Almost 6 years ago I called and as every other time, Frank answered my question……If you were to upgrade my amp(Omegastar 240), or one of my preamps(Omegastar EC when changing tubes in the T7) which would you replace? “Oh, most certainly the amp!, our SET120 is the ticket”. Being me, tightwad extraordinaire I did not. I certainly took note when after a somewhat short lifespan, the SET120 was replaced with the NP1. It had to be good for Frank to do so.
I’m regularly on eBay looking for vintage Signature Grados and popped up a NP1 in my state less than a year old. “Moving to tubes” was the response when I enquired why the sale, so I bought it.
I love love love this amp. I saw the comments about a slight forward or brightness,….not here. And this is where This won’t be much help to those looking for comparisons. I run 2 sets of DIY bookshelf style alternately. SB acoustics drivers in both with different tweeters. But what I’m hearing from the NP1 is more clarity and articulateness across the board. Bass, mids, and treble. All three. It’s not a fair fight with the old Omegastar which I thought was a great sounding SS amp…….I liked it better than my Nelson Pass designed Forte 3. The Omegastar in comparison is smoother, so I guess if your ancillaries tend to bright the NP1 might be too much of good thing but with the T7 feeding the NP1 it sounds like heaven.
Sorry for what some may consider a lengthy post.
