"Keith G" wrote in message
...

"JustMe" wrote


Just one problem. It's boring to listen to. I've been running the
Alchemist
in exactly the same setup for a few months and in switching to the
Audiolab,
and having listened for about a weeks now, I'm totally uninspired. The
sound
is very clean and aesthetically it's all very balanced and even handed,
which is fine on paper, but it doesn't entertain me.


WTF's that got to do with anything? - All that matters is that it remains
'faithful' to the input signal...

Well, some would argue that this is the be all and end all of hifi. I'd
argue, as Mike said, that "it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that
swing". I spent the money on the gear to get the maximum pleasure from my
music. If a "straight wire with gain" wont give me that, then a curly wire
with gain will provide me with better value for money.


If I were a recording artist, first and foremost I'd want those
listening
to
my music to be entertained, inspired & moved by it. The Audiolab doesn't
do
that for me, the Alchemist does. For all its supposed colour, for all
its
foibles, operational quirks - whatever you like - it is by any sensible
measure of what a hifi should be and do, better.


Get thee to a valve ampery....

(While they're as cheap as chips - it can't last...)

I've had a couple of valve amps - an Armstrong - although that was before I
had any experience with any selection of hifi and so had no base of
reference to judge it - and, for a while, an AMC CVT3030a, which was great
fun to listen to. I changed it for the Alchemist Forseti pre/power after I
moved and was unhappy with the sound in my new home.

Right now I've got to start SELLING amps, rather than acquiring more as
bills are stacking up. The Audiolab will be the first to go on Ebay.


It's a similar difference that I experience when listening to vinyl
compared
with CD...


No comment! :-)

)