Tweet
So a good friend is gone to Hong Kong for the winter, and I borrowed his Viola Labs Cadenza preamp. This thing is so wonderfully detailed, it makes music instruments literally chiselled in the air. The amount of detail that I get out of it is tremendous. I did notice one very interesting thing. The preamp has adjustable line level gain - up to +16db per channel. Since I have inefficient speakers (Kharma db9-s), I do need as much gain from the preamp as possible. Cranking the overall gain up to +16db, I listen comfortably at realistic volume at around 12o'clock on the dial (for vinyl). However, when I take the gain down to about +10db, and actually crank up the volume to about 2:30pm on the volume knob, the sound gets to be the same loudness level, but the amount of detail to my ears is *better*. Paul Jayson of Viola Labs did a great job in creating this unit. It makes my VAC preamp sound almost 'broken'. I will really really miss this preamp when my friend comes back to Toronto... I am attaching some pics of the Cadenza preamp, and my system...
-
-
Beautiful setup geeky. Tell your friend you were robbed while he was gone and they only stole his preamp and he needs to buy another one.Micro Seiki SX-8000 table with flywheel, SME 3012R arm, SME 312S arm, Lyra Etna SL and Dynavector XV-1S cartridges, ARC Ref 3 phono stage, Otari MX-55 tape deck, Ampex 350 repros, Roon Nucleus Plus server, PS Audio DSJ DAC, ARC Ref 6 pre, ARC Ref 75 amp, Parasound JC5 amp, JBL 4345 speakers, and Def Tech Ref subs. -
-
I heard some Viola Labs with Kharmas when I was in SF last summer, and then again in the fall at TAVES. A very nice pairing indeed!Kronos Sparta -> Trinity Phono -> Trinity Pre -> CH Precision A1 -> Magico S7sComment
-
allenh are you from Toronto? The Kharma speakers that you heard at TAVES, are the exact pair that I ended up buying from Audio Eden in Aurora (shout out to them!!).Comment
-
Originally posted by geekyaleks View Post
Sweet! They threw a real nice soundstage at TAVES even though the room was oddly shaped.
I'm not from Toronto, but we may have a few friends in common: Paul, Mark, Rick? I know them pretty well. I think Rick posted a pic of your room on FB recently? And I heard the Kharmas at Michael Woods' shop in San Francisco. He was at TAVES in the Kharma room.Kronos Sparta -> Trinity Phono -> Trinity Pre -> CH Precision A1 -> Magico S7sComment
-
allenh These are all names that I am familiar with
. Many of my audio buddies are here at our web site...
Comment
-
Richard Mak. He goes by Rick. Great guy!Kronos Sparta -> Trinity Phono -> Trinity Pre -> CH Precision A1 -> Magico S7sComment
-
Viola makes some nice gear. Of course, Paul worked at one time at Cello Electronics with Tom Colangelo. When Cello went under, Paul formed Viola and Jim McCullough kept Cello alive but far under the radar. I've seen some pictures from Asia too where Genesis Advanced Tech speakers were paired with Viola electronics. I also think Gary used Viola at shows here; Allen Sides of Oceanway speakers also uses Viola with his speakers at shows.Myles B. Astor, PhD, Administrator
Senior Editor, Positive-Feedback.com
________________________________________
-Zellaton Plural Evo speakers
-Goldmund Telos 440 and 1000 Nextgen mono amps
-Goldmund Mimesis 37S Nextgen preamplifier
-Doshi EVO and Goldmund PH3.8 phonostage
-VPI Vanquish direct-drive turntable
-VPI 12-inch 3D Fat Boy dual pivot tonearm, VPI 12-inch 3D Fat Boy gimballed and SAT LM-12 arm
-Lyra Atlas SL Lambda, vdh Colibri Master Signature, Mutech Hayabusa,
-Technics RS1506 with Flux Magnetic heads, Doshi V3.0 tape stage (balanced)
-Assorted cables including Skogrand, Kubala-Sosna, Audience FrontRow; Audience FrontRow, Genesis Advanced Technologies , Goldmund and Ensemble Power Cords
-Accessories including Stillpoint Aperture panels, Cathedral Sound panels, Furutech NCF Nano AC receptacles; Silver Circle Tchaik 6 PLC, Symposium ISIS and SRA Craz 3 racks, Audiodharma Cable Cooker, Symposium Ultra and assorted SRA OHIO Class 2.3+ platforms.Comment
-
Originally posted by geekyaleks View Post
Does the Viola have the phono card in it and how does vinyl reply sound through it vs. the Zesto? btw, I like your nixie tube clock.Comment
-
If I were to move away from the European brands I use so much now, Viola would be that brand. Neutral, fast, and linear.Originally posted by MylesBAstor View PostKronos Sparta -> Trinity Phono -> Trinity Pre -> CH Precision A1 -> Magico S7sComment
-
i think ack copyrighted that tag line...in all seriousness you would have to include Spectral. I'm a tube kinda guy but the few Spectral pieces I've had in my system questioned my allegiance. Viola has been in my conscientiousness but the distribution is limited where can you hear it?Originally posted by allenh View PostComment
-
I was never a Spectral fan, having heard some Spectral gear at Goodwins with the Q7MkIs. Sounded flat and grey to me. Then heard more Spectral (model unknown again) at Overture's in DE on the then new S3s. Wow, what a difference! Nuanced, 3D, tonal color! But the thing about Spectral is I think you still need to use MIT cables? Meh. (My brother-in-law uses a DMA-180(?) with his Maggies - holy sh*t, talk about fast!).Originally posted by Rob View Post
Back to Viola. Actually first time I heard Viola was in a shop was in SF, Elite AV. Michael Woods is the owner, a real gentleman. How far is that from you, Rob? Elite has both CHP and Viola in fact.
Kronos Sparta -> Trinity Phono -> Trinity Pre -> CH Precision A1 -> Magico S7sComment
Comment