Here are some of my impressions...
First, let me say I intend to get the first pair that roll off the assembly line. I know, you thought you were getting them, but it's really me...
Anyway,
I think first of all they were a bit brighter than a lot of the tube amps I heard, but that may also have been a factor of the special 9.0 customs Mbarnes had there.. I thought the treble/highs in many of the rooms sounded veiled and dull, which also may have been a feature of the room acoustics in the various halls, and may also have been my own problem since I might very well like the highs to be too prominent (I don't think so, but who knows?). A lot of the time I felt kind of treble starved in a bunch of the showrooms, but not at the nOrh room with the Le Amp II's and the custom 9.0's that were there. I felt that the treble was not veiled, and on the other hand was not harsh or shrill. It was just noticeably more prominent than in many of the other rooms, and I would say that it sounded more like what I listen to in my room.
The mids were great, although again I have to believe that much of the credit goes to the good speakers, but the power and quality of the mids was just right. Altogether, I didn't hear any real problems with any midrange in any room with any amps or speakers. The main problems I heard were lack of deep bass in some rooms, and lack of transparent and extended highs in many of the rooms.
As far as bass goes, this was the other way the Le Amp II's and the 9.0 custom jobs got me to perk up.
First, these new amps are not very heavy, so when you pick them up and feel the weight, you might think there is not going to be any heft to the bass. You'd be wrong. These put out really clean and clear bass notes, surprising me since I was prepared to believe that the switching PS was going to be weak or anemic. NOT. Compared to many other rooms and amps, particularly the other high-powered SS amps like the Odyssey, the bass was everything you could ask. The little 5 inch driver in those custom 9.0's didn't really generate the kind of air volume possible with a bigger bass driver, but I was still kind of blown away by how much quality of bass there was. I am pretty sure the speakers didn't go substantially below about 70 hz, or if they did the digital audio files he was playing on the server didn't have those octaves recorded, because I didn't really hear anything that low. But, what there was was strong and punchy, and with no muddiness or weakness. All in all, I was impressed, but I wished I could have heard them in my room with my speakers. Of course, I WILL be hearing them in my room, with my speakers, sooner or later.
About the other audiophile phenomena like Soundstage, height, depth, and imaging, I didn't really get any chills from any system anywhere at the show. I would have to say that for my first trip to a ultra high-end audio fest, I was dissapointed that nothing at the show made me think I was at a real performance. It seemed to me that everything in there, in whatever room, still sounded like audio equipment reproducing the music. Frankly, I suddenly doubt much of what some people have said about their system sounding like 'the real thing'. Nothing there did it for me, including some very nice Edgar Titans, which I thought just might be the ticket. I'd love to have them, but they just can't be confused with a real performance. But getting back to the nOrh Le Amp II's, I would have to say that soundstage and imaging and all that got lost in the room, with all the people talking, and the poor acoustics, and etc. Come to think of it, I never heard any Electrostatics while I was there. Maybe if I had....?
Overall, I'd say my feelings about the Le Amp II's were 1. Amazed at how similar they sound to many more expensive amps in the show, including the Stratos, and 2. Relieved that my fears about them being veiled, or weak, or lacking in some obvious quality, were not realized. The opposite was true, they were everything I hoped they'd be.
I'd have to say the Le Amp II's are worth every penny of the money Mbarnes is going to ask for them. Count me in for a pair, maybe two!
Andrew.
P.s. The best turntable I've ever heard was there, the Redpoint Testa Rossa. Kudos to Thom Mackeris for a superb piece of engineering, and some absolutely great tunes! As soon as I win the lottery......
My system is or has been at various times...
Counterpoint SA 100 Tube/SS hybrid
Pioneer Spec-2 monster SS amp.
Parasound Phono Pre.
No table right right now, I just sold my Rega, Denon DL 103, RS Labs A1.
Music Hall CD player.
Bottlehead Foreplay modified Preamp--Owned a short time, but my initial impressions are that it is a great Pre.
Axiom M80Ti's
nOrh Sm 5.1's
VMPS RM1's
nOrh Subs Mk II's (pair)
Various ICs, van den hul, MAD, etc.
Spkr wire--1 pair of Straightwire ribbons, another pair of homemade 8 gauge solid core.
