Soulution 701/711/725 win the The Absolute Sound's 2014 OVERALL PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR Award!

Odyssey

Odyssey

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As JV and RH report in this issue, the new 7 Series products from Swiss ultra-high-end-electronics manufacturer Soulution aren’t just
better versions of what’s come before them—mere variations on familiar themes. The 701 monoblocks, 711 stereo amplifier, and
725 preamplifier set genuine benchmarks against which all future solid-state electronics will be measured.
What makes these amps and preamps so extraordinary—and so different—is their delivery of power in an abundance previously
unheard in hi-fi gear (though constantly heard in concert halls, rock venues, and jazz clubs). Where (earlier or later) all other amps,
be they solid-state or tube, eventually hit a ceiling (well before actual clipping) beyond which their sound starts to compress, congeal,
thin out, or brighten, the Soulutions don’t. Thanks to their switched-mode power supplies and unique ultra-high-bandwidth, ultrahigh-
negative-feedback circuits, their character doesn’t change at any volume level. No matter how loudly you play them or how
demanding the music, these Soulutions simply cannot be run into distortion or out of steam.

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As a result of this unprecedented sonic
stability and inexhaustibility, the 7 Series amps and preamps come so much closer to capturing the dynamic ease and visceral clout
of the real thing they will (regularly) send goosebumps up your arms and chills down your spine. Never in the past has either JV or
RH heard amplifiers or preamplifiers with the sheer lifelike authority—particularly noticeable in the bass and power range—of these
Soulutions. Couple this unprecedented dynamic realism with some of the beautiful tone color and finest textures this side of SETs
and you get JV’s new solid-state references, RH’s new solid-state references, and The Absolute Sound’s 2014 Overall Products of the
Year. (Reviewed this issue)

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It's a shame that most will not get to experience them.
 
These are probably wonderful but JV's constant need to declare a new benchmark / reference / state of the art four times a year makes me look elsewhere for credible reviews. A shame as I otherwise enjoy his writing style and deception of the sonics.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
kev313 said:
These are probably wonderful but JV's constant need to declare a new benchmark / reference / state of the art four times a year makes me look elsewhere for credible reviews. A shame as I otherwise enjoy his writing style and deception of the sonics.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Kev, I agree with you that JV can be effusive in his praise for certain lines of gear. But Chief Editor Robert Harley joins him in an long article in this month's TAS re Soulution.

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Maybe I'm trying to convince myself too!
 
Having spent many hours at David Baskin's place listening to the new Solution gear, both the 7 series and 5 series, I can confirm that they truly are world class !
 
MDP said:
Having spent many hours at David Baskin's place listening to the new Solution gear, both the 7 series and 5 series, I can confirm that they truly are world class !
Click to expand...

Mark,

I am loving my Soulution 501 monoblocks. The speed and dynamics are absolutely incredible and the timbres are very pure. There is also just a hint of sweetness, which is perfect for my taste. I look forward to adding the 520 preamp and bringing my system to the next level.

Ken
 
The only thing that will shake me out of having a Soulution preamp in my system is the need for a better phono, you will "not" find better imo!
 
Hi Le Roy,

Did you get to audition the 725/701 combo today and if so, how did you like it?

All the best,
Ken
 
Alpinist said:
Hi Le Roy,

Did you get to audition the 725/701 combo today and if so, how did you like it?

All the best,
Ken
Click to expand...

I did have an opportunity to audition the 725/701's with the 541 SACD player today at David Baskin's Design Audio in Whitehouse Texas.

I'll have much more to say about the 701's when I have them in my Chicago residence in the next few weeks when they will be going head to head in a comparison to the 711's that David will be putting in for me along with the 725. At that time I'll get to home audition the 701's and the 711's together as I consider which one will be taking up permanent residency. And if that wasn't enough to think about David shared with me on a previous visit how the 711's sound bi-amped with the 501's driving the bottom end of the Raidho D5's! I thought that was outstanding at the time!

But I will say this much now: the 701's are the best mono block amplifiers I have ever heard. The sound is effortless. The voices of the instruments in one piano quartet where very easy to pick out and sang in a way I have never heard before. I had the unusual opportunity to hear them with the same speakers I have in Chicago.

The chills down the spine started as I loaded up some SACD's into the 541 and let them spin their magic. I had planned to spend a couple of hours there and wound up spending most of the day playing very familiar and less familiar tracks.

David has put together a winning combo here which ever way it turns out. I'll have more to say once all of the boxes and crates are unpacked in a couple of weeks. Kudos to David for making this possible for me. :D
 
I totally agree about the 701's. When I heard them at David's, it was a holy shit moment. The 701's are the best SS amps I've ever heard,easily !!
The sound is as Le Roy described it, simply effortless and very musical,with tonal qualities that are the most realistic I've ever heard.
They're destination amps for sure because,for right now, there is no where else to go once you own these.

For the lucky few that can own them, I say "Go for it"
 
Odyssey said:
I did have an opportunity to audition the 725/701's with the 541 SACD player today at David Baskin's Design Audio in Whitehouse Texas.

I'll have much more to say about the 701's when I have them in my Chicago residence in the next few weeks when they will be going head to head in a comparison to the 711's that David will be putting in for me along with the 725. At that time I'll get to home audition the 701's and the 711's together as I consider which one will be taking up permanent residency. And if that wasn't enough to think about David shared with me on a previous visit how the 711's sound bi-amped with the 501's driving the bottom end of the Raidho D5's! I thought that was outstanding at the time!

But I will say this much now: the 701's are the best mono block amplifiers I have ever heard. The sound is effortless. The voices of the instruments in one piano quartet where very easy to pick out and sang in a way I have never heard before. I had the unusual opportunity to hear them with the same speakers I have in Chicago.

The chills down the spine started as I loaded up some SACD's into the 541 and let them spin their magic. I had planned to spend a couple of hours there and wound up spending most of the day playing very familiar and less familiar tracks.

David has put together a winning combo here which ever way it turns out. I'll have more to say once all of the boxes and crates are unpacked in a couple of weeks. Kudos to David for making this possible for me. :D
Click to expand...

Hi Le Roy,

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip to David's yesterday! That was a really fine review of the 541/725/701/D5 combo. I can almost imagine in my mind's ear the lifelike sound of the piano and string instruments. Whether you choose to go with the 541/725/711/D5 or the 541/725/701/D5, you are methodically building one of the best reference systems I know of. Please let us know your thoughts when you receive all the gear and have the ultimate amplifier shootout!

Best,
Ken
 
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