General Asylum: REVIEW: Threshold Corp. T-200 Amplifier (SS) by Jerry O

I've learned after too much experimentation that system synergy and quality of manufacturing/tweeking seem just as important as competing designs (tube vs ss, or cones vs panels, or...), room limitations, etc. A couple years ago I acquired a T-200 manufactured for the Asian market. A U.S. tech adjusted it for the U.S. market, which I assume was a simple procedure. At that time I hooked it up to my ML Aerius i speakers. I understood that the amp ran in Class "A", but, it still seemed incredibly hot. Unfortunately, the sound was on the cool side and a bit 2 dimensional. So, I ended up replacing it with some quicksilver monos which gave me much more body, dimension, and, believe it or not, bass. Perhaps the tech didn't optimize the T-200 when he adjusted it for the U.S. market. But, that's in the past...now to the present.

Several months ago I upgraded from the ML Aerius i to the ML SL3 and Quicksilver M80's to the VAC PA160's. However, even with the substantial VAC PA160 monos, the bass was soft and the over all sound was closed in. It appears that the SL3's are a much tougher load then the Aerius. A local dealer happened to have a U.S. T-200 in his personal system that had been factory tested and calibrated (tweeked) just for him...lucky him. Well, we worked out a deal, and I got his "calibrated" version of the T-200. Now, this unit was a different beast sonically from the previous expample I had a couple years ago. Although it ran hot, it wasn't quite as scalding as the first example I owned. And, the sound is incredible! The bass is full and tight. The tricky upper bass, lower midrange transition is almost seemless. The midrange is dimensional and natural (ala tube-like). And, the treble has sparkle and air. So, even different examples of the same components can sound significantly different...amazing. Suffice it to say, I'm very happy with this amp/speaker match. A nice balance.

REVIEW: Threshold Corp. T-200 Amplifier (SS) Review by Jerry O at Audio Asylum