[Ric Schultz]

Some of you know I have been selling switching amps (modified and stock) for several years....and still am....the latest baby ICEpower amp is simply as good as anything I have done and an incredible bargain for the money ($800 to $1080 depending on whether it is balanced or not and what chassis you are getting....same sound).  The way I implement the modules, it is overall better than the monster "Daddy" 500 watt a channel module (except for the power, bass control and slam).  I just got an email from a customer who owns MA-1 Atma-phere amps.....you should check it out on my site.....looks like he is selling his monster room heaters and keeping the 4 lb. mono blocks.....

These 100 watt a channel dual mono (even separate power cords) amps are available now on 30 day money back guarantee.....$800 for the dual mono stereo and $1000 for mono blocks (no better sound but some people need an odd number of channels or are set up for mono blocks only)....balanced inputs are $80 extra and built-in Ultimate Attenuators are available for unbalanced inputs for $200 so you can bypass you preamp for fantastic transparency.  3 years parts and labor transferable warrantee.

Check out his comments on my webpage: http://www.tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Amp_page.html

Ric Schultz
EVS

[grsteve]

I just want to clear one thing up.

I'm the person with the OTL amps

Re-reading my testimonial (originally just sent as a private thank you, but printed with my permission) it may look as if I'm trying to knock Ralph Karsten's products.  I'm definitely not.  I've been completely satisfied with the sounds of my MP-3 (for 3+ years) and my MA1s (for around 2 years).  My only problem with the MA1s is that they run too hot for where I live.  If it were not for this problem I would never have known how good for Ric's amps are because I would have had no reason to upgrade.

For those interested, here is the rest of my system:

================================================

Avid Acutus TT
Graham Phantom Arm
Shelter 901

Stock Oppo Universal Player (The cheapest one, I forget the name - just hanging around until I can find something better)

Atma-sphere MP-3 Pre  with phono stage

Quad 989 Electrostatics

=================================================

As of now I've logged about 40 hours on Ric's amps, so they're not even officially broken in.  What's becoming increasingly clear is how incredibly neutral and revealing they are.  As of yet I can't really attribute a "character" too them other than maybe "chameleon-like", in as much as they seem to totally take on the characteristics of whatever program material I play through them (be it hard and strident or lush and warm)

Also, these amps are fast, fast, fast.  They track sudden dynamic changes like nothing I've had in my system before.  Percussive and Piano attacks (on really good material) are amazingly life-like (in a non "hi-fi" way).

This is my first purchase from Ric.  I have no personnel or professional association with him other than having exchanged several emails and two (very long) phone conversations.

BTW, the mis-spellings, typos and grammatical errors in my testimonial are all my own. (Please fix these Ric, it's really embarrassing)

-Steve

[mfsoa]

Yeah, those 100 watt ICE modules are really something. I lived w/ some for a few weeks and was very impressed.

How cool would it be to quad-mono a pr of biwireable speakers?

[grsteve]

Oh, I forgot to mention... The fact that (at idle) these two amps (together) probably consume less power than my cellphone charging, doesn't bother me at all.

-Steve

[lonewolfny42]

grsteve/steve....

Were these the first ICEpower amps that you have ever tried ? Thanks....

                               Chris

[Rocket_Ronny]

Hey Rick:

I can guess what your personal home system setup would consist of, but what speakers do you use, and how are they located in the room?

Of the digital amps I have heard I find I got bored with them after a while and would prefer tubes. Hope your amps are a step ahead. Actually has me tweeked a bit, but I would be a bit nervous trying them due to past experience with digital amps, the best being the Charlize DIY amp.

Rocket_Ronny

[Ric Schultz]

Currently my speakers are two way custom speakers.  Danny Richie's $45 6.5 inch woofer with no x-over in 80lb. constrained layer cabinet using two different thicknesses of highly refined particle board with Swedac viscoelastic damping glue in between.....$30 modified Vifa tweeter on top (sounded identical to $300 Esotar tweeter after modding...sucked before mods)...set back and time aligned.....only a cap and resistor on tweet.....all hardwired (no binding posts)....everything damped and dead and felted.  I had a guy over the other day and thought my speakers sounded better than his $10,000 Merlin's....well, he was hearing the whole system....but the speakers are incredible.  I am going to post on my website soon all the details on this speaker, so others might use some of the info....or make their own...the basic parts are fairly inexpensive.  I will be expanding the speaker very soon to include two 10 inch woofers on the bottom (bi-amped and equalized) and probably move the 6.5 to an open baffle on top (no way my current speaker can reproduce a live kick drum in my room......need some serious woofers for that).

Current room is fairly small so speakers are only about 4 feet from back wall.......still, the images goes way outside the house...very cool.

The 100S/M amps I sell sound better than the other commercial amps using the same modules.  Call me if you want to know more. 

[grsteve]

Chris,
This is the first switching amp of any kind I ever had in my system.  About 2 years ago I heard a prototype of the Gilmore Raptor driving a highly modified pair of full range Apogees (These were not the hybrid ribbons that Mark Gilmore currently sells).  I believe that amp also used Ice modules.  Overall I was very impressed, however, since the Apogees have a huge slam-factor, I felt that the room they were in was a little too small (and I was sitting a little too close) to really hear Mark’s system at its best.  Now Mark is a life-long tube and OTL nut, so, when he told me that once he got his amp to market it was going to outperform every current design (either tube or ss) I was a little surprised and very intrigued.  At that time the only other Class D amps I was even aware of were the Bel Cantos (which I’ve never heard).

Anyway, since that day I’ve been following the developments with this technology very closely.  The whole idea of a great sounding, cool running, highly efficient amp really appealed to me, especially since my OTL heat issues were really cutting into my listening time.  Before I finally pulled the trigger on Ric’s amps I was also considering one or two other competing designs.  I had ruled out the really high priced stuff because I didn’t want to make a huge investment in a rapidly improving technology.

-Steve

[Rocket_Ronny]

Cool:

Thanks Rick. Got to love Danny's woofs as well.

Rocket_Ronny

[lonewolfny42]

Thanks Steve....

                Chris