Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear ausinių stiprintuvas

Phil Gold said...

"The superior imaging and greater musicality on all the single ended phones in my collection make this component worth the extra money. You can't beat the sound at this price and this is the one I'm keeping.

[High End Headphone Amp Group Test Shootout!]

The Solo Ultra-Linear Diamond Edition headphone amplifier gives you the sound you always wanted from a headphone amp! A headphone amplifier truly capable of making good headphones deliver a lifelike, dynamic and breathtaking performance with a real 'out of head' three-dimensional stereo sound stage.

The Diamond Edition Solo Ultra Linear headphone amplifier has a lower noise floor for improved in-ear monitor listening and a new output stage for better performance with difficult and low impedance headphones, yet it has the clout to drive high impedance headphones too.

The Ultra-Linear voltage amplifier stage gives you the smoothness and warmth of a tube amp, yet with all the precision, fine detail, and punchy sound of the solid state amp it is. Plus, it won't wear out like tubes.

Make the Solo Ultra-Linear Diamond Edition your reference!

A factory upgrade to Solo Ultra-Linear Diamond Edition spec is available for all old Solo's from mid 2004 onwards - click here. A DIY upgrade is also available - click here. If your Solo isn't already equipped with a PSU1 power supply, it is highly recommended to bring out the true Solo Ultra-Linear Diamond Edition sound from your upgrade.

Features

Ultra-low noise:the Solo Ultra-Linear Diamond Edition is now also ultra-low noise as well as being ultra-linear.

Higher output current: its output stage has been beefed-up to take control of the most difficult headphones with ease.

No dangerous DC on the headphone output prevents headphone damage: it only takes a small amount of DC offset to heat up the windings of headphone transducers. That heat softens the adhesive which keeps the "voice-coils" in place, and eventually your headphones don't perform all that well. All our headphone amplifiers block DC offset from reaching your headphones.

Tape monitoring: the Solo Ultra-Linear Diamond Edition headphone amplifier has two inputs and a non-shorting mute. Its input switching can be used in tape monitoring as shown here.

(An extra pair of interconnects are required as well as two phono tee-adapters inserted where indicated by the asterisks shown in the diagram)

When connected as per this suggestion, the input selector on the Solo front panel mimics a tape monitor switch. In position 1, the same source as selected on the amplifier is fed to the Solo; in position 2, the output from the tape recorder (or other recording device) is fed to the Solo.

Headphone sensitivity volume control: unlike conventional volume controls, this one is designed to be used over its full rotation to compensate for a wide range of headphone impedances and sensitivities. This avoids the use of gain switches which would otherwise result in differing performance characteristics depending on the gain setting.

Specification

Headphone impedance range: 8 to 2,000 Ohms / 16 to 600 Ohms preferred
Power output: (rms, both channels fully driven at 1% THD)
32 Ohms: 140mW/channel; 600 Ohms: 30mW/channel
Input sensitivity (for specified power output into 32 Ohms): 511mV rms
Input impedance: 37k Ohms at max volume; 50k Ohms at min volume
Distortion: (THD plus noise at 9 o'clock volume control setting (qtr power)) 10Hz-20kHz: better than 0.04%; 10Hz-1kHz: better than 0.02%
Frequency response (±0,-3dB) 10Hz - 35kHz
Output noise: (22Hz-22kHz, quasi-peak/un-weighted) -95dB
Channel balance: better than 1dB
Crosstalk: Left to Right -56dB; Input to Input -68dB
Input selector centre-off position: non-shorting; -38dB at max volume with 2V rms input (ref: 1kHz and 10kHz)
Output Stage: Bipolar class AB
Supply voltage: 24V DC unipolar
Size: (approx.) W: 107 x H: 50 x D: 185 (mm) inc. controls

Media Reviews

 Canada Hi-Fi Headphone Amplifier Review by Phil Gold "The Ultra-Linear is the warmer, more natural sounding model, but the differences are less apparent on A/B switching than on extended listening. I found the more expensive Ultra-Linear allowed me to relax more into the music, and appreciate the texture of the instruments and voices. More significantly, the imaging felt more three dimensional and realistic. The frequency response seems pretty much the same, with a very wide extension at both ends, but the treble is sweeter and the bass end has more presence... the Ultra-Linear sounded more musical. I think the extra $200 is well spent on the Solo Ultra-Linear...the volume control is calibrated quite differently than on a conventional amp, where you would expect a setting in the 9 to 12 o'clock range, and large amounts of distortion if you go too far clockwise. Here the whole range is usable to adjust to headphones of very different sensitivities. There were times with very inefficient headphones and a low output source that I was in the three or even four o'clock position, with no noticeable stress to the sound.

[Canada Hi-Fi (p:28), Graham Slee Solo SRGII and Solo Ultra-Linear Headphone Amplifiers by Phil Gold, August/September 2011] (also available in PDF - click to download)

 KitGuru Must Have Award "This [review] would have been impossible without the Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear Amplifier. This amplifier is a work of art, which significantly outclasses what we would assume possible from the very modest asking price. I am absolutely stunned that a large corporation hasn't offered to give Graham an extraordinary amount of money for his amplifier configurations. With the Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear amplifier in the chain, the dynamics and musicality were presented with such a rich tapestry that it was often difficult to believe that a valve based amplifier was not somehow in the chain.

[Grado PS1000 Headphones & Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear Amp Review, KitGuru, by Zardon, March 2011]

"I really can’t forget how I fall in love with it... I recommend Solo Ultra Linear Diamond edition for you if you like Classical music but don’t want your amp to sound bad in other genre of music, Solo Ultra linear Edition should be in your top buying list.

[Earmass, Su, August 2013]