Anyone hear Edge amps?

[Mr Peabody]

A friend of mine told me he heard an Edge amp at some electronics show and it was the best amp he had ever heard. I've read a couple of glowing reviews but there isn't much buzz about the stuff yet and their website is somewhat vague. Anyone have any experience with Edge you care to share?

[E-Stat]

A friend of mine told me he heard an Edge amp at some electronics show and it was the best amp he had ever heard. I've read a couple of glowing reviews but there isn't much buzz about the stuff yet and their website is somewhat vague. Anyone have any experience with Edge you care to share?
I've heard the Signature Monoblocks. Very open sounding SS although a bit lean for my tastes. I prefer the ASR Emittter perhaps because it eliminates the need for a line stage. They are built very well and have distinctive cosmetics. Note the heavy duty bi-wire speaker posts.


http://home.comcast.net/~ralphwallace/audio/edge.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~ralphwallace/audio/edgerear.jpg

rw

[musicoverall]

I've heard the Signature Monoblocks. Very open sounding SS although a bit lean for my tastes. rw

I think that after listening to tubes for awhile, going back to solid state is a tough thing to do. It doesn't seem to happen much. One gets used to the amp putting a little flesh on the music and making it sound more realistic. That said, I just heard their integrated amp and I thought it sounded very good, although I didn't hear it on my own system. 'Stat, it appears from the pictures that you did hear them in yours. True? Or are those someone else's VTL's? :)

[E-Stat]

I think that after listening to tubes for awhile, going back to solid state is a tough thing to do. It doesn't seem to happen much. One gets used to the amp putting a little flesh on the music and making it sound more realistic.
Well said. The ASR Emitters, however, are among the best amps I've heard.


Stat, it appears from the pictures that you did hear them in yours. True? Or are those someone else's VTL's? :)
I wish the MB-750s with Valhallas were mine. The pics are from a reviewer friend's system driving Nola Grand Refs.

rw

[Mr Peabody]

Stat I used to live out in Lithonia some 10 years ago.

I don't know if you've seen any of my other recent posts but I have been feeling around for something that would be more involving when listening. I remember an ARC system I heard and the great presence it had so I wanted to add some tubes some where to see what it would do. I recently bought an Audio Note 1.1x DAC and put it in my system. I liked the results and really could be satisfied but I'd like to still see if I could achieve the presence or three dimensionalism of the ARC system I heard. Unfortunately there's not much tube gear in my area to listen to. I am going to audition the ARC LS16 preamp with the 150.2 power amp. I heard some VTL monoblocks and liked the sound of them but they are out of my price. Without hearing them I also thought about the BAT Hmmmmm..... 31x? preamp (tubed) with their 200 wpc SS power amp. I also was considering Edge, they are still solid state but people are saying the have the SS slam with the presence and smoothness of tubes. All 3 are around $6k. Any thoughts or suggestions of anything that might fit the bill for less? What do you think about mixing tubes with SS? To reach what I am looking for I really was wanting all tubes. I think many of todays tube amps can over come the stereotypes if they chose to. I've found tube power to drive my Dyn's at 86dB comes with a hefty price tag. Another thing is many manufactures make the preamps without remotes. Sorry, I'm spoiled and will not get up to turn the music up and down. I also need a processor bypass which really narrows the field. The LS16 has one and the Audio Note preamps I believe do. I really was considering an AN M2 preamp since I liked the DAC so much but I wasn't sure what amp would go with it since it was probably designed to go with low powered SE power amps. I didn't know if it would match well with SS or other tube gear.

That SP9 must be a cherry piece. The sales guy at the shop I'm trying the ARC at has one. Funny, he's the one who had the VTL's as well. Coincidence, or is this some well kept secret magic match? He has since sold them in hopes of buying Edge. In the interim he has a 150.2 and says it does good for the money. He is the one advocating tube/SS mix.

[E-Stat]

Stat I used to live out in Lithonia some 10 years ago.
Small world, isn’t it? While I was born outside of DC, I’ve lived in the Atlanta area most of my life.


I don't know if you've seen any of my other recent posts but I have been feeling around for something that would be more involving when listening…

I find that using a tube pre / SS amp can provide a cost effective match. You just need to make sure the preamp has a relatively low output impedance (say 600 ohms or so) in order to drive a SS amp. From 1981 to around 2000, I used an ARC SP-6 with a Threshold Stasis 3 amp. After switching to moving coil cartridges, I found the standard phono gain of the 6 to be insufficient and bought a used SP-9 MKIII. Around the same time, I bought a used VT-100 MKII and was quite content. That is until I heard a pair of VTL Wotans on one of my visits to Seacliff. It was after that I switched to a pair of MB-450 amps. The “magic” with the SP-9 / VTL combination is that their tonal personalities are complementary. The slightly forward, traditionally lean ARC sound is balanced by the VTL’s warmer tone. Ironically, my system is now more or less the reverse of the 1981 flavor: a hybrid pre for vinyl (or SS CD player using attenuators directly) into tube amps.

Unfortunately, I haven’t heard any one of the combinations you have under consideration. My previous experience would likely steer me to the ARC combo, although the Edge products (the name of which I find to have unfortunate and undeserved connotation) are indeed very nice. Ideally, you would get a chance to audition both of them at length. Given my now long term fondness for the engaging character of VTL amps, I might consider finding one used. There is an ST-150 available now on Agon that might fill the bill. It is essentially a stereo version of a single MB-450 with slightly less than half the power. That should mate well with the LS-16.

For that kind of investment, I would also consider an aftermarket PC. While I won’t suggest they can make a huge difference, the drop in apparent noise floor has improved low level resolution and dynamics not only in the main system, but with my vintage system as well. About a year ago, I purchased a double pair of New Advents (my first “real” speaker was the original Advent circa 1972). I replaced the old electrolytic caps with new film caps. The rest of the system is mostly hand-me-down stuff from the main system: Pioneer Elite PD-54 CDP, another DIY passive, and the Threshold Stasis. After upgrading some cables with the main system, I moved a JPS Labs AC+ power cord and JPS Labs Ultraconductor 2 ICs to the vintage system. I am amazed at both how loudly they play with only a couple of watts (where the amp runs cascode class A), and at their newly improved low level resolution capability. I never gave the Advents that much credit until I drove them with a pristine signal.

rw

[Mr Peabody]

I definitely considered the used market but not knowing much about tube gear I've put that on the back burner. I will check out the VTL, I know enough about them to doubt I would be disappointed.

Know anything about Genesis or Audio Valve? I heard the Genesis monoblocks at 60 wpc for $3,995.00 are real giant killers. But not sure if their 60 watts would drive my speakers. I also found a good deal on a demo pair of Audio Valve but I'm not familiar with that brand and even at a good discount, they ain't cheap.

[RGA]

Mr. Peabody -- for good SS matches for the AN preamp I would ask on either the AN kits forum or the SET forum at audioasylum -- lots of people on AA own AN gear. A speakers volume, power, bass etc are related to speaker's ease of drive and efficiency, not about watts. I think you me and a lot of folks are going to see more tube makers showing their amps at shows with their own speakers or very carefully selected ones to avoid the bad rap they get -- I have been to so many dealers that have Jadis connected to some impedence roller coaster low senstive beasty and no wonder the dealers had trouble selling them.

Go to CES january 5-8 in Vegas -- Go to the AN room and play your favorite crack plaster recording and see what 8 watts can do. And his speakers are not particularly super high efficiency 94-98db is high but it's not like 120db of some horns. I don;t say this to say you should buy anything from them - just so you can get a full feel of the set based power envelope. It opened my eyes - and I did have a bryston 3BST(fro a weekend) with my 95db 8 ohm mostly 10 ohm horn speakers.

Good luck in the fine tuning - complimentary tube preamp for the DAC may be a good idea too and allow it to come out mroe??? never know.

[RGA]

Mr. Peabody - since you own the AN Dac I came upon Kevin F review (just a fellow audiophile) on AA about the Dac 3.1 -- not sure if you can make a similar modification or if it is already filterless. His system is very SS - though he has since went all AN http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=digital&n=77664&review=1