Ok. It arrived today. I had about 3-4 hours of listening time. Most of the time I was working at my desk and tending to work I had to do, but periodically I would listen to a particular track or two.
Initially it sounded marginally better than my current audible illusions pre. The soundstage was slightly pinched with limited depth. It only took a short while for the soundstage to widen, at first matching then surpassing the audible illusions. Towards the end of my time I found the soundstage deepening significantly.
The one thing that I did notice in particular was a distinct difference in low end. Colin Hays track, don't wait up is mixed with a heavy emphasis on the bass. In my room with minimal to moderate treatments, I always had a resonance that necessitated slightly lower volume than I would normally listen. With the sira there is no node evident. It doesn't seem that the bass is shy, it's just not bloated or boomy on this track in particular.
So far I am very pleased. I can only imagine how things will improve as burn in continues. The looks of the pre are to die for in my opinion. I can hardly wait for a late evening at the office to dim the lights and enjoy the ambient light of the bottles.
Rarely does an item meet expectations of both performance and appearance. Fred has delivered on both fronts. It is a very good match to my Cary AES Sixpacs. I can't fathom how the epiifania could be any better.
Initially it sounded marginally better than my current audible illusions pre. The soundstage was slightly pinched with limited depth. It only took a short while for the soundstage to widen, at first matching then surpassing the audible illusions. Towards the end of my time I found the soundstage deepening significantly.
The one thing that I did notice in particular was a distinct difference in low end. Colin Hays track, don't wait up is mixed with a heavy emphasis on the bass. In my room with minimal to moderate treatments, I always had a resonance that necessitated slightly lower volume than I would normally listen. With the sira there is no node evident. It doesn't seem that the bass is shy, it's just not bloated or boomy on this track in particular.
So far I am very pleased. I can only imagine how things will improve as burn in continues. The looks of the pre are to die for in my opinion. I can hardly wait for a late evening at the office to dim the lights and enjoy the ambient light of the bottles.
Rarely does an item meet expectations of both performance and appearance. Fred has delivered on both fronts. It is a very good match to my Cary AES Sixpacs. I can't fathom how the epiifania could be any better.