H20 Revisited

Standing at $2000 new, the Signature 100 stands as my personal reference for what is possible at and under the $3000 mark. It has the cajones to drive any speaker on planet earth, and is what I consider to be a solid 8 out of 10 in every regard to sound reproduction. In the year I have ran the Signature 100, I have yet to find anything it cannot do very well. Linearity? Check. Ridiculous dynamic power reserve? Check. Great low level resolution? Check. 'Musicality'? Check. Extended, non brittle highs? Check. Clean and open midrange? Check. Well extended, detailed, and controlled bass response? Check. Super quiet back-round? Check. The list goes on and on..

That said, I should make it clear that I do not feel that the Signature 100 is the perfect amp. I seriously doubt that such a beast exists. However, when you consider all that you get with the amp for its price point, it bewilders me as to why more people haven't taken it for a spin. Unless you run speakers that were specifically voiced to work with tubes, this affordable super amp should be on a lot of peoples 'short list'.

That said, I feel the amp struts its stuff when paired with a good linear, if not an ever so slightly *warm* sounding tube pre. I've had much success running it in conjunction with the Lamm LL2 Deluxe. Those looking to dip into a more affordable pre amp to match their H2O should look at the Transcendant Ground Grid.

Good as the Signature 100 is; the real star of the Henry's product line is the "FIRE" pre-amp, but that's a whole other ballgame right there.

Rumadian, what are you doing for a source, and what PCs, ICs, and SCs are you using? The choices are crucial to good sound.

Muralman,

Like any other good component, the better situation you can give the Signature 100, the better it will sound.

That said, I honestly feel that this particular amplifier requires super high end sources, interconnects, speaker cable, what have you - to sound pretty darned good.

Agree with Rumadian on the Sig 100- the extended listen in my system was amazing. Only gripe would be a slight midrange coolness that can be easily tailored with a tube pre. The low level detail and dynamics are still unmatched in my system. The most musical enjoyment I have had for late night listening including my tubes. Im going to pick one up

True, but with reservations. Class D requires different answers as to how to
bring out their best. Cost is less important than type. In fact, some very costly
components can do a lot of harm to the music. I have had my H2O amps for
years, and have learned a lot. If you please, here are some of my findings.

1) fully shielded power cords. Money does talk here.

2) simple interconnects. I use Speltz ICs. That way I can keep them long, and
my SCs short. I have mono amps. There may be better, but they will follow
the same principle of simpleness.

3) Naked SCs. I have found DIY ribbon SCs to be the best, and they cost so
little. Insulated SCs emit a very audible haze to the music. I interpret this to
random capacitance injection. The thicker the insulation, the more distortion,
regardless of price. Don't even think of hose through a box SCs.

4) If you are using a digital source, no over-sampler player (the vast majority)
will come close to the performance of a fine non over-sampler. The
superiority of even the cheapest NOS player over the most vaunted SACD
player will amaze. Digital filters do horrible things to music.

These same class D winners will make little to no difference to any
conventional amp usage.