In the last few years, Stefan has upgraded everything in his main system except the turntable. Even that, he says 'is on the list for changing'. Back in 2009, he was quite happy with his speakers, but was ready to try something new from Focal, if it was really going to be much better. Well, he did and it was. He upgraded to the Maestro Utopia [HFN Oct '09], while the Alto Utopia pair went downstairs to replace the Diva Utopia Be front speakers in the cinema room. Unsurprisingly perhaps, the dCS Verdi/Elgar/Purcell/Verona combination has now given way to the four-box Scarlatti system [HFN Feb '09]. But there is more. 'I changed all of the amplifying gear and it's all triodes now', says Stefan. He's gone for a pair of the big Ayon Vulcan monoblocks, which use the Austrian company's own proprietary AA62B tubes, 'a bit more powerful than 300Bs'. There's certainly enough power for the sensitive Focal Maestro Utopias: 'They're a little bit tricky in the bass, but no problem! You've got some 75W on tap now. The preamp is the Ayon Polaris, all tubes but with a separate power regenerator. It's a little bit special.' As Focal speakers generally tend to have a forthright top end, I guessed that the sound Stefan is getting now they're driven by tubes must be quite different from what he had before.
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