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Re: Why Not Write Your Own Thesis To Disprove It?

I always bring about 20-30 of my own discs to listen to, including a couple of recordings I made myself of solo violin, violin with cello and violin with piano. I am a big fan of true ribbon and electrostatic speakers. North Creek is probably basing their ribbon section on Apogee, which is a very good ribbon design indeed (having owned them I can state that no speaker i have ever heard gets harmonics more correct to live unamplified instruments than Apogee full-range ribbon speakers).

I can tell you, however, that putting a good tube or hybrid amp on a pair of Apogees (a good proxy for the hybrid speakers you heard I suspect) takes them to another level compared to most SS amps I have heard on them. Believe me I have tried my fair share of SS amps: Threshold, Simaudio, Sumo, Onkyo, Harman Kardan, Carver etc. Now I have OTL (Silvaweld OTL Tube Reference) and hybrid (Sphinx Project 14 mkIII no feedback) and both give dynamics, especially the OTLs, and harmonic completeness that was missing from all the SS amps I tried (although the Simaudio was pretty close and very good overall. If I had to try an SS amp again they would be near the top of my audition list).

I have a friend here in Switzerland who has the same speakers as I do currently (Acoustat 1+1 with medallion transformers). He runs a pretty big SS integrated amp (ASR Emitter I HD with battery pack preamp stage). It is probably the most musical SS amp I have heard and it sure has slam, but for me it is still lacking that something that the best tube gear has. It can only be heard otherwise with live unamplified music.

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  Kimber Kable  

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