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Review 2 of 3
Price Paid:
$9000.00
from Italy Summary: I have this preamplifier since 1990. Since then all of my system was changed. All but not Cello Encore 1 MOhm pre! One of the best sounding product in Cello family. Not an Audio Suite, of course, but the best in its category of price. Always powered on since 1990, (I mean: all the time 24 hours per day, since february 1990), last August it have had a problem in output circuitry. Great fear because Cello Ltd. seemed to be out of market, but fortunately I contacted the new manager (Mr. Jim McCullough) that is preparing new products and new upgrade to all previous Cello products, and he indicated that Cello's historical german distributor (Dr. Georg Kleiber) prepare special upgrade for Encore preamplifier. After a conversation with Dr. Kleiber that speaks a good italian, I decided to upgrade my product sending it to Germany. The upgrade was consistent: new OTA-5 output, new ASR boards, new AC/DC cords, complete electrical and sonic cable/wire upgrade. And the last but not the least, a new perfored aluminium covers to dissipate in better way the internal heat. I have paid 4500 DM for an incredible sonic revitalization. Now I am using the input balanced line from balanced DAC output, setting it at 0dB 10KOhm +/-. No more 1 MOhm! The sound is finally gorgeous, the soundstage is incredibly true, the music is definetively live, the rightness in strumental section, listening classical music, is stunning. The voices perfectly dimensioned. Good recordings are magnified, bad recordings are terrible but always listening. I suggest all old Encore preamplifiers to upgrade their products. When you will receive back you "renewed" pre, you will discover a new world in home musical reproduction. Strengths: One of the best preamplifier ever built. Weaknesses: Fischer connectors for in/out balanced lines. Similar Products Used: Mark Levinson 26, Mark Levinson 380S, Audio Research SP15 MkII, Krell KRC, etc.
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