Piwi

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is an impression of the Heed Audio Obelisk Si with external power supply X-2. The first thing that surprised me after connecting the obelisk was that there was nothing to be surprised about. Even new out of the box it did what It was developed for. Amplifing music. Nothing special, no highlighting. Just some limitations at the frequentie extrems. But that's common without burn in time. I just let it play for about 10 days 24/24. There's no on and off switch anyway so they always stay turned on. At iddle they only use 5W or so. In these 10 days I got more and more attrackted to the little magic these Obelisks do. Ofcourse I know my music but over the Obelisks my cd's sounded really .... uh good. From my desk ( I work at home ) I more and more often turned my head looking at my set. Ok I know that cd very well but I never experienced it this way. It became increasingly clear to me that this black box did something extraordinary. For my feeling it had something to do with the way of presenting the recorded music, or better presenting the recorded space with the musicians in it. The Obelisk is a physically small device but it began growing more and more. If you feel that you have a special device than you go listen to them more specifically. So I began firing the hardest music to him to see where the weaknesses are. All music I know very well ( jazz trio, bigband, piano, trumpet, gitar, femal vocals and some classical symphonies). And after listening to the (whole) Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" I was really flabbergasted. How in the hell was it possible that this tiny looking 50W rated shoe-box amp was able to build/reproduce a gigantic 3 dimensional, clear soundplatform for this piece of music. I couldn't believe that the whole orchestra was there in my living room, playing so clear and loud that the tears cluthered my eyes. Even the huge dynamic hurdles on this tube recorded Philips cd were taken with the least effort. Never did the picture get cluthered, amazing. It didn't matter what material I fed it with it always made music out of it. Always in balance with the right pace and rhythm and always this 3D performance. Plenty of details without highlighting them but revealing them in a natural way as if you were looking at the performance too. And that's what makes it so special. This amp is really able to create an image (3D) of the recording and all the musicians in it. Each instrument is visibly present and each has its own place on the stage. The tonal richness and harmony is very high and tonal decay is very natural. All these elements create a feeling of being there with the recording. Amazing.
Does this amp has no weaknesses then? Of course. But they don't come to your attention because it is the music that grabs you. My Leben CS600, which I also love, is a tube integrated that cost 2 times as much. It's maybe a little more refined and transparent then the Obelisks. The Leben is also an amp that brings the music into your room and let you enjoy it for hours and hours. But when I listen to the Obelisks I don't miss my Leben or other tube amp. I just don't miss the tube(s) in it and that's very special to me. They hardly run warm, they are easy to handle and place and they look nice too. ( if they only could make these blue leds less flashy).

mbuc

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is a review of the Obelisk i. Its a nice little amp with basic functions only. Although not very powerful by specifications, it drives Sonus Faber Concertinos with ease and style. Its strength is obviously its warm and organic sound, it is very musical and makes listening a very pleasing experience. Although in disciplins like accuracy, precision and speed it is mediocre at best, it makes listening a very pleasing experience. Perfect amp for small analogue setups.

Strengths:
- Warm tube-like sound
- Small size
- Can be upgraded by external power supply for more bass and precision.

Weaknesses:
- The sound (for those who are looking for modern hifi sound)
- The remote is quite rediculous - a huge plastic AV remote for DVD-player, TV etc - and it's for volume only
- Simple on/off-switch on the back, not the kind of switch you would trust for years
- Slight humming sound from the amp
- Very flashy blue LED that is able to illuminate a dark room by itself. When do manufacturers understand that this is NOT cool?

Similar Products Used:
Luxman, Electrocompaniet, EAR, PrimaLuna, NAD