Accurate reproduction of every instrumental and vocal sound - the ability to separate voices in a complex orchestral work so that the listener can hear each layer of sound independently and together.

I do not want to listen to anything that is not recorded digitally (DDD) which removes the majority of recorded music from my listening repertoire.

This review will be short because I am a musician, not a technician. I was one of the first owners of the Musician II. Its partners in my system are a Morrison pre amp, Martin Logan CLS II speakers and Meitner's Melior CD Deck and Museatex Bidat. I primarily listen to symphonic music and jazz. The amp disects the music so the each voice can be heard clearly and independently. Each instrument's tone is reproduced without deviation from its actual sound. There is no overempahsis in any range: highs are clear and crisp without being shrill, mid range sounds are full and precise with no feathering of the edges, and the lows are as clean as you would hear them at a live performance. There is no strain or muddling of voices at high volume levels and, with no distortion or hum whatsoever, the sound holds true even at the most extreme pianissimos. Whatever I've said about instrumental performances thus far is equally true with vocals. Every nuance and breath comes through just as if were being sung live in your listening environment. The name given to this amp is apropos because musicians more than anyone else will appreciate its qualities. I am not one who goes around trying comprable products to discern subtle differences so I can't offer comparisons, but with this amp and my other components, I feel no need to do so. There are other excellent products on the market but I can't imagine any producing more desirable results.

everything

Priced so low that high end dealers dont want to sell it becauce they can make more money selling Mono Blocks

We all like to read good reviews, go to www. stereotimes.com and read the lastest Spectron Musician II review. This web site has some of the best and most honest reviewers. Products like this upset the high end apple cart, we all have been conditioned to think that you must spend $ 10,000 plus to get the ultimate.

Similar Products Used:

Krell, Bel Canto , Pass Labs , Manley tubes etc.

Power, soundstage, transparency, transients, MUSICALITY!!!!

None that I can hear in my system.

I have a pair of Gallo Acoustics Nucleus Reference speakers and in 1997, after talking to Anthony about the best amp to match with his product, he was singing praises for the Spectron Digital One. I didn't have the money to afford one back then so I stuck with my trusty Rotel 980BX amplifier. After a few years, I got the upgrade bug again and gave a few amps a try with my Gallos (sticking to a budget in the neighborhood of $3k) but for some reason, although I did hear some improvements in sound, I didn't think the $$$ were worth the "incremental" difference. I was about to relent to the old saying an amp is an amp is an amp....spend your money on sources. I then remembered what Anthony told me about the Spectron and I was surprised to see that a third generation amplifier was now out called the Musician II. This was the only time I've ever took a leap of faith on any equipment by just ordering it without having listened to it but I'm definitely glad I did. Not only was it smaller than most of the amps I had tried out, not only was it more powerful than all the amps I had tried out, it actually made a HUGE difference in my system (preamp Anthem Pre1L, CD player Arcam Alpha 8, Mapleshade Clearview interconnects and speaker wire). If I had only one word to use to describe the amp, MUSICAL would be it. Using any other amp I tried, all the "great/good" CDs sounded GREAT but all the "bad" CDs sounded BAD...really BAD!!! With the Spectron, I didn't have a "bad" CD in my collection anymore. I actually could hear the music that just wanted to come out of the bad recording. The music, anything in my collection from Classical to Pop to even some cheesy 80s R&B, seemed more "alive" than I've ever heard it. Even though the amp is excellent at all the other audiophile parameters such as soundstage, transparency, timber accuracy, etc., it would be this musicality that put it over the top for me. I have had my amp for 2 years now and I have never been happier about my equipment thanks to the Spectron, and of course, my trusty old Gallo Nucleus References.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Marantz, Bryston, Sonic Frontiers, Anthem

Neutral, musical and effortless presentation. Digital amps will be the way to go.

Nobody knows about it

Prompted by a discussion on audioasylum.com I though I owed this amp a short review because it truly deserves it. As may you already tell I have only good things to say about it. First of all musicality, this amp really allows you to forget about audio and lets you enjoy the music. This may not mean to some people but I believe this is why we are in this hoby. I can listen to CDs which were unlistenable with other amps. Coloration? None. Secondly, it extracts every detail from music you though you knew very well even from a so-so sources such as hi-fi vhs tape without being harsh or noisy. I wish I knew how it does it. Finally it is very neutral. Bass, midrange, highs - they all sound they way they should, nothing is exagerated but detail level is astounding. Only good tube amps can deliver this type is midbass-midrange. I wish Spectron has spent more time and money marketing their amps because they really have a top notch product. Without it and without reviews in audio magazines this may be the best kept secret in audio which may not necessarily be a good thing for a manufacturer.

Similar Products Used:

McCormack, Audio Research, C-J, Gamut, PS Audio, Bel Canto, Bryston

Sound!!!, Build quality, Product Support!!! - John & Toni Ulrick, Remote Sense Active Speaker Cables with Neutrik connectors, cool running, swell blue oval light!

smallish rubber feet...although they do work very well on hard surfaces...on carpet, they do not allow the amplifier needed ventilation and it will over heat and shut down.

Spectron has developed sure-fire winners with both their newest 2002 Musician II amplifier and their Remote Sense Active Speaker Cables. These are both unprecedented bargains at any price and, most definitely, keepers! And yes, I own them both. And yes, I definitely will keep both of them! To reiterate what I previously stated, “these are both unprecedented bargains at any price and, most definitely, keepers!” With the addition of the new Musician II and Spectron's Remote Sense Active Speaker Cables, my music system has taken on a whole new level of realism. A veil that I didn’t ever realize was there has been lifted, and I am enjoying music with a clarity that I had only experienced when listening to live unamplified performances. The addition of the Musician II to my system has made a profound improvement. Combining the Remote Sense Active Speaker Cables with the Musician II is jaw dropping. Just remember, every componant needs time to "season" and form an electrical synergy with the other components of your music system, especially speaker cables! John Ulrick has a sure fire winner with the Musician II, and I hear he is about to launch both his Premier 450 watt x 5 and 450 watt x 6 channel home theater amplifiers as well as the quintessential Spectron Maestro Preamplifier with point to point hand wiring. Let me see, a second Musician II, another pair of Remote Sense Active Speaker Cables, a six-channel Premiere, and the new Maestro Preamp… I think I’ve got to get a second job!

Similar Products Used:

Although I have auditioned countless brands and modles of amplifiers over the years, I feel that this new Musician II is in a head-of-the-class of its own!

superb in every respect, incredibly efficient

you have to buy it

Everything said so far on this discussion of the Spectron is true. I only wanted to add this : I spoke with John Ulrich, one of the owners of Spectron. He told me that the stock Spectron is designed now to be internally bridged. This means that you can, with the flip of a switch, turn an unassuming looking box into a 1000 watt amp. That's a kilowatt into 4 ohms. In a conventional amp that would result in a huge, heavy, and hot design. This also means that you can bus your amp output to the speakers with very short runs of wire (so you don't have to spend a fortune on "supercables"). John also tells me that the Spectron is so efficient that normal 15 amp. wiring is all that you need. Could be, but if I were running two Spectrons in bridged mode, I'd still probably want two runs of wire. P.S. I'm hearing good things about a new power cord called the Black Mamba, there's a top of the line version of this cord, maybe that's the Black Mamba. Supposed to sound awesomely clean. Anyone tried a Spectron/Mamba combination ?

the spectron digital one is the best kept secret in audio today.(except for the speakers they drive in my home- gallo nucleus reference)

Dynamic range, controll, speed, bass extension, transparancy, etc etc

Flimsy looking speaker cable connectors. But no negative impact on sound, I think.

I'm going to have to bore y'all with yet another perfect
score. Believe me and at least 15 others, it's going to be
very tough to find anything in this price-range and above
that sounds better than this amp. I.e. If you want transparent, honest reproduction of your source material.
If you want coloured musical representation, do not buy
this amp.

Anyway. I'm using this amp with the Dunlavy Athena speakers,
even John Dunlavy uses this amp to demonstrate the Athena's
or Aletha's or whatever the heck they call 'm nowadays.

I listen to all sorts of music, Jazz, blues, classical,
metal etc. All sounds great.

This amp really grabs the speaker and takes full controll,
I hear nothing but music. All instruments (to me) sound
like I think they should. This amp (and the speakers) even
got my girlfriend interested in hi-fi.

No matter what listening level you prefere, it's always music you hear. But, you tend to crank up the volume more and more. Never does this amp get tiring, not even after
hours of listening.

I alway thought that hi-fi stuff made great source material
sound great and lesser recorded CD's sound like crap. The
first part is true, you really do hear the difference
between well and badly recorded CD's, but even badly recor-
ded CD's give musical listening pleasure. And that's what
it's all about, the music. It's not about the technology.
Hi-fi sometimes leads to people only buying well recorded
CD's/LP's, even if they do not like the musical style,
that's ludicrous, isn't it?! Everything sounds great on this
amp and well recorded stuff sounds even better.

Besides the sound of instruments, I really like the sound
of female singers, like Tori Amos, Sara K, Kate Bush etc
etc. on this amp/speaker combo. The soundstage is also
great, provided you use a proper pre-amp. I used to use
a densen Beat B100 as a passive pre-amp (attenuator) and was
lacking some dynamic range and soundstaging. I now switched
to a Copland CTA 301 MK II which really makes the musician
sing.

I can go on and on and on about what I like about this
amp, but how many more perfect score reviews does it take
for the world to see that this is one hell of a bargain!

Oh yeah, one negative thing about the company spectron,
they refuse to communicate via mail, I really really
hate that.

But, they know how to make a fine amp and I have been
told that they do communicate, but you have to telephone
them.

equipment:

Spectron musician ( = digital one)
Dunlavy Athena
Dunlavy speaker cable.
Homemade interlinks, soon to be nordost
Myryad MC100 CD player (+ maybe AH! tjoeb)
Copland CTA 301 MK II pre-amp

Similar Products Used:

There is nothing similar :-)

Power, no noise, Dynamic range, value, clean clear lows, mids and highs

None

I purchased the Spectron Musician amplifier in October 1999. I did so by mail order primarily based on the reviews on this website, and from reviews of online audio magazines. The dealer I purchased the unit from only had a ten day return policy, but for the price I was able to get I found that to be reasonable.

After the first listening experience with this amplifier in my setup, I knew it was not going back. Everything sounded cleaner and clearer, from top to bottom. I was using an old NAD 2200 power amplifier (purchased in 1985)before this and was in desperate need of an upgrade. The difference was immediate and very enjoyable. I was using Magnepan MMG speakers (recently upgraded to the Maggie 1.6QR) but I have not had a chance to listen to the Spectron with the new speakers yet.

Unfortunately, I had a problem with the power supply on the amp. I contacted Spectron and spoke directly with John Ulrich. After replacing some fuses, and describing the problem to John, he asked me to send the unit to him for repair. He had never had a problem with a power supply before. I sent the unit in about two weeks ago (during the CES show) and have yet to get it back. In the mean time I have to use the old NAD 2200, but the sound is terrible now that I am used to the Spectron. Unfortunately, I can only imagine how good it would sound with the new maggies (attm: John Ulrich: If you are reading this, please get my amplifier back to me soon!). I also have ordered the Morrison Audio E.L.A.D. pre-amplifier to upgrade from my 1 year old Marantz A/V 500 pre-amp (purchased before I knew of the existence of this website).

To say that the Spectron is revealing of the other equipment you use is an understatement. Some of my favorite recordings don't sound so great now that I have a very good quality amplifier and speakers. When the new pre-amp arrives, I can only imagine that the sound of GOOD recordings will be spectacular, and the sound of POOR recordings to be even less listenable. If you want high quality equipment (at a very reasonable price) be prepared to re-evaluate your music collection. You will find that some old favorites were not well recorded, and that some of your other favorites were so well recorded that you will hear things on them you may not have heard before.

Highly recommended, listen before hand if possible (as always) or get it online with a return policy (although I doubt you will want to give it back!).

5 stars all the way....I just want mine back!

Musical

None

I've spent years putting my system together. I've owned very expensive speakers. Now I own Newform Research R645s and I love them. I think they are the audiophile dream come true speaker - they sound amazing and they're pretty darn inexpensive. Just check out the reviews. Anyway, the maker of Newform Research speakers always told me the best thing I could do for my speakers was to use a Spectron amp. So, finally I bought the new Musician II about 4-5 months ago (as soon as it was available).

This amp is amazing. I used to own a Proceed AMP5. It is much more detailed and throws a bigger sound stage than the AMP5. It is more musical, in my opinion. More later on this.

I had a Levinson 333 in my system for a while. It was a great amp. Had a much bigger sound stage than the Proceed AMP5. In this regard, it is similar to the Spectron. However, I don't believe it was as musical, it was much bigger and 3X as expensive.

Then I compared my Spectron to a new Cinepro 3k6seIII-GOLD. This too was a nice amp, but it just wasn't as musical.

Finally, a friend of mine brought over a pair of $10000 Thor monoblocks. These were nice amps. I must say that they gave the Spectron a run for it's money, but again, look at the price difference. Also, they could not drive the speakers nearly as loudly as the Spectron. And with Spectron, you don't have to worry about tubes.

The Spectron is amazing. It's light weight, uses very little power, takes up a "normal" amount of space (can fit on a rack), has a reasonable price, and it sounds amazing. It adds a little richness to the music like a good tube amp would do, but I don't find it overly lush. I can listen to it for hours and hours and it just draws me into the music. The sound stage is wide and deep, and very detailed too. There's really nothing I can say that's bad about this amp.

I cannot wait to try the digital input. I'm definitely going to get it, so that I can bypass my preamp/processor when listening to 2-channel music. I can't say whether it will be good or not, but it the amp itself is an indication, I'm betting it will be amazing. I've also got a 6-channel Premiere on order. I love my Spectron.

That said, I've lent it to a friend that is a Sound Labs dealer and sells some very expensive amplifiers. He loves the Spectron too and feels that it is a great value for the money. He has other amps that he prefers a slight bit with his big Sound Labs, but they cost 8X more than the Spectron. As he says, is the better amp really a car better? I don't think so. It's the best amp I've had in my system. Two thumbs up here!

Similar Products Used:

Proceed, Levinson, Thor, Cinepro