Innersound ESL amplifier - good choice?

bradz

I spoke with Duke and he seems very knowledgeable and straight forward. He thinks the Plinius is very good as well. Have you heard the Plinius (any of them) and what did you think? I am in the middle of really listening to the Innersound with its own wire and maybe at the end of this week I will compare both wires on both amps. I will let you know.

Philojet,
I have to agree that Duke is very knowledgeable and a straight shooter. He allowed me to audition the Innersound amp at his shipping expense, no deposit required, and would have even paid for the return shipping! I can't speak more highly of Duke. I've never auditioned any of the Plinius products but I too think that the Innersound may be more bang for the buck. Are you auditioning the Innersound ic's? I've been curious about them and have been thinking of comparing my Coincident cst ic's to them. Looking forward to your results with the wires.

I know that Maggies are designed with SS, so we can expect (respect) that synergy, but has anyone thought of the Berning ZH270 ($4K retail)? Its a one-box OTL that drove the hell out of some Acoustat 1+1's I heard - apart from Apogee Scintillas, a speaker recognized as a bear to drive, and a 'stat to boot. Also, since tube, you can experiment with different input tubes to your harmonic taste. The Berning has a very loyal following (see the thread going on now) and it is imminently preferable to the Innersound. If I was you, Philojet, I'd A/B the Plinius, Electrocomp. mentioned, and the Berning. After that, I'd run to buy a Supratek Triode Syrah pre ($2200)... and never look back. Good luck.

thanks ASA,
it is just difficult to audition an amp without buying it and there are not many dealers near me. I will listen to the Plinius as that seems to be the main amp people prefer and am leaning that way right now. I used to have a Berning EA230 driving my original Quads. It was pretty tuneful. Quite frankly after having a power tube go out on the Rogue I am thinking I may not want tubes anymore for the power amp (plus I am cheap). I do not know if the Electrocomaniet has enough power, I am looking for more than the average volume and dynamic range, I would like to hear one though. Also the Rogue pre amp has a nice phono section, remote control volume and I like the service they provide. I know it can be beat but I do not even think of it being in the system, I does not attract attention to itself, so I feel it will do (nicely at that). Thanks again for your thoughtful comments, they are appreciated. Like I said before, now is not the time to spare my feelings, I would like all the details BEFORE I buy.

Cheers,
Phil

Hi Phil,

You mention that Innersound sounds anemic, pure and neutral, despite the use of your tube preamp. Part of the reason is due to the inherent sound of the Innersound but I also believe the Blue Heavens magnifies a few of the Innersound's weaknesses. While very transparent, Nordost cables tend to sound analytical, thread bare and lacking in harmonic complexity. The Innersound speaker cables , by comparison, work extremely well in situations where cable inductance is a factor (any speaker that uses input transformers) but offer no real advantage with your Maggies. Although I have not compared the Blue Heavens and Innersound cables side by side, I would expect that they sound very similar on your 1.6. At a similar price point, I would highly recommend Analysis Plus Oval 9 cables. They have more impact with a full, yet articulate bottom end, wonderful clarity and smoothness in the mids and highs, and an absolute lack of grain or hardness, despite it's airy, detailed top end. I just sold a pair to a customer who owns Maggie 3.6 and he LOVES them! It gives the price-no-object cables a serious run for the money for way, way less.

Regarding Plinius vs Electrocompaniet, they both offer some of the very best that solid state amplification has to offer. While Plnius tends to be slightly faster, transparent and more neutral overall, Electrocompaniet sounds sweeter and warmer in the midrange and highs, fuller and richer in the low end, with state of the art sound staging, imaging, detail and micro and macro dynamics. Electrocompaniet is almost always my first recommendation to anyone who loves the sound of tubes but doesn't want the inconvenience. The choice really comes down to three things: personal preference, value and your electricity bill.

The current Plinius SA-100 MK III, which is my favorite all time Plinius amp, puts out 100 wpc and cost $4500. The current SA-250 MK IV puts out 250 wpc, costs $8500 but is not as refined sounding as the SA-100 MK III. Both amplifiers draw tons of power in Class A mode and will drive up your electricity bill too.

By comparison, the Electrocompaniet AW220, whose performance I prefer to the SA-100 MK III and much prefer to the SA-250 MK IV, puts out over twice as much power as the SA-100 and nearly as much as the SA-250, yet costs $4000 per pair. In addition, because the AW220 is biased into high Class AB, the amplifier runs much cooler than either of the Plinius, saving you even more money in the long term. I also happen to think that Electrocompaniet equipment is absolutely gorgeous, fitting in equally well in either contemporary or traditional surroundings.