My Berning with NOS tubes sounded much better that with the stock JAN Phillips/Russian tubes. Glare was gone. Detail much better. Bass much improved. It was like a "new" amp upgrade. I have the MicroZOTL and put in Mullard NOS 6201(12AT7) and Sylvania NOS 6SN7-WGT(1940's). Improvement was NOT subtle. Entire re-tube was under $200. I know nobody thinks the little MicroZOTL at 1 watt per channel can be a heavyweight sonic contender, but that is wrong. With the right high efficiency speaker, it is one of the sweetest sounding amps you can buy. Do not underestimate this little amp. It is truly a "David" in a world of "Goliaths". For those on a budget that want world class sound, this is the best way I can think of to do it. I am not pulling your leg, this is for real. If you've already got a great main system, and you are thinking of putting together a second system for the office or bedroom, or something, you can use the MicroZOTL with a set of high eff. spkrs. and a single source(no preamp needed, has volume control). You will get audio nirvana for peanuts. No, it will not simulate the sound levels of the Pink Floyd concert at Shea Stadium. But, for real world enjoyment it will do nicely. It is truly, as Harvey "Dr. Gizmo" Rosenberg put it," The best $750 amp in the world." And I will add, better than many amps that I've heard up to ten times its price. Definitely worth checking out. Must use NOS tubes to fully realize the quality.
Amp shootout.....Tenor 75wi verses Berning ZH270
in a recent thread there was much discusion of the above 2 amps, whether the Berning was indeed an OTL, and which one might be better.
i have no opinion as to whether the Berning is an OTL. but today a Berning ZH270 owner brought his amp over to compare to my pair of Tenor 75wi's. my system is OTL friendly, with easy to drive speakers, so the Berning's acknowledged advantage in driving difficult loads was neutralized.
these amps have very similar power, the Tenor is 75 watts into 8 ohms, the Berning is 70 watts into 8 ohms. otherwise it is not really a fair comparison....the Tenors are $19900 a pair, the Berning $4500, the Tenors weigh 70 pounds each, the Berning weighs about 10 pounds.....it seems like Goliath verses David. the result is somewhat closer than that.
we played three different discs and each of 3 people listened to their disc in the sweetspot. the Berning owner felt that the Tenor had a more dimentional sound, deeper soundstage but felt the Berning was equal in bass extension and detail retreival. the independent listener felt the Berning was excellent for the money but not in the league of the Tenor in any paramter. my perception was similar to the independent listner; that the Berning, at $4500, is amazing in it's top to bottom excellence, dynamics and musicality.....but....does not do things like the Tenor. the sense of space, detail in the soundstage, texture and microdynamics of the Tenor are at a whole different level.....and they better be for $15000 more.
like the Berning owners, i am a shameless Tenor lover and consider the Tenors better than any other amp i have heard at any price, assuming a reasonably easy load to drive.
the Berning is more like a $8k to $10k amplifier.....and Berning owners should be justifiably proud of their amps.
i did think the Berning had slightly more bass slam than the Tenor, but with much less bass articulation and extension than the Tenor.
we spent the rest of the enjoyable afternoon listening to some great vinyl......an enjoyable time had by all.
i have no opinion as to whether the Berning is an OTL. but today a Berning ZH270 owner brought his amp over to compare to my pair of Tenor 75wi's. my system is OTL friendly, with easy to drive speakers, so the Berning's acknowledged advantage in driving difficult loads was neutralized.
these amps have very similar power, the Tenor is 75 watts into 8 ohms, the Berning is 70 watts into 8 ohms. otherwise it is not really a fair comparison....the Tenors are $19900 a pair, the Berning $4500, the Tenors weigh 70 pounds each, the Berning weighs about 10 pounds.....it seems like Goliath verses David. the result is somewhat closer than that.
we played three different discs and each of 3 people listened to their disc in the sweetspot. the Berning owner felt that the Tenor had a more dimentional sound, deeper soundstage but felt the Berning was equal in bass extension and detail retreival. the independent listener felt the Berning was excellent for the money but not in the league of the Tenor in any paramter. my perception was similar to the independent listner; that the Berning, at $4500, is amazing in it's top to bottom excellence, dynamics and musicality.....but....does not do things like the Tenor. the sense of space, detail in the soundstage, texture and microdynamics of the Tenor are at a whole different level.....and they better be for $15000 more.
like the Berning owners, i am a shameless Tenor lover and consider the Tenors better than any other amp i have heard at any price, assuming a reasonably easy load to drive.
the Berning is more like a $8k to $10k amplifier.....and Berning owners should be justifiably proud of their amps.
i did think the Berning had slightly more bass slam than the Tenor, but with much less bass articulation and extension than the Tenor.
we spent the rest of the enjoyable afternoon listening to some great vinyl......an enjoyable time had by all.
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- 101 posts total
- 101 posts total