The arrival of speakers like the Stenheims, the reinvention of the Wilsons and Focal’s impressive evolution of their Utopia range have altered the speaker/amp landscape. The demand for absolute power has been eclipsed by the appreciation of more musical qualities and that has altered the options when it comes to prospective pairings. Throw in the increasing awareness of the advantages of bi-amping and in many cases the choice will fall between the S-400 and the MB-450s (and that’s no contest) or two S-400s rather than the Siegfrieds. Either way, it’s more music for your money. But it also has knock-on affects when it comes to choice of matching pre-amp, serving to underline the advantages of the TL-7.5 over its uppity, one-box little brother.
The TL-6.5 doesn’t go as deep as the 7.5, it doesn’t have the rock-like stability or transparency at low-frequencies. But its lighter bottom end delivers a snap and momentum to music that can help lift an otherwise stolid system. But if the partnering amp has already got all the get up and go that it needs, then the added bandwidth, resolution and the dimensionality that goes with it makes the 7.5 the obvious choice. The TL-6.5 is good – but the 7.5 is simply better. Pairing it with the S-400 produces a beautifully balanced result, the strengths of each product perfectly complementing the other, the line-stage bringing some discipline and purpose to the amps bottom-end, adding foundation and authority that allows that expressive mid-band to really bloom.
Play the Amandine Beyer/Gli Incogniti Vivaldi Disc – Les Quatre Saisons et Autres Concertos (ZZT080803) and the 7.5 and S-400 delivers this enthusiastic, small ensemble, original instruments recording with real presence and gusto. There’s an almost crackling vitality to the playing of the solo parts, while the harpsichord, so much a part of the Gli Incogniti sound is full-bodied and sonorous, with none of the irritating jangle that mars so many audio systems trying to reproduce the natural brilliance of the instrument. Instead it is bright, lively and incisive – exactly as it should be. Playing the amps with the Stenheim Alumine 5 SEs, the low gain setting in the line-stage really came into its own, offering not just a greater range of usable volume, but a more relaxed, open and unforced sound. Was I tempted to try the triode setting? For the sake of completeness I did – but it wasn’t a success. Arguably more open, it lacked the dynamic/temporal authority, the leading edge clarity of the tetrodes and their rhythmic integrity. Limp and rhythmically flaccid, the triode setting simply confirmed my existing prejudice; not even close to a cigar…
Colour, presence and vitality…
That body and presence, the rich colours and musical vitality extend into larger scale works. Everything, from the familiar range and power of the Giulini/Benedetti Michelangeli Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 (DGG 2531 302), where the amps illuminate the agility and precision in Michelangeli’s playing, his astonishing control of note weight and placement, to the sumptuous sweep of the Du Pré/Elgar Cello Concerto (Barbirolli and the LSO – EMI ASD 655) is imbued with a renewed sense of musical substance and density. The ascending intensity of the stepped crescendos that close out Sibelius’s Second Symphony (Barbirolli and the RPO – Chesky Records CR3) takes on a towering majesty, reinforcing Barbirolli’s effortless mastery of pace and level. Each time you think that the sound can’t get any more powerful – it does. But if you really want to hear what these amps bring to the party – especially if classical isn’t your thing – then reach for the pomp-rock masterpiece that is Foxtrot (Genesis – Charisma CAS 1058). Play ‘Watcher Of The Skies’ or the monumental ‘Supper’s Ready’ and you’ll hear the rock put back into the pomp. It’s something that anybody who dismisses first period Genesis as ‘lackadaisical twiddling’ really should experience, the application of a metaphorical cattle prod to musical meanderings. It’s not just about big or loud. It’s about drive, momentum and purpose, the ability to go from quite and lyrical to (guitar) pedal to the metal – with utter conviction. It might not turn you into a fan, but it will definitely impress. It’s the combination of weight and immediacy that can generate real musical impact – and it reminds me just why I’ve enjoyed these amps so consistently for so long.
