Mine, Viva Solista integrated amp with any good and easy to drive speaker. It feels you are sitting with Miles and Thelonious. They are so there. In front of you. You feel the bass. It's real. Not disco/club-like-type-of-bass, sort of like wooosh!. No. The type of bass you feel like woomp, right in the stomach. The real velvety sound of bass. Not the electric one. Electric bass makes our ears so distorted (very different from live music.) The Viva was as close to live music as I ever heard. (Also, I would add the latest VTL with the JM Lab Grande Utopia; and I really enjoyed the Wilson Sophia with the T+A; finally the Sonus Faber Grand Piano with the McIntosh 2275. Beautiful sound).
Funny you mentioned the Creek 4040. I was just talking to a very good friend of mine. He is a well-regarded engineer for a high quality audiophile brand. I will not mention his name. He said that the 4040 had something unique, which was lost in later designs, that made it as good as some five figure amps. He got me so intrigued that I bought one used, just to try. I will receive it in a couple of weeks and will let you know. I will try it with Triangle Celius and the Wavelength Audio USB DAC; and will compare it against my Audio Aero Integrated. I look forward to.
Good post.
Josep
Funny you mentioned the Creek 4040. I was just talking to a very good friend of mine. He is a well-regarded engineer for a high quality audiophile brand. I will not mention his name. He said that the 4040 had something unique, which was lost in later designs, that made it as good as some five figure amps. He got me so intrigued that I bought one used, just to try. I will receive it in a couple of weeks and will let you know. I will try it with Triangle Celius and the Wavelength Audio USB DAC; and will compare it against my Audio Aero Integrated. I look forward to.
Good post.
Josep