The mids have plenty of air and are slightly sweet and warm, but not soft. In short: Wow! My system now produces highs that are airy and refined, and I can revel in them because my system is no longer throwing daggers or shouting at me. That sounded exactly like what I wanted to pair with the Lores, and so I did. The Billie was the one amp people described as airy and slightly warm with linear voicing. little power, no bass, questionable guarantee and service providers, need for tube rolling, again with the tilted-up treble, etc. Tubes were a possibility, though the ones in my price range all seemed to come with one or more caveats-v. I was scared away from amps that were described as having “tilted-up” treble, a “crisp” sound, or “pinpoint” imaging, or “forward” presentation, or as being “fun.” Given how efficient and revealing the Lores were and my commitment to CDs as my source, I didn’t feel like I needed an amp going out of its way to wring the last bit of clarity and resolution out of recordings and shoving it in my face. Even giving the speakers two or three months to calm down and open up didn’t help. Specifically, the tilted-up treble was driving me crazy, to the point where I often winced at treble-heavy recordings, especially female vocals. The Lores are a great speaker and were a huge improvement, but also much more revealing of the limitations of the Marantz. I decided that the Polks were the weak link, so I pulled the trigger on some Tekton Lores. But after a few years, I became bored and dissatisfied with the sound, and craved more. I had been listening to a bottom-rung 2-channel Marantz and bottom-rung Polks for some time-budget gear or mid-fi at best. Since the Billie Amp is designed for entry-level hi-fiers, I think I can be most helpful recounting my own journey stepping up into hi-fi. The Billie Amp is something I am proud to own, love to listen to, and will never get rid of – for me, this is my end game amp! ![]() ![]() Overall, I am very happy with my purchase. For reference, I am using SVS Ultra bookshelf speakers, worlds best RCA cables and a Fluance turntable with an AT VM540 cartridge. The headphone amp works very well and seems to drive my Sundara’s or HD 650’s without too much difficulty. It will go remarkably low and on the other end, incredibly loud and powerful (although, since I live in a condo, I don’t go too loud very often). I find that I can adjust the volume quite accurately as it responds to the smallest movements. Big, beautiful walnut knob, just as you can see in the pictures, not only looks great but functions great as well. One other thing I’d like to comment on is the volume knob. The imaging seems exactly as it should be, vocals are well placed and instruments are where they’re supposed to be and nicely separated. My music envelopes my whole living room with wonderful depth and clarity. The most outstanding thing for me was how large the soundstage is on the Billie Amp. The bass is powerful and the midrange is clear and detailed. The Billie amp sounds beautiful and slightly warm. I already had a decent set up before the Billie came but after I compared them, my old system sounded a little cold and harsh next to the Billie. The best part about the Billie is how it sounds. The Vinyl preamp in the Billie sounds really good, but I prefer the preamp I already own. I mainly use the RCA’s, one for a digital streamer and the other for my turntable. The bluetooth works and sounds good, but since I’m using an iPhone, I don’t use it that much (AAC isn’t the best). I’m glad they have a coax SPDIF in this version as I hooked up my CD player to it and it works perfectly (my CD player doesn’t have a TOSLINK output). The source options are great and have everything I need. It definitely has WAF (wife approval factor) for the living room. ![]() I love my Billie MK2 amp! First of all, it looks beautiful – the photos online really don’t capture how gorgeous this amp looks.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |