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Testimonials
Your input is important to us. Please provide your valuable feedback. Here are some testimonials from our clients:
John Bennett - Coherent sales and service
Malvern Hills is known throughout the country as an area of outstanding natural beauty, it is now attracting a slightly different clientèle. Those interested in outstanding, naturally reproduced music.
Malvern has become the home of hi-fi, or more accurately, music reproduction. This has taken the form of a company nestled under the Hills, called Coherent systems and captained by an extremely knowledgeable and customer-friendly guy, by the name of Tony Sallis
His first striking attribute is a genuine friendliness, devoid of any falseness and that urgency to close a deal. This guy understands his craft and takes time to listen, not only to his music, but tirelessly to his customers needs and expectations. You instantly feel that you are welcome in his home and there is a distinct lack of clock watching, which gives the customer plenty of time to take in the intricacies and new sounds, of the incredible items on offer.
Whether prince or pauper, Tony can supply a stunning system to suit a customer's budget, without the snobbery which sometimes raises its ugly head in some other demo-rooms. There is no hard-sell. He gives the customer all the time in the world to think about it. Therefore leaving empty-handed, after a two or three hour session, causes no alarm. Return visits are obviously welcomed and are met with plenty of coffee and usually more new products to marvel at.
I could go on and on, but anyone really into music, owes it to themselves to take a day out of their lives and experience sounds which, like the incredible scenery of that area, will leave the customer in awe and admiration of what Malvern has to offer.
Thank you Tony
John Bennett, Shropshire
Malvern Hills is known throughout the country as an area of outstanding natural beauty, it is now attracting a slightly different clientèle. Those interested in outstanding, naturally reproduced music.
Malvern has become the home of hi-fi, or more accurately, music reproduction. This has taken the form of a company nestled under the Hills, called Coherent systems and captained by an extremely knowledgeable and customer-friendly guy, by the name of Tony Sallis
His first striking attribute is a genuine friendliness, devoid of any falseness and that urgency to close a deal. This guy understands his craft and takes time to listen, not only to his music, but tirelessly to his customers needs and expectations. You instantly feel that you are welcome in his home and there is a distinct lack of clock watching, which gives the customer plenty of time to take in the intricacies and new sounds, of the incredible items on offer.
Whether prince or pauper, Tony can supply a stunning system to suit a customer's budget, without the snobbery which sometimes raises its ugly head in some other demo-rooms. There is no hard-sell. He gives the customer all the time in the world to think about it. Therefore leaving empty-handed, after a two or three hour session, causes no alarm. Return visits are obviously welcomed and are met with plenty of coffee and usually more new products to marvel at.
I could go on and on, but anyone really into music, owes it to themselves to take a day out of their lives and experience sounds which, like the incredible scenery of that area, will leave the customer in awe and admiration of what Malvern has to offer.
Thank you Tony
John Bennett, Shropshire
Date of Posting: 08 May 2008
Posted By: John Bennett Shropshire
Posted By: John Bennett Shropshire
Garry Whitehouse - Connoisseur & Cuivre Cables
Right after listening for a couple of weeks to my system with Connoisseur interconnect and the Cuivre-Profond speaker cable, I can safely say what the improvements are.
First off the sound is more natural, I noticed with the drums straight away then guitars (I was surprised just how good the bass Guitar sounded), with other instruments following quickly, revealing Horns, Trumpets and Trombones I could not here before. The balance being vastly improved, the sound being held together correctly. There is a big reduction in harshness achieving a sound that is what I have been searching for a long time. The best way to put it is I am a music fan and like to listen to music, that is what the Connoisseur interconnect and the Cuivre-Profond speaker cable have achieved. I now can sit back and listen to the music.
SYSTEM SPEC:
Arcam Fmj CD23
Nad S300
PMC FB1+
Connoisseur interconnect
Cuivre-Profond speaker cable
2 Shunyata Diamondback Mains Cables
Lynwood Mega Power Supply
Right after listening for a couple of weeks to my system with Connoisseur interconnect and the Cuivre-Profond speaker cable, I can safely say what the improvements are.
First off the sound is more natural, I noticed with the drums straight away then guitars (I was surprised just how good the bass Guitar sounded), with other instruments following quickly, revealing Horns, Trumpets and Trombones I could not here before. The balance being vastly improved, the sound being held together correctly. There is a big reduction in harshness achieving a sound that is what I have been searching for a long time. The best way to put it is I am a music fan and like to listen to music, that is what the Connoisseur interconnect and the Cuivre-Profond speaker cable have achieved. I now can sit back and listen to the music.
SYSTEM SPEC:
Arcam Fmj CD23
Nad S300
PMC FB1+
Connoisseur interconnect
Cuivre-Profond speaker cable
2 Shunyata Diamondback Mains Cables
Lynwood Mega Power Supply
Date of Posting: 01 December 2007
Posted By: Gary Whitehouse Birmingham
Posted By: Gary Whitehouse Birmingham
Gerry Williams - Coherent sales and service
I would like to put down on paper the customer service provided by Tony at Coherent Systems. I learned about Coherent Systems, through my nephew who was thinking of replacing his Linn setup. So arrangements were made for my nephew and myself to visit Tony in the Malvern's for demo on a Friday morning starting at 10.30am.
On arrival we welcomed with a good cup of tea and the sound of Pink Floyd playing in the demo room, Tony did inform us the system was just warming up.
After half an hour discussing each others musical preferences and the type of hi fi equipment my nephew and myself have acquired over time (my hi fi purchasing started in 1972), it was off to the demo room.
The system Tony had setup for us was
Focal JMLab Electra 1007Be
Puresound A8000 CD
Bel Canto One S300i
Coherent cables
We settled down to listen to various types of music and this system was never caught out, in fact there were bits of detail on albums I have been listening to since the 70's that I had never heard before. At this point I would like to point out, that the system I had at home cost me nearly 3 times the price of the system Tony had put together. The longer the demo went on the better the detail and all round sound got, in fact I had to get up to check Tony was not playing the big Utopia Be's. One thing that stood out was, whatever level the volume was set to whether it be high or low the detail in the music was never lost and you found yourself listening to the music not the name of the equipment.
It was now 12.30 and Tony asked if we would like to hear the Esoteric X01 cd player, which of course we did. This replaced the Puresound and we talking a different ball game and this is not taking anything away from the Puresound. Once again, I had a cd player costing more than the Puresound and Esoteric put together and both of these had more detail and were more musical. At this point I was beginning to see that the past 30 odd years I had been spending listening to the guys from the "Top Hi Fi Dealers" had been wasted.
The afternoon just got better and better, as Tony slowly upgraded the system with various amps, cd and speakers. I must point out that at no time was there any sales pitch and there seemed to be no time limit, in fact it was me and nephew who had to bring the demo to an end. As I had been considering changing my system, this demo (which I got to say got 11 out 10 from both me and my nephew) convinced me and I came away with a pair or Electra 1007Be's, plus a date for a home demo.
The home demo was even better than our demo day Coherent, the advice and help Tony gave throughout that day was brilliant. Tony had brought with him Coherent interconnects, mains cable and speaker cable and proceed to just to work through my system as it stood changing a cable at a time. Each change brought an improvement and I would like to say the cables they replaced were not cheap. Also, Tony added isolation platforms and pods, which just made such a difference I was amazed. Other bits of advice given was, mounting the plasma on the wall as this causing problems with the overall sound and things started to sound good.
We then moved on to replacing my system with the system I had been listening to at Coherent. I was then convinced that my system did not match up to the system Tony had matched perfectly, even though mine cost more. I was even more convinced as Tony demo how to upgrade your system in the correct way, not as I had been doing for the last decade or so.
Needless to say this was not my last demo with Coherent (one on the cards to listen to the Diva's), I can put my car in to auto drive and it takes me to the Malvern's. I can not recommend Coherent Systems enough, especially Tony who is so knowledgeable and always has time to answer any questions you may have.
My Current System:
Focal JMLab Micro's
Bel Canto One Pre3
Belles 150a Power Amp
Puresound A8000 CD
Coherent Speaker Cable
Coherent Interconnects
Best Regards
Gerry Williams, Bristol
I would like to put down on paper the customer service provided by Tony at Coherent Systems. I learned about Coherent Systems, through my nephew who was thinking of replacing his Linn setup. So arrangements were made for my nephew and myself to visit Tony in the Malvern's for demo on a Friday morning starting at 10.30am.
On arrival we welcomed with a good cup of tea and the sound of Pink Floyd playing in the demo room, Tony did inform us the system was just warming up.
After half an hour discussing each others musical preferences and the type of hi fi equipment my nephew and myself have acquired over time (my hi fi purchasing started in 1972), it was off to the demo room.
The system Tony had setup for us was
Focal JMLab Electra 1007Be
Puresound A8000 CD
Bel Canto One S300i
Coherent cables
We settled down to listen to various types of music and this system was never caught out, in fact there were bits of detail on albums I have been listening to since the 70's that I had never heard before. At this point I would like to point out, that the system I had at home cost me nearly 3 times the price of the system Tony had put together. The longer the demo went on the better the detail and all round sound got, in fact I had to get up to check Tony was not playing the big Utopia Be's. One thing that stood out was, whatever level the volume was set to whether it be high or low the detail in the music was never lost and you found yourself listening to the music not the name of the equipment.
It was now 12.30 and Tony asked if we would like to hear the Esoteric X01 cd player, which of course we did. This replaced the Puresound and we talking a different ball game and this is not taking anything away from the Puresound. Once again, I had a cd player costing more than the Puresound and Esoteric put together and both of these had more detail and were more musical. At this point I was beginning to see that the past 30 odd years I had been spending listening to the guys from the "Top Hi Fi Dealers" had been wasted.
The afternoon just got better and better, as Tony slowly upgraded the system with various amps, cd and speakers. I must point out that at no time was there any sales pitch and there seemed to be no time limit, in fact it was me and nephew who had to bring the demo to an end. As I had been considering changing my system, this demo (which I got to say got 11 out 10 from both me and my nephew) convinced me and I came away with a pair or Electra 1007Be's, plus a date for a home demo.
The home demo was even better than our demo day Coherent, the advice and help Tony gave throughout that day was brilliant. Tony had brought with him Coherent interconnects, mains cable and speaker cable and proceed to just to work through my system as it stood changing a cable at a time. Each change brought an improvement and I would like to say the cables they replaced were not cheap. Also, Tony added isolation platforms and pods, which just made such a difference I was amazed. Other bits of advice given was, mounting the plasma on the wall as this causing problems with the overall sound and things started to sound good.
We then moved on to replacing my system with the system I had been listening to at Coherent. I was then convinced that my system did not match up to the system Tony had matched perfectly, even though mine cost more. I was even more convinced as Tony demo how to upgrade your system in the correct way, not as I had been doing for the last decade or so.
Needless to say this was not my last demo with Coherent (one on the cards to listen to the Diva's), I can put my car in to auto drive and it takes me to the Malvern's. I can not recommend Coherent Systems enough, especially Tony who is so knowledgeable and always has time to answer any questions you may have.
My Current System:
Focal JMLab Micro's
Bel Canto One Pre3
Belles 150a Power Amp
Puresound A8000 CD
Coherent Speaker Cable
Coherent Interconnects
Best Regards
Gerry Williams, Bristol
Date of Posting: 06 November 2007
Posted By: Gerry Williams Bristol
Posted By: Gerry Williams Bristol
I have been into my hi-fi for a number of years and whilst I was content with the system I had built (comprising a Rega Apollo CD Player, Primare A20 MKII Amp, Dynaudio Focus 110 Speakers as the main components), however I had felt for a while that there was 'something missing' from the delivery of the music. I was first made aware of Tony at Coherent Systems after hearing a friends set-up and being highly impressed with the cleaner, more detailed and natural sound that was produced. I gave Tony a call and he came round to my house and firstly listened to my system and suggested I was getting about 20 - 30% of the system potential. As the evening progressed he added in (in succession) his connoisseur '+' interconnects, speaker cables and some 'little marvels' he calls Black Ravioli, followed by power leads and a mains conditioning block. To say the incremental improvements were significant would be an understatement. Even with all my existing electronics being used, the sound was much cleaner, the soundstage was greatly improved, whilst the vocal detail and instrument separation was in a totally different league to what I was used to - essentially the sound I was listening to was much more 'natural', as the artist had intended it to be heard. Following this demonstration Tony reckoned I was now getting about 85% of the system capability and it certainly sounded as though this was the case. Whilst there was no pressure from Tony to purchase his equipment, I was convinced I needed to and set about my first system upgrade with some interconnects, speaker cables and black ravioli under my speakers and amp. Following this, I had a need to change my amp in order to accommodate my Home Cinema System. As previously experienced, Tony's knowledge was spot on with regard meeting my system requirements and I am now enjoying the running-in of a Belles Soloist 3 pre-amp and Soloist 5 Power Amp and Connoisseur '+' interconnects.
You could be forgiven for being a little skeptical about the benefits of simply changing cables within your system, however I would urge you to give the Coherent products an audition before looking elsewhere at changing your source components - you could realise a significant improvement with a relatively minor system change.
You could be forgiven for being a little skeptical about the benefits of simply changing cables within your system, however I would urge you to give the Coherent products an audition before looking elsewhere at changing your source components - you could realise a significant improvement with a relatively minor system change.
Date of Posting: 05 November 2007
Posted By: Matt Ridley Cheltenham
Posted By: Matt Ridley Cheltenham
Mark Brackstone-Coherent sales and service
A quick note on the customer service provided by Tony at Coherent Systems. I learned about Coherent Systems about a year ago as I was looking at some potential modifications to my CD Player to cure some top end harshness. I ended up with an interconnect from Coherent which gave the desired result in my system.
Recently I was in a position to upgrade my speakers and had shortlisted some Focal 1007's for a demonstration. My local dealer stocks Focal but I had previously had a bad experience and didn't really feel that they could provide a satisfactory demonstration.I'd been impressed with the service I'd received from Tony at Coherent and had learned to my delight that his business had expanded somewhat since my previous visit and now included Focal Speakers. I had noted on the website a pair of ex-demonstration Micro Utopias which I was very keen to audition, so I dropped Tony a note expressing an interest. Tony contacted me that evening and we had a quick chat about arranging a demonstration.
It has been 12 months since my previous visit and Tony was not only able to recall our encounter but also remembered what equipment I was using. Impressive, to say the least. It is at this point Tony mentioned that the Micro's may not be the ideal partner for my equipment but the lower priced 1007's may provide a better synergy. I don't know many Hifi dealers that will discourage a higher spend in favor of ensuring that the customer is left with a great sounding system.
I arrived at Tony's house for the demonstration on a Saturday morning and took my equipment along to pair with the speakers. A demonstration at Tony's is unlike any you'll experience with a high street dealer. You are made to feel at home and very welcome, it's more like visiting a friend to listen to some music than going to a Hifi dealers. Coffee's out of the way and the system set up I settled down for the demonstration with a selection of music that I had brought for the occasion
We ended up listening to the Focal 1007's for about 2 hours and had, had a really enjoyable time listening to the music. At this point Tony swapped the speakers for the Micro Utopias and we listened to some more music. It was apparent to both myself and Tony that the synergy that the 1007's provided, wasn't there with the Micro's, so these were quickly dismissed.
Decision made we did the deal and then Tony set up his own personal system for a demonstration. I was stunned by the system I heard and it is a testament to Tony's expertise that he can build a system that will simply blow you away with the sheer dynamism and emotion. He is able to create a synergy that is almost perfect. Even with my own system once I had listened to it with the 1007's it had reached a completely new level for a relatively low cost.
Throughout the demonstration Tony does not make you feel at all obliged to make a purchase and I was given all the time I needed to make up my mind. I had arrived about 10am and did not leave Tony's house until about 2pm.
I have never before experienced a level of one to one service like this and it is regardless of whether you make a purchase or not. All Tony is interested in, is making sure you walk away happy and that you have left with a good experience.
Coherent provide a unique service, which has so far, not been matched by anyone else I have purchased from. If you like a personal, bespoke service, then Coherent is for you.
Highly recommended!
A quick note on the customer service provided by Tony at Coherent Systems. I learned about Coherent Systems about a year ago as I was looking at some potential modifications to my CD Player to cure some top end harshness. I ended up with an interconnect from Coherent which gave the desired result in my system.
Recently I was in a position to upgrade my speakers and had shortlisted some Focal 1007's for a demonstration. My local dealer stocks Focal but I had previously had a bad experience and didn't really feel that they could provide a satisfactory demonstration.I'd been impressed with the service I'd received from Tony at Coherent and had learned to my delight that his business had expanded somewhat since my previous visit and now included Focal Speakers. I had noted on the website a pair of ex-demonstration Micro Utopias which I was very keen to audition, so I dropped Tony a note expressing an interest. Tony contacted me that evening and we had a quick chat about arranging a demonstration.
It has been 12 months since my previous visit and Tony was not only able to recall our encounter but also remembered what equipment I was using. Impressive, to say the least. It is at this point Tony mentioned that the Micro's may not be the ideal partner for my equipment but the lower priced 1007's may provide a better synergy. I don't know many Hifi dealers that will discourage a higher spend in favor of ensuring that the customer is left with a great sounding system.
I arrived at Tony's house for the demonstration on a Saturday morning and took my equipment along to pair with the speakers. A demonstration at Tony's is unlike any you'll experience with a high street dealer. You are made to feel at home and very welcome, it's more like visiting a friend to listen to some music than going to a Hifi dealers. Coffee's out of the way and the system set up I settled down for the demonstration with a selection of music that I had brought for the occasion
We ended up listening to the Focal 1007's for about 2 hours and had, had a really enjoyable time listening to the music. At this point Tony swapped the speakers for the Micro Utopias and we listened to some more music. It was apparent to both myself and Tony that the synergy that the 1007's provided, wasn't there with the Micro's, so these were quickly dismissed.
Decision made we did the deal and then Tony set up his own personal system for a demonstration. I was stunned by the system I heard and it is a testament to Tony's expertise that he can build a system that will simply blow you away with the sheer dynamism and emotion. He is able to create a synergy that is almost perfect. Even with my own system once I had listened to it with the 1007's it had reached a completely new level for a relatively low cost.
Throughout the demonstration Tony does not make you feel at all obliged to make a purchase and I was given all the time I needed to make up my mind. I had arrived about 10am and did not leave Tony's house until about 2pm.
I have never before experienced a level of one to one service like this and it is regardless of whether you make a purchase or not. All Tony is interested in, is making sure you walk away happy and that you have left with a good experience.
Coherent provide a unique service, which has so far, not been matched by anyone else I have purchased from. If you like a personal, bespoke service, then Coherent is for you.
Highly recommended!
Date of Posting: 18 September 2007
Posted By: Mark Blackstone Gloucestershire
Posted By: Mark Blackstone Gloucestershire
John Dutfield - Coherent Products & service
Dear Tony…just a few words of thanks for the service, the products and the great day out. After thirty years of interest in HiFi, I thought I had heard most things, so was quite astonished by the value you wrung from my budget. I was after all, really just updating my old system, and was expecting maybe a small improvement. Wrong!
First many thanks for the reworking of the Copland 266’s innards…quite astonish level of detail and dynamics now, but still retaining the Copland character of musicality that I love…pure touch of magic and at a price that wouldn’t have bought anything at all. After that, thanks for a great day out listening at Coherent. I loved the way the sound just built and improved as you demonstrated all those little things that most dealers don’t seem to have time for. Sure the Bel Canto s300i and Focal 1007’s are perfect for me, but wringing another huge improvement from them with matched cables and etc was brilliant, and even converted me to some modifications that I’d previously been cynical of.
And the bottom line? I have what I came for. A system that plays all types and qualities of recording, squeezing music out of them all and just producing grin after grin, within budget.
Dynamics? Oh yes!, Bass and rhythm? Yup. Mid range heaven... Texture? Emotion? Yes again. Sweet top end? Natch.
Problems? Oh yes…One more late night session playing stuff I’d not bothered with for twenty years and I’m moving out, apparently. Ah well, with my share of the house, I reckon I might stretch to that ‘other’ system you played at the end!!
Date of Posting: 14 August 2007
Posted By: John Dutfield Northamptonshire
Posted By: John Dutfield Northamptonshire
Over the years I’ve built up set of pretty revealing components, comprising as source a Krell SACD, Acoustic Research LS25mkII pre, Bryston 700BSST monoblox and B&W N802 speakers. The challenge has always been though how to make good individual components hang together as a whole. I appreciate good detail but am more concerned about consistent musicality – the test of a good system for me is that I can still enjoy great music which has been indifferently recorded.
On cabling I’d been impressed by some loan Transparent balanced cables over my single ended Van den Hul First Ultimates, and first approached Coherent to hear another XLR cable as reference to check whether what I was hearing was not just the difference between balanced and single ended. I ended up listening through a progressive demo of Coherent Connoisseur range mains and signal cabling, changing one cable at a time to evaluate the change. Replacing the Nordost Shiva power lead on the Krell with Connoisseur brought a far tidier presentation, with less spotlighted leading edges and more body. Similar incremental effects came with replacing the Nordost Vishnu leads on the power amps, and it became possible to listen at higher volume levels without harshness and distortion effects. The Connoisseur balanced interconnect again retained the excellent detail of the Transparent Music Link but brought better bottom end impact.
Replacing the Kimber Power block with Coherent’s power conditioner brought benefits to the top end, reducing sibilance and also giving better separation between male and female voices on a duet. I had borrowed some horrendously expensive, albeit second-hand, Transparent Reference speaker cables – here the Connoisseurs matched, not exceeded, the performance, but at a fraction of the price. Since the demonstration, whose cumulative effect was very significant, I have been progressively making the replacements. The most significant of all so far has been replacing my very long single ended Trichord interconnects from pre to powers with Connoisseur XLR. This was simply amazing, as it had been throttling the effect of previous changes – another octave of bass extension and a huge dose of extra body and real presence to the music. The usual reference CDs sound awesome but I’m now listening to CDs that had been gathering dust before for sounding too thin or bright. I’ve also added a good vinyl source, as I’m now getting so much more out of the system.
I highly recommend exploring Coherent’s offerings before making a significant component upgrade, as with the same components my system now sounds completely different and a whole lot better.
On cabling I’d been impressed by some loan Transparent balanced cables over my single ended Van den Hul First Ultimates, and first approached Coherent to hear another XLR cable as reference to check whether what I was hearing was not just the difference between balanced and single ended. I ended up listening through a progressive demo of Coherent Connoisseur range mains and signal cabling, changing one cable at a time to evaluate the change. Replacing the Nordost Shiva power lead on the Krell with Connoisseur brought a far tidier presentation, with less spotlighted leading edges and more body. Similar incremental effects came with replacing the Nordost Vishnu leads on the power amps, and it became possible to listen at higher volume levels without harshness and distortion effects. The Connoisseur balanced interconnect again retained the excellent detail of the Transparent Music Link but brought better bottom end impact.
Replacing the Kimber Power block with Coherent’s power conditioner brought benefits to the top end, reducing sibilance and also giving better separation between male and female voices on a duet. I had borrowed some horrendously expensive, albeit second-hand, Transparent Reference speaker cables – here the Connoisseurs matched, not exceeded, the performance, but at a fraction of the price. Since the demonstration, whose cumulative effect was very significant, I have been progressively making the replacements. The most significant of all so far has been replacing my very long single ended Trichord interconnects from pre to powers with Connoisseur XLR. This was simply amazing, as it had been throttling the effect of previous changes – another octave of bass extension and a huge dose of extra body and real presence to the music. The usual reference CDs sound awesome but I’m now listening to CDs that had been gathering dust before for sounding too thin or bright. I’ve also added a good vinyl source, as I’m now getting so much more out of the system.
I highly recommend exploring Coherent’s offerings before making a significant component upgrade, as with the same components my system now sounds completely different and a whole lot better.
Date of Posting: 12 August 2007
Posted By: Roger Flory Suffolk
Posted By: Roger Flory Suffolk
Henry Tang - Coherent Modification
These solid state monoblox power amplifiers designed and implemented entirely by Coherent Audio Systems are as far as I know unique and one of a kind, or should that be two of kind? The heart of each power amp is based around a Tripath switching amp module (variously also known as PWM, digital or Class-T technology). The amp modules (albeit with one or two component substitutions) are the only off the shelf components in these amps, the rest has of the supporting cast been custom designed and built in order to get the most out of these amp modules. Particular attention has been paid in the areas of power supply regulation and minimising RF interference, two areas that Coherent Audio Systems felt to date no manufacturer implementing amps using this type of technology had bothered to optimise anywhere near enough in order to realise the full potential of this technology. Attention has also been paid to micro-phony as is evidenced by the amount of case and component damping applied internally. The list of custom components inside includes custom hand wound transformers, hard wiring with specialist cable (the same wire as that used in Coherent’s range of cables), and some very unique power regulation circuits. All in all, this is a hand built project implemented from the ground up with many hours of fine tuning and listening performed in order to select the right components which to go make up the final product.
So how do they sound? A straight wire with gain comes to mind as the most succinct description I can think of. This is, in my opinion is how solid state should be. The sound here isn’t euphoric, nor is it stark and analytical in the way that a component designed to solely to analyze what’s wrong rather than what’s right with the incoming signal; it gives you whatever the source is presenting to you but also allows you select whether to bask in the music making as a whole or to follow each individual musician’s contribution. There is a noticeable lack of hash and grain to the sound which you suddenly become aware of only when you realise how much louder you’re able to play a lot of recording you previously held the volume back on due to them being a brash, sibilant or just generally nasty at high volumes. The headroom available on these amps seems just about limitless, but then with almost three-quarters of a kilowatt of available power from each amp feeding into the 88dB/w efficient speakers that I own, one might not find that conclusion all that surprising. One of the upshots of all this dynamic headroom is you start to notice the dynamic limitations in the recordings you feed the amps, such as when too much compression or limiting be applied in the recording process albeit this not in an out and distracting manner, or on the flip side with the right recording how much more impact and snap you can get from the drum kit on a favorite album you’ve been playing for years. All this power without ever breaking into a sweat too, yes these amps don’t ever get any more than lukewarm regardless of whatever levels you’re playing them at due to the technology used in the amp modules being inherently over 90% efficient with their power input.
You might think that with all this power on tap that these amps are not able to handle the grace, delicacy and subtlety required for less visceral music making, but surprising they do just as well here too. Ambient clues, recording venue acoustics and image placement are revealed very well by this amp, yet the sound also remains palpably rock solid and cohesive. There was also more insight into bass lines and in general what was going in the bottom octaves compared to a pair of well known Tripath based monobloc amps I was using before, which by comparison was less well resolved both in the tune as well as the rhythm departments. Further up the audio range, vocals whether they be solo or ensemble have just the right amount of presence, clarity and diction; whilst the top-end brings out texture, shimmer and extended decay without being overtly silky in the one extreme or stridently searing in the other.
In summary, these amps are great all-rounders in every way whatever your musical preferences, are compatible with a very wide range of speakers and appear to be quite unique in the attributes they are able to offer compared to what else I’ve heard available with a 4 figure price tag. In fact, I really think these amps share attributes I’ve heard from one or two well respected solid-state and non-colourful valve amps that I once aspired to own should I ever win the lottery!
SYSTEM
Wadia 860x CD player
Michell Orbe / SME V / Van Den Hull Frog turntable
Bel Canto Pre1P phono stage
Meadowlark Audio Osprey speakers (modified by Coherent Audio Systems)
Audio Magic Eclipse mains conditioner
Coherent Audio Systems Connoisseur mains, speaker and interconnect cables
These solid state monoblox power amplifiers designed and implemented entirely by Coherent Audio Systems are as far as I know unique and one of a kind, or should that be two of kind? The heart of each power amp is based around a Tripath switching amp module (variously also known as PWM, digital or Class-T technology). The amp modules (albeit with one or two component substitutions) are the only off the shelf components in these amps, the rest has of the supporting cast been custom designed and built in order to get the most out of these amp modules. Particular attention has been paid in the areas of power supply regulation and minimising RF interference, two areas that Coherent Audio Systems felt to date no manufacturer implementing amps using this type of technology had bothered to optimise anywhere near enough in order to realise the full potential of this technology. Attention has also been paid to micro-phony as is evidenced by the amount of case and component damping applied internally. The list of custom components inside includes custom hand wound transformers, hard wiring with specialist cable (the same wire as that used in Coherent’s range of cables), and some very unique power regulation circuits. All in all, this is a hand built project implemented from the ground up with many hours of fine tuning and listening performed in order to select the right components which to go make up the final product.
So how do they sound? A straight wire with gain comes to mind as the most succinct description I can think of. This is, in my opinion is how solid state should be. The sound here isn’t euphoric, nor is it stark and analytical in the way that a component designed to solely to analyze what’s wrong rather than what’s right with the incoming signal; it gives you whatever the source is presenting to you but also allows you select whether to bask in the music making as a whole or to follow each individual musician’s contribution. There is a noticeable lack of hash and grain to the sound which you suddenly become aware of only when you realise how much louder you’re able to play a lot of recording you previously held the volume back on due to them being a brash, sibilant or just generally nasty at high volumes. The headroom available on these amps seems just about limitless, but then with almost three-quarters of a kilowatt of available power from each amp feeding into the 88dB/w efficient speakers that I own, one might not find that conclusion all that surprising. One of the upshots of all this dynamic headroom is you start to notice the dynamic limitations in the recordings you feed the amps, such as when too much compression or limiting be applied in the recording process albeit this not in an out and distracting manner, or on the flip side with the right recording how much more impact and snap you can get from the drum kit on a favorite album you’ve been playing for years. All this power without ever breaking into a sweat too, yes these amps don’t ever get any more than lukewarm regardless of whatever levels you’re playing them at due to the technology used in the amp modules being inherently over 90% efficient with their power input.
You might think that with all this power on tap that these amps are not able to handle the grace, delicacy and subtlety required for less visceral music making, but surprising they do just as well here too. Ambient clues, recording venue acoustics and image placement are revealed very well by this amp, yet the sound also remains palpably rock solid and cohesive. There was also more insight into bass lines and in general what was going in the bottom octaves compared to a pair of well known Tripath based monobloc amps I was using before, which by comparison was less well resolved both in the tune as well as the rhythm departments. Further up the audio range, vocals whether they be solo or ensemble have just the right amount of presence, clarity and diction; whilst the top-end brings out texture, shimmer and extended decay without being overtly silky in the one extreme or stridently searing in the other.
In summary, these amps are great all-rounders in every way whatever your musical preferences, are compatible with a very wide range of speakers and appear to be quite unique in the attributes they are able to offer compared to what else I’ve heard available with a 4 figure price tag. In fact, I really think these amps share attributes I’ve heard from one or two well respected solid-state and non-colourful valve amps that I once aspired to own should I ever win the lottery!
SYSTEM
Wadia 860x CD player
Michell Orbe / SME V / Van Den Hull Frog turntable
Bel Canto Pre1P phono stage
Meadowlark Audio Osprey speakers (modified by Coherent Audio Systems)
Audio Magic Eclipse mains conditioner
Coherent Audio Systems Connoisseur mains, speaker and interconnect cables
Date of Posting: 08 May 2007
Posted By: Henry Tang Exeter
Posted By: Henry Tang Exeter
I am delighted to report that I have found something that has made a worthwhile and significant impact on my system: a set of speaker cables, two power cords and a mains conditioner from Coherent Systems.
When combined these items produce an extremely engaging, grain free sound. The first thing you notice is the improvement in the system’s transparency. It really seems like a veil has been removed from the speakers. There is a noticeable improvement in levels of detail as well. Micro detail, gone unnoticed before, suddenly appears from every corner of the soundstage. Instrument separation also improves. What seemed acceptable before now seems just a little muddy and muddled by comparison.
Music appears more alive/exciting, dynamic and certainly more forward but not in a bad way. The sound is never harsh, thin or overly aggressive - there is lushness and texture to everything which is really very appealing especially with jazz and ambient music. On quicker music, such as rock, leading edges are crisper and bass timelier. Guitars and drums carry more weight and impact. Things speed up. The foot definitely taps.
Nothing in the Coherent sound is over emphasized. The music just seems to have a balance and inherent rightness to it which makes for a far more involving musical experience. In my opinion this is quite an achievement at any price point let alone the ones offered by Coherent. I believe I would have to spend a lot more money than I did with Coherent on a CD player or an amplifier to get a similar upgrade in sound. In my opinion that makes Coherent products good value for money.
I would certainly encourage anyone considering a cable or system upgrade to give Tony a call. His products have made a worthwhile difference to my system.
Coherent products:
Coherent Systems Power Master 2
Connoisseur speaker cables and power cord
Cuirve Profond power cord
System:
Wadia 16
Bel Canto 2i
Meadowlark K2
Other cables tested:
Chord
Van den Hul
Acoustic Zen
Gut Wire
Shunyata
Virtual Dynamics
Nordost
When combined these items produce an extremely engaging, grain free sound. The first thing you notice is the improvement in the system’s transparency. It really seems like a veil has been removed from the speakers. There is a noticeable improvement in levels of detail as well. Micro detail, gone unnoticed before, suddenly appears from every corner of the soundstage. Instrument separation also improves. What seemed acceptable before now seems just a little muddy and muddled by comparison.
Music appears more alive/exciting, dynamic and certainly more forward but not in a bad way. The sound is never harsh, thin or overly aggressive - there is lushness and texture to everything which is really very appealing especially with jazz and ambient music. On quicker music, such as rock, leading edges are crisper and bass timelier. Guitars and drums carry more weight and impact. Things speed up. The foot definitely taps.
Nothing in the Coherent sound is over emphasized. The music just seems to have a balance and inherent rightness to it which makes for a far more involving musical experience. In my opinion this is quite an achievement at any price point let alone the ones offered by Coherent. I believe I would have to spend a lot more money than I did with Coherent on a CD player or an amplifier to get a similar upgrade in sound. In my opinion that makes Coherent products good value for money.
I would certainly encourage anyone considering a cable or system upgrade to give Tony a call. His products have made a worthwhile difference to my system.
Coherent products:
Coherent Systems Power Master 2
Connoisseur speaker cables and power cord
Cuirve Profond power cord
System:
Wadia 16
Bel Canto 2i
Meadowlark K2
Other cables tested:
Chord
Van den Hul
Acoustic Zen
Gut Wire
Shunyata
Virtual Dynamics
Nordost
Date of Posting: 27 April 2007
Posted By: Andrew Bechgaard London
Posted By: Andrew Bechgaard London
Dear Tony…Just a brief word of thanks for the first class service and progress to date.
Like many, I bought my first system through the UK's dealership network and was fortunate enough to receive decent advice on component matching. Although basic, this system served me well over the years with a few tweaks and minor upgrades. At the time, I could not afford (what I thought was) the ultimate turntable based set up. A few years back I decided to upgrade the basic system and bought the system I wanted. It was much better although something was missing somewhere - two dimensional sound, grey-ness and a seat in the upper circle for most performances. So, costly cables, power supplies (even a sub woofer) and mains conditioners followed. The music was better although despite careful set up - it sounded sterile and bereft of any passion or involvement. It was difficult to pin down as I was convinced I had a well matched set-up and it certainly produced better results than I had heard before. And of course it was reassuring to know the brands were reputed to be world class. Maybe it was my hearing (advancing years) but there was still something missing.
Shopping around for components or buying and selling bits and pieces looked to be a lengthy and costly route to something better - without any guarantee of solving that "missing" puzzle. It was in fact the way many people "upgraded" There is certainly no shortage of advice and tempting world class components out there to play with.
Our first conversation started by me commenting it was encouraging to hear music in the background when you called. I was also impressed by the quick "out of hours" response. Much of that first call was about our shared passion for music and an elusive "rightness" in its reproduction. The first meeting at Malvern was a revelation for me in terms of what was possible. It also starkly convinced me to migrate to a new well founded and balanced system rather than continue to "upgrade".
I realised during our demonstrations that it was not a question of what was missing from the music - more a case of what was getting in the way. Coherent has already invested all the hours and expense that I was facing without the know how to get anywhere near the same result. From then on, the solution became simple and parting with my cherished dream system (mostly funding its replacement) became easy.
tape), amp, loom and speakers have all seemingly vanished. There is just the big invisible center speaker along with the correctly positioned and textured band, orchestra or vocalist in the room. My wife sits and listens (a first) and my two year old looks around to see who was singing. I know you will tell me there's another 30% to get from it but that can wait …at least until the music stops... Right now, the system is pure joy. The original source components (CD, TT and Thank you again.
Regards Peter
Like many, I bought my first system through the UK's dealership network and was fortunate enough to receive decent advice on component matching. Although basic, this system served me well over the years with a few tweaks and minor upgrades. At the time, I could not afford (what I thought was) the ultimate turntable based set up. A few years back I decided to upgrade the basic system and bought the system I wanted. It was much better although something was missing somewhere - two dimensional sound, grey-ness and a seat in the upper circle for most performances. So, costly cables, power supplies (even a sub woofer) and mains conditioners followed. The music was better although despite careful set up - it sounded sterile and bereft of any passion or involvement. It was difficult to pin down as I was convinced I had a well matched set-up and it certainly produced better results than I had heard before. And of course it was reassuring to know the brands were reputed to be world class. Maybe it was my hearing (advancing years) but there was still something missing.
Shopping around for components or buying and selling bits and pieces looked to be a lengthy and costly route to something better - without any guarantee of solving that "missing" puzzle. It was in fact the way many people "upgraded" There is certainly no shortage of advice and tempting world class components out there to play with.
Our first conversation started by me commenting it was encouraging to hear music in the background when you called. I was also impressed by the quick "out of hours" response. Much of that first call was about our shared passion for music and an elusive "rightness" in its reproduction. The first meeting at Malvern was a revelation for me in terms of what was possible. It also starkly convinced me to migrate to a new well founded and balanced system rather than continue to "upgrade".
I realised during our demonstrations that it was not a question of what was missing from the music - more a case of what was getting in the way. Coherent has already invested all the hours and expense that I was facing without the know how to get anywhere near the same result. From then on, the solution became simple and parting with my cherished dream system (mostly funding its replacement) became easy.
tape), amp, loom and speakers have all seemingly vanished. There is just the big invisible center speaker along with the correctly positioned and textured band, orchestra or vocalist in the room. My wife sits and listens (a first) and my two year old looks around to see who was singing. I know you will tell me there's another 30% to get from it but that can wait …at least until the music stops... Right now, the system is pure joy. The original source components (CD, TT and Thank you again.
Regards Peter
Date of Posting: 21 April 2007
Posted By: Peter Stein South Gloucestershire
Posted By: Peter Stein South Gloucestershire
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