hi all -
im an electronic music producer from berlin/germany and have recently upgraded from trends ta 10.1 to two virtue amps (one.1 and one.2) ... i just want to share my unusual setup and experiences with you:
my studio setup is the one.2 amp, RME fireface uc audio interface and dynaudio bm-15p speakers:
the rme fireface uc is a high end audio interface with 18 in / 18 out channels and usb interface. its sound is very honest and high resolution with strong midrange, i think it matches very well with the one.2. ... btw it solves the multiple sources problem nicely as comes with an amazing mixer software and rock solid drivers.
i would love to see a sound comparison between these professional audio interfaces and audiophile DACs.
the dynaudio bm15p are big passive midfield monitor speakers. they have atypically full bass for dynaudio, strong mids and pleasant highs, very good for electronic music. as midfield monitors they project a wide angle and fill up the room with sound even at low volume.
ive been a tripath user for a long time and went from the original sonic impact -> trends ta 10.1 -> virtue audio one.2. i dont believe there is anything like a "neutral" amp, they are all resonators with a specific sound, just like instruments. with tripaths amps the sound has a lot to do with musical distortion.
the sonic impact had this really punchy tube sound. the trends turned that into something very beautiful, it opened up the low and high end - i just called it the "silver sound". the one.2 is a totally different beast.
- the midrange is much stronger than with the trends, especially with my setup. in the beginning it was really harsh but after one month of use it has mellowed out considerably and become much softer. i have a feeling it will get even better.
- im hearing a lot more instruments in my music to the point where i had to relisten to most of my collection. it all sounded different from what i remembered.
- i like to listen to ambient music while im working. that has become difficult because the music is just so real that i cant concentrate. anything with percussion even more so.
- its virtually impossible for me to listen to badly produced or compressed music with this amp. its just too painful ... on the other hand for my own productions it has turned me even more into a perfectionist.
- we are using the one.1 as a live stage amp, it sounds great ie. with drums, electric guitars voice and has an almost tubeamp presence. phantastic with a fender stratocaster plugged straight in from the mixer!
- with 30 volts/90 watts the sound power of this amp is huge ... frankly, the thought of the THREE with that sound and a lot more power scares me!
- the only thing that bugs me is the power consumption with no load, none of the other tripath amps seem to do that. i usually keep the amp on, i just have to get used to switching the amp off i guess. whats using the power here? the chip? will that go down if i run it from battery/24 volts?
all the best from berlin and keep up the good work!
