The first GAS meeting was a resounding success. A good time was had by all!!
We listened to a wide variety of music, both analog and digital through a variety of amps and phono preamps.
First up, after getting acquainted with Steve's system, was Vasu's brand spanking new Jungson JA-88D Integrated Class A amp, which drew a lot of oohs and ahs from the crowd with its beautiful aluminum cabinetry and blue analog meters!--right Sturg? The Jungson handled the Maggies with authority and the Class A sound was impressive paritcularly for the price of this unit. Vasu also treated us to his Venhaus Power Cord and Ridge Street Audio Poiema silver speaker cables, which we used, through most of the session.
Next up, we tried out a series of Gram phono stages brought by Scott, beginning with the Gram Slee 2, which was a distinct upgrade from Steve's Hagerman Bugle in both lower distortion and more natural detail. The home run, however, was the Gram Jazz Shop--a stunning example of Brit design which was markedly quieter and the most natural and refined of the bunch. (I drool every time I hear it, Scott!)
We then hosted Marc's Sophia "Baby Amplifier", a tiny little gem of craftsmanship. This Might Mite pumps out 10 wpc push/pull of Class A sound using (4) 6P1T power tubes and (2) 5670 drivers. She was quite a site atop the Jungson monolith with the Venhaus fire hose and Poiema snakes hooked up to her. With Steve's Foreplay cranked to the max, we were able to hear the clean sound we expected of Class A circuitry but the Maggie's current demand was simply a little out of the Sophia's range. Marc, we hope to hear this baby again at future meets with more sensitive speakers.
Last but not least was Willie's DIY project that we nicknamed, "the Locomotive". Cobbled together from a chassis and various parts from a Wurlitzer juke box among other things, Willie's twin 45 push/pull, transformer coupled black beauty stole the day. With only 7 wpc output, the Locomotive managed to work it's magic on us, in spite of the demands of the speakers, with it's lush, natural, detailed sound. What a wonderful end to a great first session!
We started kicking around plans for the next session but nothing was firmed up yet. I for one am really looking forward to it. Hope everyone had a good time. Check out the pics at the Gallery.
steve
