakers... not so bad actually ;-)
first let me say that I'm the Italian distributor of Viola Labs, so if you are looking for an unbiased opinion from an audiophile please take my advices with a grain of salt. That being said, I chose the brands to distribute with one goal only: exteme quality and fidelity.
There is a distributor in HK and here you can find his address: http://www.violalabs.com/dealers.html
I have not matched the Symphony and Cadenza with Eidolons but I had both the Eidolons and the Radians HC in the past powered with other SS amps, so I can figure out how they could sound with the Viola electronics (knowing the character of the other amps).
The Eidolons, IMO, need an amp with a good grip (read: damping factor) along with a musical character to reach best results. This because the ceramic drivers are very revealing and tend to become dry if powered with the wrong amp. I believe that the match with the Cadenza and Symphony combo should be extremely good, having the amp great control on the bass and a transparent yet musical sound. I cannot comment on the Rowlands though, since I have no direct experience in my own systems.
I'm looking at the Viola power- and pre-amp combo in Hong Kong. I search for more info about experienced friends and users. Have you tried to match them with Avalon Eidolon speakers? What is the result? Also how do they compare to Rowland 8Ti or 302 power amp pairing Coherence II Mk2 preamp, or simply compare to Rowland power- and -preamp?
Hope this find you there and will receive your reply very soon. Thanks.
thank you for your nice comments. If you come here in Italy please give me a call, I would be more than happy to welcome you. The Savoys are truly amazing IMO, you should find a dealer there with a good set-up and go listening. ;-)
The Viola's are some of the very best ss electronics out there IMO. Actually they are the new reference products of Tom Colangelo and Paul Jayson (the ex Cello and MLAS designers). Now Viola is more known in the Far East and in Europe than in the US, mainly because the core business of Cello was in Asia, so the management decided to concentrate in that market first. I believe they are now looking to build up the US dealers network as well.
I would really like to improve further the acoustics of my room, but it is not very easy since the walls, floor and ceiling are made of bricks and concrete... maybe I will cover the main listening area with plywood in the future. I am with you on the "diffusion" concept, btw.
Dear Lobnik, thanks for your nice comments. I saw your system and I have to say that it is wonderful as well. I would be glad to welcome you and, by the way, we are very close since I live in Trieste... Please send me an email so that I can give you my contact numbers.
