Cafad

I wanted to start this review with a little background info since there isn't that much info out there regarding Redgum components (and I did a lot of googling!).  For instance, I am willing to bet that while you can get a fair amount of info from the Redgum website about their choice of volume control (individual channel knobs or single knob) but did you know that you can adjust balance from the remote,  and then reset the balance to 50/50 at the touch of a button? 

What about the fact that there is an info sheet stuck to the base of each piece of Redgum gear that includes not only the model number and year but also the name of the buyer and the details of any personal modifications they requested?  So if you're buying second hand each piece of gear tells a story.  My RGCD5ENR for instance was initially purchased by Tony Wright of Sydney and there is a note that he planned to remove the front panel prior to use.  Now I don't know Tony, and I guess I'm not likely to, but having a name to assign to the player makes things a bit more personal.  (I can deduce one or two things about Tony though, the first is that he obviously likes his music and doesn't mind paying for good gear, the second is that he is no fool, he has vibration dampened the case with two rows of blutak stuck to the underside of the top panel, cheap and effective, very nice!)

I have said in the past that the design of the Redgum cd players is a little odd, using a cd rom as a spinner is pretty interesting  cosmetically, philosophically and practically.  I have to admit cosmetically it does make the player look a bit commonplace, it is a definite let down after that gorgeous timber faceplate.  Philosophically it makes me wonder just how seriously I should take all the talk of other manufacturers regarding mechanism stability, cd clamps and custom error correction techniques when this player sounds damn good without any of the above.  Practically I love the idea of a cheap and easily replaced mechanism, but the lack of a screen telling you what is happening is a bit of a bugger which is why I use my Consonance cd120 as a transport and the RGCD5ENR as a DAC.

Another thing I wanted to mention, the RG175 mono-blocks have their AC power socket very close to their external heat sink so there is not enough room to use certain types of power cords.  If your power cord has a thick, round plastic end just behind the three pin plug (as many expensive power cords do) then the heat sink renders it unusable.  It isn't a big thing but it was certainly something I noticed as I couldn't use my custom power cords.  I believe the newer model (since mine are 2007 vintage) has the heat sink mounted underneath so this is unlikely to be a concern.

And last but not least, Redgum uses Philips remote codes, (as do Consonance and Myryad and many others) so I only need one remote even if I switch cd players.  Yeah, I know it means nothing to most people out there but for me it leaves more room on the armrest for cd cases and chocolate wrappers and I really appreciate that.

I'll get into the Pre and monoblock functionality next, and I'll put up a pic of that info sheet I mentioned.

Edit:  And here it is.

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I thought I might just throw in a more general topic thread instead of starting a new one every time I've got a question for Mike or Bill.

OK, current question:

What amps do you recommend for the S2s and are those amps the same as the ones you would suggest for the ML1,2 and 3?

Also, has anyone else tried Redgum amps with any Lenehan iteration speakers?  I have, and I'm pretty happy with the combo, but I thought I'd ask around to see if anyone else has tried it.

Cheers,

Cafad.

Well it’s been a long time in coming but it’s finally here.  Part of the reason it took so long was that it’s difficult to start a project like this because that first amp is both evaluated and stipulated at the same time.  So if I give amp number 1 a seven for its bass performance then I’m saying that it has very good bass performance and that every amp that follows will be compared to that level of bass that is now stipulated (ie: set in stone) as a seven.  You could say that I’ve declared that level of bass as a seven rather than evaluated it as a seven.  In a way you have to listen to several amps to get an idea of the level of variety you expect before that first amp can actually be evaluated.

Anyway, I have managed to wrap my oblong noggin around the concept so here we go with the very first Power Amp entry. 

1.  Burson PP-160.

This is an amp I quite enjoy listening to, I’ve described Burson gear in the past as sounding crisp, snappy and airy and this amp is no exception.  I should probably add detailed to that list as the performance of this amp is very good.  It is not an amp to puff up its chest and announce its presence so at times it does seem to be a bit lazy because when the music dies down the music really does die down, but when called on it gives an excellent performance with nicely extended, airy highs (with a very nice “twinkle” effect on the triangle and piano), snappy mids (with transients in between that are very pleasing to the ear) and nicely defined deep and clean bass.

What’s more Burson gear tends to keep this sound across a wide range of components that it is paired with, I think it may be partly due to the fact that it has a very even representation of the entire frequency range (so it does not emphasize highs, mids or bass).

The PP160 is a stereo power amp with 70 watts per channel into 8 ohms and only one RCA input.  It does have a booster amp function so that a lowish (sub 25 watt) valve amp can be plugged into it via a pair of “speaker in” binding posts but mine has been disconnected internally so I can’t test that function out.

Test Rig.

The Burson was fed from a Consonance CD120 via LBP Parapiao ICs into a Burson PRE-160 and then via Ribbonflex ICs into the PP-160.  Then via Ribbontek speaker cables into my Lenehan S2Rs on their matched stands.  Power was fed to all source and preamp components via a Consonance PS1 power filter board and to the PP-160 via a PS3 power board.

Detail Highlights.

Highs:  Nice twinkle on triangle and piano, less air than there was when used with the Osborns.  7.5

Mids:   Good snap, not as crisp as on the Osborns, excellent transients and nice airy space in between each instrument.  7.0

Bass:   Deep and clear with distinct impact, depth and decay evident on drum strikes.  7.5

Vocals:  Accurate and clear with female vocals clear in top end.  F: 7.0  M: 6.5 

Average: 6.75

2D and 3D Soundstaging:  7.0 each, instruments nicely separated and placed within the stage.

Overall Performance Integration:

Doesn’t excite in the short term, but if you stick with it you come to realize just how capable this amp is.  An excellent listening amp that does not over emphasize any one part of the performance.  It took a swap to another amp to make me realize just how good this one actually is, an excellent listening amp but not really a party amp.  I would describe it as subtly brilliant and I’m giving it an 8.0!

Ability to Emote:  6.5  Let down by a slight dryness in the mids, it believes it is up to you to enjoy the music, not it to make you enjoy the music.

Electric Guitar Test:

7.5  Very good, very accurate, if it just had a tiny bit of agro energy (and I mean a very, very small bit) it would be a 8.0.

80s Rock Test:

Everything is as it should be, including the tape hiss in the background (which is a bit of a mixed blessing).  7.0

Total Score:  71.75

I think this was an excellent amp to start with, it sets the bar a bit high but why not, right? 

Pics will be added just as soon as I find the charger for the camera.

Edit:  And I did.

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At rest.                                                                        And ready for action.

And in the interest of full disclosure.

I am a Burson fan, every piece of Burson gear I've heard has been what I would call "above average" in performance and very well built.  I have made every effort to conduct this evaluation in a fair and impartial manner. 

Though not necessarily in a mature one.

The chair in use was a recliner of acceptable comfort level with adjacent shelving that is frequently used as a drink stand.  The air conditioner was not in use for the review and I suspect this is the reason that the ice in my Pepsi melted long before I was finished.  My long haired cat was strangely absent for the review so it worked out well that the room heated up a little as my feet would have been a bit cold otherwise.

Scale:

1 to 3 means a performance below par with one being somewhere in the vicinity of fingernails on a blackboard while a poorly tuned AM radio shrieks out static in the background and 3 being just bearable but still rather messy.

4 to 6 is average, listenable but nothing noteworthy, 4 being a bit messy or harsh and 6 being pretty good but nothing to write home about.

7 to 9 is better than you would expect them to be, with 7 being a good performance, 8 being an exceptional performance and 9 being the best you are ever likely to hear.

And it is pretty damn unlikely that I will ever award a 10 because that would mean it is the best of the best of the best.

(Add them all up for a final score out of 100, and remember from 30 to 60 you can go from an absolute stinker to an amp that is pretty good at what it does, anything above 60 is likely to be something worth investigating)

Next up is a stalwart of the power amp industry, the Rotel RB1070 which have on loan from ellrots.

Audio really is all about what you're used to isn't it, particularly with speakers.

After fooling around with the Usher S520s (and digital amps) and playing about rebuilding some old Accusound speakers (final write-ups on both of those to come) I dallied a little with my ML1s but I just couldn't manage to appreciate them.  Finally tonight I swapped my S2s back in and realized just how much I had missed them.  I could appreciate the Ushers for being good little speakers and I actually wasn't too fussed on the Accusounds (they didn't sound bad, just not great) but they just didn't allow me to sit back in my seat, head against the headrest, eyes closed, and just relax with the music all around. 

Music that is for the soul what mud cake is for the stomach!

No wonder people say once you've heard a good system you can't go back.  It is 100% true, you may be able to spot the merits and good points of a less capable system, but you won't be able to love it!

I recall a little while ago someone said words to the effect of "mosfets have no place in high end amplifiers".  

Knowing several manufacturers use Mosfets in their high end amp designs (Perreaux being just one that springs to mind) I just thought I would ask why.

What is it they do or don't do that makes people love or hate them?