SET Asylum: REVIEW: J.C. Verdier 45 singe ended amplifier Amplifier (Tube) by chopper87@aol.com Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream.

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Model:	45 singe ended amplifier
Category:	Amplifier (Tube)
Suggested Retail Price:	$2,500
Description:	Stereo Single Ended Amplifer
Manufacturer URL:	J.C. Verdier
Manufacturer URL:	J.C. Verdier

Review by chopper87@aol.com ( A ) on November 21, 2005 at 14:32:03 IP Address: 152.163.100.200

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Objective: Further evaluate the sonic differences between AC and DC 45 tube Filament heating. Which sounds best? And, will a second under $3,000 45 based single ended amplifier compete with a much more expensive 45 based set example?

The North American distributor for GOTO drivers and J.C. Verdier asked me if I would not mind evaluating a prototype J.C. Verdier 45 single ended amplifier that switched between AC and DC 45 filament heating. This (prototype) amplifier appears, as far as I can tell, nearly physically identical to the J.C. Verdier Spirit 2a3 stereo amplifier that is commercially available. There is a simple turn switch on top of the chassis that allows the user to switch between AC and DC heating (with the amplifier switched off ).

I also have my recently purchased Yamamoto A-08S and the recent memory of my Wavelength PF Gemini’s for comparison.

The JC came well packed with all ten tubes in their sockets (that was a little scary to me).

I plugged the JC into my PS Audio P-300 Multiwave II and let her rip for 48 hours prior to doing any listening. Please keep in mind that I was fully prepared to purchase the $2,500 JC amp if it raised the quality of my listening. So, this was more of a home audition than a product evaluation for review.

Well, the JC further solidified my love affair with the 45. In this case, a pair of just run in EML Solid Plate 45’s. The amp came with a really nice pair of ST RCA’s but nothing, in my opinion and experience, compares with the EML. This amp has a rounder and fuller presentation in the bass when compared with my Yamamoto. Not necessarily better, just different. The JC also has a really natural bloom in the midrange that is similar to what the Gemini’s offered. This amplifier does wonders with male and female vocals. The highs were a tad bit smoother and delicate than my Yamamoto when driving my Lowther DX-4’s/Medallion III horns. This amplifier has a very refined over all presentation that made it easy to listen to for hours on end (which I did). The sound staging of this unit was also huge and billowing and reminded me very much of the modified ASL AQ 1006 DT, 845 SET pair that I wish I had never sold. The ASL’s just sounded sooo big and meaty, and seemed to blow the front of my listening room out into the yard. I would not say that the little JC’s went that far, but it was pretty cool. All of my favorable comments about the J.C.Verdier convertible 45 set amplifier are in the “AC” filament-heating mode. I felt that the DC filament heated JC amplifier thinned out this unit’s presentation enough to make a prolonged listening comparison between AC and DC filament heating unnecessary. I didn’t care for it when DC heated. I am under the impression that this amplifier was designed for AC filament heating and modified, as a prototype, for DC filament heating capability. Otherwise, it was most likely optimized from its inception as an AC heated amplifier, and it shows. So, I am not so sure that this J.C. Verdier is a suitable test for AC Versus DC filament heating of 45 tubes in a single ended amplifier? After all, the new Yamamoto A-08S was reported to be designed as a DC heated amplifier from its inception. So, I will continue to comment only about the JC configured for AC heating.

These two amps (JC and Yamamoto A-08S) sound more similar than other 45 set amplifiers that I have listened to in many ways. The JC is a closer match with the Yamamoto A-08S than the Wavelength PF Gemini’s were. The JC offers a bit more prodigious bass when compared with the DC filament heated Yamamoto, but, the A-08S still has more Life and Magic in the presence region. This was most noticeable on vocals which are a bit more reticent and just a bit softer and less defined when compared with the Yamamoto. Some may feel that the A-08S is too forward and hot in this area, and I would not totally disagree. On the other hand, Lowther DX-4’s are tougher to tame in this area than almost any other speaker that I can think of. Then there is that huge billowing, 845 like, sound staging of the J.C. Verdier. After this, which was my first full comparative listening session, I would have chosen the Yamamoto as my amplifier of choice by a slim margin. I always find myself easily distracted and often enamored by what a new product does differently than what I am used to. So, the time between the first and my second comparative evaluation session almost always gives me clarity to internalize what the equipment does the same, and differently. I can then sit back and just “feel” which product brings me closer to imagining reality in my listening room (boy, I wish I was more eloquent).

My second comparative listening session was carried out listening to, Carmen McRae, Sarah~dedicated to you.

Ok, here we go. The A-08S glues me to my chair with a very rich, dense, organic presentation that just feels more “right” than any amplifier that I have ever encountered. Again, I felt compelled to listen to entire CD’s, which is something that my adult ADD

Rarely affords me. As great as the JC sounds, it just does not quite cross that invisible line that allows me to suspend disbelief the way that this Yamamoto does. With the JC, everything is there. Great, really great lows, detailed and delicate mids and highs, and a monstrous sound stage. It also has that typical 45 clarity, just not as much of that difficult to explain, something is really happening in front of me, as does the Yamamoto. Both amplifiers sound fantastic through every layer of their sonic skin. As I peeled back each layer, the JC and the Yamamoto actually sound quite similar. Both better, in my opinion, than the Wavelength PF Gemini’s. Then there is that intangible quality or layer that injects the Yamamoto with a “LIFE” that eludes both the J.C. Verdier and the Wavelength Gemini’s. The J.C. Verdier is a remarkable sounding amplifier. Even more so at it’s selling price of $2,5000.

So, in the end the question of which is better, AC or DC filament heating of a 45 really was not answered. However, at this point I believe that the design and implementation is probably more important than the choice of ac or dc filament heating.

And, in my opinion, both the Yamamoto A-08S and the J.C. Verdier offer better performance than my previous Wavelength PF Gemini amplifiers for much less money.

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Product Weakness:	Moderate build quality compared with the other products in review.
Product Strengths:	Extreem clarity and monstrous sound stage. Best bass in the bunch.

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Yamamoto A-08S
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Bent Audio TX-102 MKIII Passive
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Sony XA777ES CD/SACD
Speakers:	Lowther DX-4/Medallion III
Cables/Interconnects:	DIY Fine Silver/Audience AU24
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Mix
Room Size (LxWxH):	20' x 13'5 x 8'5
Room Comments/Treatments:	Absobbtive and Reflective devices though out
Time Period/Length of Audition:	One Month
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	PS-300
Type of Audition/Review:	Home Audition

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