VALVET Amps & Pre: any feedback from Audiogoners?

Hi,

I had the opportunity to listen to Valvet system on HiFi show in Vienna, several weeks ago. The system was:

- CD player Oracle
- Valvet preamp
- Valvet Monos A1r
- Consensus Audio speakers

Well it was HiFi show and I was listening to this system maybe 10 to 15 minutes. Certainly not enough to give a definitive opinion or to go into any kind of details about sound reproduction. Therefore, only a brief comment: it was ok with couple of exciting moments, but nothing to write home about ...

Certainly worth consideration ...

I was at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest in Denver, Colorado this year (2009) and listened to the VALVET combo you asked about.

In my opinion it was one of the best demos there with a very natural sound, an extremely realistic soundstage and perfect voices too.

There were no effects, no artificially sound, only pure music.

The demo was done with a big model of Consensus Audio Speakers, the Conspiracy.

I think this combo is a real bargain and it will be hard to find a better one at this price.

I´m sure, there are a lot of other guys, who have listen to this system and could give you a similar information.

Reinhard

Check out the review on Postive Feedback Online, Issue 48, 03/2010 by Robert Learner:

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue48/valvet.htm

Under review is the soulshine/A3.5 combo.

BR,
Alfred Kainz

Check out the latest review (June 2010) for the Valvet A3.5/soulshine combo on StereoTimes by Key Kim.

http://www.stereotimes.com/amp061510.shtml

BR,
Alfred Kainz

I'm seriously considering buying a pair of these, but am wondering just how much current these can possibly deliver when they're so physically small and only 20 pounds? It is a class-A amp, so how can it be 'powerful' when it obviously has a smallish transformer at it's core?