The Revelation

[Jerome W]

Hello folks,
Two weeks ago, I listened to a system with Harbeth SHL5 speakers, using a tube preamp and power amps of a tiny french company : Halgorythme.

That was the system of the boss and only employee of the company : Cédric Halgrin. Cédric is an engineer passionated in audio. He designs and hand builds various tube preamps, including phono stages, and power amps. All products are wired point to point. The build quality and finish is just out of what you can see in the industrial productions.
All preamps and phono stages use separate power supplies. Units are fully customizable, with XLR / RCA outputs - inputs, potentiometers for the amps....
The system sounded stunning : High definition combined with extreme micro and macro dynamics and harmonic richness.
Cédric is now moving in a very large flat and is interested in the Harbeth 40.1.
Sunday he brought his preamp and amps to my home to listen to the 40.1. Preamp is the top of his line, actually the only one using original WE triode 10 tubes (worth is around 3 to 4k euros for a pair !!) - Cédric has an incredible tube knowledge and he is a huge tube collector- and power amps were the mighty monoblocks 1605 SET using Emission Labs tubes. 2 x24 W in pure class A. Cédric also has a SET design using other big tubes which I forgot the reference and that will deliver 2 x 50W.

The result on my 40.1 ? I almost felt from my chair. Simply put : the very best amplification system I ever heard on the 40.1. A superlative sound to die for. A sound from an other world.

Bad news for you guys in the US is that you won't be able to buy any unit from Cédric. Cédric sells only units in France and local countries because he wants to deliver and to set them up personally to his customers. Moreover his order book is full until july.

So why am I sharing this with you ? Just for the pleasure to share with my friends here at AA,
that somewhere in the world, in a little country called France, a dedicated audiophile and electrical engineer, builds one of the very best, if not the best tube gear in the world.

[Jerome W]

This was the pic of the Triode 10 preamp.

Here is the pic of the monoblocks :











image-2862153738.jpg

[Jerome W]

Any unit can be ordered in any RAL lacquer.
The MM phono stage :











image-1313524785.jpg

[Jerome W]

Some nudies here :

http://halgorythme.tumblr.com

[bart]

Jérôme, c'est joli!
I like these small companies from people who live their passion.

PS Don't forget the other great French gear!
Focal, Triangle, Metronome Technologie, and above all: Devialet!

[Still-One]

Jérôme , Sounds like a great story. Will you be ordering?

[antipop]

Jérôme forgot to say that he invited me for this listening session and I hate him ever since for that

I have never heard his system perform this way and this was clear from the first 30 seconds. No need to compare and go back and forth, they are simply amazing and way above anything I've heard at reasonable prices.

The sound is just liquid, like a nice stream of water. I never understood what people meant by this until last week. The level of blackness is extremely high. You get pure foot-tapping music.

Best of all, I was afraid to ask the price of the system since it looked and performed like a very expensive one (I was thinking we are in Kondo price level). The total price of the system had me fall from my chair. It was less expensive than the amp I was considering... for monoblocks, plus preamp and its external psu.

If I were Jérôme, I'd sell the Shindo in a heart beat and get the Halgorythme. He may even make money on the deal.

As for myself, I've been thinking about ever since I heard them. I'm hoping to try them at home and book a spot on the waiting list.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by Still-One

Jérôme , Sounds like a great story. Will you be ordering?

Not now Jim. See below my reply to Georges.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by bart

Jérôme, c'est joli!
I like these small companies from people who live their passion.

PS Don't forget the other great French gear!
Focal, Triangle, Metronome Technologie, and above all: Devialet!

Hi Bart,
Thanks !
Devialet above Focal ? I do not share your view.
Halgorythme is more in the Kondo category of sound. Really in an other league compared to Devialet.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by antipop

Jérôme forgot to say that he invited me for this listening session and I hate him ever since for that

I have never heard his system perform this way and this was clear from the first 30 seconds. No need to compare and go back and forth, they are simply amazing and way above anything I've heard at reasonable prices.

The sound is just liquid, like a nice stream of water. I never understood what people meant by this until last week. The level of blackness is extremely high. You get pure foot-tapping music.

Best of all, I was afraid to ask the price of the system since it looked and performed like a very expensive one (I was thinking we are in Kondo price level). The total price of the system had me fall from my chair. It was less expensive than the amp I was considering... for monoblocks, plus preamp and its external psu.

If I were Jérôme, I'd sell the Shindo in a heart beat and get the Halgorythme. He may even make money on the deal.

As for myself, I've been thinking about ever since I heard them. I'm hoping to try them at home and book a spot on the waiting list.

Hi Georges,

Thanks for sharing your impressions buddy. Mine mirror yours as you know.

This session was very useful because it showed that although the CCQs do pretty well with the 40.1, the speakers are able of much better. So clearly in a sense Jonathan Halpern was right, as I said it already here. The CCQs are a mismatch with the 40.1's.

Since the 40.1 will be my last speakers ( now you understand why a bit more, isn't it ?? ), I put the CCQs on sale because the Giscours / MC225 gives me really all I need and I have no idea how good the Halgorythme phono stage is.
It will be very tough to beat the Shindo preamp in this field. When you talk with some vinyl addicts all over the world, some of them got more than 100 TTs and phonostages, they often tell you that Shindo phonostages are exceptionnal. Shane and Stephen being the exception.

Moreover, as you know, I am not a huge fan of ultra high definition. I love the "round angles " of the Giscours with the 225 amplifier. BTW, Cédric also considers the 225 as McIntosh masterpiece !

I guess the Halgorythme gear is much more resolved and has increased dynamics but for now I will stay with my Giscours / 225 because this system is extremely pleasant to me and I am no more in an 'upgrade' state of mind but more into enjoying what I have.

But I do understand why you are thinking about Halgorythme for yourself.
The Snappers won't be at the level of these SET amps.

Your point about the price is true but you have to keep in mind that :
- the price Cédric gave us is not with the Western Electric Triode 10 tubes in the preamp. Just modern 'equivalents' while the WE costs around 3k euros more for one pair !
- Cédric has no factory and no employees. There are no importer and dealer fees. No marketing fees and so on. No customs. Add all this to the Cédric price and you get something near the price of Shindo !

I think you should really try this preamp and amps in your system. And I would love to be there to listen to them.