Soundstage Review of the Soulution 711 Stereo Amp

[Odyssey]

SoundStage! Ultra | SoundStageUltra.com (UltraAudio.com) | Soulution 711 Stereo Amplifier

Review by Jeff Fritz

I agree with almost all of the authors statements. I listen primarily to classical, jazz and acoustical music. Having the blackest of backgrounds is very important for these genres.

I find the Soulution 711 to be a perfect match for the Raidho D5's. Supreme control over the bass.

I am very happy with the sound of the 711's

[Colekat]

Hey Odyssey, Also enjoyed Jeff Fritz's account of Soulution. As a matter of fact, has me leaning at that direction for a change of electronics! I am currently looking into a trip to Texs to hear the Soulutions with the Raidho's and other speakers. Would love to talk more about your impressions of the amps. This is my first post on this forum, so not sure I can PM you yet, but would be great to talk more!
Tom

[the professor]

Welcome to AS!

[Alpinist]

Tom,

Welcome to AS! Le Roy's timing with that review was impeccable. Thanks Le Roy for posting it!

Ken

[Alpinist]

Hi Le Roy,

Glowing review of the Soulution 711. Pretty much what I expected. Based on the description, it sounds like my 501 monos and more. My 501's are also lightning fast with super tight bass and very neutral but with just a hint of sweetness in the treble. Soulutions are the Goldielocks amps to control Raidho's robust bass. And they appear to have the same magic with Magico Q7mkII. If I needed more power, the 711 would definitely be my choice.

Ken

[Colekat]

Thanks Ken, I look forward to the opinions on this site, and as you already know, hope to giving a few opinions Soulution if things work out. I went through the 760 thread and it appears to be a cliff hanger.... I'm dying to know how the 701s sound with the Grand Utopia's.

[Alpinist]

Thanks Ken, I look forward to the opinions on this site, and as you already know, hope to giving a few opinions Soulution if things work out. I went through the 760 thread and it appears to be a cliff hanger.... I'm dying to know how the 701s sound with the Grand Utopia's.

Hi Tom,

I don't know anyone who owns the 701's, much less coupled with the Grand Utopia, but there could be someone out there. Most individuals seem to purchase the 711 stereo amp because it is a lot less money, provides the same sound as the 701's, just with less headroom. I believe the 701's are basically two bridged 711 amps. The 711 is a very powerful amp with the ability to deliver peak power of 6,000 watts and peak current of 120 amps. This would be ample power for the most demanding systems. You could take the money saved and put it towards some reference speakers. But if you want the ultimate in sound quality and headroom, the 701's would be the ticket. The 701's also offer a switchable dual mode setting, which enables you to bi-amp your speakers, if you desire. Le Roy certainly could provide more detail as he owns the 711 and has auditioned the 701's.

Best,
Ken

[Alpinist]

Tom,

A little off topic but I think this article might interest you as far as your speaker search is concerned.

Ken

SoundStage! Ultra | SoundStageUltra.com (UltraAudio.com) | Sampling High End 2015's Best Loudspeakers

[Odyssey]

Hey Odyssey, Also enjoyed Jeff Fritz's account of Soulution. As a matter of fact, has me leaning at that direction for a change of electronics! I am currently looking into a trip to Texs to hear the Soulutions with the Raidho's and other speakers. Would love to talk more about your impressions of the amps. This is my first post on this forum, so not sure I can PM you yet, but would be great to talk more!
Tom

Hi Tom, welcome to AS! You are smart to listen to the Soulution gear with as many speakers as you can. I'll send you a PM and we can sidebar about my experiences.

[Odyssey]

Hi Tom,

I don't know anyone who owns the 701's, much less coupled with the Grand Utopia...

Ken, I think that highEndguy stated over on post #65 on the Soulution 760 thread that he was pairing up the 701's with the Focal Grand Utopias. He would be a good person to ask.

[Alpinist]

Ken, I think that highEndguy stated over on post #65 on the Soulution 760 thread that he was pairing up the 701's with the Focal Grand Utopias. He would be a good person to ask.

Great memory, Le Roy! I entirely forgot about that conversation. Nelson is a Soulution and Focal dealer located in the Dominican Republic. He never posted a follow up on his 725/701/Grand Utopia system since he posted the photo awhile back. Maybe someone could reach out to him for an update.

Best,
Ken

[Alpinist]

Tom,

A little off topic but I think this article might interest you as far as your speaker search is concerned.

Ken

SoundStage! Ultra | SoundStageUltra.com (UltraAudio.com) | Sampling High End 2015's Best Loudspeakers

Hi Tom,

Nice mini review of the Magico S7. Alon Wolf must have made the proper tweaks in the final version of the S7 compared to the prototype S7 he debuted in Munich, which met with mixed reviews. I'd like to give the S7 a good listen to hear the improvements made over the S5. I've auditioned the S5 and its beryllium tweeter was not my cup of tea.

Best,
Ken

[Colekat]

Hey Le Roy, I got a reply from HighEndGuy about the 701's and Grand Utopia's ... His reply was " to die for " . As I am becoming more familiar with Soulution, it is apparent that there is good synergy with most all high end flagship speakers. There seems to be a great connection with Magico, and I am very attracted to the S7's. I would love to hear that combo! And the Raidho D5's, which I would think to be a great match also,
There seems to be a great fondness for any Soulution/Speaker combo and audio press has reacted favorably to Soulution in general... Only in the forums does Soulution get killed!

[Mike]

Hey Le Roy, I got a reply from HighEndGuy about the 701's and Grand Utopia's ... His reply was " to die for " . As I am becoming more familiar with Soulution, it is apparent that there is good synergy with most all high end flagship speakers. There seems to be a great connection with Magico, and I am very attracted to the S7's. I would love to hear that combo! And the Raidho D5's, which I would think to be a great match also,
There seems to be a great fondness for any Soulution/Speaker combo and audio press has reacted favorably to Soulution in general... Only in the forums does Soulution get killed!

Not here! I'm a HUGE Soulution fan. I still love the 501/520 combo. Manageable size. Great sound. Killer phono to boot.

[Colekat]

Ken, as you can read in my last post, that would be awesome for me, as I already love the way they look together. That would make this whole thing a lot easier if would match what we like by looks!

[Odyssey]

Not here! I'm a HUGE Soulution fan. I still love the 501/520 combo. Manageable size. Great sound. Killer phono to boot.

Next week I head back down to Austin for the season. In the Spring I brought with me to Chicago the 501 amps to compare next to the 711 Stereo amp. I can carry the 501's in the box into the listening room without aid. It would take me and two of my best friends to move the 711 in its crate outside.

Yes the 711 does sound better than the 501's on much of the music that I prefer. But the 711 is a boat anchor in my Chicago listening room now. Now that the dust is settled it is in its place and I can concentrate on the SQ and music hunting and gathering.

[Alpinist]

Ken, as you can read in my last post, that would be awesome for me, as I already love the way they look together. That would make this whole thing a lot easier if would match what we like by looks!

Hi Tom,

I don't think you could go wrong with the Magico S7, Focal Utopia line or Raidho D5. It all depends on what type of sound you like as all three sound quite different in my opinion. It seems that a road trip may be in order for you. There has even been talk of a Raidho D4, which chops off the top two woofers and bass port (everything above the second midrange speaker), and would create a much smaller, lower priced and more room friendly package. You could reach out to Lars or Michael at Raidho to see if a D4 is in the works. It's nice to have choices!

The Soulution 701's have become the amps of choice at high-end shows to show off companies' reference speakers. They appear to match very well with a number of reference level speakers due to their seemingly unlimited supply of current, ultra low distortion and industry leading damping factor. Their speed, power and bass control is off the charts.

All the best,
Ken

[Alpinist]

Next week I head back down to Austin for the season. In the Spring I brought with me to Chicago the 501 amps to compare next to the 711 Stereo amp. I can carry the 501's in the box into the listening room without aid. It would take me and two of my best friends to move the 711 in its crate outside.

Yes the 711 does sound better than the 501's on much of the music that I prefer. But the 711 is a boat anchor in my Chicago listening room now. Now that the dust is settled it is in its place and I can concentrate on the SQ and music hunting and gathering.

Hi Le Roy,

It must be great to finally have both systems exactly where you want them. I love the portability and bass response of my 501's too, although I'm sure the 711 must be significantly better sounding. It's really neat that you are able to leverage your 501's in both of your systems.

I put together my new walnut Timbernation rack over the weekend, which enabled me to bring my 501 mono amps onto the rack and attach my final pair of one meter Kimber Select 1116 interconnects. The improvement in sound quality of adding this final link in the chain, coupled with moving out my solid-walled Salamander cabinet has really done the trick. I'm hoping to add some more Audience AU24SE power cords and granite speaker bases before the end of the year, and possibly a Lampi Golden Gate DAC sometime next year.

Have a nice trip back to Austin for the Fall and Winter season!!

All the best,
Ken

[bzr]

Man, it's so nice to read about all of the journeys in here, as in the Soulution forum. I always wanted to tell people about the goodness but refrained, it is my taste after all & my ears. Love it guy's, keep the love coming with the odd pic please, especially you Ken & Le Roy

[Colekat]

Hi Le Roy, I'm sorry I missed your call, I've been sick for two weeks and not much audio happening.
Anyway, I was planning a trip to Texas to hear the Soulutions with a couple different speaker combos at Dave Baskins place, and in light of the sad news, will be looking to re-formulate my plan. I had just made plans to fly out there, I had no idea it was that critical, he was so "well" in our emails, and never referred once to the imminent position he was in. Too bad, he seemed like a great guy!
I would love to talk Soulution with you and hope your invite is still open.
Hope all is well in Austin... Great City!

Tom

[Odyssey]

Hi Le Roy,

It must be great to finally have both systems exactly where you want them. I love the portability and bass response of my 501's too, although I'm sure the 711 must be significantly better sounding. It's really neat that you are able to leverage your 501's in both of your systems.

I put together my new walnut Timbernation rack over the weekend, which enabled me to bring my 501 mono amps onto the rack and attach my final pair of one meter Kimber Select 1116 interconnects. The improvement in sound quality of adding this final link in the chain, coupled with moving out my solid-walled Salamander cabinet has really done the trick. I'm hoping to add some more Audience AU24SE power cords and granite speaker bases before the end of the year, and possibly a Lampi Golden Gate DAC sometime next year.

Have a nice trip back to Austin for the Fall and Winter season!!

All the best,
Ken

Hi Ken, did you get the Timbernation rack put together? Is it now housing all of your components? How is the step up in SQ? Which if any power conditioner are you using?

[Odyssey]

Hi Le Roy, I'm sorry I missed your call, I've been sick for two weeks and not much audio happening.
Anyway, I was planning a trip to Texas to hear the Soulutions with a couple different speaker combos at Dave Baskins place, and in light of the sad news, will be looking to re-formulate my plan. I had just made plans to fly out there, I had no idea it was that critical, he was so "well" in our emails, and never referred once to the imminent position he was in. Too bad, he seemed like a great guy!
I would love to talk Soulution with you and hope your invite is still open.
Hope all is well in Austin... Great City!

Tom

Hi Tom, I am finished with Traveling now. I will send you a PM.

[Alpinist]

Hi Ken, did you get the Timbernation rack put together? Is it now housing all of your components? How is the step up in SQ? Which if any power conditioner are you using?

Hi Le Roy,

Yes, I assembled the Timbernation rack two weekends ago and it now hold all my components. It is such a clean setup! Adding the final Kimber Select 1116 interconnects provided quite a bit of increased transparency. Overall, I am extremely please with my new configuration.

My power conditioner is an Audience AR6-TSS. When I added it to my system two years ago, the improvement to the treble and midrange in my system was equivalent to a component upgrade. There was an edge that had previously existed in the treble and midrange that was amazingly removed. It's funny you should ask because I just sent it out for the latest upgrade.

Here's what they are adding:

Cardas rhodium over copper duplexes - for increased conductivity improving every aspect of sound reproduction. Also increased clamping on the power plugs.

Gold over copper forks - replacing previous tin over copper forks connecting filter capacitors to the receptacles. This provides a noticeably more refined sound.

OCC (oxygen free continuous cast) copper wiring throughout. This is one of the most significant improvements providing a big improvement in resolution, speed and soundstaging.

All the best,
Ken