Reviews and External Threads

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virtue

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #20 on: 28 Sep 2010, 02:15 am »
Our insightful and soft-spoken friend Sean Fowler (aka Zero) with Sonic Flare dishes on the Virtue Nirvana cables.  This guy is thoughtful.  Thank you Sean!

"This is (kind of) what the Nirvana’s are.  I say kind-of, because the Nirvana’s, like all products, still retain a distinct sonic signature. If I had to pin them down to a particular tonal palette, I would classify them under the “warm” designation. The good news is that most people find warmth, particularly when applied across the midrange and upper mid-bass range, to be pleasing. The better news is that the Nirvana manages to maintain this coloration without seriously compromising the rest of its performance. The top end is still reasonably extended and detailed. The imaging is still wide and precise.  The bass isn’t slow, nor is the midrange under damped.  What you get is a good all around cable that truly fits the “jack of all trades” cliché."

You can find the full review here:

http://www.sonicflare.com/archives/a-brief-look-at-the-virtue-audio-nirvana.php
« Last Edit: 15 Nov 2010, 10:49 pm by virtue »

kylek

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #21 on: 1 Oct 2010, 03:43 am »

kylek

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #22 on: 20 Oct 2010, 12:52 am »
Dean Seislove gives an update on the Sensation 901 after the tube buffer upgrade:

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue51/hrt_plus.htm

Also, TONE Audio reviews the Piano M1 CD player and gives it an Exceptional Value Award:

http://www.tonepublications.com/

Kyle

virtue

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #23 on: 20 Oct 2010, 02:30 am »
Thanks Kyle!  I'm really thrilled with these reviews.  Amazing. 

Dean really nailed it and it's good to see the Melissa sale immortalized and this community recognized.  We are a fun little family here (not in the AV123 sense, haha).

And Jeff's work is gorgeous.  What photos!  What layout!  The guy is a genius.

kylek

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #24 on: 29 Oct 2010, 08:30 pm »
And the great reviews keep coming...  This time it's on the M451 with Dodd tube buffer from Enjoy the Music:

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1110/virtue_audio_sensation_m451.htm


Kyle

ltr317

Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #25 on: 29 Oct 2010, 10:18 pm »
Congrats Seth.  Ron threw me a bone by mentioning my name.   :lol:

virtue

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #26 on: 2 Nov 2010, 09:59 pm »
Here's a great mention from our friends at CustomMade.  We're really excited to see who finds us from this website!  We're apparently the first custom electronics manufacturer and they have threatened to create a new category for us!

http://blog.custommade.com/
CustomMade gets a Custom Stereo! Behold! Our stereo's home : the conference room

At CustomMade, we are constantly growing our subscriber base, but better yet frequently making good friends. Every once in a while we are fortunate enough to have a maker share some of their work with us at the CustomMade headquarters.  We’ve had Jim Ayer send us a gorgeous puzzle. (Which took a while to complete!) We’ve all taken a break and sat on Geoffrey Warner’s “Owl stool“. Most recently, we were sent the gracious gift of a custom made amplifier, which made the official stereo system of the CustomMade headquarters possible.  Seth Krinsky of Virtue Audio in LA sent us this gorgeous stereo amplifier, in a red, and woodgrain finish case.  Seth says:

“A fine audio system conveys not only aural pleasure, but the natural beauty and loving craftsmanship of a custom suit or timepiece. That’s what we do. Bringing the sensory excitement of high-end audio to your home, at a price you can afford, is our driving passion.”

We want to offer our personal thanks to Seth, Jim, Geoffrey, and everyone else who has helped us and sent us their work. Whenever we happen to have visitors, they see your work displayed proudly.

johnnydarko

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #27 on: 2 Nov 2010, 11:24 pm »

virtue

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #28 on: 9 Nov 2010, 04:01 pm »
November 2010 / The Stereo Mojo team award us BEST VALUE SOLID STATE INTEGRATED!
"It's hard to beat an 87 wpc stereo integrated amp for $799. We're talking real high end here with the Tripath chip driven amp. You can add better power supplies to improve the sound and even add a Gary Dodd tube buffer to really bump it up. Up to you. Combine that with the ability to customize the colors, style and the exotic wood top and you have a very personalized amp like no one else. It sounded almost as good at the show as it does here at Stereomojo." There's utter pandemonium here.

http://www.stereomojo.com/RMAF%202010/RockyMountainAudioFest2010BestofShowAwards.htm

November 2010 / Ron Nagle from Enjoy the Music reviews the Dodd Buffer M451!
"Bottom Line The Dodd Audio, Virtue Audio Sensation M 451 is an advance in digital design that finally bridges the gap that existed between digital and tube and solid-state amplifiers. It seems evident to me that no matter what type of music you enjoy be it classical, jazz, or rock you now have options at your fingertips."

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1110/virtue_audio_sensation_m451.htm

Mama Virtue

Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #29 on: 19 Nov 2010, 08:52 pm »
Hey check out the Piano M1 review in October's Tone Pub issue! http://www.tonepublications.com/MAGPDF/TA_032.pdf (page 117)

virtue

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #30 on: 12 Dec 2010, 05:28 am »
James has been working on this review for over a year.  I had an opportunity to discuss with him why we named the company "Virtue" and some other good stuff. 

http://www.stereomojo.com/Virtue%20Audio%20Sensation%20review.htm/VirtueAudioSensationreview.htm

Linda has a white Sensation and we're getting James a new one with the 6/12v Dodd buffer soon.  He loves the amp although not with every speaker. 

Check it out!

se-riously

Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #31 on: 12 Dec 2010, 08:36 am »
Congrats on the positive review of the Sensations.  Just one thing you might want to clarify with James Darby on the review:  Why would anyone buy one of the upgraded power supplies if they were going to buy the RWA battery supply?  Likewise, you might want to send him a Dodd battery supply since the $1,923 total in the article is functionally equivalent to a $1,428 M901 (w/ Dodd tube buffer and DIY battery supply).

virtue

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #32 on: 26 Dec 2010, 09:19 am »
Here's David Kan's thoughtful follow-up to his original Virtue TWO review in 6Moons! 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/virtueaudio/1.html

Great stuff!

virtue

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #33 on: 15 Feb 2011, 05:52 am »
Bill Schuchard digs our Virtue Nirvana audio cables.

Read all about it on StereoMojo!

http://www.stereomojo.com/Virtue%20Audio%20Nirvana%20Cables%20Review/VIRTUEAUDIOCABLESREVIEW.htm

"The Virtue Audio Nirvana speaker cable should be on everybody's audition list, regardless of budget. They sound that good and are my new reference speaker cable to beat. They're a great deal for those on a budget but might just surprise those would can afford far more. I'll be recommending these to friends and family for the foreseeable future. This is Maximum Mojo in spades. They're also pretty to look at or at least easy to ignore.

The Virtue Audio interconnects are also a great deal, besting the Audioquest Diamondbacks and trouncing the Bluejeans cables I have in house. Whether one might choose the Nordost Blue Heaven is still up for debate depending on system synergy. They operate at a similar level with the Virtue costing less than half as much. Will the Nirvana interconnects beat a set of $500 MIT cables? No, they won't but at $64 for a meter set, one could wire an entire system for far less than one set of MIT cables. Food for thought. I'm now using the Virtue Audio Nirvana interconnects as my reference as justifying a $500 cable to my wife is a fool's errand.

How about that old Speed Freak digital coax? These are a no-brainer over the Bluejeans cable I was using before. They won't match the far more expensive MIT digital interconnect but it comes down to price. Some may shell out some serious change for the MIT for that slight uptick. I know I will at some point The difference was very subtle unless I upclocked the transport from 44.1 to 88.2Khz. At $39, this cable is simply amazing.

Since my reference system is going to stay completely wired with Virtue Audio Nirvana speaker cables, Nirvana interconnects, and a Speed Freak digital interconnect, and I'm thrilled about that, I'm bestowing upon Virtue Audio Cables the Maximum Mojo Award."

virtue

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #34 on: 7 Jun 2011, 05:30 pm »
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/557418/virtue-audio-sensation-m451-review#post_7524902

Ron Kerlin just reviewed a buffered Sensation in his headphone rig.  For those of you who don't know Ron, he's the HEAD-FI headphone guru.  He's actually never used our amps with speakers and is a huge fan!  THANK YOU RON!

WC

Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #35 on: 30 Jun 2011, 03:39 am »
http://www.sonicflare.com/archives/review-virtue-audio-sensation-m451-integrated-amplifier.php

Another review from Sean Fowler. Sean much prefers the battery power to the PS that Seth sent him. Also was not a big fan of the tube buffer, at least on PS power.

Link works now.
« Last Edit: 30 Jun 2011, 04:23 pm by WC »

PSB Guy

Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #36 on: 30 Jun 2011, 06:39 pm »
http://www.sonicflare.com/archives/review-virtue-audio-sensation-m451-integrated-amplifier.php

Another review from Sean Fowler. Sean much prefers the battery power to the PS that Seth sent him. Also was not a big fan of the tube buffer, at least on PS power.

Link works now.
Just read that review, I'm thinking Sean may have got a defective power supply, or he has really crappy power lines. I have no such issues with the JT Dynamic PS on my M901. Just my $0.02.

Cornelis

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Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #37 on: 30 Jun 2011, 07:24 pm »
WC -  I'm impressed by how quickly you were able to spot that review. Thanks for pointing it out!  And yep, as good as the stock M451 is, the battery driven unit is even better (to my ears)!

Cornelis - Hell, I'll be the first to admit that the cables tasked to filter juice into my abode are far and away from standing as the holy grail of electrical transmission lines. They're OK at best.

With that said, if my lines were truly that unflattering, I'd have never gotten into hi-fi in the first place if that meant having to deal with all the noise... noise... noise...  Thankfully, most amplifiers that I buy or test exhibit either very mild mechanical noise, or none at all. The issues I encountered were exclusive to the JT Dynamic PS -  regardless of the gear that I attached to it, regardless of the outlets that I used, and regardless of the home that I put it in. 

So does this mean that the unit supplied to me was defective? Maybe. I'm not an electrical engineer, nor will I pretend to be. When I submitted my initial concerns to Virtue - the idea of a defective unit was never brought up. Anyways, at the end of the day, I'm glad that the power supply is working for you, as it's a great sounding unit. Also, your results only further support the notion that just because one person runs into an issue, doesn't mean that everyone will. Tis's the beauty (and sometimes curse) of hi-fi. 

WC

Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #38 on: 30 Jun 2011, 07:42 pm »
WC -  I'm impressed by how quickly you were able to spot that review. Thanks for pointing it out!

Speed is the beauty of having many audio review sites in my RSS reader. Sonic Flare is just one of many. :)

PSB Guy

Re: Reviews and External Threads
« Reply #39 on: 30 Jun 2011, 08:41 pm »
WC -  I'm impressed by how quickly you were able to spot that review. Thanks for pointing it out!  And yep, as good as the stock M451 is, the battery driven unit is even better (to my ears)!

Cornelis - Hell, I'll be the first to admit that the cables tasked to filter juice into my abode are far and away from standing as the holy grail of electrical transmission lines. They're OK at best.

With that said, if my lines were truly that unflattering, I'd have never gotten into hi-fi in the first place if that meant having to deal with all the noise... noise... noise...  Thankfully, most amplifiers that I buy or test exhibit either very mild mechanical noise, or none at all. The issues I encountered were exclusive to the JT Dynamic PS -  regardless of the gear that I attached to it, regardless of the outlets that I used, and regardless of the home that I put it in. 

So does this mean that the unit supplied to me was defective? Maybe. I'm not an electrical engineer, nor will I pretend to be. When I submitted my initial concerns to Virtue - the idea of a defective unit was never brought up. Anyways, at the end of the day, I'm glad that the power supply is working for you, as it's a great sounding unit. Also, your results only further support the notion that just because one person runs into an issue, doesn't mean that everyone will. Tis's the beauty (and sometimes curse) of hi-fi.
Hi Sean,
Regardless of the origins of the noise you were experiencing, your review has pretty much convinced me that I just HAVE to try the battery kit with my M901.
Cornelis