I had a recent experience with the QOL for several days in my triamped system (Magneplanar MG20's plus Hsu tower subs, tube electronics, VPI Classic, C-J cd player). I really didn't want to like it, but that didn't quite pan out.
I agree with most of Ozzy's conclusions, but might add:
1--defeating the circuitry with the bypass sounds murky compared to taking the thing out of the system entirely, so A-B comparisons go way in favor of qol.
2--Simply put, my system never sounded as good. Major improvements in spatiality, dynamics, fine detail, and liquidity were not subtle. The bass (a fetish of mine) became focused and the pitch much more precise. Voices "floated" with an ethereal, almost ghostly, quality that was quite sexy. The image size was MUCH larger, and I could definitely hear material coming from in BACK of me--a first. The stage goes WAY past the lateral borders of the speakers, even more so than usual.
3--There is a qualitative difference that is tricky to characterize. The music made me "happy" in a way that has become rarer as I have become older. It's as if endorphins have been triggered and the musical pleasure centers energized. It feels really, really good. I can't guarantee that this will happen to you, but my friend who lent me the unit knows exactly what this is about.
4--If your musical experience is 30% better with qol, your system need only cost $13K for the admittedly high price of 4K to be justified.
Who knows what the future will be for this circuitry or for BSG? There's no doubt they could sell more at a lower price point. The unit is way overbuilt, with balanced AND single ended inputs numbering 4 and outputs 2. Add a volume control, and it's a preamp, but make it simpler and the price could go down. Will licensing agreements materialize for this company? Will a competing technology become available for hundreds rather than thousands? I'm not sure I can afford to wait for these questions to be answereed. I'm on the verge of ordering one
I agree with most of Ozzy's conclusions, but might add:
1--defeating the circuitry with the bypass sounds murky compared to taking the thing out of the system entirely, so A-B comparisons go way in favor of qol.
2--Simply put, my system never sounded as good. Major improvements in spatiality, dynamics, fine detail, and liquidity were not subtle. The bass (a fetish of mine) became focused and the pitch much more precise. Voices "floated" with an ethereal, almost ghostly, quality that was quite sexy. The image size was MUCH larger, and I could definitely hear material coming from in BACK of me--a first. The stage goes WAY past the lateral borders of the speakers, even more so than usual.
3--There is a qualitative difference that is tricky to characterize. The music made me "happy" in a way that has become rarer as I have become older. It's as if endorphins have been triggered and the musical pleasure centers energized. It feels really, really good. I can't guarantee that this will happen to you, but my friend who lent me the unit knows exactly what this is about.
4--If your musical experience is 30% better with qol, your system need only cost $13K for the admittedly high price of 4K to be justified.
Who knows what the future will be for this circuitry or for BSG? There's no doubt they could sell more at a lower price point. The unit is way overbuilt, with balanced AND single ended inputs numbering 4 and outputs 2. Add a volume control, and it's a preamp, but make it simpler and the price could go down. Will licensing agreements materialize for this company? Will a competing technology become available for hundreds rather than thousands? I'm not sure I can afford to wait for these questions to be answereed. I'm on the verge of ordering one