From: SMITH MARTIN <mudd.smith-73@ntlworld.com>
To: CCPOON <monarchy@earthlink.net>
Hi,
I have been extremely happy with the massive difference the DAC has made to my digital sources. I could not envisage buying any other maker's amps, after hearing my friends system. He bought 5 of your SM70 from Kevin at Living Voice for his 5.1 set up, but they sound absolutely glorious in stereo, driving his Living Voice OBXRWs. We have tested potential replacements from Parasound, Shindo, Gotham, Canary and others, costing many thousands of pounds, but the little SM70s are still there and nothing comprehensively beat them.
Thanks again for your help,
Martin Smith.
I am now using the SM70 for the purpose that I bought it for, to drive a pair of
Fountek ribbon tweeters in a tri-amp system.? These tweeters are quite efficient
(98 dB/1 watt - 20 watt RMS max power handling) and the SM70 is perfect for them.?
They are very revealing of any flaw in the amp.? I've tried many GOOD solid state amps
and they all sound really harsh which increases exponentially as SPL rises, Idon;t
what it is that I'm hearing but it sounds awful on these Adcoms, Parasounds, NADs and
so on.? I tried a Dynaco Stereo-70 on the tweeters and it was quite good but lacked
top end "air" and tranient "bite" - I then tried an old Yamaha integrated amp with a
Class A switch (a Class A switch not the later quasi-class a "auuto class A" which was
a high bias A/B option) - just using the power amp section of the Yamaha - which I bought
for $27 - the sound under Class A was quite good.? I then tried an AMC CVT-2030 which is
a hybrid MOSFET driver / EL34 tube in?class A output.? This has a wonderful silky quality,
and NEVER sounded harsh but, again, lacked the transient detail.
So I bought this Monarchy SM70 after it was suggested to me on the? AudioAsylum board-
and WOW! THIS is the sound I was looking for.? No harshness, very silky sounding but
with delicate detail and the transient sparkle that was missing from the tubes.?
There is a real delicacy available through the SM70, and the power level suits the
ribbon tweeters perfectly.
The only problem is, the SM70 is such a jewel, it's so beautifully made,
that I am having a hard time putting it in my amp rack?
I'd rather put it on my dining room table, under a spot light....?
I particularly like that thick front panel.?
I also tried it on my Quad ESL-57's.? The highs and mids were wonderfully pure....
again, the highs had that "satin nickel" quality- glare free yet detailed. But of course
the Quads want more power, and they seem very happy with the Sugden A25 or
the Dynaco Stereo 70 which I alternate for driving the Quads.?
The SM70? is going to stay in my other system, driving the ribbons.
Dear Mr. Poon,
You certainly may use my comments on your web site, with my best wishes for
your continued success. I am looking forward to many, many years of satisfying
listening with my SM-70s. I also read the article on the SM-70 supply
rectifier
mods. I don't doubt Mr. Galo's impressions of the improvements. I am an EE, so
this modification is quite within my capabilities. The price is certainly
reasonable. Even so, I must say that I don't feel terribly motivated to do the
modification. I'm enjoying the music quite enough, as is.
I want to tell you another experience I had with these amps. I had been using
them for a couple of months, then one night, late, I listened to
Rostropovich's
recording of Bach's cello suites. This is one of my favorite CDs. At the
end of
the first movement of the 3rd suite, I realized I had been holding my breath
for some time. Now, you can't take credit for Bach's genius or Rostropovich's
skill, but your amps did something (or didn't do something) amazing, to let
the
music through to me like that.
Thanks again,
Doug Burkett
Eaton OH USA
Hey Mr. Poon, Just got the amp on Wednesday and I must say the first thing I noticed was the clarity and detail. The amp just resolves the detail so well.
Also the amp creates a feeling of greater depth and spaciousness of sound...its so great...I just ended up on the couch listening to
a piece I normally tire of but listened to it all the way through. (I am comparing it with my ADCOM GFA-535II). I removed the ground pin
from the power cable because of the hum.
Does this affect the warranty in any way?
I assume it does not because it was in the manual.
Thanks again for your help and great product. Regards, Ryan
Dear June, The Sm-70 has arrived in good health and is currently burning in on my system. I am very impressed with it. I will be demonstrating it to a customer this weekend and if he likes it as much as I do, it should result in a few sales.
Thanks for your fast service
Jack DuMoulin JMD Consulting
Hi Mr. Poon,
I have now had both my SM-70PROs up and running in my system now
for the last few months. I just wanted to tell you that this is
the best sound I have heard from my speakers ever. They sound
fantastic. Everything is so realistic and natural sounding.
I am headed toward the utalization of balanced inputs soon.
Well thank you very much for such a wonderful product.
Keep up the good work.
Regards,
Ryan
Dear Mr. Poon:
Just wanted to write to tell you how pleased I am with SM70 pro's, 24/96 Dip and Model 33 combination DAC/preamp.
The first SM70 Pro was doing quite well all by itself in combination with the 24/96 dip and the model 33 Dac/Preamp. I was impressed with how easy it was to listen to CD's which now sounded smooth, and more natural instead of the compressed highs and tinny sound that has bothered me about this format from the beginning. Then when I received the second SM 70 Pro and the balanced connectors the improvement was incremental again.
The transparency of the inner voices, airiness of the upper strings became even more pronounced. Most importantly for me as a professional musician I did not get "ear fatigue." I auditioned many components during my search for equipment but nothing was as pleasing to my ear, (and I might add the ear of friends) including equipment that cost 3 and 4 times as much and which was supposed to be more "powerful."
My thanks for your patient answers to my many questions and for the prompt and well packed way the equipment was shipped to me.
Regards,
Brad Buckley
Bassoonist, Contrabassoonist the St. Louis Symphony Orch
Wow, I just checked with UPS and the amps are already at the suburban Chicago UPS hub, that's pretty fast. This is one of the reasons I like UPS- here in Chicago they do a really good job. I've heard that in other areas of the US, Fed Ex is great and UPS is bad. Here it is just the opposite- Fed Ex often can't seem to find me and UPS usually arrives earlier than expected....
FYI I have been telling everyone I talk to about how fabulous the SM-70 is that I already own. I've also posted my entusiasm to a number of audio discussion boards. The sound is wonderful, I originally used it to drive Fountek ribbon tweeters in a triamped system, and now I am using it to drive the ribbon tweeters of Magneplanar 3.6 which I have set up in tri-amp mode. The single SM-70 doesn;t have quite enough power to handle every piece of music I play on the Magneplanars, but the ribbon tweeters in the magneplanars are pretty efficient and the ~30 watts or so does a better job than I would have initially thought. (The pair of SM-70 PROs will do better, no doubt) It really is a fantastic amp, and beautifully made. I know the use of thick billet aluminum probably doesn't make it sound any better but it sure makes it a nice object to own. (Thick aluminum is good for dissipating the heat, though, I'm sure.)
Anyway, thanks for making such a high-end product available at this price. I learned about it when it was recommended to me on Audio Asylum's Amplifier board, and I'm very glad I took that guy's advice.
Best regards,
Bill
billmilosz@aol.com
Bound for Sound Report
Martin G. DeWulf Editor & Publisher
108 East Division Street Kewanee IL 61443
309.856.5515
309.853.3193 fax
e-mail at bfshifi@cin.net
Never heard the M901.
I liked the Kingrex a lot but it just did NOT play loud enough for me, nor have enough bass.
The Nuforce are favorites of mine. If you need a very simple amp (one input, one output) the Nuforce Icon Amp (not the vanillia 'Icon') can't be beat. I had one, wish I'd kept it. I'm still using an Icon as a pre-amp.
The Virtue are more 'audiophilish' than similar amps. Better midrange, soundstage. But they are still a tripath amp. Like a really, really, really, good thirty dollar amp. I think the parts quality on my 451 is excellent. I'm using it in my office/computer system with a pair of Energy RC-mini's and a Martin Logan Dynamo.
I think Nuforce is a good place to stop. I think the Virtue are better, but not hugely so, unless you're using a subwoofer. The Virtue have an outstanding sub-out and the feature of '80hz filter to the main speakers' is KILLER if you're doing a sub.
-Mike
PS: If you're interested in separate amps check out the Monarchy SM70 Pro for $588. Jesus, it's amazing. Just knocks all this Tripath stuff into the dirt, but you do need a pre-amp. Best sounding low-powered amp I've ever heard by a mile.
