I want to talk to Wyetech Topaz's owners

I own the amp that Sutts foolishly sold. I also have the same TT as you have. I have been able to compare the Topaz with several amps over the last year on Coincident Total Victiries. What do you want to know?

I've got the latest Topaz. I spent several months earlier this year researching and auditioning before buying the Topaz. I also visted with Roger Hebert and heard it in his system with the Coincidents and Tannoy Churchills.I think he now has the bigger Zu's on hand.

I've got the Berning ZH270 on hand along with Futterman OTLs and various others including the Atmasphere M60's.

Front end is the Aesthetix Io Signature w/vc + 2 supplies + Koetsu RSP.

All going through refurbed ESLs or USA monitors.

Unfortunately, I don't think that you'll get much response on the Topaz as there are not many out there. Apparantly, there is a current review in the Canadian mag "The Inner Ear"... I have not seen it yet...but I have listened to the Topaz in The Innner Ear's "studio".

I would have liked to hear from others aswell on the Topaz but had to go to great lengths to hear it in other's systems before I bought.

It's built like a tank with brute force power supplies rather than say, the Berning's cutting edge elegance and leading edge innovation. Speaker match is everthing. It's nothing like any other SET. No soft tubby bass and it's fully extended. It hangs images in air like no other I've heard including some multi mega $$ amps. Hebert's working on a statement product that will be loosely based on the Topaz and will cost many more times the Topaz's price. I think if were distributed through normal channels the current Topaz would cost 50-100% more.

Good Luck

I'm very pleased and surprised there are three replies already! Sutts, Nutella and Nkj, thanks for the replies.

Do you think a pair of Topazs can power my W/P 8s "well" - I mean "sweet". My new W/P 8s are more much more efficient and a much better speaker than the 7s I had before. My Audio Note Ankorus (60W PSE design) are doing well with 8s in mid range area, but are a little weak on the highs and some what wooly on the bottom end. Articles on the Wyetech are glowing and even the Topaz seems to have many of the characteristics of their SE designs but with more power.

Second question is is would adding an Opal to my Aesthetix Io sig...with volume pots be an improvement?

Maybe I'm just reading too much into the Wyetech's reviews, but every reviewer seems to love Wyetech music presentation - way better than other systems. I also like the way Wyetech is designed and built. The Lavender is unique, but maybe that's ok? So does Wyetech systems live up to the raves in the the real world - your systems? If you still have them what do you like? If you got rid of them - why?

BTW: Are your systems online?

thank for replies and interest in my questions,
GerryM5

If you have read the Soundstage review of the topaz, you'll find that Mickelson reviewed them on a pair of WP7's and found they had plenty of power. In comparison to the Lamm ML2:
" The amps' power output seems about equal, with perhaps the Wyetech amp playing more loudly before it lets you know that it has reached its limit."
The similarities and differences are laid out between the two in the review (the $9,800 Topaz and the $30,000 ML2).
Personally I have found the grainless purity combined with the power and extension to be unbeatable. I have had amps that have sounded slightly more powerful in the bottom end (60 w push-pull tube mono's) and other SET's that have had a sweeter tone but I have found the Topaz to be amazingly natural and real sounding. I've had OTL's too. They have their strengths but are not as natural sounding.
FYI my taste in music spans the entire spectrum. Jazz, Folk, Blues, Classical, Rock, Metal. The Topaz was the only amp that did all of these well. And I owned the other three amps while I had the Topaz so the comparisons were done over several months of ownership, not an evening of listening.

Well if you ever add an Opal to the Io let me know what you think. The Io can swing a mean sine wave so I don't think lack of input sensitivity of any modern amp will be affected by the abiltiy of the Io's drive. But who knows, this is widely uncharted and when I asked Aesthetix about this they suggested to try and see.

I have not had the need to add a line stage to gain dynamics in my system. Dynamics and sensitivity is largely system dependant right from the source to the speaker along with the room interface.. a additional line stage may or may not help. For example I'm not a fan of passives..but that's just me YMMV and all that.

As for the Wilson's, Nuttella mentions the review in Soundstage which may give you some information...but with this kind of investment you really need to try first. Hebert may be on his last few chassis of Topaz and they may or may not go back into production when those chassis are used up and he moves on to his more expensive and elaborate designs. It may be close to last chance to buy an amp of this caliber from Wyetech at "reasonable cost".