Finally Pulled the trigger

joeinid said:
I was looking at the 2 chassis Viola amp and reading the Tone Audio review. It seems like the fan noise was fairly obtrusive at low listening levels. It's too bad. I'd like to hear the Symphony amp.
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+1

Yeah, read that in the TAs review, too, too bad.

Did you read the review of the Pass Xs300 amp in the same issue? Pretty sweet, too.

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veindoc said:
No fans with Symphony, runs cool and chassis is part of cooling setup with vents on top. Must work as it ran cool for the two weeks I pushed it.
Nick
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I should have taken Sanjay up on his offer to hear them. I thought I knew better. :(

socfan12 said:
+1

Yeah, read that in the TAs review, too, too bad.

Did you read the review of the Pass Xs300 amp in the same issue? Pretty sweet, too.

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If it was not for the excessive heat ...... Oh well.
 
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veindoc said:
Hey Mike and Joe, not exactly sure how it does this. I do not know if the integral choke filter in the power supply is unique to Viola or is behind many of the desirable qualities I experienced. I have asked Sanjay at Ciamara for some help with your query. I also noticed that with and with ac conditioners or power cords, no real improvement, I just plugged it into my dedicated 20amp furetech receptacle and away we go. I think Ayre has some built in power conditioners I wonder if Viola has something built in that assists in this regard. I forgot to mention I also am excited to mess around with the 2 sets of binding posts to see its affect on biwiring my speakers. Joe seems to have like this even with less expensive speaker cables. I also likedthat Viola doesn't bring out a new version or Mark 2,3 or 4 of a great design. They told me if better parts come out for a particular product they will incorporate it in future builds. They don't try to rewrite the wheel or design if they think it already does a really great job. To me many mark 2 or 3 version r a PR statement to pump up business but not a huge design improvement. I think that's why I also like Hansen's thoughts on his new Ayre dac with dsd. It is essential almost an entirely new design not just a quick addition of dsd capability. He knew after several years there was room for improvement and that is why this new version came out. Nice blog about this on Computeraudiophile where he is a member. I will forward any additional info soon hopefully.

Nick
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Nick - can you talk to the sonic characteristics of why you picked the Viola over everything else you heard? Sweeter highs, better bass grip, midrange? What?
 
Mike said:
Nick - can you talk to the sonic characteristics of why you picked the Viola over everything else you heard? Sweeter highs, better bass grip, midrange? What?
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+1

Can you tell what you liked ? .....
 
I thought I did. Fwiw I have not heard back from Viola yet. Sanjay did say the fan is currently two different size blades on the monoblocks which r a double size version of a symphony. He said fan like the one used in apple products is silent and only turns on when amped is pushed. The tone article was actually very positive but to sound balanced the foible of the fan was mention. Solution also uses same fan. I guess anyone who wants confirmation should get comfortable and listen both from chair and close up.
As far as why Viola and why this was the most euphonic to my ears is the qualities that sound nice and mimic what I hear when I go to my favorite jazz club or rock concert. I also think that every amp i auditioned I would play the same compilation cd, all 15 cuts to hear what sounded good or better on both good and mediocre blues and jazz or rock recordings. Next played three hd download cuts. I seem to focus on was the soundstage and was the holographic window wide. Was I able to place vocalists, bass, and guitar in different position so to speak or did they all seem to come at me exactly where the vocalist appeared to b emanating from. Then I focused on tight almost palpable bass. (I love the cut Saga of Harrison Horsefeather-Bromberg ). Lastly I focus on female jazz and blues vocals to see if they r shrill or annoying or gutty and pleasing to my ear.
After this process I took notes and gave each amp a plus, minus or neutral score and a comment usually one sentence what I loved or liked or disliked. Occasionally I had 2-3 amps at same time and could literally play the same cut back to back to back.

In the end many amps were very good but I consistently came back to just not as good as the Viola. Not sure if this answers hour query but I tried

Goodnight

Nick
 
Nick,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. It makes perfect sense and I appreciate the effort the explain your reasoning. I totally understand the labor involved to pick the perfect amp to match the TAD CR-1's. It was quite an undertaking and I've experienced some of the different levels of compatibility.
 
thnx Cyril and Joe. Amp will b hear later this week. Ayre has a 4-6 week wait. The remainder of my acoustic panels and traps arrive over the next 2-3 weeks. By mid Sept. I should have a lot of free time just to seat and enjoy. Excuse me, "whats that honey?-yes I can take the garbage up the Hill". Well I can dream can't I.
take care

Nick
 
Ok, thanks for nothing :dry:

For your information, there is (unfortunately) not so many reviews of Viola, and it was my hope that you (John) knew just one review I had no knowledge of.

And to Nick: excellent choice. I also own a Symphony and therefore know how good it really sounds, even compared directly with other more well-known high-end amp. You should be able to achieve a significantly better sound by upgrading your Pass pre.
 
I tried nagra jazz and Zanden 3100 with my class A older MF F-15. I did not have the symphony in my home at the time. I love what I heard with XP-20 and hope to explore down the road other potential preamps. What r u using with your symphony ?

Nick
 
Viola Cadenza - it's good, but think that here are several alternatives such as Tidel, Classe Omega and Chord. The new Viola Crescendo could also be an alternative, but I haven't heard it.
 
Chr. R. said:
Ok, thanks for nothing :dry:

For your information, there is (unfortunately) not so many reviews of Viola, and it was my hope that you (John) knew just one review I had no knowledge of.

And to Nick: excellent choice. I also own a Symphony and therefore know how good it really sounds, even compared directly with other more well-known high-end amp. You should be able to achieve a significantly better sound by upgrading your Pass pre.
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Christian,if that is your name, people here are not short, curt or rude to one another. Most are here for that one reason alone & also for the reason that everyone is treated as an equal & with respect & likewise will beget the same.
In answer to your "thanks for nothing", all I did was go to their site, they are there for the world to see, or just google Viola Audio review, you will have to sift through the usual rubbish but there is a somewhat limited coverage of the brand. Seriously mate, welcome to the shark, most here have been conversing with each other for some time now & we all have bad days too, big breath & remember, smooth as cat shit, that'll do it! :D :D
 
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