Gabriel Gold IC's are they really this good?

Hey Art,

Good to see your back. I was just reminding those in this thread about you....er....yeah...that's the ticket!

I hope all is well with you and yours.....though I do have to admit that I am surprised that you finally put your Stealth Hybrid MLT's away. I still admire those cables for the $$$. I'm also surprised to see that you have moved on from your Ayon Triton to the Karan.....especially after reading how knocked out you were by the Triton.
I still haven't heard the Triton, but I have heard the Karan, and it is very nice.....for a SS amp. It was better than the Jeff Rowland or Levinson integrateds that I heard, but I would not give up my VAC for it.

Cheers,
John

Sir John-

Yeah, the Stealth's were hard to beat and impossible at the price, but I had a little dough going to an integrated and Steve let me trake in some cables. The Rapture speakers wires are just better than the Stealth's.

I was definitely knowced out by the Triton, but I have an old house with central air and having a window unit in the same room to cool it from the Triton in the summer just wouldn't do. No sir, no way, no how. Still an absolutely amazing integrated.

The Karan is very good and close to the Triton, but tubes is tubes....'nuf said. Having come to that conclusion as many have, it's nice to report that my wife did actually come down and expound on how nice the Karan sounds. Loud and clear. Good to go.

And the all black eastern euro darth vader look of the Karan with the Ayon and the piano black Dynaudio's is, er, Darth! Not in keeping with the house but pretty cool and disappears nicely....visually and sonically.

I sort of modified and stole the tag line from Brian at BMI anyway.....no worries......and happily pass it on to all who feel it.

enjoy the tunes!

Best,
Art

I hear ya Art, that Karan is a fine unit. If I ever decide to go back to SS that would be first in line. I also admit that the heat of the tubes can be a hassle. I've taken to using as quiet a portable fan as I can find, I've tried about 8 or so small fans. It definitely does the job of cooling down the VAC, but yes, it can still be heard faintly from the listening chair when the music stops. However, when the music is playing, I still opt for tubes everytime.

I guess I'm just old school though, as I still prefer vinyl to digital. I just received a new 200g pressing of Holly Cole Trio's Don't Smoke In Bed (ABNC 5006) yesterday and it's sound is so holographic with tubes that I feel I'm in the studio. I'm using much cheaper cables now, as I've downsized, but I find the difference between tubes and vinyl is much greater than the difference in mega-buck cables and less expensive ones. At least for me.

I've heard some very good digital, and I really admire SACD's but for me....vinyl and tubes is like milk and cookies. It's like coming home again after a long trip.....it just feels right.

Then again.....maybe I just like the extra work of tubes and vinyl..... ;D

Cheers,
John

Your thoughts and experiences are el perfecto, Juan. I am loving less stuff...but, while my downsizing journey has freed up a lot of space and cable confusion, I think with the cd2 i may not have saved much dough. But the satisfaction is tremendous with the simplicity and i truly feel i have given up very little in the sonic realm. clean and happy. i will miss my vinyl, but in the end all my tunes are a gesture away and all is well in gotham and denmark and hopefully yugoslavia and our own slice of planetary pie....
best, art

Art,

You are running a high fever on the vinyl thing.

It will break in time and when it does then you will realize that analog is like an addictive drug that you must have.

Kind of like wondering away from home a bit. As Dorothy said, "there's no place like home". =8^)