Anyone heard the E.A.R. "Acute"?

They were either 89$ or 99$ each.

Calvinj,

For the Siemen's tubes in the EAR Acute, is there any listening fatigue at all? Is there any warmth or is it straight neutral? Not looking for anything TOO clean or TOO analytical where it becomes bright. Trying to find a tube that is smooth from top to bottom but very detailed and airy but controlled as well. Is the Siemens a good fit? If so, will give Kevin a call for an order. Tough call between the Siemens vs. the Amperex 7308's. Thanks again for your insights.

I had the amperex and the high were not airy and the soundstage was smaller. The Siemens are clean but they don't cause listening fatigue. The soundstage was huge and they score well with me on the EAR Acute because they don't have glaring weaknesses. I had one of me close audio friends over this weekend and he hates anything that gives listening fatigue. It's a no no for him. He loved the sound and it wasn't too fatiguing to him. I'm the same way but he is that way even more than I am and he enjoyed it immensely. I would get the Siemens if I were you.

Calvinj,

Do you know which Amperex 7308's you used? I know there is a white label, green label, and orange label, and also one's made in Holland and the USA. Each has a different sound, with the 1960's white label getting the best reviews for soundstage and body and detail. Not sure if you ordered them from Upscale or somewhere else. I did call Dan at EAR USA and he uses different tubes in his player - one Amperex and one Mullard (his preference for his tastes). Just an FYI if you wanted to experiment with the sound of your EAR - you don't have to use the same tubes but can mix and match. Seems like having an assortment on hand would be best. Money of course can impact this.

True. I think I have the orange label. I know you can mix the tubes a little. I eased to have an e.a.r preamp. The thing I like is the tube rolling. It's like have a new piece of gear without spending all of the money. Lol. It's a great CD player. I'm very happy with the performance and options