Just hiked in a Glow Amp

[atomicAdam]

Yes, 4hrs of hiking, 4000ft of elevation change, $30 sacrificed for two mushroom burgers with swiss and onion rings at the Lodge, through the snow and dirty road, I bring home the Glow Amplifier for review. Seriously - the shipping box barely fit into my day pack.

http://www.glow-audio.com/glowstuff.html

It is set up now driving the Zu Omen Defs.

[Mr Peabody]

I haven't heard of them before. Looking forward to getting some impressions later. Especially, how loud will 5 watts get with the Omens.

[atomicAdam]

So far it seems it needs about an hr of on time before I can play it at a rock'n level - otherwise it sounded a bit harsh in the high end (could still be the Zu's) but at a moderate volume it does a pretty dang good job so far.

I hope to have this review done in a month or so - since the unit is already broken in.

The stage is very well focused - center image is very strong and present.

I'm listening to Graceland on vinyl and it is one of the few albums I've heard on the Zu's that don't sound like I'm several rows back. I'm going to have to play this w/ the Mystere to see if it is the mix or the Glow and Zu combo. So far I have to say I like it.

I've yet to hear the heaphone amp in it and the USB DAC. But if those are good - this might just be a damn good little gem.

[Mr Peabody]

How much is this amp? I like that it is auto biased but the fact you are limited to certain tubes is a draw back. Especially when the bulk of what the amp likes is Chinese.

[atomicAdam]

How much is this amp? I like that it is auto biased but the fact you are limited to certain tubes is a draw back. Especially when the bulk of what the amp likes is Chinese.

This is true - options are limited to Chinese and Russian tubes - but there still might be some options there.

The amp is $648+ shipping. For bedroom or computer set up - it seems pretty sweet. I need a USB A to USB A cable to test the USB DAC sound.

[Poultrygeist]

I once considered the Glow but the Miniwatt S1 has better reviews and cost $400 less.

[Ajani]

I once considered the Glow but the Miniwatt S1 has better reviews and cost $400 less.

That was also my reason for tossing the Glow from my list of possible amps... Though in fairness to the Glow, it also has a headphone output, USB input and a bit more power than the Miniwatt...

[RGA]

The Glow amps with Sonist speakers were kickass at CES 2010. Really nice and not expensive combo. The speakers were under $2k and the Glows were about $700. Steal.

[atomicAdam]

The Glow amps with Sonist speakers were kickass at CES 2010. Really nice and not expensive combo. The speakers were under $2k and the Glows were about $700. Steal.

I heard that combo at CAS last year. Though it was good - it wasn't nearly loud enough to be heard in that environment. The 95db rating of the Sonist speakers might not really be sensitive enough to get a proper volume out of the combo. The glow seems to have a much easier time driving these Zu's. Than again - it could just be the noise of a show that gave them such hell to deal with.

[atomicAdam]

That was also my reason for tossing the Glow from my list of possible amps... Though in fairness to the Glow, it also has a headphone output, USB input and a bit more power than the Miniwatt...

Yeah.... so - in fairness to glow - it might be a more expensive product because it offers more listening options.

[Poultrygeist]

The USB was a sore spot when the Glow was introduced.