Hi pingvin,
Thanks for posting your very insightful listening impressions. Jeff Catàlano (High Water Sound) yes, I completely understand your experience with him. I’ve heard his systems on 5 different occasions across a variety of audio shows over the years. He consistently has some of the finest sound you’ll hear without fail.
His method is to pair lower power tube amplifiers and high sensitivity easy to drive speakers and it is indeed a wining formula for him. In my experience he used Tron SET amplifiers (either 300b or 211 tubes) driving Cessaro speakers or Horning speakers. Regardless of the combination chosen the result is exceptionally "natural " very realistic sound quality, the music just flows and fills the room. One year at CES he used an Electra Fidelity SET driving the Horning Eufrodite with excellent results.
He has used analog records exclusively in my experience and "all" genres of music sound very good in his systems. He is definitely a fan of jazz and has a superb collection to choose from.
Pingvin I agree with you, he does present a sound that differs from the numerous rooms using high power solid state amplifiers. I find his sound to be more open, flowing and emotionally very involving. There’s more the sense of musicians are in the room or you in the recording venue, very impressive!
It’s all a matter of personal taste of course but his systems do stand out at the audio shows year after year. Pingvin I’m convinced that you have a fabulous audio system via Jeff’s components and as important, his guidance.
Charles
Thanks for posting your very insightful listening impressions. Jeff Catàlano (High Water Sound) yes, I completely understand your experience with him. I’ve heard his systems on 5 different occasions across a variety of audio shows over the years. He consistently has some of the finest sound you’ll hear without fail.
His method is to pair lower power tube amplifiers and high sensitivity easy to drive speakers and it is indeed a wining formula for him. In my experience he used Tron SET amplifiers (either 300b or 211 tubes) driving Cessaro speakers or Horning speakers. Regardless of the combination chosen the result is exceptionally "natural " very realistic sound quality, the music just flows and fills the room. One year at CES he used an Electra Fidelity SET driving the Horning Eufrodite with excellent results.
He has used analog records exclusively in my experience and "all" genres of music sound very good in his systems. He is definitely a fan of jazz and has a superb collection to choose from.
Pingvin I agree with you, he does present a sound that differs from the numerous rooms using high power solid state amplifiers. I find his sound to be more open, flowing and emotionally very involving. There’s more the sense of musicians are in the room or you in the recording venue, very impressive!
It’s all a matter of personal taste of course but his systems do stand out at the audio shows year after year. Pingvin I’m convinced that you have a fabulous audio system via Jeff’s components and as important, his guidance.
Charles