Audionet Humboldt integrated

**u-sound** · April 13, 2021, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by Drummer62

Here I am!
I can't publish a link, because I'm new here. Let's try this way:
audio-activity (dot) com/audionet-humboldt

My speakers are JBL 4350B and tomorrow the Humboldt will be at home

jbl 4350B - Google Search
that is an interesting pairing, vintage meets iphone

and, did the humbold arrive?

**Drummer62** · April 14, 2021, 02:06 AM

Yes, a couple of days ago. It's singing at home. I can't publish pictures, too little messages on this forum.
You can see them on Facebook, if you want.
Angelo Jasparro

**u-sound** · April 15, 2021, 05:53 AM

very cool!
the humboldt had the longest and most painful break-in i ever had with any unit.
so, be patient....everything will be great in the end

the good thing is, once burned in, from then on it will not require any warm up time.
really basicly zero! turn it on and it will shine straight away.

**Drummer62** · April 15, 2021, 06:01 AM

This is the fourth day with the amp always on, day and night. During the day and part of the night, with music or burn-in CDs (XLO and others), when I sleep is on without any signal. It's getting closer to the demo I used for the review fastly. The first hours it seemeb broken, no bass frequencies at all.
I see you have both the Humboldt and the Stern/Heisembergs. Can you describe briefly the difference in sound?
Thank you

**u-sound** · April 21, 2021, 07:14 PM

bona sera angelo
still counting days

?

the whole scientist series are built with identical parts. humboldt has identical signature, COLORS!!, speed, 3d, beauty, thrilling aspect, expressivness, dynamics, flash, disortion, soul, space

the difference: taking weight, torque, stability, density and INTENSITY to absolute levels.
cosmic power, ease, haevenly, it is like flying: with my small and inefficient speakers(sabrinaX), it makes a dramatic difference.
i feel the combination humboldt and heisenberg hits my taste the best. bit smaller soundstage but more beauty&sparkling than with stern. i could be wrong and need to go back and forth another time.

**Drummer62** · April 22, 2021, 01:37 AM

Thank you!

**Kuoppis** · May 14, 2021, 09:27 PM

I finally picked up my Humboldt a couple days ago.

It’s beautiful, it’s magnificent, and it’s a back-breaking 61 Kg beast.

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**Kuoppis** · May 14, 2021, 09:32 PM

The transport crate is something different entirely.

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**Randy Myers** · May 15, 2021, 01:46 AM

That is awesome. Congratulations!

**ICUToo** · May 15, 2021, 05:50 AM

Congrats, kuoppis!
Please don't leave us in suspense, we would love to hear all about how it sounds

**Ritmo** · May 15, 2021, 07:24 AM

Very nice! Congratulations and enjoy the music!

**MDP** · May 15, 2021, 08:12 AM

Wow!!
That’s a beast.

Congrats

**Kuoppis** · May 15, 2021, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by MDP

Wow!!
That’s a beast.

Congrats

Mark, it indeed is. A 134 lbs one

.

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**Kuoppis** · May 15, 2021, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by ICUToo

Congrats, kuoppis!
Please don't leave us in suspense, we would love to hear all about how it sounds

Hi ICUToo, this is what I posted on another thread about the system change:

How does it sound?

The reviews I have seen are all singing the highest praise possible. Is it justified? In a word, IMHO yes. One review said that the Humboldt is probably better than similarly priced separates. In case of the Soulution 520/ 511 combo it replaces, most definitely.

The amp has now been running incessantly for maybe 120 hours, so the expectation is that it will further improve. But already now it’s surpassing the Soulutions by a really wide margin. While I liked the Soulutions, they do have a darkish sound signature. The Humboldt does not, it’s therefore more neutral, while sounding full and detailed, with spectacular sound colors.

A couple things to pick out:
- the level of definition with absolutely zero etchiness or sharpness you are getting from this amp, is simply phenomenal - I have not heard similar before
- the soundstage is very deep and wide, expanding to a different level compared to the Soulutions (which are world class amps, and the combo is about 50K) - it’s very easy to pinpoint the musicians’ exact locations, and e.g. when they’re moving around in live recordings
- micro detail retrieval is exceptional, which allows to listen deeper into the recordings and hear things like venue reverberations on a frankly speaking new level - I’m flabbergasted
- bass is very deep and detailed, without being a bit bloated or a result of a warmish sound signature
- dynamics are really excellent, guess due to the high capacitance and quick rise-time, this amp is super fast and transient speed is just lightning quick

Will I complain and send it back? Don’t think so. It’s in my own system everything I was hoping for, and much more. I’m really stoked.

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**crwilli** · May 15, 2021, 03:33 PM

Outstanding Kuoppis. Congratulations. It’s a mighty piece of kit!

**ICUToo** · May 15, 2021, 10:15 PM

Sounds absolutely fabulous, kuoppis: enjoy it in good health.
I have heard the Humboldt- sounded great.
I am torn between the Humboldt and a Gryphon Antileon Evo.....

**Kuoppis** · May 16, 2021, 01:46 AM

Originally Posted by ICUToo

Sounds absolutely fabulous, kuoppis: enjoy it in good health.
I have heard the Humboldt- sounded great.
I am torn between the Humboldt and a Gryphon Antileon Evo.....

I think both are great amps.

How I experience it, the Antileon Evo has great bass, and is very good all around. The qualities you will be able to experience, are however also a function of the preamp feeding it. In comparison, the Humboldt has great and very well defined, deep reaching bass, brings tons of micro details in the lows, mids and treble to the fore. It also has the high end sparkle and sweetness, and is exceptional in imaging and soundstaging. The entire presentation is on another level, timbres and sound colors are very delicately presented, you just hear more. To me, the Humboldt is in a class of its own.

The Antileon Evo I have only heard in showroom conditions.

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**Kuoppis** · May 16, 2021, 01:51 AM

Originally Posted by crwilli

Outstanding Kuoppis. Congratulations. It’s a mighty piece of kit!

Thank you. Mighty it is indeed at 134 lbs, very substantial. And that’s no wonder when you see how packed it is on the inside.

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**AJR** · May 16, 2021, 11:02 AM

Super happy for you Kuoppis. Aside from changing things up as a general point (all for this, if one has the budget), I would be fascinated to demo a showdown between the Humboldt and the Gryphon Pandora + Gryphon Antileon Evo. If my maths are correct, the Gryphon combo is around US$20k more. If the Humbolt can match the sonics then that it is indeed a very interesting proposition. Not sure what the gain is on the AE, but if the Humboldt beats the AE for details, transients (has circa 670,000 microfarads of capacitance), bass and soundstage (the distinguishing features of the AE) then we should all buy the Humboldt!

**Kuoppis** · May 16, 2021, 02:11 PM

Bump.

**Kuoppis** · May 16, 2021, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by AJR

Super happy for you Kuoppis. Aside from changing things up as a general point (all for this, if one has the budget), I would be fascinated to demo a showdown between the Humboldt and the Gryphon Pandora + Gryphon Antileon Evo. If my maths are correct, the Gryphon combo is around US$20k more. If the Humbolt can match the sonics then that it is indeed a very interesting proposition. Not sure what the gain is on the AE, but if the Humboldt beats the AE for details, transients (has circa 670,000 microfarads of capacitance), bass and soundstage (the distinguishing features of the AE) then we should all buy the Humboldt!

Thank you Andrew, very kind.

On the one hand capacitance is just one factor, and on the other hand capacitance does not qual capacitance. Therefore, the relevant question is capacitance for what. As we know, in traditional Class A designs 70% of the power input is lost and dissipates as heat. In more efficient designs the same figure has therefore a different meaning.

Instead of a generic Class A approach the Humboldt uses a micro processor controlled power output to eliminate switching distortions. This allows for very low distortion levels with better power efficiency.

Sonics in turn are affected by many factors. E.g. lower background noise, better channel separation and higher frequency response lead to increased micro detail retrieval capability and production of realistic timbres. The Humboldt is an ultra high frequency design, like e.g. Soulution amps, which gives it a leg up in these areas compared to more traditional designs.

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**ICUToo** · May 16, 2021, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by AJR

Super happy for you Kuoppis. Aside from changing things up as a general point (all for this, if one has the budget), I would be fascinated to demo a showdown between the Humboldt and the Gryphon Pandora + Gryphon Antileon Evo. If my maths are correct, the Gryphon combo is around US$20k more. If the Humbolt can match the sonics then that it is indeed a very interesting proposition. Not sure what the gain is on the AE, but if the Humboldt beats the AE for details, transients (has circa 670,000 microfarads of capacitance), bass and soundstage (the distinguishing features of the AE) then we should all buy the Humboldt!

An important post, AJR! Are you in a position to hear a Humboldt somewhere? Your opinion of a comparison with the AE would carry a lot of weight

**Kuoppis** · May 21, 2021, 04:34 PM

Running in, the Humboldt continues to improve.

Pretty sure it can stand its ground against high quality competitors.

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**no32** · May 21, 2021, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by Kuoppis

Running in, the Humboldt continues to improve.

Pretty sure it can stand its ground against high quality competitors.

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Was it a blind purchase?
Didn’t you listened and compared it with other components?

Or is it an understatement?

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**Kuoppis** · May 22, 2021, 01:06 AM

I auditioned it as usual, but did not do any kind of shootout.

Also, I’ve had a number of great components in my system and know what I like. And it replaced a 50K set of separates, and is clearly better than those.

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**no32** · May 22, 2021, 02:46 AM

This amp makes a lot of sense to me

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**greystoke4** · May 22, 2021, 02:39 PM

Hi, not worth a tread about my Spectral vs Audionet, i have sold my DMA360 mk 2, and DMC 30ss mk2, and am now playing my new amp a Humboldt, not many hours on it so still having to run it in, had it in standby from yesterday, makes a big difference, don't get me wrong the Spectral was great, just getting a bit old now, Humboldt just seems better, more real, and not so much forced, it is a big change for me as ive had different Spectral for over 20 years, and you get used to the house sound, and got down from 3 box's to 1, is so good, don't get me wrong ,if i lived in the USA, and your used prices are SOOOO good would have gone the Spectral way with their new range, it is that good, but for me in England im so happy playing this monster, Roger Walters on now, photo's to follow

**Kuoppis** · May 22, 2021, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by greystoke4

Hi, not worth a tread about my Spectral vs Audionet, i have sold my DMA360 mk 2, and DMC 30ss mk2, and am now playing my new amp a Humboldt, not many hours on it so still having to run it in, had it in standby from yesterday, makes a big difference, don't get me wrong the Spectral was great, just getting a bit old now, Humboldt just seems better, more real, and not so much forced, it is a big change for me as ive had different Spectral for over 20 years, and you get used to the house sound, and got down from 3 box's to 1, is so good, don't get me wrong ,if i lived in the USA, and your used prices are SOOOO good would have gone the Spectral way with their new range, it is that good, but for me in England im so happy playing this monster, Roger Walters on now, photo's to follow

Happy to hear, congrats on the Humboldt!

I moved from a Soulution combo to the Humboldt, and couldn’t be happier.

Please let us know what your experiences are with the beast.

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**u-sound** · May 23, 2021, 02:14 AM

Originally Posted by greystoke4

Hi, not worth a tread about my Spectral vs Audionet, i have sold my DMA360 mk 2, and DMC 30ss mk2, and am now playing my new amp a Humboldt, not many hours on it so still having to run it in, had it in standby from yesterday, makes a big difference, don't get me wrong the Spectral was great, just getting a bit old now, Humboldt just seems better, more real, and not so much forced, it is a big change for me as ive had different Spectral for over 20 years, and you get used to the house sound, and got down from 3 box's to 1, is so good, don't get me wrong ,if i lived in the USA, and your used prices are SOOOO good would have gone the Spectral way with their new range, it is that good, but for me in England im so happy playing this monster, Roger Walters on now, photo's to follow

very cool!!!
hard to imagine anybody wouldnt like the humboldt sound. then again i am very glad it even works for spectral lovers.
give it a vew weeks, it will significantly improve....opening up and later relaxing.

**Kuoppis** · May 23, 2021, 03:57 AM

Wow, very nice! The Humboldt is becoming really popular here on the forum

.

But that really is no surprise, as it is a smashing value proposition.

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**a.wayne** · May 23, 2021, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by u-sound

ciao angelo, com e bello e benvenuto!
sorry, havent seen your question until now.

i would say about 700 hours.
the first 2-300 hours the stage is as small as a coin and then it takes some more time to open up more. when you think it is broken in you get a surprise later on that there is even more: the midrange beauty.
at least that is how it was in my case and the 700 hours are very subjective. i didnt count and maybe it was much less.

what speakers are you using it with?
please come back and report how it goes!

700 hrs ..! So its a young mans Amp ...

**a.wayne** · July 21, 2021, 11:00 AM

Audionet Humboldt Integrated Amplifier - Page 2 of 2 - The Absolute Sound

Audionet Humboldt Integrated Amplifier - The Absolute Sound

55K USD Retail

**Kuoppis** · July 22, 2021, 02:34 AM

55K is of course a lots for a mid-fi person, so this thread is probably not for you a.wayne. Also, if you are expecting final SQ out-of-the-box, I would recommend you look into Bose.

But there are other people on the forum who have replaced their high-end separates with a Humboldt.

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**a.wayne** · July 22, 2021, 09:52 AM

Still making fun of the poor , Midfi is where its at

**a.wayne** · July 22, 2021, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Kuoppis

55K is of course a lots for a mid-fi person, so this thread is probably not for you a.wayne. Also, if you are expecting final SQ out-of-the-box, I would recommend you look into Bose.

But there are other people on the forum who have replaced their high-end separates with a Humboldt.

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Says the guy buying an overpriced current limiting 8 ohm only amplifier for the deaf ...! ..

BTW you hit those 700 hrs yet ....

**AJR** · July 22, 2021, 09:56 AM

Whoah! Didn’t appreciate there was history here. 🍿 🍿

**a.wayne** · July 22, 2021, 09:58 AM

Your safe you have a real amp ...

**AJR** · July 22, 2021, 10:00 AM

Speakers need an upgrade to do the amp justice but!

**a.wayne** · July 22, 2021, 10:02 AM

👍🏻

**Kuoppis** · July 22, 2021, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by a.wayne

Your safe you have a real amp ...

Dear a.wayne, the correct spelling would be “you’re safe”.

Not sure you know, but that’s an abbreviated form of “you are”.

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**Kuoppis** · July 22, 2021, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by AJR

Speakers need an upgrade to do the amp justice but!

Hey AJR, I see you still have the S3 mk2

.

I still have fond memories of mine. Most interestingly, my wife liked the color and design, so also WAF was good.

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**a.wayne** · July 22, 2021, 10:17 AM

Such a sharp mind , so pithy ...!

**Kuoppis** · July 22, 2021, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by a.wayne

Such a sharp mind , so pithy , the ears thou , pity that ...!

Dear a.wayne, unfortunately pity is written without the “h”. Sorry.

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**a.wayne** · July 22, 2021, 10:19 AM

**AJR** · July 22, 2021, 10:19 AM

I still have, and I love them. But I know I need an upgrade. I almost did 6 weeks ago after my dog somehow ripped out one of my bass drivers! An amazing feat of physics. My dog was on death row for a few days until I realised it was my fault. Took 3 weeks and Magico magically (!) shipped my dealer a replacement driver. All sorted now. My dog is still alive too.

**AJR** · July 22, 2021, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by a.wayne

He got you there sorry mate!

**Kuoppis** · July 22, 2021, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by AJR

I still have, and I love them. But I know I need an upgrade. I almost did 6 weeks ago after my dog somehow ripped out one of my bass drivers! An amazing feat of physics. My dog was on death row for a few days until I realised it was my fault. Took 3 weeks and Magico magically (!) shipped my dealer a replacement driver. All sorted now. My dog is still alive too.

Oh boy, very sorry to hear.

But good to hear the dog did not take any harm, despite the trouble. These are only earthly possessions, after all.

And no reason to replace them if you still like them. They’re great speakers.

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**a.wayne** · July 22, 2021, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by AJR

He got you there sorry mate!

Hahaha , if it makes him happy to think so ..!

**Kuoppis** · July 22, 2021, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by a.wayne

Hahaha , if it makes him happy to think so ..!

Dear a.wayne, in the Queen’s English, the comma comes right after the word it separates from the following. Sorry again.

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**a.wayne** · July 22, 2021, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Kuoppis

Dear a.wayne, in the Queen’s English, the comma comes right after the word it separates from the following. Sorry again.

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Dear Kuoppis ...!

Stay away from amplifiers with such limited PSU and high output beta droop, i know Speakers are bi-amped so you may not notice the lack of drive for another 700hrs ..

Helpful as Always ....

Regards

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