VAC Sig. IIa + Dartzeel 108 + TAD CR-1's ....

[Penthouse-D]

Hey Joe, I auditioned the Magico Q5's at Goodwin's near Boston. They used Boulder amps with a Spectral preamp. Best sounding set up I've ever heard. Start saving!

[joeinid]

Originally Posted by Penthouse-D

Hey Joe, I auditioned the Magico Q5's at Goodwin's near Boston. They used Boulder amps with a Spectral preamp. Best sounding set up I've ever heard. Start saving!

Yeah, and I need to start working out to pick up Boulder gear. Talk about heavy, as a boulder

Originally Posted by joeinid

Hi David,

I don't have any local Boulder dealers. I believe they are wonderful amps but I really need to hear them for myself. Something like Boulder I can't just buy and try. I'm back into research mode on them.

Ignore the man behind the curtain! I should have qualified that hot-running amps obviously can still sound excellent...the xa.5 series & earlier Class a Rowland amps being an example. Though those amps can tend to be room heaters & make your power bill look ugly. Truth be told, my Dealer sometimes offers very good deals on gear he needs to move (which is how I came to own my Boulder). In my neck of the woods, 1060's rarely come up fs, so I knew I had to jump & decided to grab it sight unseen. I don't generally recommend that approach, but in my case i'm happy with my choice. Boulder amps sound quite different to your Burmester, Dartzeel & Pass amps, therefore auditioning would be recommendable in your case. My hunch though is, if you like the warm, sweet sound of your Dartzeel, Boulder might not be your cup of tea.

[joeinid]

Originally Posted by Bodhisattva

My hunch though is, if you like the warm, sweet sound of your Dartzeel, Boulder might not be your cup of tea.

That is my thought exactly. But no harm in listening.

Originally Posted by joeinid

That is my thought exactly. But no harm in listening.

Boulder amps are kind of like BMW & amps like Pass and Rowland are kind of like Italian sports cars; quirky and a lot of fun Boulder amps are for those who want to get off the merry go round & buy thier proverbial last amp (famous last words ). Being a transparent and accurate amp, you need a very good source & cables to tweak the sound to what you're looking for. If you're using a warm/rich sounding source & cables, the Boulder will faithfully pass that on unmolested. In that sense they are great reference amps which won't impose a "sound" of it's own on your upsream gear. Here is a post which provides much insight into the sound of thier gear - Boulder Amps - What do they sound like? (then click on 'get older replies')