Heart & Soul

I've just come back from Wales where I was listening to Seventh Veil speakers in Anthony Matthews' system, including the new Tom Evans Audio Design "Soul" Series power amplifiers.

Anthony is the co-developer of these amps with Tom Evans. The review by Roy Gregory in Hi-Fi+ had been absolutely outstanding so I was particularly looking forward to hearing these amps with my speakers.

To cut to the quick, I'm in love with the Soul. It is an outstanding amplifier with a level of detail and control that I hadn't heard before, coupled with a superb soundstage in height, width and depth. It gave a very natural sound with tremendous space and ambience. I could have happily kept listening for hours, days, weeks or years.

The equipment was:

Top-end-modded Eikos cd player
Townsend (Cranfield university) Rock turntable
Prototype Vibe preamp with Groove phono stage

30W/channel, pure class A, single-ended, tetrode, hybrid Soul power amp, driving ...
Nonsuch 4 full-range loudspeakers by shhh, you know who.

15W/channel Soul power amplifier, driving ...
Little Awesome Double subwoofers.

Cabling was Townsend Isolder with Tom Evans interconnects.

Music included Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchel, Jazz at the Pawnshop, Scheherazade (Reiner), Lou Reed, Pink Floyd, Theessink, Grandmaster Flash, Marvin Gaye, etc., etc.

To start with, we had used my el-cheapo Crimson Elektric monoblocks to drive the subs. I couldn't quite believe what happened when we swapped them for the 15W stereo (smallest version) Soul power amp. Everything changed. The timing, tone, timbre and integration of the bass dramatically improved and the speaker system ...
... disappeared.

From then on, the soundstage that we heard seemed to have no relationship with the loudspeakers.

Detail, clarity, openness, neutrality, transparency, speed, timbre, imaging, soundstage, punch and power - all with a naturalness and musicality .... to say that I was impressed is something of an understatement.

Mind you, at £20k for the two sets of power amps alone, you'd expect great sound. You wouldn't be disappointed.

I can't begin to imagine what could be achieved once I've stolen a pair of these amps and let W-M loose on the interconnects and mains cables but I look forward to finding out.

Back to the Soul ... If you're set to spend serious money on some serious power amps, do not buy anything until you've listened to these.

I kid you not.

Steve

PS: Anthony Matthews was quite complimentary about the Seventh Veil sound as well. I will be posting his comments on my web site when I get a moment. He did say that many of the tracks sounded better than he'd ever heard them before. :blush: :blush:

PPS: A report on W-M's mods to my cd player will be posted once I've put my own - increasingly inadequate sounding - system back together again.

 

I should just add the negatives:

Expensive
Big & heavy (burglars had better come in threes)

Steve

 

Glad you enjoyed yourself Steve, add to that a 'good cd player' and TT, and you'll be a happy man and £40K lighter WM

 

Not to mention the preamp.

No, it's not for the likes of me, sigh! Still, it's good to hear my babies singing like I know they can sing.

Steve

 

10 out of 10 for self-promotion.

How do they compare with a proper full-range loudspeaker like ATC100A monitors? How loud will they go?

And how can you call them 'full-range' speakers in the first place when they need to be partnered with a sub?

Sorry to give you a hard time. I'm not selling anything here, unlike some others.

 

<< I'm not selling anything here, unlike some others.>>

Arf.

 

Alex, I do believe there was more than a smattering of cynicisum in that sentence sir. WM

 

I assume this is the 'Mana salesman' chat yet again. The old ones are the good ones. The only connection I have with Mana is a personal friendship with JW.

I have also recommended products from Linn, Naim, ATC, Avondale and Epos. Do you think I'm making money from this?

JH seems to have a worryingly strong association with Pear Audio, what's your own angle Alex?

And while we are at it, who else here is in the trade?

 

Hey thanks man. I thought it wasn't bad myself.

I've never heard the 100As so I can't comment on them.

As for the Nonsuch 4s, they will work without the subs but would really need wall placement so the imaging and mids would probably suffer. With the right amps they don't sound thin without the subs but would definitely be described as bass light.

I could make them go deeper by using a design more like the original System IVs - add a transmission line. However, for better room-bass integration and power handling I preferred them to roll off at 100Hz. I was planning to use a sub anyway so thought I might as well do it right by designing this into the system.

How can I call them 'full-range' speakers?
Just bare-faced marketing hype I guess.

Steve
PS: When I grow up I want to design 'proper' speakers too.

 

Well James I was once but no more

Nikki was her name, Saturday work experience girl from Audio T...... fondly remembered

 

Wow! Really?

 

LoL

Nice take on "In the trade"

 

7_V wrote

Oh, is Apple getting into DIY audio now?

SteveC
(iBead fan)

 

They weren't Townsend Isolder cables?

Oh well, something like that anyway.

Steve

 

Steve, I think SteveC was taking the mick out of your spelling of said speaker cable. It's supposed to be "Townshend Isolda" - I have it in my system and it's very good

Michael.

 

Ah, I see.

I have been told on good authority that they are called Isolda because Mr Townshend soldered them up himself.

SteveC, I'll see you after class.

 

Nah, it's Max's obsession with Autheasain Legends, Galadhad etc, either that Or he was still under the influence when he named em'

 

Could be Isolda nother turntable, I suppose.

 

Me.

But you lot aren't exactly our target audience...