The Best Amplifier Ever ?

One gentleman suggested that the acoustic reality thauma turge sounded cold and unmusical. I assume that he meant to himself. I would suggest that this problem could possible have come from up stream. I heard the thauma turge amps in the system containing the wavac's, about $1000,000.00 worth in one of the finest home music room's on earth. So much better were the acoustic reality thauma turge's that I purchased three pair( I must admit that I got a little carried away and purchased one pair more than I needed, but, that's life). At any rate these amps are like chameleons They take on the color of whatever components are up or down stream. However the entire system must be up to task. These are the most uncolored amps that I have ever heard, therefor they lend themselves to wonderful preamps such as the suprateks, or passives transformer based attenuators such as the wonderful music first audio (mfa) from England. they (the Thauma Turge) put the experienced audiophile in control of his canvas. You may be a Monet,or a chagall, or just a guy like me, but you may do what you want. Of course, preference must be taken into consideration, and I have. And that is what's so wonderful about these amplifier's, thay make room for YOUR preference. At any rate you can finally be the master of your music, for a long, long time. if possible, get a pair of these wonderful and rare instruments and enjoy music. Cheers

Bear, does that mean you absolutely equate "Best Measuring Amp" with "Best Amp"? If so, that would imply that you believe that the currently-available and performed suite of measurements is 100% sufficient to ascertain any amp's ability to reproduce music.

Quite, the only way you can legitimately talk of the "Best" component, is in the context of measurements. Assuming a component is thoroughly bench tested, you can say this amp measures better than anything I have tested before, ergo it is the best. The trouble is, everyone(or nearly everyone) has ceased believing measurements count for much in performance terms. Therefore "best" ends up being subjective in all cases and thus meaningless. Best is only legitimate in the context "This is the best amp, CD player I have had in my system". I can relate to, appreciate and find utility in that.
Sorry if I am teaching my grandmother to suck eggs(do you colonials use that expression too). Sometimes I think we need a logician to analyse these threads, a bit of symbolic logic might resolve the arguments. I would do it too, if I had'nt been a dismal failure at logic, when I was at university

what is the purpose in asking a question which has no definitive answer ? each of us has a favorite component that is neither better nor worse than another person's favorite component.

asking what is the best of anything does not accomplish much.

by the way, can anyone specify what "better" and "best" mean in audio, other than to indicate personal preference ?

Rhagen, I guess I have some auditioning to do =:-))

The best amp ever is a Sanyo model QV-30 receiver made in 1979.

Serial #64522 only (the rest of them suck).

I listened to the Thauma Turge.

Rhagen, which Acoustic Reality amp did you hear?

I didn't inclue the Acoustic Reality amps because I don't like them. They sound very detailed but cold and unmusical to me.

Rhagen: you forgot to include the Acoustic Reality Thauma Turge mono amps. One audiophile replaced three pairs(!) of his WAVAC SH-833's (which are included in you list) with the Acoustic Realities.

Chris

such a question is really academic. the best amp for an electrostatic speaker is not necessarily the best amp for a horn speaker. the best low powered amp for a horn speaker would not drive a magnepan.

what are the criteria for "the best amp" ?

it is better to ask "what is my favorite amp and why" ?

too many of the questions which include the word "best" are so open ended that the answers may not be applicable to all situations.

Cary Anniversary 805's with 6SL7 input tubes. I've owned two pairs of 805C's with 6SN7's and 6SL7's. I own a pair of Anniversary 805's with the 6SL'7s and have owned a pair of Anniversary with the 6SN'7. The Anniversarys normally come with the 6SN'7s. "BIG MISTAKE HERE" The 805 Anniversary with the 6SL7's just sound more musically correct from top to bottom. I didn't like the 6SN'7 version at all. These amps are really incredibale and are very hard to beat and in this version I would take on all challengers bar none. In my opinion one of the very best amps every produced. Try it; you'll like it I swear

The best amplifier ever - hmmm - lets see. It would have to be one of these (devided into categories tube, solid state and digital):

Tube Research Labs Platinum Golden Triode Reference 800 Mono Amplifiers
Jadis JA-800
Atma-Sphere MA-3 Reference Mono Amplifiers
Conrad Johnson Grand Anniversary Triode Mono Amplifiers(upcoming)
Vacum Tube Logic Siegfried Reference Mono Amplifiers
Audio Research Reference 610T Vacum Tube Monaural Amplifiers
Wavac Audio SH-833 Mk.II
LAMM Industries ML-3 Signature Mono Amplifiers
Convergent Audio Technologies JL-1 Limited Edition
Joule Electra VZN-350 Destiny OTL Monoblock Amplifiers
Kondo Gaku-On Mk.II
Shoreline 800 Monoblock Amplifiers
Pathos Acoustics Adrenaline
Glass Master SD-2
Tube Research Labs Single Ended Triode Reference 50 Mono Amplifiers
Loth-X Silbatone 300 SEL
Tenor Audio Hybrid Series 300 Hp Monoblock Amplifiers
Balanced Audio Technologies VK-300SE Dual Block Balanced Zero Feedback Triode Bridged Mono Amplifiers
Ypsilon SET-100 Monoblock Amplifiers
Octave Research Jubilee Monos
Zanden Audio Model 9600 Push Pull Mono Amplifiers
Nagra VPA Mono Amplifiers
Walcott Audio Presence Mono Amplifiers
Cary Audio CAD-1610SE Monblock Amplifiers
KR Audio Double Kronzilla Mono Amplifiers
Marantz Project T-1
Van Gaylord Audio Uni Monoblock Amplifiers

Dynaudio Arbiter Mono Power Amplifiers
Krell Master Reference Amplifiers
Mark Levinson No.33 Reference Monaural Amplifiers
Burmester Reference Line Power Amplifier 909 Monos
GamuT Audio S600M Mk.III
Edge Electronics NL Reference Mono Amplifiers
FM Acoustics Resolution Series 2011
Goldmund Telos 5000 (upcoming)
Halcro dm88
Spectral Audio DMA-360S Reference Monaural Amplifiers
Jeff Rowland Design Group Model 301
Krell Evolution One Monophonic Power Amplifiers
MBL 9011 Reference Line Mono Power Amplifiers
Boulder Amplifiers 2050 Class A Mono Amplifiers
Hovland Company Stratos Reference Mono Amplifiers
Audire The New Monarch
Bridge Audio Laboratory BAlabo BP-1 Mk.II Bridged Mono Amplifiers
McIntosh Mc2KW
Essence Jasper Reference Mono Amplifiers
Cello Performance II
Pass Labs X-1000.5
Classè Omega Reference Monaural Amplifiers
Theta Citadel
Esoteric Audio Research M100A
Linn Klimax Chakra 500 Solos
Chord SPM 14000
Accuphase M-8000
Dynamic Presicion DP-A2
Electrocompaniet Nemo Mk.II
Forsell The Statement
Bladelius Design Group Beowolf
Gryphon Anthilleon Signature Monos
Vitus Audio SM-101 Signature Monaural Amplifiers
Sim Audio Moon The Rock
Viola Audio Labs Bravo Reference Monaural Amplifiers

Wadia 790 PowerDAC
Audio Physic Monos

So the the definitive answer is that it has to be matched with the rest of your setup.

Appreciate the kind words. I have been lurking this site for over a year now but didn't feel I had something to contribute until now. I will follow the suggestion to post the 'review' (really just my observations and reactions) of the Halcro in the appropriate section for member reviews. And I also like the appellation CJ - wish I thought of it!

Cj, thanks for the review. It is excellently written and clearly thoughtful. Welcome.

Very good review CJ, and I also totally agree on the customer service, I have been very happy even though Halcro is out of Aus, there is a NA office and repair centre in the works, I think O'Hanlon told me it would be in Las Vegas.

For me the Halcros are very special and I look forward to see the new stuff from Halcro in Vegas at CES in Jan !

Matt
http://members.rogers.com/mzn50/

Very nice review, Cjsmithmd, well written and informative. I'm impressed that a Futterman owner could wind up going for a solid state amp, the Halcros must be something special! If you could put your review into the Reviews topic as Zaikesman suggested it would be nice. Welcome to the forums!

Cjsmithmd, well done. Thanks for sharing.

It seems you are new here, Cjsmithmd, so allow me to welcome you to Audiogon and the forum. Since this is your only post to date, please do not take offense if I say that your comments might be treated as provisional until you have some history on the forum (there is always the possibility that a positive 'review' could be posted by an 'anonymous newcomer' with an interest in marketing the product - your post does not seem typical of this, however). You may not know that Audiogon now has a section devoted to member reviews. While your thoughtful article is certainly valid as a part of this particular thread, if you still have the draft in your computer by any chance, you may want to post it separately in that archived section for commentary and reference by members interested in researching this product. Based on your contribution here, I think I can safely speak for the forum as a whole in saying we will look foward to more input drawn from your apparently extensive experience and interest (not to mention bankroll! ;^). Good luck with your ongoing auditioning, and congratulations if you have found your new personal reference amps.

I spent 3 and ½ hours with the Halcro dm 58s in my system. The following is a report based on this brief listening experience.

System description: Crosby modified Quad ESL 63s (late production). NYAL Futterman OTL monoblock amps heavily modified by George Kaye (dual chasse w/tube regulated power supply) Siltech Echo Bay (G5) speaker cables. Bear Labs interconnect cables. Levinson 32 Reference preamp. REL Stadium subwoofer system driven by the Levinson using the high level input, crossed at 25Hz. Music sources: Basis 2800/Graham 2.2 tonearm/Lyria Helikon for vinyl playback. Electrocompaniet EMC-1 MK II 192 (w/ all latest mods) for CD. Power cords: Custom Power Cord Company Top Gun from wall to conditioners, Asylum cables, Bob Crump design, from conditioners to components. Power conditioning: PS audio 600 for source. Audio Magic Stealth for preamp and amplifiers including REL. Dedicated AC lines for amplifiers and source equipment. (note: Halcros went directly into the AC line – no power conditioning used.) Room treatments: Echo Busters. Equipment rack: Silence by Tidal Audio.

Preliminary note: I am an audio hobbyist. Not a professional. I think that this is important. It is quite different to have this as a hobby than as a source of income. The perspective is very different. Also my exposure to equipment, while considerable as a hobbyist (I’ve been at this for over 30 years) is not as extensive as a professionals’. I am also not an engineer. While I am handy with a soldering iron and have a rudimentary idea about electrical circuits, I am in no way an expert in the area of amplifier design. I also am not a musician. I listen to all types of music from popular music and blues/jazz to early music on original instruments and opera. I attend live music venues about 1-2 times a month but mostly rely on my audio equipment to satiate my love of music.

Also I want to commend Halcro as a company. I sent an email letter expressing my interest in a home demo. 1 day later I got a detailed response from the company. The following day I got an email from the US distributor Phillip O’Hanlon. He put me in touch with Steve Rabitz, a local dealer, who brought a pair of amps to my home within a week of my expressing serious interest. That’s customer service!

Observations:

The Halcros are superb amplifiers. I was impressed enough to take out my checkbook. Now, my Futterman OTLs are also marvelous amplifiers. The Halcros simply outperformed them – at least in this short listening session. In listening to the Halcros I could not tell if it was a tube or solid state amplifier. As noted in many reviews it is dead quiet. There was no easily discernible signature. Both amplifiers have a very sweet midrange. I would be hard pressed to say which was better in the midrange. Frequency extremes belonged to the Halcros, particularly the highs which surprised me. I was less surprised by the low frequency extension and control provided by the Halcros. I found I needed to make some readjustments with the REL sub-bass system as the Quads were providing better low frequency response with the Halcros. Both the OTLs and the Halcros were excellent at low level detail. I’m not certain which was better here. However on complex orchestral music there was no question – the tubes got muddled and the Halcros were as clear and resolving with complex musical passages as when playing a solo violin. For example: Hummel’s Mass in B opus 80 (nice music and recording by the way- EMI 1971). This work calls for a full orchestra, 4 soloists and a large men and boys choir. At times during the piece the 4 soloist, choir and orchestra are all working at a crescendo. With the Halcros resolution is maintained such that you can clearly hear each soloist, all the instrumentation and the various tonal components of the boys’ choir from young boys to older men. With the OTLs at these musical peaks there is a loss of resolution. I had thought this was a shortcoming of the recording or my vinyl setup – until the Halcros.

On the other hand what I heard was not revolutionary, at least not to my ears. I would characterize it more as evolutionary. When hearing what the Halcros did for my system I had a response in many respects similar to the response I had after putting in the Siltechs – that is my system was distinctly better than what it was before. It was not however, an earth shattering experience, or any sort of musical revelation. The Halcros are audio amplifiers, very good amplifiers indeed, but not a magic machine that makes musicians appear in the listening room.

I think the Halcros bode well for all audio hobbyists because any excellent audio component allows for the development of better components up and down the audio chain. I don’t think the Halcros are for everybody however. They are expensive, though not absurdly so. Without commensurate equipment they would be a waste of money. Another way to look at this is that any improvement in the audio reproduction chain is important, whether amplifier, power cables or source equipment. Even granting that these are ‘the best amplifier ever’, (which I don’t claim – they are just the best I have heard in my system) many audiophiles will be able to make improvements in their system equal or greater to that of adding a Halcro amplifier by improving one or several other aspects of their audio chain. Equipment lust is a hazard in our hobby, sometimes irrationally so! Professional reviewers who are evaluating equipment as isolated pieces of gear would do well to keep in mind that the hobbyist – the source of the business – is only concerned (or should only be concerned) with the sound of their system as a whole, not the sound (or lack thereof) of any particular piece of equipment. In fact I would be willing to bet that there are systems in which the introduction of Halcro amplification would result in a less satisfactory system performance than that gained by using some other amplifier. So can it really be said that one amplifier is ‘the best’?

In sum: As indicated, I intend to purchase the Halcros (thanks Mom, for encouraging my interest in going to medical school!) However I will not be parting with my OTLs, at least not for a while. Why? Well, I have only spent a few hours with the Halcros. The time I spent was long enough for me to know I want more time, but not long enough to know everything. Years of experience in this hobby have taught me that it sometimes takes a large number of hours, over several listening sessions, to hear the problems of a component, particularly when that component provides some immediate audible benefit. I have had my Futterman OTLs for 20 years now in various configurations (I was fortunate to have the opportunity to get a pair of original Futterman’s from Julius Futterman many years ago and George Kaye has kept the amplifiers performing at a state of the art level.). It is a tried and proven solution giving many, many hours of listening pleasure. The best compliment I can pay the Halcros is that they are the first amplifier I have heard (again, my experience is quite limited) that have made me think about moving the Futtermans’ out of my system. In addition to the (thus far) superior audio performance of the Halcros, the prospect of not having to deal with tubes heating up my room, running up the electric bill, and slowly degrading over time is a plus. I should take delivery on these outstanding amplifiers in about 2 weeks. I’ll post another report on this forum after living with the Halcros for an extended period of time.

There is a best amp out there waiting, you just have to find it. :-) (yuk, sound like a ...?)

Cj, we look forward to the review. Thanks for offering.

I plan to listen to these amps in my system this week. (Quads and OTLs) I agree with all the posts that the magazine reviews are overdone ("best ever" indeed! - who has heard all contenders comparatively?) On the other hand I am struck by the broad spectrum of enthusiastic raves from many many 'professional' audio reviewers, including Ken Kessler who in my experience is not given to "politics" (except for his support of local products - easily understood). My conclusion: It's likely a very good amp. Best for me? I am going to let my ears be my guide. Will post again with my 0.02$ after hearing.

Rowland Model Twelves, at least in my system.

I'm actually starting to believe that we all have gone nuts and have and are paying far too much for what we get. There is really not that much difference today between moderately priced gear and super expensive stuff.

Will be trying out the new Parasound JC-1 monoblocks soon, that retail for $6,000 - well at least pricewise I'm headed in the right direction.

HiFi - no SS amp could ever do bells better on Quads than tubes, even an old Marantz 8B even my MC-60's, I know that like I know me. Ahhh.....bells, tubes and quads, now your talking :)

Amen !! Zaikesman

The preceding nicely illustrates why there can never be a 'world's best' amp. After a certain level excellence is achieved, personal preferences will still always exist and prevail.

HiFi >>Anyone seen the reviewers new amps? I hate politics

So If I read this correctly, you are alleging that the reviewers got Halcros in response to writing a favorable review ????

Not sure I would call your statement "For entertainment purposes only"

Lots of high end gear get bought out, just look at the Harmon group with MAdrigal (Proceed, Levinson, Revel) and LExicon. S0 I don't unnderstand what you are aiming there either.. ???

For entertainment purposes only. Halcro was aquired about a year ago by the largest electronics company in Australia. Lot's of money to rub some skin? Anyone seen the reviewers new amps? I hate politics

Sorry it took so long to respond but we have been auditioning some new product in Switzerland and Italy. I will be glad to tell what the Halcros were traded in for and I will admit I sell 3 of the one's I and the customers who traded their Halcros both think are superior. The Goldmund Millenium series from the 29 up will offer the same resolve and also has better long term listenability. One of my customers had a bi-amped Halcro system and replaced them with a pair of 29.4 monos and is far more satisified.The rest of the system is equally nice and will share this if asked. Another traded his on the Audio Tekne 9412 and would never look back,also one of my very favorites. The third amp I sell which ,when companioned and matched properly will out music a Halcro is the Aloia. I know people will kick my ass on this one but each to his own. Personally I believe there are numerous designs in the market and some going back 50 years that will still stand when the towering Halcro fades into the Stereophile archive. Personally I think a Marantz 8B has superior hi frequency sonics with correct tonal balance. Will the Halcro sell for 10 times or more it's original price in 40+ years? Take a pair of original Quads play a bell and see for yourself which is better. You can even do this in our store if you like as I just took another pair on trade and have both amps and the Quads, and the bells.

Hififarm, I second Jfz's motion. Please share. Thanks.

Well, maybe so. I'm assuming he's genuine, though; and would really like to know what the 5 are.

The five that he sells, of course.

HIFI farm can verify: servicing is always an issue. And I believe, if you open the damn thing you void the warranty, thus you would have to ship it overseas and wait for months for repair ,that does not sound like fun to me. That is why I stick to brands that sound good and whose service is good with good turn around time. Spectral and ARC are the TWO highend products I will stick with. You can say what you want about them, but I want a product that you know will turn on when you push the on button and not have to pray. I do not like to be the test bed of high end products.

Of course compared to amateur astronomy, waiting for an audio product to be shipped is a piece of cake! The waiting line for an Astro-Physics refractor(the premier small telescope manufacturer) is 4-5 YEARS; right now I ONLY have 2-3 years to go!!!

And those 5 are? And why/how/in what ways?

Best Amp a Stereophile reviewer has ever heard is a long shot from the worlds best amp. Ask him to mention the other 5 best he has heard or better all amps he has auditioned. I personally know of 5 better and I sold Halcro for 2 years.

Zaikesman, no. But the technical measurement of an amp is one criterion of performance. Just one. There is no doubt in my mind that at the present time the HALCRO *measures* better than any other commercially built amp. IT could still sound like death in practice.

I generally have not liked the sound of *any* bipolar amp in years - I did not think they sounded good at all at the recent NYC Stereophile show (run with Eggleston speakers). In fact I left the room rather quickly, not knowing there was anything interesting or unique about the amp. If I had, I would have tried to find out if the designer was present, and talked to him about the amp - the sales guys were inarticulate (those that I had contact with) and the literature was obtuse and incomprehensible (no idea what they were doing from that).

After I read his patent I figured out what he was talking about. IMHO, run the thing from 220vac, not 110, btw.

Anyhow, there's no telling that low distortion will sound worth a damn, it frequently has not in the past.

But this one is scary low in distortion.

Remember guys, Paul Bolin is just a guy. No devine powers from above. He's entitled to his opinion. That Halcro picture on the cover, with all those superlatives, sure sells magazines. "Best?"-give me a break.. It's only the power we give "the best, " that freaks us all out. Read this month's Absolute Sound. They rated the Halcro great, but others, even better. It's crazy out there. Everyone will be on the Halcro thing for awhile, then it'll be something else. I'm outter here. Looking for a thread that will take me someplace more ridiculous then this. Happy listening guys...

I suggest you all stop reading Stereophile.

Their rating system means nothing.

As posted above, at the recent audio show the room using
$9K tube amps got more votes than the room with the $25K
Halcros.

I'll bet as soon as Stereophile tests the new $6K Parasound JC-1s, they'll say they're the best.

Aloha

Ok, Il ring in here as an owner of DM58s.

First, built like no other amp, I have audiotioned and owned multiple Mark Levinson (to me there were the best of the best in built quality) The Halcros rank right up there with industrial looks and design.

Connectivity, one thing I liked about the Halcro was there ability of offer a switched option from RCA or XLR, yes, most amp have that but how many have a completely seperate switched design for either.

Service : Here again, I had an issue, they paid air fraight from here to Aus and return..all on there dime, they kept me in the loop of what was done and when it was estimated to be returned.

Sound : As it was stated a few time, to me, smooth detailed full of soundstage and complete from top to bottom. However, I went to CES last year and heard the VAC with the Pipedreams and there sounded so lush, detailed.. At that point I figuered I had made a bo-bo picking up the Halcro. But then they put on a piece that entailed some rather healthy punch and that is where the sound suffered.. many tube system suffer when punchy music, not all but many, this in my view is where SS amps take over. So, in summary, its a matter of taste, to the reviwer the Halcros fit the bill in his type of enviroment.. The Halcro are so honest to the music, its not even funny. Many other amps such as the VACs slightly "colour" the sound that maybe very very apealing to many.

If you want one of the best SS on the PLANET at any cost, the Halcros are there for the taking(at a price). For me, a perfect match to my Aero Audio Capitole MKII. But then again, I have yet to test the elite in Tube amps .. so nothing is forever, espcially in this hobby !!

Matt

http://members.rogers.com/mzn50/

Hey, I know what your saying. I have a really old nikko, 19 watts per side, that I can not get rid of. I'll tell you the truth, and I'm not exagerrating, Its competency in reproducung bass, the complexities of it, the depth, the pinpointing, all that audiophile stuff it does. Thats with both tone controls up. Yeah, go figure. Amazing, and I know
that most of you will doubt it, but how amazing do you think engineers were in the late 60's?
This has now put the whole thing in perspective for me. If one were to find an amp, that did everything that your favorite amp did better, and that your favorite amp could not do better, in any way, in any area, then it COULD only be a matter of opinion, no matter what the opinion.
In my opinion, or IMHO, as some of you cats like to say, Stereophile mag could have come up with a better remark on their cover. If I were to say, "Audiogon is the best site ever", everybody would take that as I mean my opinion. But stereophile seems to come across as promoting the idea that they are the most accurate and knowledgeable, most trustworthy in their assessments, and that is just plain silly to see a cover like that.
To be honest, and I do mean humbly honest, I have read better, more trustworthy reviews right here on this site of late, by "reviewers" that weren't striving for much.
I hope I haven't ruined my credibility with this post, so you won't beleive me when I say, "audiogon-the best audiophile site ever!"

Maybe the "present best amp" is the more realistic way to go. The best ever is temporary, at BEST. I don't know about you guys, but my Lafayette receiver, still, after all these years, is a contender.

Calling anything the "Best" is perhaps misguided. As Mikelavigne mentions, there are too many variables such as room size, treatments, speakers, cables, sources, etc. It all has to jive together. Maybe the reveiwer that made this system had complete synergy? With all due respect, I have heard Halcros and feel that they are a contender. Is there really any "Best"?

By the way, didn't TAS call the VAC 140's the "Best AMP Ever!" back about 5 years ago? How long did that last? Hmm ...

Bear, the Halcro dm58 specs are in the October 2002 Stereophile. The measurements are indeed phenominal. Virtually square square wave, all harmonics under -106 db, distortion basically just above the test instruments measurement capability and so on. Since not everything was or can be measured, the thing on all of our minds is always "How does it sound?" Looking for more reviews from those who've heard it. Thanks in advance.

Bear, does that mean you absolutely equate "Best Measuring Amp" with "Best Amp"? If so, that would imply that you believe that the currently-available and performed suite of measurements is 100% sufficient to ascertain any amp's ability to reproduce music.

(Although I strongly doubt this claim myself, I would note that Vladimir Lamm has his own proprietary suite of measurements he uses to exclusively design-in his amps' intended performance attributes, sans any music-listening input to the process [though his formulations are supposedly based on his reasearch regarding the reponse of the human ear/brain], and his products are very 'audiophile-approved'.)

Technically, the HALCRO has the *best* on paper distortion specs *ever.* I have not seen any actual *bench tests* so far. If they are published anywhere online or someone can email them to me I would be very very interested to see the graphs (like Stereophile publishes, or more). Interestingly HALCRO publishes next to *nothing* on their website.

The amp internally is a logical extension of some earlier work in feedforward/feedback multiple nested loop distortion reduction designs. Apparently they also use a switching power supply.

I read the patents. Well done design. However for reasons that are not entirely clear, these sorts of designs tend to sound a bit "sterile" although there is no reason for them to do so. In fact they should not have any sound at all.

Anyone near Albany NY, I'd love to hear one.

IF and only IF the rest of the test results are as good as the probable distortion spec (that's TWO orders of magnitude lower than mine! - like almost impossible to measure at all)
then the claim is quite valid, imho.

Thanks Mike. It's great to hear an analyis from someone outside the press who has compared "The BEST amp EVER" to another great amp. Obviously, the Halcro is top notch but, as I interpret your assessment, there are trade-offs among amps and the ultimate choice becomes a matter of personal preferences. I'd love to hear from others who have auditoned or purchased the 58 or 68. What's great? What's maybe a bit of a trade off? For everyone else, what makes a great amp in your mind (or ears)? Thanks.

i had the Halcro DM-58 in my room last year for 3 days and was very impressed. it was the fastest, most detailed, most transparent and most extended top to bottom amplifier i have heard. it had seemingly unlimited dynamics and excellent bass slam. i could easily understand how someone might feel it was the best out there if those things were most important to that listener. it was not edgy and had no obvious shortcomings......but.....compared to my then resident Levinson #33's it was lacking in weight and body. i didn't get the feeling of ease and naturalness that the #33 gave me. between the 2 amps it would have been a tough choice.....and i could have bought the Halcro for less than i could have sold the #33's for at that time.

i have since found more satisfaction with OTL tubes; which offer most of the attributes of the Halcro and Levinson but are much more involving to me.

the whole idea of "the best amplifier ever" is miss-guided to me. amps need to be matched to speakers to be properly judged. even then "the room" is a big issue.

i do think "my favorite amp ever" or "the best amp i have heard" would be more reasonable ways to rave IMHO. however, i can understand that "the BEST Amplifier EVER?" might sell more magazines.

funny stuff

I stand for ORPHEUS headphone system amp with ear-speakers that no amp/speaker combo can beat under any circuimstances.

Zaikesman, I used both of those amps back in high school with my band, I second your nominations, deleted though they may be from the rankings! Always liked that Ampeg...