I Was Too Eager to Try This Amp
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- I realized my mistake when the Galion TS A75 was delivered.
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Thanks Rick for the review. I have been working hard on a preamp but I have postpone launching it because I refuse to bring it to market until I am 100% happy with it. Else I would have sent you my prototype tube preamp.
Whenever you’re ready you know I’ll love to hear it!
Good luck Thomas...............forget about audiophile qualities , just listen if it draws you into the music and makes it difficult or impossible to analyze the amp because the music will always suck you into it
The least components possible and only the synergy of the few.componentsd.........and that's difficult ...I agree.
Over 6 decades of living, listening modifying , building with tubes , if i can be of any help or advice , with pleasure .......the simple electronics but of the highest quality make the difference ........;and MUSIC reproduction is something quite different from great audiophile SOUND !
I like some good SS also but it will alwys be SS = semi-conductoir = halbleiter and these words explain part of the difference......
Kind regards
I knew right off the bat what you were going to say, lol. I just happened to be looking up info on this amp last week and I had thought it was an integrated too. Anyway, if you see what's inside you should really be impressed with what you get for the price. Now Thomas needs to make a pre-amp as impressive as this.
😂 It was a real "duh" moment for me the second I pulled it out of the box
You're one of the very few channels i watch where i actually watch the sponsor part and not skip forward.
Hey thanks! Sidetracked Workshop is actually the first sponsor I've had on this channel. Huge plus because they make a great product that's relevant here.
Man i would go crazy with the power button not beeing in the center…
An understandable, and thorough review of this power amplifier - the TS A75. Maybe sometimes we have more concentration on a topic, that we sometimes become narrow in our choices, anyway. As for myself, I forgot I don't have any more shelf space for another, but different turntable to set up, and connect to my audio system. It is a linear tracking turntable, a B & O Beogram TX, of early mid 1980s. Therefore, a couple of things, and furniture had to be moved around.
I like, and appreciate your description on vinyl playback, and your honesty about the performance of the hi fi audio equipment you test, and review.🔉🎵🎶
Thank you, George! I had a linear tracking turntable myself in the early 80s!
Doesn’t the Gallion 120 have a pre-amp out? If so why not try that with this SS power amplifier? Good review. You are very easy to listen to. Non-fatiguing like a good stereo system.
Unfortunately it doesn't, Gilbert. ☹️
Hi Rick, a does look like a lot of amp for the price. It’s a heavy beast and does take up rack space. My learning lesson for record storage is you need twice as much as you order and then some. Best Pat
That is so true, Pat
It sounds like a fairly reasonable price for a massive power amp like that. Does Thomas have a matching preamp? I would assume that he does. Like you, I'm happy with my integrated tube amp. But it is always interesting to see what's new. The sponsor media storage looks interesting as well. Gonna check those out. Thanks, Rick.
Hey Neil! No matching preamp yet but I have a feeling there will be one at some point. You’ve got a stellar tube amp there
Really nice review Rick! Looks like I'm getting the unit you had for review!
Would love to hear your thoughts if you do, Benny!
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Yeah the amp should be here next week! I'm excited!
I wonder if you could have gotten away with driving A75 with the SUB-OUT on your TS120?
You could but there is a chance you might damage the TS120. Tube amps always need a load, (connected to a speaker) unlike solidstate.
@@ThomasAndStereo Thanks for the info Thomas! I did not know that. I'm running a Reisong A12, so I'll be sure to keep it loaded.
While I’m sure that this amp is overbuilt, I can’t help but wonder how Schiit can offer the Vidar, which can double 100w to 200 into 4 ohms for just $799. I would hope that that the A75 sounds better.
I haven’t had the opportunity to try the Vidar. Price is deceiving when it comes to power. It boils down to what’s inside. But I can’t speak to the Vidar unfortunately. Knowing Schitt it has to be quality.
Looks ok but what warranty comes with Galion products.
It's a 1-year parts and labour warranty
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords thanks, not a great warranty, I would have thought they would have had more faith in their product though.
As much as I love my Parasound 2125v2, my upgrade to the NAD C298 (similar to NAD M23) sounds better because it's more balanced between the vocalist and the instruments/band.
As a result, the soundstage sounds wider and there's better placement of instruments throughout the stage.
Apple Music lossless
Doncha just love it when that happens 🍺🍺🍺
6:17 Paul had the same problem with "Trouble on Double Time" too...
Doesn't the Galion integrated have a preamp output?
You can connect into the HT input I assume but I saw no need to when I purchased it a year or so ago. Connecting into the HT input will disable the volume control.
The preamp output is just for a subwoofer . You can damage the amplifier not connecting speakers when it’s working.
People dislike what I say because honesty sucks for some people/companies..Even Thomas dislikes criticism which is weird???..Everything is great and all is fabulous because Thomas made it!!..Trouble is no it's not..I will not put any review comments here because as I said some people don't have a thick skin and dislike creative negativity..I can already think of two other brands that took a negative review almost to court??
Great Review. Thx.
Thanks for popping by again!
Hey, that kinda thing happens to us all at some time.
😂😂😂😂
I blew up an amp about 20yrs ago after attempting to use a receiver as a pre amp. Boom! Click! Click! Locked in stand by.
Yikes! Nightmare
Like one day Jean HIRAGA said ..............: " This amplifier shines on the testbank with no measurable distortion or faults ................but it lacks the qualities to reproduce music.........."
Was that referring to this amp? Is it not very good?
@@rog86 This was just to put in perspective the experience of J Hiraga., he designed some great amplifiersa very smart guy and very experienced.......I met him several times in the past , he reintoduced the magic and musicality of triode tube amps and tibe amplifiers back in europe decades ago .( he has some japanese ancestry and phylosofy)
The Gallion is certainly a good amplifier ............the only thing is , reviewers hype these amplifiers often over the cliff.......the Gallion may be a better amp than many others .......if you're happy with it it is OK.
The TS 120 is a commercial amp that is revoiced by Thomas...........with succes....nevertheless it can not compare or compete with the best designs, without doubt one can enjoy this amp , but it will never last a lifetime as some did and will do .......
In fact today the market tries to sell tube amps to drive todays speakers witch are NOT designed for being driven by tube amps.....kind of wrong wariage but sold to audiophiles for strictly commercial reasons and financial gain ...
The TS75 is probably a more reasonable choice with SS qualities above the average ...
One must just be aware that the very best undustrial pancakes will never taste like those of your grandmother..........pity many never had the chance to taste the real thing as this methaphore applies also to music reproduction ..............today people want and shops sell great sound while they have necer been listening to a real acoustic orchestra.asucks you intyo the music and it will not allow you to analyze the system or the amplifier etc............only being connected to music ..
The most or best way to reproduce music is still with tubes ( nos) and with recordings made with them when thr tube technoilogy was mature.....mostly between 1962---1969........even when correcty transfered on CD you can hear and enjoy it ........
Audiophiles todat want to see the details of a flower , and the colors of the petals............while not seeing the beauty of the composition of the hole bouquet...........
Natural sound and music will not give you listening fatigue the whole day long...............some impressive sounding high end will !
Kind regards ...........your videos are excellent .........
So you couldn't use the integrated as a preamp only?
Hey Peter - no. It has to be connected to speakers at all times (from what I remember from the manual).
As Homer would say " doh"😁
😂😂😂 Yep. I felt like an idiot
Why did you not tell us what brand/model preamp you used?
It was a Schitt Freya
If you ever have a chance to test out older McIntosh MC352, don't decline it.
Would love to check one of those out.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords
Or if you're ever in New York, you can check one out))
It's trouble with tribbles ( Star Trek joke). Enjoyed the review.
😂😂😂 I actually thought of that afterwards. Classic episode.
I am between this one and Willsenton R8.Which one do you think is better buy?Can you help me guys?🤔
That's a tough one only because they are very different amps. I don't have experience with the R8 but I have heard the new version is very good. I do have experience with the A75 and was very pleased with it. I'm always land on the side of tubes but I was pleasantly surprised that the A75 had a hint of what I like about them (even though it's solid state). If you've never owned a tube amp and are trying to stay in the same price range you can't go wrong sticking with solid state and going with the A75.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Actually i have a very good SS amp (Yamaha MX-1) I think i will pull the trigger with tube amp.I am reading good things about old Leak Stereo 20's which are easy to find here in the UK.I might buy one if i find it in good condition or go with R8.Thanks for answering me! 😊
Did you mention what the preamp was that you had to retrieve? Thanks.
Hey there! The Freya
Late to the party on this one, but it might be worth checking with Thomas with regards to the feasibility of accessing the pre-amp feed in his tube amp? It was a piece of cake on my old Jolida integrated.
Hey Rick, any chance you could get iFi to send you their new phono pre-amp (not the "Air", but the Signature, or Zen 3) and review it for us (or mainly me...hehe......I am finally able and willing to dump some change on a new separate phono-pre-amp, but they stopped making their regular Zen phono and introduced this new model with an all-new price to go with it. Doncha just love it when you finally save up enough for something you really, REALLY want and they go and jack up the price another $50? I don't know if this new model Is $50 better than the old one, but if it's at least as good as the old one then it's God's gift to pre-amps (or so I've been told....)? Do you agree? PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW, RICK!!!! Get those review shoes back on and tell us what ya think, and I promise we won't dismiss it out of hand just because we want one so bad! I would review it myself, but unfortunately I'm not buried in stereo gear people sent me for free because they think my opinion matters much, which is a shame because of COURSE I'd suck up to them for the chance to outfit myself with some free world class electronics! I mean, anything they'd send me to listen to OF COURSE would sound amazing, and the more expensive the equipment, well, the better I'd think it sounded, and I would SAY SO, yes indeedy! Yep, you could count on me, Sony. Send it on over, Denon! The more, the merrier, MOFI! Yea, I could really use me some Source-Point, yessiree! Now, what were you saying about some amplifier.......?
I might just do that and reach out to iFi. Unfortunately I dont get to keep these for free 😂. At least not the ones I haven’t bought first 😎
Bigger is better. I prefer dual 15" woofers in each of my speakers (natural and effortless as one paper 15" strains at HIGH volume).
Wow. 15”! Bet it shakes the walls.
Yup bigger is better… it simply scales better. I have used a dual 15” sub setup but now use no sub in my system.
Won't power 20.7s 😮
Coda Ts v3 800w@4ohms
Do you have those speakers??? They are supposed to incredible.
@TheJoyofVinylRecords
Yes, it requires large room 🤠
you couldn't use your integrated as a preamp?
Unfortunately not. Not the TS120
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords after i asked that i found out it does not have a preamp out. would have helped if it did. thanks for answering.
Audio gear is like motorcycles. How so you ask? Simple. The total number you need is the number you have plus one. 😎
Well said!
could you use your integrated amp as a preamp/does it have preamp out?
Hey Gabor! It doesn't.
@@TheJoyofVinylRecordsAs I mentioned elsewhere here, it might be accessible - if even “temporarily” 🤭
About a month ago, I experimented for a few weeks with removing the preamp from the signal path (playing cd). Even the best gear degrades the sound some, so maybe NO preamp would sound better than even the world's BEST preamp. I had tried this before, going directly into the power amp with the source, but not with the equipment I have now.. I realize you couldn't do that with phono because of RIAA, not enough gain etc. Going straight into the power amp with source also eliminates an extra interconnect (from preamp to power amp), so maybe no interconnect would sound better than any interconnect in the world, since there too, even the best interconnects degrade the sound somewhat.
Hooking things up this way did result in a great increase in signal integrity. Eliminating things from the signal path did indeed result in a whole new level of transparency, openness and resolution. The sound was more direct, more like a good direct to disc lp. Doing this can be like a crystal ball, and let you hear what your sound quality will be like, years from now, if you are the kind that is always trying to take steps to improve your sound quality.
The main problem I had with it though, is that none of my cd players have the ability to increase their output signal (variable output). Some cds had enough volume and some did not. Cds vary widely in volume. A Sheffield Labs cd sounded like background music level. I noticed that on some BEST OF cds, some of the tracks varied in volume. Then I noticed that even on some some cds that were not BEST OF cds, some tracks were recorded notably louder than others. Every cd is it's own thing as far as volume. So with cds, a preamp really comes in handy. When hooking things up, source directly to power amp, my sound quality was better, but of course you lose any volume control adjustment. A cool experiment to try every once in a while, but the volume will probably be on the lower side, unless you have very efficient speakers, or listen in a small room.
That is a very interesting experiment. I can imagine the greatest hits packages were all over the place.
I keep a Schiit Freya S preamp in storage just in case. I've used it once when I had to send my Freya+ back for warranty service.
I really should have had better foresight 😂😂
You mention Class A B design.
You didn’t,t show the cat !
I have to admit - you stumped me on that one 😂😂😂
Tbh at 75w it's rarher anemic isnt
I come from the future...2347 and the only player in the HiFi game will be FOSI Audio!!
😂😂😂 What do turntables look like in 2347?
What preamp did you use with the GALION TS A75?
Hi P.G.! An old Schit Freya
I wonder if the TS120SE can be modified with a pre out option to get that smooth tube sound to pair with the detail of the TS A75 ?
A bit pricey for me, but I'm sure it's worth it. The Sidetrack cabinets look nice, but the price is a bit high for me. I built my own album book shelf unit a few years back for much less 😜.
You have mad skillz!
Haha............Having TREBLE with treble .............you're not alone !
Therefor I use pro headphones to work and build amplifiers etc.......some people ( often self declared expert audiophiles ) say that those headphones have lots of distortion in the highs while in fact they are revealing the distortion of the electronis and sources etc..............one should be asthonised how bad some even renowed amplifiers etc do have distortion in the uper frequency band .........often due to bad design, quetionable components and especialy NFB that measures perfectly on test signals but creates what is called HARD distortion on very low signal levels and higher frequencies ...as well as other problems that are caises of listening fatigue........while measuring almost no distortion at high output power ....on those signals that are not related to the dynamic transients of music.
Some good SS comes close to tube magic ....and .....some tube amplifiers are badly designed.
but in the end the tube is king ..........and it starts with the ( quality ) preamplifier and the source...
kind regards
Thanks Frank! Any favorite headphones?
@@TheJoyofVinylRecords Yes indeed , for music listening I do like the AKG 1000 , the Senheiser 650 and my vintage STAX SRX mk3 ( still excellent / very fine nuances as well as microdetails without listening fatigue ) To work, build and evalutate components I use a PRO 1990 Beyer and 600 Ohm also Beyer...)
@1:14 -- Unforgivable.
I unsubscribed, notified the youtube police, and burned my turntable.
I’m so ashamed 😂😂😂😂
Do you realize this video makes you look like you don't know what you're doing? Not sure it's a great advertisement for your channel. 🤭
😂😂😂 Thanks Frank. The truth is I don't know what I'm doing 😂😂😂
Great bottom end, won't tip over!
Good afternoon ☕️Very cool…😎
Are you considering going the totally separate route…amp/ preamp?
Hey Carmine! No. I love the TS120 integrated. I just wanted to see how this amp sounded with the Voyager speakers. Plus I was curious as I've been impressed with the products that Galion is offering. This didn't disappoint