My Initial Impressions

I must admit to a healthy dose of scepticism before purchasing my Graham Slee Solo Intro earlier today. There's a lot of talk in the hi-fi world about miraculous fixes that can transform your listening experience, most of it marketing-led hyperbole. Surely a dedicated headphone amp couldn't improve that much on a standard headphone jack! I had to find out.

I'd done my research on the net and had even perused some of Mr. Slee's posts on this forum. After reading them I became convinced that he must be a man of deep conviction who takes his music seriously and his music reproduction even more seriously. It can't be easy to run a "workshop" business (and that is not meant in a derogatory sense) in today's Britain. Mr. Slee's somewhat sardonic style and gritty honesty was also something of a breath of fresh air in this age of euphemism. But what of the product? That's what really counts, isn't it?

I was fortunate to be the only one in the shop when I went to test the Solo - always good with open-backed cans. I'd brought with me a range of discs to check out different musical styles as well as different "challenges" for the amp - speed, response to highs and lows of volume, depth and width of soundstage, etc. I'm afraid I'm stuck in the world of ones and zeros and so I tested the following discs on the shop-owner's admittedly expensive CD player:

• Miles Davis, "Filles de Kilimanjaro" [Columbia/Legacy, CK 86555]
• Roxy Music, "Roxy Music" [Virgin HDCD remaster, RoxyCD1]
• Souad Massi, "Deb (Heartbroken)" [Wrasse, 096]
• Murcof, "Martes" [Leaf, Bay 23CD]
• Maurice Ravel, "Complete Orchestral Works", LSO, Claudio Abbado [DGG 469 354-2]

Up first was the Ravel. I'd been listening to his Rapsodie espagnole earlier in the day, but obviously through my Arcam. On listening through the Solo, the first thing that struck me was the sense that this unassuming metallic box was giving my 701s the power they'd been craving. The snap of the instruments, the sense of orchestral tension and the layering and progressive expansion and increased attenuation of the sound was compelling. With the Arcam, the same work had sounded flat and lacking in character.

And there was bass! If there's a complaint I'd had of the 701s since I got them in March, it was the bass. Looking online, it seemed to be a common problem. With the Solo the bass was much more present, though not in an overpowering sense. Everything felt correct, sounding much as it would do at a classical concert.

Moving on to the Roxy disc, with Ferry's crooning vocals and a different challenge in terms of sound, these impressions became more concrete. The bass and midrange response was terrific - the bass drum resounded believably. The separation of instruments was also better. All was well spaced. The Solo was much more transparent. Massi's wonderful disc "Deb" really shows off her vocal talent , and the Solo again reproduced the sound of an ensemble of instruments and individuals rather than an ungainly confusion of sound. Not that the Arcam output was so bad, but the Solo added that essential je-ne-sais-quoi.

All this was well and good; but the guy in the shop had a bloody expensive set-up! At home, I was going to be running this off a ten-year-old sub-£200 CD player (yes, yes, I know, the source is the next thing to change).  Would it work? Well, I took a chance and bought the Solo.

I needn't have worried. When I got home I plugged it in through the tape loop on my Arcam and settled back to test out a few discs. Several hours later I'm typing this while listening to Barenboim's delectable account of the Sacre du printemps (Teldec 8573-81702-2). If this afternoon's impressions are anything to go by, my fondness for classical music is about to increase exponentially. Indeed, all music! The Solo brings out the timbre of instruments so beguilingly. One can place the instruments so clearly. Bells and plucked harp-strings sound convincingly natural. The whole musical edifice is much bolder and less obscured. Notes leap from dark silences, build deliciously, then fall away graciously. This is how it should sound!

Well, I think I've written enough for now. Suffice to say that, on initial impressions, the Solo is about to dictate my social life - or lack thereof! - for the next few weeks while I reappraise my entire musical collection. I am sceptical no longer. Thank you, Mr. Slee!


Edited by CWS - 10 May 2008 at 9:45pm