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Recordings by Pat Metheny, Marc Copland, Charlie Hayden, even Diary of a Dream with their acoustic Art of Silence's wonderful vocals all caused me excitement over and over again. Rhythmically propulsive Pop and Rock from Michael Jackson, George Michael, Kamp! and Radiohead all gained verve to avoid feeling flat or boring. If however a large portion of your music library consists of Led Zeppelin, Depeche Mode or Porcupine Tree, you may need to think in advance about exploring—in case you appreciate this sonic character—the Super Black Box (SBB for short like the Polish super group). Its addition brings several changes that pull the V110 forward quite noticeably in several areas whilst leaving its general sonic character unchanged, i.e. not affecting it enough to speak of a significant correction. The first benefit which we all expect from an outboard power supply is superior bass control. The mid-bass on this amplifier is slightly emphasized and the double bass especially on the lowest string may sustain longer than it should (somewhere between 40-60Hz). This did not particularly bother me but when I heard it again with the added capacitive bank, I appreciated what the SBB added. The bass was better controlled, more dynamic and above all better differentiated. And it was the differentiation of both colors and soundstage layers which surprised me the most in this case.


Better bass control was expected but what went on in the treble was something extra. The SBB showed a cleaner treble without hardening or increasing selectivity to excess. Resolution seemed to remain at the same level but definition was clearly better. Mind you the amplifier sounded charming even without the external power supply. Adding it simply made it even more interesting. Music layers telegraphed a keener sense of closer or further away. The soundstage grew more expansive. Overall the sound had better definition. One gets a better amp without changing its core character. Now we can play albums that are even more stylistically varied but all rendered in an equally enjoyable way. The other available option—connecting my CD player via its balanced output—did not really send shivers down my spine. It seemed to me that the sound served up via XLR was slightly less saturated, weaker in the bass and generally less musical. The differences weren't large and will depend on the type of source output (tubes in my case) but I would treat the XLR input of the V110 as a convenience rather than performance feature.

It’s a bit similar to how the amplifier treats the high frequencies. Both the bass described already and treble in tube amps are traditionally associated with softening, warming and lower resolution. When thinking of a tube amp we primarily think of a gentle warm midrange which in a sense sacrifices the rest a priori for the sake of something more important. The Octave amplifier is a lot like that. Both edges of the frequency band are warmer and do not seem particularly selective. It's just that there's something more to it. The amp does not stop there but pushes further, dragging all that common baggage with it whilst imbuing it with new meanings. We end up somewhere where each of these elements can still be identified but the whole manages to override these individual aspects.

Ultimately speaking, the treble is therefore rather warm and seems not particularly selective at first glance. That’s a mistake however. I have the impression that the amp simply omits a certain irritation which often suggests the presence of high frequencies without fully realizing their presence. Amplifiers often pretend at treble whilst actually only sketching it out to convey the attack without any real follow-up sound. Not so with the Octave. Hence it seems dark. However when strong cymbal crashes come as on "Epitapium" from Niemen’s Catharsis, they are very strong, present and immediate. Then we do not question the treble because said cymbals create a perfect whole as an integral part of the recording. When in turn there is more bass and the cymbals temporarily disappear, we have a sense of deep blackness, smoothness and lack of treble. It’s not by chance that I refer to an album of electronic music. I know it very well both from its digital edition as well as from the original vinyl. It is rare for an audio product to show its complexity despite the limited instrumentation. The Octave perfectly conveyed the volume of sounds and the treble richness built upon a solid mature bass. The cymbals were meaty for strong support. They were not a point in space, perhaps even a very precise pin prick sans body but something bigger, real and visceral.

Dynamics were very interesting too. Again first impressions were misleading where the sound seemed rather calm. The reason was that nothing sped up. There was no metronomic hype. Here it didn't act like a Soulution or even D'Agostino though the Octave was closer to the latter. With the V110 the pulse is more hidden in a song's structure as results from musical changes rather than being imposed from the outside. Although it might seem that the effect should be similar, it's not. It's a kind of hysteresis where the start and end points are common but the space between them, though maintaining a similar shape, has at a given time a different value. Thus pulse, rhythm and timing were great but those were face values. Tangibility in short.

This way I now return to what I said about bass and treble. The amplifier can bring a different acoustics to our room. What is ours temporarily disappears. It's overlaid by something else that's dense, deep but clearly different from the transparent open here now. Instruments and performers are not thrown at us. We do not see them between the speakers. This sound will therefore never compete for resolution, selectivity or openness against say the Accuphase E-260 I reviewed last month. It doesn’t even try. It's an absolutely original perspective on the recorded material and its captured emotions which the V110 magically brings across. The sound is a bit sticky in a good sense. It has consistency between the instruments and that which joins them. This is a mature deep reading not for everyone.