Elevator EXP
Printed From: Graham Slee Hifi System Components
Category: Cables and Interconnects
Forum Name: Write A Review
Forum Description: Open to all our satisfied interconnect owners - share your experiences here
URL: https://www.hifisystemcomponents.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1926
Printed Date: 27 Mar 2026 at 2:27am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Elevator EXP
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Subject: Elevator EXP
Date Posted: 13 Jul 2013 at 3:57pm
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I recently bought an Elevator EXP, thanks to John Cadman for ringing to confirm my requirements. It arrived on Friday. Before it arrived I built a "Y-lead" (see thread on this) so I could share one PSU1 between the EXP and Reflex M. I fitted this to the Reflex M one night last week so it had plenty of time to settle down after being disconnected. The Elevator EXP was a little bright when I first listened to an LP, a couple of hours after I powered the amp up. Even so the sound was both clear and cohesive, really musical for want of a better word. I am using a borrowed (soon to be bought!) Denon DL-103 and amazed how good a standard cartridge can sound through the various GSP items I own. It is a tribute to the GSP equipment that it lets the source sing and the music comes through. The DL-103's recommended load is 1k so I had used the EXP's switches to get this loading before I connected the power. As I noted above this sounded great. Curiosity drove me to try some alternatives e.g. 840R (similar to 1k), 5k1 (a bit brighter), 100R (quieter and duller/less treble). Although I have only just started playing LP's through the M and EXP I know I will be going through my music collection again! It is hard to mute the TV with the Ashes on screen. Even so I am enjoying the music I have heard, very enjoyable to listen to and room filling. The soundfield comes into the room around me on ambient/surround effects, deeper sounds are behind the speakers, and there's plenty of bass. I credit this wonderful sound to the decades of R&D that Graham Slee has put into these fine products, with innovations like his ultra linear op amp configurations. I'm not a huge fan of specs on their own but the figures for this combo are impressive. For example the low noise levels, far far below the surface noise on any LP. The Elevator EXP and Reflex M have a combined gain of over 1500x and yet the noise and hum is pretty quiet even with my passive preamp's volume on full. Great British hi-fi. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Replies:
Posted By: morris_minor
Date Posted: 13 Jul 2013 at 5:23pm
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Good write up, Jon! No surprise it all sounds great  . . .------------- Bob Majestic DAC/pre-amp Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50 2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links |
Posted By: gaz
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2013 at 10:08pm
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blew me away when I had one on loan it only gets better with time
looking forwards to the day I order mine
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Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2013 at 7:23am
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You are absolutely right Bob and Gaz. It was loaning the EXP out a number of times that made me wonder what I was missing. I am amazed at what the EXP and M gets out of a DL-103. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 19 Jul 2013 at 7:15pm
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And it is getting better every day. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2013 at 10:13pm
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I wish I had bought one before. The EXP really brings a Denon DL-103 to life. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: jrhughes
Date Posted: 01 Aug 2013 at 8:49pm
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Hi Jon, How do you find the combination works under the power of one PSU1? Have you compared, using two? As you know I have been trying out my Reflex M + Novo on one PSU1 using the lead you made up for me, and it sounds fine indeed. Slightly better than when the Novo is on its own SMPS but I've not tried using two PSU1s. ------------- Jason |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 01 Aug 2013 at 10:33pm
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I haven't tried 2 PSU1's but I am very happy with the setup now sharing a PSU1 like yours. There is no hum, lovely sounding music of vinyl, and plenty of dynamics. I made up a Y lead like your one plus a decent earth to earth cable with an eyelet at each end. I tried the setup with and without that extra lead and preferred with. Very little in it. I suspect the requirements for two preamplifiers like this will be different from a preamp and a head amp. My previous shared PSU1 was a Genera and Solo UL driving a pair of LCD-2's which are relatively insensitive at about 91dB/mW into 50 ohms. It was only an issue at high volumes, and then just a little compression on transients like drums or bass lines being slightly softer. The PSU1 is very good. I expect no problem sharing it to drive a Reflex M and Novo with a very nice pair of reasonably sensitive headphones like the HD800. Your listening test (shared PSU1 better than PSU1 and SMPS) is pretty convincing for me. The only way to test your idea is to borrow a second PSU1 and allow a little time for the amp to settle down again before listening. My advice is enjoy what you have for a while, so you know the sound well before any comparisons. I will try to follow that advice myself. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: tg [RIP]
Date Posted: 05 Aug 2013 at 5:49am
| Question for clarification here Jon, the dedicated earth lead is connected between the Reflex and the Exp ? or how? |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 18 Aug 2013 at 11:30am
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Earth post to earth post Tony. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |
Posted By: Fatmangolf
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2013 at 9:52pm
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As an experiment I now have an EXP connected to the Revelation M, and a separate Reflex M all powered from the same PSU1. It is working, sounds wonderful, and has no hum when my passive volume is on full feeding the Proprius amps. I found one negative line from the PSU1 worked best with links between the ground/casework of the three stages using multi-strand copper cable. This reminded me just how good these GSP preamps are at letting the music sound through. ------------- Jon Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC. |