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Solo ULDE Review HiFi Choice

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    Posted: 04 Oct 2016 at 1:13pm
Got my HiFi choice today and there is a group test of headphone amplifiers.

The Solo ULDE comes out in joint 2nd place, yet beats the other in the sound quality stakes having to share the plaudits because the other can act as a 3 input preamp.

'Excels in terms of space and three dimensionality it can create' and a deep well defined and integrated bass'

Its also £225 cheaper than the winner so you could get yourself a Voyager for listening on the go with the savings.



Steve

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Oct 2016 at 7:42pm
I am very pleased to have been given a recommendation by HiFi Choice for the Solo Ultra-Linear DE. I was slightly puzzled when reading about its sound quality that it got these comments...

1. "realistically the strongest in the group"
 
2. "more effectively captured by this amp than it is by any other design here"
 
3. "few other designs here can match"

...yet came joint second, but I guess it's not about the way things sound anymore??

But I think the intelligent shopper will be able to read between the lines, and as Steve commented above it is £225 cheaper than the winner - and also £30 cheaper than the joint second which isn't in the same sound quality ballpark.

Plain looks it may have but as was summed up: "Beauty in this instance is so much
more than merely skin deep"

Good review.





That none should be able to buy or sell without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Oct 2016 at 8:04pm
Magazine reviews are typically a load of nonsense, composed by those who prefer telling fairytale stories instead of presenting genuine stone-cold fact to the reader. So much selling/promotion is done on delusion. The whole subject of hi-fi is plagued with this kind of unlogical nonsense, which is why I have never valued or paid attention to obviously uneducated/unskilled pseudo-intellectual reviewers. The best device is the one most capable of faithfully reproducing the sound that correctly represents the original signal; nothing more or less. I've become bored of the storytellers who don't present the blunt reality or choose to criticize irrelevant things because when there aren't any problems, they feel they must invent some. Makes me rather apathetic to comment. Don't pay much attention to the self-titled guru storyteller nonsense; instead, take up something like Graham's loan scheme offer, listen to the products yourself in your own home and make your own personal conclusions about their value.

I'm really proud of Graham for the adversity he has come through over the years (he's a national treasure despite his flaws) and I have been saddened by the lack of people who recognize the extent of the excellence of the products he has made.


Edited by Ash - 04 Oct 2016 at 8:09pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Oct 2016 at 11:30pm
Well thanks to Hifi Choice for recognising the Solo ULDE is a great amp. My Solo UL is still doing sterling work and I don't miss having a third set of inputs either!
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.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Graham Slee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Oct 2016 at 8:13am
Check my math!

I've been reading the Group Test Verdict and I'm questioning my own sanity, or is it HFC's??

We got an overall score of 4.5 stars: (5 + 5 + 4.5 + 4)/4 = 4.65...

The winner got an overal score of 5 stars: (5 + 4 + 5 + 4)/4 = 4.5...

The joint second (with us) got a score of 4.5: (4.5 + 4.5 + 4.5 + 5)/4 = 4.625...

So with the most overall stars (corrected that is) we came joint second???

Or are there other factors at play?

This happened once before in a head to head test online where based on points the Solo was one point away, so came second. When you added up the points the Solo had the most points by just one point, not the other way round - but came second???

So there must be other factors at play.

Perhaps they are swayed by all the Hi-Fi trolls who are ranged against our success?
That none should be able to buy or sell without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RichW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Oct 2016 at 9:10am
They're a bunch of numpties.
Majestic/Enigma, Accession MM & MC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote msphil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Oct 2016 at 7:48pm
Originally posted by Fatmangolf Fatmangolf wrote:

Well thanks to Hifi Choice for recognising the Solo ULDE is a great amp. My Solo UL is still doing sterling work and I don't miss having a third set of inputs either!

Me neither Jon! IMHO the best sounding piece of equipment should always come first! If they then want to qualify the choice by pointing out that a different piece of equipment isn't it's equal but may have more convenience then that is a different matter.
'You are, through your soul not your body, a human being.'
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