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This had something of déjà vu about it. I experienced the same during my JE Audio VL20/VS70 review when the Symphonic Line RG3 and RG4 proved themselves to have more valve bloom than real tube amps. Once again they exhibited the same in comparison to the biamped Virtues. They delivered a more spacious and wider soundstage that jerked the Diamond+ out of its studio-monitor decorum for more sweeping symphonic breadth. It projected a greater orchestral trajectory which symphonists like Mahler and Shostakovich call for. Nope, the Virtues and Symphonic Line were two completely different amps. Sorry, I could not make the Symphonic Line redundant.
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Bi-amping + battery power + tube preamp driving Apogee Stage: Turning next to NuForce for sitting duck, I raised the stakes by giving the biamped Virtues the Dared MC-7P tube preamp. The NuForce P-9 and biamped Reference 9V2 have been unchallenged for years servicing the Apogee Stage. I had a very quick outcome. With 300w/4Ω on reserve, the NuForce was effortless while the two Virtues were handicapped in two areas: a/ they didn’t have enough sustained power to control Apogee’s low frequency ribbons to result in weakened midrange and bass; b/ with the power amps underpowered, the Dared MC-7P became too slow.
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I resolved the issue by removing the tube preamp, reconnecting the Restek Radiant CD player directly to the biamped Virtues and hooking up paired Infinity BS-1 subwoofers behind the Apogees.
Although I had to crank up the volume on the Virtues to 3:00 and sometimes 4:00, the scope and grandeur of the Brahms Piano Concerto No.3 [Channel Classics CCS SA 29410] were formidable. Pianist Dejan Lazić’s transcription of the Violin Concerto Op.77 was inspiring, his technique exhilarating. The Virtues kept keyboard touches agile as they were set against the darkly hued Brahmsian orchestral soundstage which was reasonably layered though not as three-dimensional as the NuForce.
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Single amp + battery power + passive preamp driving Dynaudio Facette: Although of similar specs (84dB sensitivity and 4Ω nominal impedance) to the Apogee Stage and Centaur Minor, the Dynaudio Facette mini floorstanders recently proved more amicable than I believed them to be. My designated amplifiers for them always were the NuForce Reference 9V2SE monos through an Audio Zone Pre T-1 passive preamp. Until last year. Then the 8wpc JohnBlue TL66 fitted with Gold Lion Genalex KT88 took me by surprise. Considering Virtue’s comparatively whopping 87wpc into 4Ω, the first piece of good news was that like the NuForce and JohnBlue, the Virtue did not call for subwoofers. It was getting good clean bass from the Facette. The second piece of good news, the soundstage was three-dimensional and expansive. The third piece of good news, all the fine inner details of the recordings were faithfully revealed in a most musical manner. That happens to be the one intrinsic quality of the Facette I’ve always admired if an amp measured up.
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Now for the inner details - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.4/Piano Concerto in D [BIS-SACD-1693]. Here Ronald Bautigam takes an unorthodox approach to fortepiano playing on a modern piano. The Virtue 2.2 scrupulously tracked his delicate tone shaping and dynamic detailing with sharper shorter attacks and highly restrained pedaling. The exquisite orchestral playing complemented it to exude the kind of classical beauty that’s become so rare for Beethoven nowadays especially during the second movement of the Fourth. The Virtue amp made that even more convincing.
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Nidaros [2L-072-SACD]. The Norwegian recording team of 2L captured the natural ambience of the Nidaros Cathedral and the Virtue amp must have reproduced it as straightforward as possible. The illusion of the 40-piece choir, string quartet and cathedral organ within the magnificent space was compelling yet so unreal for loudspeakers and an amplifier of these sizes. Listen to the five organ improvisations. Rarely have I heard such harmonious reverberations in such clarity and palpable layering from these gigantic pipes. The NuForce Reference 9 V2SE was more analytical, the JohnBlue TL66 more suave. The Virtue sat right in between. A chilling thought crept up my spine. What if I wasn’t selling any of my gear and these Virtue amps were here to stay? I better come up with an excellent excuse for my wife.
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Single amp/bi-amp/high efficiency speakers/single-driver widebanders: Highly efficient speakers and single-driver widebanders are natural if not mandatory partners for low-output Tripath and tube amps. With the Virtue 2.2, my 95dB Klipsch Synergy F2 and Loth-X BS-1 were more than competent choices and nobody should question that the Virtue was overpowered. In fact the biamped Virtues made the stacked Loth-X so authoritative that they rivaled floorstanders at two or three times the price. At the end of the day, it’s all personal preference. For my eclectic tastes, I didn’t prefer one over the other except for one extremely eccentric combination. I was using the battery-powered Virtues to vertically biamp the Klipsch F2. I was only mildly impressed with the pseudo tube warmth the amps bestowed on the Klipsch. Any tube aficionado would have preferred the real thing. But then my attention was drawn to a pair of DIY Fostex FE126En standing on top of the Mark & Daniel Ruby right next to the Klipsch. What if…
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The sworn-in finalists: That’s what I did. A simple cable rerouting configured the Virtues for horizontal biamping where one stereo amp drove the left and right Fostex, the other the Ruby. That way I could mix and blend my sonic cocktail or even shut down one system completely. If you ask how the speakers performed individually, the simple answer is that the Fostex never sounded this good with any tube amp in my stable – not with this kind of unrestrained breadth and real extended bass. Subsequent cross examinations against other widebanders—JohnBlue JB4 and Glow Audio Voice One—confirmed that it wasn’t dumb one-time luck.
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This quite changed my general perspective on widebanders. They just need a bit more power than single-ended triodes can deliver before they live up to their promise. On the other hand it wasn’t a surprise that the Ruby so brilliantly matched the Virtue. Until the amp returned to Seth Krinsky, my daughter had used the 2.1 to drive the Maximus Mini, the other friendly Mark & Daniel model. That was the hottest desktop system we ever heard. But the most far-out discovery was still to come. It was putting together both systems to combine the best of their worlds - the meticulous detail and imaging precision of the Fostex and the musical amplitude and explosive power of the Ruby.
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These complemented each other like a perfect duo without any encumbrance or interference. It was particularly moving listening to Carlos Païta’s compassionate fervor in Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture [Lodia LO-CD 781] and Jean-Jacques Kantorow’s hedonistic allure in Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole [BIS CD-1680]. Even with small ensembles like the Trio Eduardo Rovira in their stellar recording of Tango en la Universidad [IRCO/UNL 700] I felt helplessly drawn to the breathtaking intimacy between the bandoneon, electric guitar and contra banjo. I swear I haven’t been this sonically intoxicated and musically enchanted in a long time.
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So I do solemnly swear to my wife that this is the truth and nothing but the truth. Can I keep the Virtues - please?
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Quality of packing: Branded pizza box for amp and standard PSU, generic carton box and bubble wrap for JT Dynamic Power and Dodd Audio SLA battery/charger.
Reusability of packing: A few times.
Ease of unpacking/repacking: Entirely unproblematic.
Condition of component received: Perfect.
Completeness of delivery: Amp complete with standard PSU and generic power cable.
Quality of owner's manual: No accompanying manual for the amp but downloadable online manual is very detailed and informative. No manual for Dodd Audio battery and charger kit.
Website comments: Tons of information on products and Q&A, great photos and samples of finishes. Ordering forms with upgrade options and bundle offers are clearly marked with pricing and very easy to navigate.
Warranty: Everything purchased from Virtue Audio is backed by a 2-year parts and labour warranty as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Global distribution: Direct online order with manufacturer (shipping charges will be calculated according to shipping method chosen). Dealers in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy and Singapore.
Human interactions: Professional and friendly, timely responses to questions.
Pricing: Exceptional C/P value for the amp. Likewise for battery power.
Final comments & suggestions: You can’t go wrong with speakers from single drivers to high-efficiency to ribbon speakers. With giant killers from Mark & Daniel, the Ruby and Maximus-Mini are my top picks. Be prepared to use subwoofers for more demanding models. |
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