501 Mono Amplifier

Alpinist said:
Here is a brief review I wrote on the Soulution 501 mono amps:

Right now, I'm running from the Esoteric K-01 directly to the Soulution 501 amps and then to the Salon 2's. Even without the 520 preamp, the sound quality is outstanding. There is tremendous clarity and purity of timbres, and distortion is virtually undetectable. There is also a high degree of resolution but it is delivered with a certain sense of ease, regardless of the volume level. Speed, dynamics and bass control are incredible. Drum strikes on some of my most dynamic Telarc recordings are lightning fast and impactful. Consequently, it just sounds a lot more like live music than what I've previously experienced. Overall the sonic signature is very neutral with just a touch of sweetness in the midrange and treble. I also had the opportunity to audition the Soulution 520 preamp and adding this component in the chain materially increases smoothness, texture and musical density.

Ken
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IMO the 501's are the reason that the 710's got replaced. The 501's by some accounts sounded more natural and less clinical than the 710.

I have the Soulution 530 integrated which is an amalgam of the 520 and 501's. It's sound is 90-95% of the 520 and 501 separates. But what musical engagement is delivered in that last 5-10% !

Ken, you'll soon be a happy camper with the 520 and your 501's. The 501's are one of the top 100 most significant audio components according to TAS in it's storied history. Congrats Ken and I'll look forward to hearing your reporting of their mating!
 
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Alpinist said:
Here is a brief review I wrote on the Soulution 501 mono amps:

Right now, I'm running from the Esoteric K-01 directly to the Soulution 501 amps and then to the Salon 2's. Even without the 520 preamp, the sound quality is outstanding. There is tremendous clarity and purity of timbres, and distortion is virtually undetectable. There is also a high degree of resolution but it is delivered with a certain sense of ease, regardless of the volume level. Speed, dynamics and bass control are incredible. Drum strikes on some of my most dynamic Telarc recordings are lightning fast and impactful. Consequently, it just sounds a lot more like live music than what I've previously experienced. Overall the sonic signature is very neutral with just a touch of sweetness in the midrange and treble. I also had the opportunity to audition the Soulution 520 preamp and adding this component in the chain materially increases smoothness, texture and musical density.

Ken
Click to expand...


Well said Ken. I can't wait until you get the D3's and 520. You will be in for a real treat! The sweetness in the mids of the 501s on the D3s is to die for. Can you refresh my memory on what you were running the Salon's with before?
 
Odyssey said:
IMO the 501's are the reason that the 710's got replaced. The 501's by some accounts sounded more natural and less clinical than the 710.

I have the Soulution 530 integrated which is an amalgam of the 520 and 501's. It's sound is 90-95% of the 520 and 501 separates. But what musical engagement is delivered in that last 5-10% !

Ken, you'll soon be a happy camper with the 520 and your 501's. The 501's are one of the top 100 most significant audio components according to TAS in it's storied history. Congrats Ken and I'll look forward to hearing your reporting of their mating!
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Thanks Le Roy! I'll write more after I add the 520 preamp and again after I add the D3's.

Best,
Ken
 
FlexibleAudio said:
Well said Ken. I can't wait until you get the D3's and 520. You will be in for a real treat! The sweetness in the mids of the 501s on the D3s is to die for. Can you refresh my memory on what you were running the Salon's with before?
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Thanks Paul! I can hardly wait. I was running the Pass XP-30 and XA-100.8's, which were excellent in every way (except perhaps the heat).

Best,
Ken
 
Good job Ken ! Now it's time to order that 520 :exciting:

I wanted to tell you as an experiment that David plans to try his Salon 2's on an all Solution setup, 725 and 701's.

How good will that be ?
 
MDP said:
Good job Ken ! Now it's time to order that 520 :exciting:

I wanted to tell you as an experiment that David plans to try his Salon 2's on an all Solution setup, 725 and 701's.

How good will that be ?
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Hi Mark,

I actually ordered the Soulution 520 last Friday, so all I have to do is wait for it to come in. :)

I think the Salon 2's will bring out every bit of the greatness of the Soulution 725 / 701 combo. Having listened to the Salon 2's with increasingly better components over the last two years, one thing I realized is there is just no limit to how great these speakers can sound. And the Salon 2's can certainly handle the power of the 701's. Please give me a full report if you get the opportunity to hear this system!

Best,
Ken
 
Ken,

I don't know how I missed that, Congrats on the 520 :congrats:

Was the Solution gear a step up from the Pass gear on the Salons ?
 
MDP said:
Ken,

I don't know how I missed that, Congrats on the 520 :congrats:

Was the Solution gear a step up from the Pass gear on the Salons ?
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Thanks Mark!

That's an excellent question. The Pass XA-100.8 is a terrific amp and some may prefer its sonic signature to that of the Soulution 501's. I did a thorough comparison of both amps before I made my decision and I preferred the Soulution 501's in my system. Please also keep in mind that the 501's are at a much higher price point than the XA-100.8's. I did not have the opportunity to directly compare the XP-30 to the 520 preamp in my system.

Ken
 
MDP said:
Ken,

I don't know how I missed that, Congrats on the 520 :congrats:

Was the Solution gear a step up from the Pass gear on the Salons ?
Click to expand...

Alpinist said:
Thanks Mark!

That's an excellent question. The Pass XA-100.8 is a terrific amp and some may prefer its sonic signature to that of the Soulution 501's. I did a thorough comparison of both amps before I made my decision and I preferred the Soulution 501's in my system. Please also keep in mind that the 501's are at a much higher price point than the XA-100.8's. I did not have the opportunity to directly compare the XP-30 to the 520 preamp in my system.

Ken
Click to expand...

I like to think the 501's marry the sweetness of Pass with the speed of Spectral and the resolution and transparency of Technical Brain with none of the nastiness regularly associate with the gobs of negative feedback required to achieve such high resolution.

But of course I am wildly conflicted on the subject! :)
 
FlexibleAudio said:
I like to think the 501's marry the sweetness of Pass with the speed of Spectral and the resolution and transparency of Technical Brain with none of the nastiness regularly associate with the gobs of negative feedback required to achieve such high resolution.

But of course I am wildly conflicted on the subject! :)
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Psst...it's called XS.
 
FlexibleAudio said:
I like to think the 501's marry the sweetness of Pass with the speed of Spectral and the resolution and transparency of Technical Brain with none of the nastiness regularly associate with the gobs of negative feedback required to achieve such high resolution.

But of course I am wildly conflicted on the subject! :)
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Not you Paul.........you would never be biased :D
 
MDP said:
Not you Paul.........you would never be biased :D
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Who, me biased? I promise to like any gear you want me to on the days that Adriana is here. That said, it is good she leaves once in a while.....we get to see your lovely bride and my blood pressure stabilizes. :lol:
 
Paul, I'm just coming up to speed on this Soulution gears, I see you have the 721 pre with 501 monos, why that choice vs the 711 (?) stereo amp?

And who's heard the Soulution kit drive Alexias? Or compared sonic signature with top ARC kit? I hate to say I'm curious about this Soulution gear, cha ching!
 
Bobvin said:
Paul, I'm just coming up to speed on this Soulution gears, I see you have the 721 pre with 501 monos, why that choice vs the 711 (?) stereo amp?

And who's heard the Soulution kit drive Alexias? Or compared sonic signature with top ARC kit? I hate to say I'm curious about this Soulution gear, cha ching!
Click to expand...

Hello Bob,

The 501s versus 711 is an outstanding question. Let me start by saying that David from Design Audio (on the Forum) has spent more time with both amps than anyone else I know. Definitely reach out to him. That said, I am happy to give you my 2 cents.

I sold my Pass XA200.5 and ARC Ref 10 when I fell in love with the Raidho's and wanted the best amps possible to drive them. (The Raidho's need for the right voicing, exceptional damping, speed and current is well documented in these threads.) This led me to Soulution based on a friends recommendation and the fact that, at the time, Lars from Raidho was using Soulution in his home. The decision between the monos and stereo was tough. My primary determinates were as follows:

1) The 711's have a slight edge in resolution and transparency
2) The 501's are slightly faster, sweeter and harmonically rich
3) The 501's are just a tad on the light side of neutral in the mid-bass (but exceptionally tight and fast) which is perfect voicing for the Raidho D3s. The 501's slew rate is off the charts even compared to Spectral.
4) 711's are $10k more
5) I have an extremely irrational phobia regarding cross-talk. At bed time, before I turn out the light every night I look under my bed to make sure none is lurking. I just couldn't get over the concern that I would be listening to the stereo amp and be haunted by the fear that the floor in the monos would be better. Utterly irrational, maybe; but I would be lying if I didn't admit the fear.

So I guess my take would be that if getting every last bit of resolution is your thing, the 711's $10K premium deserves careful consideration. To me the 501's are a little sweeter and harmonically rich in a tube sort of way, but at the expense of the last bit of resolution . They are, after all, pure Class A optimized. This trade was one I felt comfortable making. (Remember, we are talking subtle differences though.) I think voicing and speaker match have to be evaluated very carefully, both have exceptional damping. The 711's are just plain flat to me. The 501's slight tilt down in the lower frequencies may be a good match with Wilson's, but while I have heard the Alexias I have not heard them with either of the Soulutions.

I would definitely talk to David.
 
FlexibleAudio said:
Hello Bob,

The 501s versus 711 is an outstanding question. Let me start by saying that David from Design Audio (on the Forum) has spent more time with both amps than anyone else I know. Definitely reach out to him. That said, I am happy to give you my 2 cents.

I sold my Pass XA200.5 and ARC Ref 10 when I fell in love with the Raidho's and wanted the best amps possible to drive them. (The Raidho's need for the right voicing, exceptional damping, speed and current is well documented in these threads.) This led me to Soulution based on a friends recommendation and the fact that, at the time, Lars from Raidho was using Soulution in his home. The decision between the monos and stereo was tough. My primary determinates were as follows:

1) The 711's have a slight edge in resolution and transparency
2) The 501's are slightly faster, sweeter and harmonically rich
3) The 501's are just a tad on the light side of neutral in the mid-bass (but exceptionally tight and fast) which is perfect voicing for the Raidho D3s. The 501's slew rate is off the charts even compared to Spectral.
4) 711's are $10k more
5) I have an extremely irrational phobia regarding cross-talk. At bed time, before I turn out the light every night I look under my bed to make sure none is lurking. I just couldn't get over the concern that I would be listening to the stereo amp and be haunted by the fear that the floor in the monos would be better. Utterly irrational, maybe; but I would be lying if I didn't admit the fear.

So I guess my take would be that if getting every last bit of resolution is your thing, the 711's $10K premium deserves careful consideration. To me the 501's are a little sweeter and harmonically rich in a tube sort of way, but at the expense of the last bit of resolution . They are, after all, pure Class A optimized. This trade was one I felt comfortable making. (Remember, we are talking subtle differences though.) I think voicing and speaker match have to be evaluated very carefully, both have exceptional damping. The 711's are just plain flat to me. The 501's slight tilt down in the lower frequencies may be a good match with Wilson's, but while I have heard the Alexias I have not heard them with either of the Soulutions.

I would definitely talk to David.
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Paul,

I agree with everything you said about the 501 monos. In fact, I'm listening to them right now on Kenny Barron's "The Art of Conversation". They do have that Class A sweetness and purity. Bass is lightning fast and tight but almost never overstated unless on the recording.

Best,
Ken
 
Bobvin said:
Paul, I'm just coming up to speed on this Soulution gears, I see you have the 721 pre with 501 monos, why that choice vs the 711 (?) stereo amp?

And who's heard the Soulution kit drive Alexias? Or compared sonic signature with top ARC kit? I hate to say I'm curious about this Soulution gear, cha ching!
Click to expand...

Bob, I heard the Soulution 711's at CES driving the Alexias with the 725 pre and the 760 DAC at CES. I've heard the Alexias on six or more occasions and I've never heard them sound so good! The components were perched on a Critical Mass Rack. The 711 is one of the best ss stereo amps out there today. It is heavily biased into class A for the first 25 watts. The unit does not run hot and does not have a cooling fan.

I got to talk to Cyrill the president of Soulution at the show. One of the nice things about Soulution is the design philosophy. When possible you can have your components upgraded to the next model. For example, owners of the 710 can have their units upgraded to the 711 for a certain sum. I believe the charge includes shipping both ways and a new warranty. Soulution understands that their owners are making a major investment in the product and make sincere attempts to stand by their customers.
 
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Bobvin said:
Paul, I'm just coming up to speed on this Soulution gears, I see you have the 721 pre with 501 monos, why that choice vs the 711 (?) stereo amp?

And who's heard the Soulution kit drive Alexias? Or compared sonic signature with top ARC kit? I hate to say I'm curious about this Soulution gear, cha ching!
Click to expand...

Bob,
Paul is right on with his description, and he is also correct about David Baskin @ Design Audio Video. I would venture that no one in the country has more experience with Solution gear than he has.
I think it would be a very wise decision to give him a call if you are at all interested in Solution.
I was listening to his Raidho D5's the other day with the 725/701 setup.............Simply the best system I've ever heard !!
 
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