Yesterday, I started listening to vinyl at about 7:00am. The equipment chain was: ARMOD (my own turntable) with AT440MLa cartridge, an Insight EC SS preamp with phono board and the Ultimate 70 feeding my new Focal JMLab 908s. I listened to 6 Andreas Vollenweider albums (on CBS Records) who's condition is near perfect. Bias set on both channels of the U70 was always about 1.563v dc. After half way through the first album, I put my mirrors on the speakers slanted face and discovered on speaker to the right to be pointed downward ever so slightly form the left channel. These are on a shelf an the shelf may have a slight dip on the right end. Anyway, with some small spacers, both drivers were for all practical purposes, in perfect alignment.
With the volume control at about 10:30 and mute control off, I was getting the most incredible 3D imaging. Sitting at my computer, I was able to hear both channels very well and that is in front of the right speaker! This amp also has some nice bass to it, the midrange and the incredible natural reverb that many recordings have were revealed in such a natural way. I then played some Aaron Copland (on Columbia records) and heard the same open reverberant spacialness of the recording. It was awesome.
Then I put on some XTC rock and roll and the excitement was kind of gone. I could hear compression in the recording. I have never heard this before, at least not to this extent. My conclusion is that the U70 is a very revealing amp, very true to the music source. I can't wait to go home tonight and do it all over again.
Wayner
