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In Reply to: A question for Bob Neill about new Blue Circle Amplifiers posted by Frihed89 on April 3, 2014 at 11:12:30:
As always with Gilbert. He goes in many directions at the same time. In my response earlier today to a very flattering little thread on the Critics Corner a month or so ago (that you were a part of and which I just discovered (sorry about that) --http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/critics/messages/7/75169.html) -- I said that any attempt I might make to narrate my “journey” through audio lines would have to be qualified by the fact that the lines of components I’m fond of don’t stand still. And, as you'll see if you go back there, I referred in particular to the new all solid state amps from Blue Circle.
And the thing about Blue Circle is that new developments tend not to leave behind the existing gear, which has its own following. Gilbert just keeps thinking and inventing and then adding new gear to sit alongside the old gear. I’ve known him for almost twenty years now, spent time with him in Innerkip and here in Amherst, and could not tell you today, at least with authority, what his favorite gear & sound are. Or in what "direction," if any, he's going. He is extremely responsive and loyal to his customers and their tastes and tends to keep his counsel about his own. He responds to his customers' requests (at least the sane ones) and follows his own inspiration when he has time. That doesn't amount to a direction. But.
All of this said and notwithstanding his new HX series -- which give the user the option of solid state and tube inputs in the same amp! -- I have seen, when he appears to be following his own ideas, what I believe to be an evolution at Blue Circle in recent years toward a purer, more transparent sound, represented most interestingly by his new all solid state NSL, NSL Junior, NSP, and BC1022 amps. (Also an NST ‘upgrade’ he can perform on hybrid amps that in effect converts their inputs from tube to solid state.) There is a description of the NSL and NSL Junior on my website based on my experience with Junior here a while back. No need to recapitulate that here. I have not heard NSL Senior or the NSP. The BC 1022, a new, less expensive and more powerful (100 watts vs. 25 and 28 watts) amp, which uses some of the technology of the NSL and NSP, was here recently and will return for a longer stay soon.
All of these amps are faster, more transparent, more immediate, and more ‘come hither’ in their sound than Blue Circle’s hybrid gear. Moving from the new amps to my FtTH2 integrated or BC 204 stereo amp, the latter sound richer, fuller, less transparent. They have more atmosphere, the air is a bit thicker, which is what their fans have always loved about them. Gilbert would say the differences are all a matter of taste and, of course, he’s right and right to say so. To my ears, the new all solid state amps, like the Crimson gear that in some ways they resemble, represent a departure, which is not quite a direction (!), at least not yet, that makes a very strong argument for a technology that can make you enjoy objectivity rather than be seduced by...something else. BC amps, as I say in my response to the thread above, will always be a bit sexier than Crimson amps; but together they represent something very interesting to attend to, especially if you're interested in 'the history of audio.'
I've been trying to write something like this for my website, which is why this sounds a little like a lecture! You have given me a chance for a dry run and I thank you for that. Sorry again for not finding the thread on Critics Corner and responding to you sooner.
Not much more I can say knowledgeably. To learn more, go back to the Blue Circle Forum and do a search on 1022 or NSP, or NSL or NSL Junior. There is also some information on the Blue Circle website itself but it’s not quite up to date. However, what Gilbert says there about the NSL is truly fascinating, as are the initial critical responses to the amp which Gilbert includes links for. Marc Michaelson has been a fan of Gilbert's work for years and is always instructive.
http://www.bluecircle.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2.
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Follow Ups
- Yes and No! - Bob Neill 04/3/1412:28:30 04/3/14 (2)
- RE: Yes and No! - Frihed89 05:22:55 04/5/14 (1)
- RE: Yes and No! - Bob Neill 12:53:23 04/5/14 (0)
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