[TAFKA Steve]

Serengetiplains, I could not agree more about the high frequency problem.  It may not be apparent on digital playback of electronic instruments, but on high quality analog and high rez digital recordings of acoustic instruments with high frequency energy: cymbals, bells, guitar, harpsichord, etc., the "cliff decay" and the muted dynamics of attack transients are readily audible.  Even in comparison to my lowly, dated, solid-state Krell amp   There really needs to be a technological breakthrough in class D to address this problem.

[fredgarvin]

That is the effect I noted on my Panny when I first demo'ed it, also. Very lifelike tone to cymbals etc. but as you said, the decay and air was not present compared to my other amps. Good enough for HT, however.

[serengetiplains]

It's a quality made the stranger by class d's remarkable (seeming?) transparency, and because the quality seems to imply skewed or absent upper harmonics, I cannot quite square it with class d's tonal purity (accordians through class d ... wow).

[mezzrow]

I have been listening to a pair of Ric's 500M monoblocks for about six weeks now.  IMHO, and in my system(s), they sound outstanding.  I have been meaning to post my impressions but haven't had time during this crazy holiday season.  I will do so in the near future.  I do not hear the high frequency probem referred to in this post, though I don't listen to vinyl.  These amps do everything right in my system, thus far anyway.

More later and happy New Year!

System:
Source:     Melos DVT, California Audio Labs CL-10/Modified Museatex iDAT-44, EVS-modded Toshiba 3960
Preamps:   None with the Melos, TAD-150 Signature, Luminous Audio Axiom
Speakers:  Piega P10, Vienna Acoustics Beethoven

[serengetiplains]

Class D HF weirdness is well apparent on digital sources, which I use exclusively.  Another interesting characteristic of class d is how they render certain instruments, even voices, sounding as if generated by a synthesizer.  I never found this element of the sound to be unmusical, per se, but never mistook it for something I preferred.

[mezzrow]

Serengetiplains: have you heard Ric's amps or are you just making a general observation based on the Class D amps you have heard?

[jacofman]

Several people have commented on the high frequency problems with many class D amps. After breaking in the EVS 100S amp for another 20 hours and removing my preamp and inserting Ric's excellent attenuators, I can feel comfortable saying that I heard no such thing in my system. What I did hear was the most startling clarity, transparency, sense of uncompressed dynamics, huge soundstage (width, depth, and height), great imaging, and fantastic musical tonality. I have to say that removing my tube preamp and inserting Ric's attenuators was a revelation which really opened up the sound tremendously. The music wasn't as spectacular as with the good tube preamp, but the colorations that many tube amps and preamps insert were obscuring the sound with this amp. It sounded more open, transparent, clear, and more "natural" particularly on acoustic music. If you want to hear a disc that has high frequencies that don't fall off into the ether and portrays a great sense of air, room acoustic, and musical nuance (the player breathing, for example), listen to Eduardo Eguez playing the Prelude to Bach's Partita in E Major on his Baroque Lute (MA Recordings, "The Lute Music of J.S. Bach, Volume 2). Beautiful music, well-recorded disc and no abrupt high frequency falloff. It's going to be hard to put my tube preamp back into my system after hearing it with the attenuators. I'm having so much fun pulling out old CD's......

Jacob

[jacofman]

Another thought about the high frequency problem. i wonder if people are hearing the space between notes more clearly with digital amps. Space becomes "more black" and therefore might get accentuated. This might give the appearance of the previous note falling off a cliff abruptly. In any event, I don't hear this problem at all with Ric's EVS 100S amp.

Jacob

[shep]

This topic really interests me as I am anxiously awaiting my first example, a modded T-amp from M. Mardis.
I can' really comment but only wonder if the "problem" is one of implimentation or in the nature of the technology (if that makes sense) Isn't it a fact that tube gear and SS is only as good as the way it is implemented? i.e. the topology and the associated parts.

[JLM]

Like with anything, IME some stereotyping is warranted and some is not.  All this new amplifier technology is fasinating and advancing at tremendous speed.  Wasn't that long ago that Bel Canto shocked us by abandoning tubes for digital and then Sonic Impact shocked us again with a quality sounding small amp for $39.  Yet now both have been pretty much left in the dust.  (What's the old adage, the first liar never stands a chance?)  So I fully expect that the best is yet to come.

Some acclaimation on the listener's part and certainly some "proud papa" syndrome are at work when paradigms shift so quickly.  Just as many tube lovers appreciate the warmth and accept higher, abet even order distortions, this technology most certainly is not perfect.  (Didn't we learn that lesson from the "perfect sound" promise of CDs?)  As a consumer I very much like having options and competition.  Viva la difference!

[Dyak]

Hi everyone, my name is Doug, this is my first post here in the AC.

I own a pair of Ric's 500M amps (I use them with his ultimate attenuators!!) and wanted to let everyone know that I am very happy with my investment. 

That being said, please take what I write with a proverbial "grain-of-salt" as this is my first foray into what I perceive as truly high-end electronics.  Below are my scattered thoughts and opinions, so not too much more should be inferred.

Source: Denon 2900, Universal
Pre amp: None
Speakers: Lightly modded B&W CDM-9NT
Speaker Cables: Kimber Bifocal-XL
Z-Sleeve-Extra Heavies on each power cable in the system, the speaker cables, and on the ICs between the Denon & amps
ICs: VH-Audio Pulsar (WBT silver nextgens)
Power: Dedicated circuit, Modified Monster HTS3500 MkII, VH-Audio (DIY) Flavor Power cables w/Furutech (cu) terminations, Furutech (cu) outlets, DIY "RGPC", QuietLines, PowerWraps, Walker SST, "Jon Risch" bass traps & room lenses, etc, etc...

OK, where to begin....?

Well, I contacted Ric to get a pair of his UcD amps, put some $$ down and soon got a call from Ric letting me know that he may have an amp that may not only sound better, but would be less expensive.  Very cool.  After talking with him a few times and doing some reading-up on the modules he was referring to I decided to take him up on this offer. 

Scroll forward in time....after Ric had worked everything out to his satisfaction I received them (October), very well packed and ready to rock&roll.  I plugged them in using the provided Volex power cords, and was not happy.....bloated bass, very dark character, strange midrange coloration....I was so bummed, I was considering doing something drastic....luckily for me, patience prevailed.  These amps (in my system) REALLY required some serious break-in....about 150-hours worth of break-in was necessary for me, though Ric suggested that 60-hrs should "bring the amps into their own".  I

At about the 150-hr mark what I was hearing was wonderful.  I would like to insert a complete agreement "copy" of the 3rd paragraph of TAFKASteve's 11/6/06 post here. (begins, "The 500M is very.....") 

I do use the amps with my Monster PC (though for the "high current outlets" I have bypassed all of the filtration w/cryoed VH-Audio cable, thus leaving only the surge protection and the circuit breaker in-line....I also installed a Furtech IEC and a VH-Audio Flavor 4 cable to power the Monster unit, Furutech outlets, etc....)  Whew....anyways I have not tried them plugged into any other outlets...though, for the time being I feel no urge to do so, either, as the end product is very dynamic, a nice wide soundstage, and not too smooth....IMHO the amps retain almost of the things that amps plugged into PCs typically squash...

I absolutely love the sound from these babies. 

OK, I have noticed a slightly darker character to these amps than I had with my previous amp (Anthem MCA50), which is VERY good for me and my speakers (B&W's are typically a bit too bright), though it could just be that less RFI is making it into my system now.  (Jon Potis seemed to like the Bel Canto e.One REF1000s w/the Thiel CS2.4....somewhat "bold" tweeter too??)  I've been able to adjust the level of "darkness" to a certain degree via different vibration control measures.  I have the amps stacked and tied together with cotton string, with a phone book on top of them (yes, I'm single!  ) and the Z-Sleeve Extra Heavies add a few pounds "mass-loading" also.   I've my Denon on Vibrapods and cones....I added a 3 extra of each in the heaviest area of the unit, which added a bit more "light" to the music.  i tried the pods/cones combo and just the cones under the amps (individually, stacked, etc..) and liked the stock feet best.  The VPod cones (no pods) did add a bit of HF detail but at the expense of bass and overall gestalt.  Maybe better cones...?

These amps are very quiet...no hiss, hum, or buzz.      When I insert my old amp (and pre amp) I hear all of the hiss/hum/buzz, plus a stinkin' radio station in the background....I live 200-meters from the beginning of a radio tower transmitter array...there are 15-20 radio/TV towers w/in 1000-meters of my house!     

I do not use a tuner, I use my XMradio (via directv) so can't comment on that.  I use a Bottlehead Foreplay III in front of my 500Ms when listening to satellite music stations and the amp/pre combo makes XM very listenable and in some cases quite enjoyable (to me).


A neat experience:  A non-audiophile friend stopped by...I placed him in the sweet-spot and put on a song I knew had some history for him....I came back to the room right before the track ended and saw he had tears in his eyes.....  I feel similarly, these amps in my setup, seem to evoke an emotional response from me.   

OK, what don't/didn't I like?:
1) The chassis that mine is in will not allow me to set them side-by-side on my rack.....though I've found they sound better (to me) stacked as stated above. 
2) I had to wait quite some time to get the amps from Ric, though he did give me that phone call to clue me into the better sounding and cheaper amps....I also learned a lot talking to Ric, he's very easy to talk with, though conversations with him got a bit lengthy   

One thing I will reccomend, absolutely and unequivocally are Rics Ultimate Attenuators      being able to get my preamp out of the loop provided a quantum leap in the musicality, detail, definition....of everything in my system....other than the desire (out of sheer laziness) for a remote control I will not use a preamp unless I need to.

Drop me a line if you have any ideas, comments, or questions.

Best regards,

Doug

I have no ties to Ric other than purchasing these amps, attenuators, and the Ionoclast from him.  My opinion is that he is a good man.

[mranger211]

Hi,
I bought a pair of Ric's EVS500M monoblocks last November and have spent some time breaking them in and trying different combinations of cables, sources and pre-amps. Some of them don't work very well, others are pretty nice. Two combinations are kind of representative.

Combo 1
Sony XA777es
deHavilland Mercury2
EVS500M
B&W D802
Mapleshade cables

To start off, I am a huge fan of the Mercury2 in combination with various solid state amp. It sounds refined with smooth highs adding a certain glow to the music without having the typical tube sound. I was therefore very disappointed when I listened to the EVS500Ms in this setup. The lack of high frequency dynamics that others have pointed out in this thread were quite apparent and (for me) spoiled the superb bass control and amazing midrange this combo was able to produce. Now, the sound of the Mercury2 together with the EVS500M is not bad and the character of the high notes is reminiscent of some tube amp combinations, so tube fans (as the 6moons crowd who are big fans of ICEpower amps) might very well love it. I was not too keen on it.

Rather than give up on them, I decided to experiment with several input/cable combinations (thanks to audiogon), which led me to the following setup.

Combo 2
Accustic Arts DAC I Mk3
AudioZone Pre-T One
EVS500M
B&W D802
Acoustic Zen (copper) cables

Amazing difference. The timid leading edge of high notes is gone. The soundstage is big and three dimensional, the control and smooth midrange are still there. In part, this is due to the DAC which sounds exceptionally smooth. The biggest difference, however, came from replacing the Mercury with the passive Pre-T. This dramatically improved the problems that I and others had about the high range and led to a sound that is almost edged into the air. No smudging of anything, neither in the time dimension nor in the soundstage. The cost has been less of that nice tube glow, so I would say it is a matter of taste, and especially bad recordings (hello 1980s) may suffer from this.

So, my view, and perhaps the consensus on this thread, is that the EVS500M have excellent bass control, and a very nice and smooth midrange. The high frequencies lack some bite, especially when combined with tube preamps. Some people will undoubtedly like this sound others may not. Replacing the tube with a passive preamp improves the high frequencies notably. Having brighter speakers undoubtedly helps, too. To think that a pair of $2000 monoblocks sound better than $10000 amps might be asking for too much!

But I like my setup so much that I ordered a second pair for some bi-amping.

[thegage]

So, my view, and perhaps the consensus on this thread, is that the EVS500M have excellent bass control, and a very nice and smooth midrange. The high frequencies lack some bite, especially when combined with tube preamps. Some people will undoubtedly like this sound others may not. Replacing the tube with a passive preamp improves the high frequencies notably. Having brighter speakers undoubtedly helps, too.

I recently got a pair of the 500M monoblocks. I, too, have a tube preamp (a Counterpoint, significantly upgraded by AltaVista, and very neutral) and the last thing I would ever say is that the high frequencies of the 500M in my system "lack bite" (by this I think you mean they are soft, or rolled off?).

I only have about 150 hours on my amps so far, and I haven't sat down for a long analytical listen-and-compare session, so I'm not ready to give a full-blown review. But I can say that these amps are by far the most revealing I've ever had in my system. Any system changes--power cords, interconnects, tubes, isolation, AC power--have been readily heard. Especially with tube rolling, changes, and their effect on the tonality of the system and performance at the frequency extremes, are dramatic.

The sound of these amps (or perhaps lack of inherent character) matches my experience with Ric's other products: neutrality, transparency, and clarity. System matching with these amps seems to be much more important than with other amplifiers I have had. Putting them in your system may reveal shortcomings in other parts of the system you didn't know were there.

John K.

[mranger211]

John,
I agree with you on two things completely and on the third thing at least partially.

The 500Ms are extremely revealing, transparent and clear. On top of this, the sound is nice and smooth and does not have any of the harshness that revealing components sometimes have. What struck me particularly is the soundstage and the precision with which the amps outline the instruments in space. There is absolutely no fuzziness about the sound, I think people refer to this as "blackness between the instruments" sometimes.

The second point you make is very important. Weak links in the chain are exposed and any system change has a big impact on the sound. This is the point I wanted to make with my system comparison. In my case, I found the combination of the Mercury2 with the 500Ms not to my liking, but as I said, this even is a matter of taste. Even in combination with the Mercury 2, though, the 500Ms are by no means dark or soft. What I was referring to was a slight lack of sharpness, say, in the plucking of a guitar string.

The reason why I mentioned this is because in the end I don't think this is a fault of the 500Ms, but of the system I had it in. With my new setup, passive pre, new DAC and cables, attack in the high frequencies are better than what I had with my previous solid state amp. Plus the smoothness of the 500Ms is still there. I initially thought that the tube-pre\500M combo might not be a good idea, but quite obviously your setup is working well, so it could have been the Mercury (which is a very very nice pre, don't get me wrong) together with the amps or maybe the cables or the Sony CDP. Who knows... The main thing, though, is that one shouldn't give up on the 500MS too easily because in the correct set-up they are truly amazing.

In any case, I don't want my comments to sound negative. After all, I ordered a second pair of 500Ms to bi-amp (which is also the reason I went with the Pre-T1 rather than give Ric's ultimate attenuators a try).

Martin

[kwl]

I just demoed my first digital amp in a long time, the Nuforce Reference 9.02, and I must say that digital has come a long way from the original Bel Cantos.  The clarity is just stunning.  Everything that is said about the bass is really true.  I'm still trying to decide whether the top end is as "natural" as the rest of the audio spectrum.  I have a RWA SB3 feeding the Ref 9's directly on their way out to the incredible Escalante Design Fremonts.  My question is whether any of you EVS owners have compared your amps to the Nuforce or other digital amps. 

[thegage]

In communications with Ric he noted that the quality of the AC feeding the amps is a critical factor. I had been using a BPT 2 Signature balanced power conditioner, which I thought was pretty good, but I just got a new PS Audio Power Plant Premier, and the improvement over the BPT is dramatic. Even deeper bass, more harmonic richness, and more coheremt top end. I think I'm going to have to check out power cords next....

John K.

[Dyak]

Hey John K., et al,

I recently (a bit over 2-months ago) replaced the stock Volex power cords with VH-Audio Flavor 4 cords. (Furutech Cu male and Furutech Ag IEC)  WOW!  I haven't tried any other manufacturer's power cords, but these babies really opened up the sound for me. 

Good luck with your search for the right PCs....to me, it seems that they can make a very big difference in sound, specifically with these amps.  I'd be interested to hear what you're impressions are of the ones that you try.

Please keep in mind that others' opinions of a VH-Audio/EVS amp may differ as I use Z-Sleeve Extra Heavies on each of the VH-Audio PCs that feed not only my amps, but everything else in my system....so...these do affect the sound 

More recently I added a pair of 0.47µF 600V Auricaps at the outlet I use for my amps in my conditioner (I already have'em in my CD player).  They are still breaking in, but seem to be doing some pretty neat things too. aa

KWL,  sorry, but no I have not done a 1-to-1 comparison with any other Class-D amps. 

I can tell you that I am still really digging these amps.  I like them more now than when I did my initial write-up. They sound very good in my system (at leat to my "tin ears"  aa).

Best Regards to all!

Doug

[thegage]

Glad to hear of your experiences with the VH cables as I have been eyeing the Flavor Fours, or even the Airsines--if I can put aside enough $, but after the PPP it will be a while.

John K.