[denjo]

Seems that Roger Sanders of InnerSound fame is back with a new and promising lineup of amplifiers called the ESL (Electrostatic) which are class A/B but are unique in having tremendous ability to drive difficult speakers with commendable efficiency! I am quite surprised that not many are aware of this new brand and wonder if any on AudioCircle have had a chance to hear them.

Check his new products at www.sanderssoundsystems.com

While my amplifiers are being repaired, i hope to have the chance for a home audition of this new amplifier.

[lonewolfny42]

PhilNYC had a chance to listen at the last (April '07) Rave.....

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=38041.msg359387#msg359387

[PhilNYC]

Actually, most of the Rave guys in attendance heard the amp as well, since it was being used to drive the system at Norvinz' main showroom.  Hard to really give an indepth opinion since I wasn't fully familiar with the systems it was in, and the only other amp I was able to compare it to was a very different Consonance 211 tube amp.  Still, it did sound very fast and had good extension in the systems we did hear it in.

[rollo]

Hey Phil. What brand of tube was in Consonance Cyber 211. Was it stock or GE? Thanks.

 PS    Good to see Sanders back in action. Real nice man. I wish him luck in his new venture.

[halo]

I've dealt with Roger as of late and he is a class act in my book. Customer service has always been above and beyond. I can't say enough good things about his products either (be it old or new). I'm a satisfied owner of InnerSound Eros MK II ESL's with the corresponding InnerSound 600 wpc Crossover Amplifier and a recently upgraded InnerSound (now branded Sanders by Sanders) ESL Amplifier.

Both amps are cool to the touch even during loud listening. If they have a breaking point I haven't come close to breaching it. There is so much detail it amazes me. Every time I put in a recording I thought I was familiar with I hear something new.

[denjo]

Chris and phil, thanks for chiming in! You guys are great!

Halo, thanks very much for your insights! Its nice to know that Roger's older products can be upgraded and are still running and satisfying. Yes, Roger sounded like a great gentleman to me - he sounded so sincere and frank in his email reply to me. In fact, he is so self-effacing and humble, its truly amazing! But, I can feel his deep sense of passion for his craftsmanship. I know that his customer service will be EXCELLENT! IMHO, two things are very important to me - reliability of a product and customer service! Halo's testimony is some evidence of the former and my personal (limited) dealings with Roger suggest the latter virtue is going to be great!

Thanks again guys!

[SCompRacer]

Roger is great to deal with.  He will go out of his way to answer questions put to him. 

Halo, myself and Normanality are part of the Chi Town InnerSound Triad.  We all have Eros MK II speakers and InnerSound/Sanders Sound System ESL amps.  I had the older XA 200 InnerSound bass amp but replaced the bass control only active crossover with a Marchand XM-44-3 way xover.  I purchased a Sanders Sound Systems ESL amp for the woofers.  An InnerSound ESL MK II amp drives the panels. The Sanders' ESL amp has a larger and more powerful transformer than the previous InnerSound amps.  It also has thicker bottom and top chassis panels which brought the weight up to 51 pounds.  Power output has been increased to 360WPC @ 8 Ohms.  My system sounds wonderfully transparent and lifelike with these amps. They help my system achieve a natural tonality, excellent dynamic range, with plenty of power and extension at both frequency extremes.  They can play at insanely loud room-filling levels cleanly without straining, or softly retaining full detail.

The MK II is the amp to have when driving woofers as it has better damping control over the first design InnerSound ESL amp.  I will be trying my Sander ESL amp out on some dynamic speakers next month to hear how it performs.

[denjo]

My friend lent me his Sanders Sound System ESL 300 amplifier while mine was away for repairs! The headroom, dynamism, crystalline clarity, ease and effortlessness of cutting through complex music is simply outstanding. My Thiels have never sounded so good, from HF thru midrange to LF. I don't even need to turn my ACI Force XL Subs on! The bass is tight, fast and copacious!
There is something about the HF and midrange that is so beguiling, it defies description! I honestly cannot believe that I could reach this sonic level from my Bent Audio TAP, Altmann Attraction DAC (cheap PS) and Thiels. After two hours, the amps are not even warm!! With the TAP's volume way UP and without any music, the speakers are eerily quiet (no hiss, no hum, nothing). The amplifier is just as well behaved - zero hum or sound. I am told to leave the amps on 24/7 (only draws 6 w at idel!). Someone please tell me I am dreaming!
I have the amps on loan till Friday. Let me give it a couple more days before I give a further report. I am ALL OUT to find flaws - even the smallest nitpicking flaw!

[denjo]

Today is Friday, the day I return the Sanders ESL amp. I know I am going to miss the amps very much! As promised, here are my observations of the Sanders amp. For those wanting some perspective, I have owned several amplifiers in the two decades that I have been in this hobby - AudioNote Oto, Soro, Meishu, YBA Integre DT, McCormack DNA-0.5 Rev A, CIAudio D*200s (not all at the same time, of course!) Without hesitation, the Sanders floors all the amps I have owned, including many I have auditioned, by a wide margin.

Although my CIAudio D*200s are 26 dB (the Sanders are the same), through my Bent Audio TAP TVC, I had to crank my volume down by several steps. Hitherto, I was operating between 20 and 30 (34 is the maximum) and wondered about the limited headroom. With the Sanders amp, 17 to 18 for my digital source is already quite loud. I am not sure of the technical reasons for this paradox.

There are two main sonic areas that the Sanders amp impressed me: First, dynamic headroom. The Sanders amp is rated 300 w into 8 ohms and roughly double into 4 ohms. The sheer muscularity and power of the Sanders allows it to cut deep and wide into any complex musical passage (like full orchestral pieces) and simply spearate and illuminate each and every instrument and musical note with absolute precision and finesse. It never runs out of steam, the sheer effortlessness of how it undertakes this task is impressive. The copacious bass from my Thiel passive radiators is tight and fast, transient attacks are handled with aplomb. My ACI Force XL, hitherto providing stalwart seismic support, had to be turned off and has been out of service for the remainder period of the audition.

Second, there is something magical about the Sanders' HF and midrange which defies description. The closest I can analogise is the quality one gets from the finest SET amplifier - euphonic, even sweet. Cymbals, bells, hi-hats, trumpets, saxophones have wonderful realism and literally unnerved me from my listening seat. The strike, resonance and decay of piano notes is simply outstanding. I can feel the nuance of every piano note, appreciating how hard or soft the painist struck the notes. The dynamic headroom of the amp allows the HF and midrange to shine, clearly delineating between the frequency extremes, thus allowing the perception of a wide and deep soundstage.

I have yet to hear a more musically involving experience through the Sanders. It is truly an outstanding amplifier that has made my system shine as never before.

Best Regards
Dennis

[Normanality]

Great detailed review Dennis!

As SComp above mentioned, I'm one of the "Innersound Triad" west of Chicago.

If you think Roger's amp sounds good on your Thiels, you should experience 2 of them biamping his Eros electrostatic speakers!
I think I've got the best of all worlds adding Modwright's Platinum Sony 9100ES and SWL 9.0SE.  A match made in Heaven!

Sander's amp does it all and does it effortlessly. 

[denjo]

Thanks Normanality, Scomp and Halo of the "InnerSound triad"!

Indeed, I can imagine what your system sounds like biamped (WOW! Gobs of power!) through the Eros ES speakers! I am told the Sanders come with a 5-year warranty (tho' there is no mention of this in Roger's website). I think this is a very important consideration for those considering ownership.

I should also add that the Sanders was really cool to the touch! Turning it on and off, I heard no thump, click or anything. It behaved like a dream! Very impressive!!

Best Regards
Dennis