Opinions sought- Blue Circle CS Integrated...

WEEZ · « **on:** 5 Aug 2004, 02:50 am »

Hey everybody,

I'm still in the process of looking for an integrated amp for a small music-only system, and can't always find nearby dealers for some of the stuff I'm interested in.

Has anybody heard the Blue Circle Integrated- and can you describe the sonics; build quality;etc.?

Any comments appreciated, thanks.

WEEZ

audioslave · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Aug 2004, 03:07 am »

Contact philnyc here on the forum. Not only does he sell the cs integrated but also uses in his secondary system. I have heard only good things about it and in fact, am supposed to be demo'ing one in the near future. He would be able to tell you a lot about this wonderful little amp!

Hantra · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Aug 2004, 03:39 am »

Quote from: WEEZ

Hey everybody,

I'm still in the process of looking for an integrated amp for a small music-only system, and can't always find nearby dealers for some of the stuff I'm interested in.

Has anybody heard the Blue Circle Integrated- and can you describe the sonics; build quality;etc.?

Any comments appreciated, thanks.

WEEZ

It's darned good! Build quality is excellent. It actually drove my beastly speakers. It wouldn't drive the heck out of them, but any reasonable load would be fine. The sound was great. Very quiet. Articulate, and smooth. Sort of tubeish, with grip. Bass wasn't great, but it was damned good for 50 watts on my speakers. Keep in mind I was unhooking multikilobuck gear to try it out just for fun. Take that for what it's worth. . . It's even a pretty darned good preamp when hooked to my Plinius!

I can't think of another integrated in that price range I'd rather have. That's close to the Nait5 though, and I'd HAVE to hear it as well before I made that decision.

HTH,

B

PhilNYC · « **Reply #3 on:** 5 Aug 2004, 12:54 pm »

WEEZ, where are you located? I have a demo unit if you'd like to try one out...

KeithR · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 Aug 2004, 11:30 pm »

I think I'd still take a Stingray over it just on sheer looks

PhilNYC · « **Reply #5 on:** 9 Aug 2004, 11:40 pm »

Quote from: KeithR

I think I'd still take a Stingray over it just on sheer looks

Coincidentally, the first one I ever sold was to a guy who was replacing his Stingray...

WEEZ · « **Reply #6 on:** 10 Aug 2004, 01:37 am »

Interesting that the Stingray and the BC CS are mentioned in the same thread....

Hmmm

WEEZ

KeithR · « **Reply #7 on:** 10 Aug 2004, 11:46 pm »

And my BC crazy friend likes the Stingray over the CS. Different strokes for different folks eh?

PhilNYC · « **Reply #8 on:** 10 Aug 2004, 11:54 pm »

Yep...suffice it to say that they are both very good!

Shawn · « **Reply #9 on:** 11 Aug 2004, 11:22 pm »

Weez, I have the CS for my small music-only system, and I can only say that it is a great music-making piece of equipment. I am driving Coincident Triumph Sigs with it, and it is supremely musical and involving. I replaced an Arcam A-75 with it, and debated long and hard before I purchased it since I couldn't audition it first. I am so glad I did. Gilbert is very cool and answered several of my questions personally, and he didn't try to sell me anything! The build quality is great, but there are no frills, so if you need a remote this may not be the unit for you. All I can say is it is one of the best audio purchases I have made this far, and I will definately be looking at BC when it comes time to spend some more $$$. I would say that this is the best integrated that I have heard in this price range, and it even bettered some amps at double the price in terms lf sound quality to my ears. Good luck!!

Shawn

WEEZ · « **Reply #10 on:** 11 Aug 2004, 11:45 pm »

Hey Shawn,

Thanks for the post.

Would you describe the sound as warm; crisp; or neutral? Is your source digital or analog (meaning vinyl) or both?

Please elaborate if you can...

Thanks again,

WEEZ

P.S.- Thanks to everyone else who has responded. I appreciate the help.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #11 on:** 12 Aug 2004, 12:36 am »

Quote from: Shawn

The build quality is great, but there are no frills, so if you need a remote this may not be the unit for you. ...

FWIW, a remote control for the volume is available as an option (as are pre-outs and a number of cosmetic things...)

WEEZ · « **Reply #12 on:** 12 Aug 2004, 01:51 am »

Phil/Shawn

I'm an old f-rt purist- so remote control and pre-outs or sub-outs don't mean much to me.

I do appreciate a tape loop as I still have some favorite tapes; and still record some mixes to tape for the convenience of sitting back and listening to 'favorites' without having to get up and change discs or lp's when I'm in the mood for a certain genre of music.

Anyway, I'm still interested in the 'sonic signature' of the CS integrated- if anyone cares to comment...

Thanks again,

WEEZ

WEEZ · « **Reply #13 on:** 12 Aug 2004, 02:00 am »

By the way- is there a buffer on the tape output?- or is it a straight line to the source input....?

WEEZ

PhilNYC · « **Reply #14 on:** 12 Aug 2004, 11:42 am »

Quote from: WEEZ

By the way- is there a buffer on the tape output?- or is it a straight line to the source input....?

WEEZ

It's a straight line to the source input...

As far as commenting on the sound, to my ears it's on the warmish side but still fast and engaging. A lot of people that I've demoed it for have been somewhat surprised to hear "there's no tube in it?" That it comes up in conversation with the Manley Stingray should also give you some insight to the sound.

Let me know if/when you want a demo...

KeithR · « **Reply #15 on:** 12 Aug 2004, 03:59 pm »

Phil,

Do you think Blue Circle gear would match well with Wilson Sophias? If so, what pre/amp combination would you recommend? Can't afford AG series, but I'm game for anything else.

Thanks,

KeithR

zybar · « **Reply #16 on:** 12 Aug 2004, 04:08 pm »

Quote from: KeithR

Phil,

Do you think Blue Circle gear would match well with Wilson Sophias? If so, what pre/amp combination would you recommend? Can't afford AG series, but I'm game for anything else.

Thanks,

KeithR

I would think the 201's you just got would be a nice match...

George

PhilNYC · « **Reply #17 on:** 12 Aug 2004, 04:22 pm »

KeithR,

It's always hard to say whether something will be a "good match", because a lot of what makes a match good is personal taste. What do you like and what is important to you?

That said, knowing what I know of the Sophias, here's what I think: The Sophias (to my ears) are very fast, full-bodied and transparent, but give up something in character; the BC stuff IMHO would give it a sense of romance without sacrificing the Sophia's strengths. Given the Sophia's impedence characteristics, I'd suggest either the BC26mkII (solid state, 200wpc stereo amp) or BC8 (solid state, 225wpc monoblocks). Maybe the BC206 hybrid amp, but I think the Sophias would like better speed and bass control that the solid state amps offer. For a preamp, the tubed BC3000mkII (balanced version) would be my choice...if that is too expensive, then I'd go tubed BC3GalateamkII (balanced version) rather than the single-ended version of the BC3000mkII.

(Of course, I'm not accounting at all for what kind of source you use...assuming it is a good, neutral source, the above is what I'd expect. I'd also hope that it is balanced...).

Shawn · « **Reply #18 on:** 12 Aug 2004, 11:14 pm »

Phil, I should have mentioned that you could get a remote for the amp, but I honestly forgot. Weez, I have a digital source, my Arcam CD-72, and that is it. I don't have the patience or the $$$ to really get into vinyl as of yet. I would describe the sound of the amp as slightly warm, but not overly so. I am no good at using audiophile terms to describe equipment, so please forgive me. On vocals, the amp is scarily real to me, Johhny Cash sounds like he's in my room w/me. I listen to a lot of jazz and blues material as well, and even on poorly-recorded music the amp is very smooth and enjoyable, I don't find myself reaching for audiophile approved discs at all. I also listen to a lot of rock and some metal, and even these VERY compressed CD's are enjoyable. I hope this helps somewhat, and if you have any more questions, please let me know.

Shawn

WEEZ · « **Reply #19 on:** 12 Aug 2004, 11:37 pm »

How's the bass?

( I realize that a stand-mount speaker doesn't do the bottom octave ) so I guess I mean How's the mid bass?

I guess I'm looking for a full-bodied sound- which probably means an 80-160 hz bump (small) and a full midrange.

Am I close?

WEEZ