My search for an SS integrated ended when I first heard E-650 in my system. The E-650 not only musically satisfying but transparent enough to let other components shine through in my system. Despite of its modest power, my Tannoy Canterbury’s have blossomed from its pure class A 30W. The bass is outstanding, with a wonderful combination of solidity in the lowermost octaves along with excellent control and definition in the mid and upper bass region. In addition to this solidity and weight, the Accuphase allows Canterbury’s 15” woofer to beautifully reproduce the texture of the bass along with its attacks and decays in a way that brings the instruments to life. I can’t stress this enough but getting the proper ‘bass’ is so important for the foundation of music.
The E-650 delivers just the right amount of sweetness and purity in the mids and highs that very few integrated possess. There’s something about the sound of a pure Class A watts that is particularly beguiling. Class A in general, doesn’t sound like Class AB solid-state nor does it sound like tubes. The virtues of E-650 Class A operation were readily apparent on a range of instruments. The E-650’s smooth yet suave midrange and treble beautifully renders a natural and unfatiguing tonality.
The E-650 liquidity with vocals is also unmistakable. I could easily pick out the dense texture and richness of vocal harmonies on one hand and its resolution and transparency on the other. The voices blends beautifully with arrangements without congealing; the rendering of space is exemplary not just in width and depth but more importantly in the precise placement of images within the soundstage. Notably, instruments are presented as individual objects spatially and texturally, making it easy to clearly hear individual parts within the whole. That’s one quality that a meticulously designed component does well; to hear it to this degree from an integrated amplifier is quite astonishing and rewarding. Once you hear the E-650 textural beauty, resolution and liquidity, it becomes very hard to walk away :-)
The Ramar Record Brush, designed and handcrafted by Rangel Vasev in Berlin, Germany is another fine example of what happens when an artisan focuses on making the best.
Having tried at least half, there isn’t anything else that comes to close to build and effectiveness of Ramar record brush. Yes, it is expensive but the investment pays off in spades once you start using the brush. I clean all my records before playing and Ramar does a fabulous job of picking up dust, pollen and fine airborne particles.
Made with finely textured, open-cell silicone foam, this mat has unsurpassed vibration-absorbing characteristics and no resonant qualities to discolor the music. Records are thoroughly decoupled from unwanted platter micro-vibration. Available in a variety of thicknesses and diameters to fit almost any turntable.
A black elastomer "donut" on top of the white foam base reduces vinyl/stylus feedback and eliminates lateral slippage. Also provides for recessed label area and outer edge lead-in. Completely non-tacky, records lift right off the mat, while the underlying foam holds firmly to the platter (records can be lifted off while the platter is turning).
