nihilionzero
Member
Hi everyone, now that I’ve had my Vidars for a week and change I'm going to write a review. First, let me say that these are my first “audiophile” amplifiers so I don’t have a whole lot to compare it to. My two Vidar monoblocks are replacing an Emotiva BasX A-300 poweramp, which puts out 150 watts per channel @8ohms and doubles to 300 watts at 4. My speakers are Sonus Faber Venere 3.0, which are 6 ohm, so let’s call it 225 watts per channel. I will also compare two Vidar monoblocks to a single Vidar running in stereo mode. Note: I spent some time listening to each device level matched using an SPL meter and pink noise. However, I mostly just spent time cycling through a folder of test tracks and constantly choosing volumes I enjoyed best for every device and track. These were almost certainly not the same SPL, but are "the same" in that they are my ideal listening level for each combination.
1 Vidar in stereo vs. Emotiva A-300: The Emotiva is a $400 stereo amp and generally reputed to be a good value. It definitely made an improvement when I started running my L/R front channels from the preouts on my Marantz NR-1604 (entry-level slimline AVR) through it. Vidar costs $700 and change with shipping, so they’re close enough in price range that someone shopping for a budget amplifier might ask themselves if it’s worth another $300 to take their game up a notch. My answer is an unqualified “ABSOLUTELY”. If you can afford to spend an extra $300 on an amp, then you should seriously consider Vidar. Compared with the Vidar, the Emotiva is very “pale”, like looking through a pair of hazy-white eyeglasses, lacking contrast and detail. The Vidar was comparatively rich with vibrant color and dynamics. Blacks are blacker, whites are whiter, reds are redder, blues are bluer, etc. Bass extension was fuller and less effortful. Midrange seemed more forward and detailed, creating an overall much more complex musicality. The Emotiva did pretty well with electronic music, but really fell short on instruments and vocals. In general, vocals seemed too far forward to the point of stridency, while mids were too far back. SRV’s Tin Pan Alley was borderline unlistenable, while being so much more lush and enveloping with the Vidar. The major downsides with the Vidar is that it generates quite a bit of heat and has no standby mode or trigger port. It idles around 60W so it isn’t particularly green, and I think it takes a bit of time to warm up.
1 Vidar vs. 2 Vidar monoblocks: I tried going back to the Emotiva from my Vidars and entertained the possibility of returning/selling them and saving 1100-1200 bucks after restocking fees and return shipping which would likely be gargantuan for these heavyweight blocks of metal. I just can’t do it. If I really needed to, however, I could go back to 1 Vidar from 2. Don’t get me wrong, Vidar monoblocks are more of everything that makes the Vidar better than the A-300. In monoblock configuration these beasts are probably putting nearly 600 watts into my 6 ohm speakers. Everything is deeper, richer, fuller. Bass is significantly boomier and entirely effortless. I don’t think there is anything that these things won’t power, though one may run into some issues when trying to run monoblock with 4 ohm speakers because they aren’t technically rated for that.
Comparison with other component upgrades: I’ve also recently acquired a new (to me) preamp (Bryston BP17), which I was testing along with a Schiit Freya. I tried listening to the Emotiva A-300, 1 Vidar, and 2 Vidars with the Bryston, the Schiit, and just my old Marantz AVR. I’ll save you my thoughts on the Bryston, which I ultimately kept. If you have any questions about the Bryston or the Freya I’ll happily answer. Let me get straight to the point here: Two Vidars in monoblock configuration sounded FANTASTIC coming right out of my old Marantz. I’ll be absolutely clear, the Vidar monoblocks made a significantly larger, more musical, and unforgettable difference in my experience than getting a fancy preamp like the Bryston or the Schiit. Both of those devices did significantly change the sound signature of the music, but honestly I could do without a dedicated preamp. If I had to choose between getting 1 Vidar and 1 preamp versus 2 Vidars and 0 preamps, I’d get two Vidars. They difference they made is that big. In fact, I’m still thinking of selling my Bryston because the Vidars driving the preouts on $600 AVR from Best Buy sounded incredible. The highs were rolled off a bit compared with the incredibly revealing Bryston, but god it just sound goooood. Gummy and yummy.
1 Vidar in stereo vs. Emotiva A-300: The Emotiva is a $400 stereo amp and generally reputed to be a good value. It definitely made an improvement when I started running my L/R front channels from the preouts on my Marantz NR-1604 (entry-level slimline AVR) through it. Vidar costs $700 and change with shipping, so they’re close enough in price range that someone shopping for a budget amplifier might ask themselves if it’s worth another $300 to take their game up a notch. My answer is an unqualified “ABSOLUTELY”. If you can afford to spend an extra $300 on an amp, then you should seriously consider Vidar. Compared with the Vidar, the Emotiva is very “pale”, like looking through a pair of hazy-white eyeglasses, lacking contrast and detail. The Vidar was comparatively rich with vibrant color and dynamics. Blacks are blacker, whites are whiter, reds are redder, blues are bluer, etc. Bass extension was fuller and less effortful. Midrange seemed more forward and detailed, creating an overall much more complex musicality. The Emotiva did pretty well with electronic music, but really fell short on instruments and vocals. In general, vocals seemed too far forward to the point of stridency, while mids were too far back. SRV’s Tin Pan Alley was borderline unlistenable, while being so much more lush and enveloping with the Vidar. The major downsides with the Vidar is that it generates quite a bit of heat and has no standby mode or trigger port. It idles around 60W so it isn’t particularly green, and I think it takes a bit of time to warm up.
1 Vidar vs. 2 Vidar monoblocks: I tried going back to the Emotiva from my Vidars and entertained the possibility of returning/selling them and saving 1100-1200 bucks after restocking fees and return shipping which would likely be gargantuan for these heavyweight blocks of metal. I just can’t do it. If I really needed to, however, I could go back to 1 Vidar from 2. Don’t get me wrong, Vidar monoblocks are more of everything that makes the Vidar better than the A-300. In monoblock configuration these beasts are probably putting nearly 600 watts into my 6 ohm speakers. Everything is deeper, richer, fuller. Bass is significantly boomier and entirely effortless. I don’t think there is anything that these things won’t power, though one may run into some issues when trying to run monoblock with 4 ohm speakers because they aren’t technically rated for that.
Comparison with other component upgrades: I’ve also recently acquired a new (to me) preamp (Bryston BP17), which I was testing along with a Schiit Freya. I tried listening to the Emotiva A-300, 1 Vidar, and 2 Vidars with the Bryston, the Schiit, and just my old Marantz AVR. I’ll save you my thoughts on the Bryston, which I ultimately kept. If you have any questions about the Bryston or the Freya I’ll happily answer. Let me get straight to the point here: Two Vidars in monoblock configuration sounded FANTASTIC coming right out of my old Marantz. I’ll be absolutely clear, the Vidar monoblocks made a significantly larger, more musical, and unforgettable difference in my experience than getting a fancy preamp like the Bryston or the Schiit. Both of those devices did significantly change the sound signature of the music, but honestly I could do without a dedicated preamp. If I had to choose between getting 1 Vidar and 1 preamp versus 2 Vidars and 0 preamps, I’d get two Vidars. They difference they made is that big. In fact, I’m still thinking of selling my Bryston because the Vidars driving the preouts on $600 AVR from Best Buy sounded incredible. The highs were rolled off a bit compared with the incredibly revealing Bryston, but god it just sound goooood. Gummy and yummy.
