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AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> My non-review of the UFO2.
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Message started by canonken on 05/05/21 at 03:51:03

Title: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by canonken on 05/05/21 at 03:51:03

I am in no way qualified to write a professional review (or more precisely, I do not have enough experience with enough gear to be qualified to tell you this is good, bad, different, etc. from what else is out there - there is a ton of good or great gear and I have not heard most of it). For context, I am jaded and pessimistic, and always temper and water down my expectations. While I expected it to be good (the reviews from professionals I trust were too good to ignore), I was expecting it to be more of a curiosity than anything else. That said, I was expecting to buy and keep this amp indefinitely, but was not sure how I'd really end up using it.

What I will say is for the first time in my life:
--I don't care about anything else when I am listening to music, eyes closed and lights dimmed
--For the first time ever, I feel like I am listening to the amplifier and not the speakers
--Bad recordings don't sound 'bad', I just am aware they are not good recordings
--Good recordings sound great and satisfying, but that is not the main reason to listen
--My mind starts to go places it has not gone before when listening to music (no, not like THAT...get your mind out of the gutter!)
--I have never enjoyed listening to quiet music this loud...or loud music this quiet
--I have never cared less about the 'wattage' or specs of a product (granted, not something I care about in general, I am seeking enjoyment from my audio gear above all else - this is a fun hobby and not a recording studio)

A lot of talk about this amp is around how simple it is, and how few parts are between it and the music: "Only 2 resistors and 1 capacitor are in the signal path and there is a Silver ground buss." - I can hear this, or more accurately, I cannot hear this. With this, there is a total and utter lack of annoyance with the sound - it is somehow brutally revealing and transparent without being harsh, bright, or grating. I am hearing (or not hearing) something, I am not sure exactly what, but I like it.

For comparison, I have a new McIntosh MC275. Vastly more powerful...and complex. I love it and expect to own it for the rest of my life, but the UFO2 takes everything I like about that and...amplifies it (figuratively).

I use this and all of my gear in a 2-channel system with my main and only TV. I have found myself settling down to watch a movie or YouTube videos...only to just stop in the middle of watching something, turning off the TV, switching over to music, and just getting lost for hours. This has never happened in my life before, and it is not because I am in the honeymoon phase. There is 'something' here that is pulling me in, it is addicting in the best way possible.

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by piezoman on 05/05/21 at 04:55:25

canonken, I think that was a great and refreshing review! I'm really glad you appreciate your new amp like that. You have Steves pride and joy. Congratulations! Enjoy your great amp!

By the way, I find professional magazine reviews to be dry, boring, uninspiring, in general a predictable turn-off.....they all seem to be carbon copies written by the same dude.

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by Dominick on 05/05/21 at 12:48:12

Canoken.... great review! I had a very similar experience with my Torii MKIV 25th. Music at all listening levels is pure enjoyment and transformational.

Congrats on your amp and let the journey begin.

Dom

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by will on 05/05/21 at 14:07:40

Nicely put impressions canonken. It was fun to ride through your experiences as you wrote about them.... Familiar territories, after years it just keeps amazing me here.

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by canonken on 05/05/21 at 23:22:07

Thanks for the kind words. As I am listening, it is clear this amp is more about how it makes me feel than how it sounds (OK, to be blunt, it sounds fantastic, this is not a thinly veiled way of saying it is flawed...but I like it anyway) - it is just a strange sensation I have not had before with a piece of audio gear.

I forced analogy would be when I travel to Asia for business and would eat amazing, mind-blowing food. Often it was nothing fancy, it was just the end result of how it was prepared, how it was served, where it was served, and the general environment. It all added up to make it something much more special than just the food itself.

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by CAJames on 05/06/21 at 03:11:57

Thats awesome! Are you rolling tubes yet?

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by canonken on 05/06/21 at 03:49:40

Well...sort of! Now that I have the amp I am giving everything I bought a 1 day/12 hour test to make sure it actually works.

I may have gotten a little carried away with buying tubes in my 7 month wait period. I have about 15 rectifiers, mostly NOS RCA and equivalent, along with some Soviet stuff including what is being shipped stock (the 5U3C or whatever the Cyrillic vs. English name is). And a whole assortment of input tubes (about 8 US, Soviet, and Western European goodies I've picked up...only needing unmatched single tubes has allowed me to cherry pick some really nice things that would be much more expensive as matches pairs). I bought 3 sets of the Decware 6P15P and some new production EL84s, and about to buy a few more pairs of NOS EL84s. Compared to the others I am lacking in power tubes and want to get more more pairs of these.

I am not buying the 'treasures' (the crazy expensive Audiophile ones), rather quality tested NOS tubes from trusted sellers. My general feeling is get myself a nice collection (not hoarding, NEVER plan to sell anything I am buying) while things are available. The last thing I want is to ever fear powering the amp on and fearing burning out the tubes. Always want to be able to reach for a spare.

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by Brian on 05/06/21 at 07:59:24

canonken,
I find subjective assesments of the sound much more useful than objective measurement reports.
I like your review. Especially:
"For the first time in my life:
--I don't care about anything else when I am listening to music
--For the first time ever, I feel like I am listening to the amplifier and not the speakers
--My mind starts to go places it has not gone before when listening to music
--I have never enjoyed listening to quiet music this loud...or loud music this quiet"

Those revelations are all enlightening to me.

Glad for you.
Brian

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by GroovySauce on 05/06/21 at 12:20:01

Great write up! Glad you are having such a great experience with your new amp!

I wonder, who didn't stock up on a bunch of tubes during the waiting period? :D I got concerned about the VR tubes for my Torii MK4 so I went a little crazy with them.

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by Tony on 05/06/21 at 16:39:25

As I am month 1 of my 7-month wait for a UFO2, I am comforted and encouraged by your "non-review of the UFO2." My decision to order and wait for delivery tests my ability to delay satisfaction to the max. As I am trusting that it will be worth it in the end, your review supports that trust.

Great review.

Title: Re: My non-review of the UFO2.
Post by canonken on 05/06/21 at 23:13:02

The other thing is just how fun this amp is to use (and how nice it is to look at). Even if it sounded the same, if it were in a black box, I don't think it would be even close to as satisfying. Or said more honestly, the look and feel has a subconscious impact on the sound (for the better).

I just finished building the ACA (Amp Camp Amp...Google it if you are not familiar). While it was a TON of fun to build, I think the amp is a victim of its pedigree (Nelson Pass designed Class A amp), where people expect it to sound just like a small version of a Pass or First Watt amp (it does not, good yes, but not like a XA25 with lower power) - and a victim of its look and build quality (it looks absolutely amazing, and the build quality is fantastic - the back panel looks crazy good on the latest version). I think it comes up a bit short sound-wise compared to the total package, and if it were in a cheaper, more basic hosing I think it would be more 'balanced' in that regard. Kind of like a food item that looks amazing, but just tastes good. It is still good, but you were expecting more and ultimately feel short changed. Now the opposite can delight, food that doesn't look good, but tastes amazing. I'm thinking Vandersteen speakers that look like ugly, cheap black cubes...but the sound!