Walking my slow path to a conclusion, I asked myself what I didn't like about the Canor. I liked everything. True, I would very much prefer if the S1S split into two S½S because those would be half the weight and size so easier to handle. But that's the extent of my subliminal negativity and like grumbling that a steak house serves no tofu burgers; or getting old. From superlative build quality to attractive styling, from truly noise-free MO to silver-plated wing terminals and frontal standby switch with mini LED, the Virtus S1S is everything a luxurious product in this sector needs to be to justify its positioning. Once we get to sonic performance, being so very close to my own amps made for immediate enthusiasm. I could swap them for the visitor and my ears would very quickly forget that I changed brands. Given that our Slovakian team have traded for longer than this site has been up, I'm a little dumbstruck how I managed to overlook Canor for 23 years. Based on the earlier linked factory tour, their OEM business is so voluminous that their own brand needn't stress for survival. With a far greater part of the Canor premises dedicated to contract work, there's steady cash flow with no sales 'n' marketing involved. Sitting pretty seems to allow their own brand to really aim high without making much noise about it? At least that's my read from the distance. Returning to what's close at hand so inspectable without assumptions, let's put the Virtus S1S into bigger context.
Even with a blank check guaranteed by an angel fan, I presently know of no amplifiers I'd rather own than mine. Whilst over the years I heard less than a handful which did certain things better or at the very least different enough to make a compelling counter proposal, on balance I favour what I have. A wealthy friend once asked me to imagine not having to work but with enough money in the bank to do anything: breakfast in Paris followed by a scuba-diving week in Fiji? If we already live the life we want and do the thing we love doing with the person we love, such temptations find no psychological purchase. Meanwhile one could be very wealthy yet depressed and unhappy. So with my ear/brain identifying Canor's Virtus S1S as a virtual stand-in for my own amps with even stouter construction and that posh glowing nose places it in a very rarefied spot.
Call it love at first listen. Call it an unqualified "yes". Call it an ideal overlay with my sonic expectations. As to the more elevated sticker, there are plenty of people with greater discretionary income than yours truly. That's well before politics enter the picture to muddy these waters further. For my obligatory final words, consider Canor's history as laid out in the factory tour. It explains how their all-transistor flagship amp could be so immaculately conceived and mature. There's more here than meets the eye.
In the black finish with the alternate pointy footers and protector discs.
As such my first Canor review doubles as brand intro for 6moons. Given today's findings, I herewith declare them my favourite European brand discovery of recent years with the obvious reminder that I'm inexcusably late to this party. But that has no bearings on this declaration. Based on the evidence of the Virtus S1S, Canor are a company I'd fight to do business with were I still working on the retail side of the industry. As an EU-centric end user of the requisite means, I'd take a long and hard look at them for the same reasons. Consider me a Canor convert. Over and out.
