Next up was new album From the Heart by one of this generation's best B3 Jazz organ players, New York-based Mike LeDonne. This album on the Savant label then gathers three other stars of the contemporary East Coast jazz scene, Eric Alexander on tenor, Peter Bernstein on guitar and Joe Fransworth on drums. The tunes are either by LeDonne or soulful funky numbers by George Duke, Ray Charles and Sam Cooke. This is the type of Soul Jazz made famous by B3 organ players such as Charlies Earland, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Brother Jack McDuff during the late 60s and early 70s. I was fortunate to get to hear Brother Jack McDuff and his group The Heating Machine on many occasions in Chicago's clubs. This album captures the spirit of this musical style, particularly the relaxed yet soulful finger-popping rhythms that keep you in the groove.
This music brought out the next sonic virtue of the ZOTL Ultralinear: its sense of aliveness. This amplifier's transit speed and overall micro and macro dynamics were very close to what you experience in live music. All the Linear tube Audio gear I have heard offers this speed, quickness and dynamic drive which I believe are part of David Berning's ZOTL circuit. So think of an amplifier with the tonality of a SET but also the dynamics, transit speed and overall control of a much more powerful tube design.
My last selection was trombonist Conrad Herwig's album Sketches of Spain Y Mas/The Latin Side of Miles Davis recorded live at the Blue Note Club in New York City. This captures its spatial acoustics to the point of making you think that you're actually in the audience. If an amplifier is up to the task, it will create a panoramic wall-to-wall soundstage with excellent image localization along with excellent air/space around and in between the different band members.
Teamed up with the Tekton Design Perfect Set speakers, the Ultralinear amplifier made the speakers disappear in a realistically deep and wide soundstage. It also produced three-dimensional imaging with each player being located in their precise section of the band. Finally the precision of the size of the individual players was quite accurate.
The Linear Tube Audio ZOTL Ultralinear is quite remarkable. It fools you into thinking that it's a reference SET for its ability with tonality and color. It provides rich, vibrant and gorgeous timbres along with an overall silky smoothness that just floats the music into the room in relaxed fashion. However because of its overall speed, dynamics, lower bass extension and control you know it couldn't be a flea-power SET. If you've been a fan of those but did not want to be as restricted to the type of speaker you'd have to use because of power limitations, the Ultralinear might be perfect for you. David Berning designed it to open up far more possible speaker pairings than a standard direct-heated SET could ever support. Add inexpensive power tubes, 1/3rd the heat of equivalent tube amplifiers, far more extended tube life, light weight for lack of a traditional power and output transformers and 20 solid watts which are bridgeable to a stout 40.
Think of the ZOTL Ultralinear amplifier as a world-class SET for its inner glow of gorgeous color/timbres plus the sense of aliveness and dynamics of a more powerful push/pull. This amplifier would be welcome in any system with standard speakers and listeners who prioritize beautiful tonality and timbres, first-rate imaging and the aliveness and 'speed' of live music.
Quality of packing: excellent, provides good protection.
Reusability: can be used many times.
Delivery: By UPS.
Website comments: informative and easy to use.
Human interactions: very supportive.
Warranty: 1 year.
Final comments: A special amplifier that combines the tonality of a SET and the drive and power of a more powerful 20-watt tube amplifier.
