Just making a point that this little integrated amp has a lot more guts than I would have guessed possible.
Of course, I didn't turn the volume up enough to try and shake the room, but then I wouldn't do that with any amp (I want to keep the hearing intact for the long run). The Thiels can be a fairly tough load for most anything but bigger solid state amps, but very surprisingly, the CAV 50 actually sounded good and had no audible trouble driving the Thiels even at higher than normal listening levels. The CDM1se's are fairly easy to drive (and not bad sounding for the price), but just for kicks I tried the CAV50 with a pair of Thiel 2 2's that I often use in my more serious sound system. I've been using the CAV50 with a pair of B&W CDM1se's that I use in my second, smaller sound system. Even after owning the CAV50 for six months, I still sit there amazed at the sound. It's almost eerie how holographically the CAV50 can present vocals on a good recording. I was really amazed at what a clear and musical integrated amp the CAV50 is, particularly with vocals. Wow, is this integrated amp surprisingly good for the price. When does it stop? I guess it depends of your budget ) With the CAV 50 and Totem I plan to get a Regal CD player, and the Chord DAC, and I should then be in Heaven. Oh my god, the sound just gets better and better. I tried a pair of speaker cable, (700$/feet), and the sound just keeps improving.Īnd the final icing on the cake, I listened the setup with a Chord DAC64. I listened to it a Arcam Alpha 9, and a Rega Jupiter. The combination of the CAV 50 and Totem 1 has so much potential when mated with better components. I do not think that this amp is ideal for demanding speakers, but what a great match for the Model 1's. On a set of floorstanding Totem Forest speaker, the volume was not as loud as the Totem Model 1. However, if you have speakers that can go down in bass, the CAV50 may not be powerful enough. The Tube are quite something when lights are out! The construction of the amp is quite simple: a volume knob, and a source selector. Whatever bass the Totem can play, it does it superbly well. THe Totem's only go down to 50Hz, however, with the CAV 50, the bass was much more present, tighter and richer. Before I got the CAV50,I tought that the Totem lacked bass. Instruments are precisely located, I would even say better than the Bryston and much more than the Marantz. Her voice felt like it would climbg without hitting a ceiling I never felt that it was compressed in any way. For example, on "I Can See Clearly Now", there is a point where she sing with everything she got, i.e. You can actually "feel" the voices and instruments. You swear that the singer is right in front of you. Drum and winds will hit you in your face. The opposite would be a mechanical sounding voicing in which each note seems to be played independently, instead of a continuous flow of notes. For example, in a guitar solo, the notes seems to flow one after another. My definition of coherent is that all seem to flow smoothly, not mechanical. I never understood what coherent and musical meant until I listened to it. What I found amazing is how everything was coherent. Overall, the sound was warm as should a tube amp be. There does not seem to be any holes in the imaging. When listing to it, you can an eerie feeling, that the soundstage is full. You can easily perceive the layering of voices, and instrument. The image was quite wider, fuller, and the soundstage was 3 dimensional. The CAV 50 has lucious voice and sweet highs. It blew me away, espcially considering that the Bryston is a 300W, and the CAV50 is a 45W tube amp. I thought that it sounded great until I listened to the CAV 50. The soundstate was wide and the music was dynamic. I listened to the Bryston 2B SST, the Arcam Diva 85w. I have to admit that it was the best solid state amp that I have heard so far. I bought the CAV50 after listening to the Bryston 4B SST, 2B SST.īefore the purchase, I was listening music on the Marantz SR19 which drove a pair of Totem Model 1 Signature.Īfter listening to the CAV50, I can't stand listening to the Marantz anymore.Īnyhow, let's start with the Bryston 4B SST.
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