I saw this/heard this amp driving some horn speakers at an audio show last year. Not really used to that sound but it was mysterious in way that just kept me in the room listening. Beautiful piece of gear for sure. As you talked about in the beginning about gear prices, I think a lot of people make bad statements about better gear because they don't match the pieces. They don't hear any difference between a $5000 amplifier vs a $20,000 amplifier because they are driving a $5000 speaker. System synergy is key when moving up the audio cost ladder.
A lot of truths😊 thank you. One thing however: I do not want to see screws on the front of such a classy design. Very un-Italian. Still, hope to hear the brand in the future 💫
Thanks as usual for your time in setting up systems and changing gear all couple weeks 😅 I'm someone completely on your side, if you go for CERTAIN brands (for sure not all!) In the higher price ranges, you get an increase of sound quality. Now comes my big BUT, I'm on a similar path as you and have the oppertunity with two different hifi chains and lots of (high quality brands) gear to play around with and there is for me a very clear difference between my pure solid state and my tube-based chain. Tubes give me on my efficiency speakers some more touch and thats what so many call "musiciality", but on the other hand when I listen to my solid-state and low-efficiency speakers there are awesome for Pop or Electronic, no way that a tube based setup comes close to it, MY experience 😊 like someone said in your comments: Kondo is the answer, well for him! I'd say go for Robert Koda or L5 Audio Note systems...always a matter of personal taste and for me of course 25% esthetics, eye is part of music-psycho-acoustics 😉 The challening part with YT channels like yours, you are testing a lot of equipment "crossover", so this jumping around of different gear desigs makes it always difficult for us Audiophiles to follow and 2 weeks later something better comes up 😊 I like it, because you bring up high quality brands they I also very appreciate, even they are many times overpriced, we all know that, but quality you pay off, its like with watches.
Hello and thanks for commenting. You made excellent points. I try really hard to not say something is "better" than the other stuff I've heard but rather it's "different" and explain those differences so people can help understand what may be a better fit for them vs. what I like better. I've also had gear in my system for a year +++ to get a good idea of it: my VAC amp, my Telegartner switch, my cables, my vibration control and my Puritan power filter. So I try to keep changes to very controlled and identifiable differences so I can better understand what difference new gear brings. Your point on SS vs. tube gear and their advantages is 100% true. ALL GEAR has trade offs and it's a balance of finding what is the right balance for our personal tastes. Thanks again for your comment and watching.
Hello - I don't declare "winners" as it's always personal preference. What I hear or like and my system likely different than yours. I do however try and explain the sonic difference I hear so people can choose which one they think is better for them.
@@SonicJourneys-lo1rk IF you can help get TLA to send their integrated I will happily do a video on it and talk sonic difference between the Viva and AC.
Lots of tubes in your system now, so are you moving away from the Accuphase or just a different flavor. Accuphase Class A is as close to tubes as you can get.
Hi - The Accuphase I only borrowed to listen to and see what I thought. I do think so far in my PERSONAL opinion I prefer a good tube amp vs. a solid state amp.
@GreekAudioGeek fair enough, but you are always thinking how many hours you can keep them on, etc. especially the output stages for the amps. People are always flip-flopping between solid vs tubes their whole life, I have done it too!
Apologies if I missed it but I don't recall any information on the circuit configuration. There are 4x 845 tubes so is it parallel single ended? 22 watts can be had from one 845 per channel so it's surely not push-pull. I have an iconAudio Stereo 845 PP integrated which is 40 wpc but the monoblock version of the same is rated at 90 watts.
@@GreekAudioGeek Ok, I had to dig for some information to find out that the second pair of 845's are rectifiers. Unusual and sounds like overkill. Quality of power supply surely won't be a limiting factor. It should also give one the opportunity to go cheaper on the rectifier tubes and more premium on the actual amplifier tubes.
Very different sound and presentation. My personal belief is that upon hearing them people are going to have a strong preference one way or the other. Also the Viva is HALF the weight and size of the Aries-Cerat.
I saw this/heard this amp driving some horn speakers at an audio show last year. Not really used to that sound but it was mysterious in way that just kept me in the room listening. Beautiful piece of gear for sure. As you talked about in the beginning about gear prices, I think a lot of people make bad statements about better gear because they don't match the pieces. They don't hear any difference between a $5000 amplifier vs a $20,000 amplifier because they are driving a $5000 speaker. System synergy is key when moving up the audio cost ladder.
Well said!
Go listen to Kondo then you will understand..I have the Ongaku Kondo version..NUFF SAID 🙂
3 to 4 times the price new… NUFF SAID😉
@@nirodha35 3 or four times the sound NUFF SAID :-)
@@garth56 this might not be true😉
@@nirodha35 Might means you have no idea 🙂
A lot of truths😊 thank you. One thing however: I do not want to see screws on the front of such a classy design. Very un-Italian. Still, hope to hear the brand in the future 💫
Thanks as usual for your time in setting up systems and changing gear all couple weeks 😅 I'm someone completely on your side, if you go for CERTAIN brands (for sure not all!) In the higher price ranges, you get an increase of sound quality. Now comes my big BUT, I'm on a similar path as you and have the oppertunity with two different hifi chains and lots of (high quality brands) gear to play around with and there is for me a very clear difference between my pure solid state and my tube-based chain. Tubes give me on my efficiency speakers some more touch and thats what so many call "musiciality", but on the other hand when I listen to my solid-state and low-efficiency speakers there are awesome for Pop or Electronic, no way that a tube based setup comes close to it, MY experience 😊 like someone said in your comments: Kondo is the answer, well for him! I'd say go for Robert Koda or L5 Audio Note systems...always a matter of personal taste and for me of course 25% esthetics, eye is part of music-psycho-acoustics 😉 The challening part with YT channels like yours, you are testing a lot of equipment "crossover", so this jumping around of different gear desigs makes it always difficult for us Audiophiles to follow and 2 weeks later something better comes up 😊 I like it, because you bring up high quality brands they I also very appreciate, even they are many times overpriced, we all know that, but quality you pay off, its like with watches.
Hello and thanks for commenting. You made excellent points.
I try really hard to not say something is "better" than the other stuff I've heard but rather it's "different" and explain those differences so people can help understand what may be a better fit for them vs. what I like better. I've also had gear in my system for a year +++ to get a good idea of it: my VAC amp, my Telegartner switch, my cables, my vibration control and my Puritan power filter. So I try to keep changes to very controlled and identifiable differences so I can better understand what difference new gear brings.
Your point on SS vs. tube gear and their advantages is 100% true. ALL GEAR has trade offs and it's a balance of finding what is the right balance for our personal tastes.
Thanks again for your comment and watching.
Can you do amp battles? Viva vs serbian NAT audio? Cerat vs True life audio? Both greek!
Hello - I don't declare "winners" as it's always personal preference.
What I hear or like and my system likely different than yours.
I do however try and explain the sonic difference I hear so people can choose which one they think is better for them.
@@GreekAudioGeek agreed. Ok battle wrong word, comparison?
@@SonicJourneys-lo1rk IF you can help get TLA to send their integrated I will happily do a video on it and talk sonic difference between the Viva and AC.
Lots of tubes in your system now, so are you moving away from the Accuphase or just a different flavor. Accuphase Class A is as close to tubes as you can get.
Hi - The Accuphase I only borrowed to listen to and see what I thought.
I do think so far in my PERSONAL opinion I prefer a good tube amp vs. a solid state amp.
@GreekAudioGeek fair enough, but you are always thinking how many hours you can keep them on, etc. especially the output stages for the amps. People are always flip-flopping between solid vs tubes their whole life, I have done it too!
Apologies if I missed it but I don't recall any information on the circuit configuration. There are 4x 845 tubes so is it parallel single ended? 22 watts can be had from one 845 per channel so it's surely not push-pull. I have an iconAudio Stereo 845 PP integrated which is 40 wpc but the monoblock version of the same is rated at 90 watts.
Hello! It is single ended.
@@GreekAudioGeek Ok, I had to dig for some information to find out that the second pair of 845's are rectifiers. Unusual and sounds like overkill. Quality of power supply surely won't be a limiting factor. It should also give one the opportunity to go cheaper on the rectifier tubes and more premium on the actual amplifier tubes.
When do we get the review of the speakers?
Working on it.
Hopefully it’s better built than my friends vintage Ferrari 🤬
I think just about EVERYTHING is better built than a vintage Ferrari. ;)
Look into AGD power amps. Made in USA by Alberto Guerra.
I have heard them several times. They sound like typical Class D amps to me.
@greekaudiogeek they sound better with a nice tube preamp driving them as well.
Where is the Turkish audio geek
Or irish?
He's running late caught in traffic.
How do you compare viva vs aries cerat?
Very different sound and presentation.
My personal belief is that upon hearing them people are going to have a strong preference one way or the other.
Also the Viva is HALF the weight and size of the Aries-Cerat.
I was interested in how they sound?
@@josipteskac8215 I will cover that in an upcoming video. Be sure you are subscribed.
😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤