Been warming up now a bit over 24 hours and it’s quite warm to the touch and been told it wants 48 hours before its 100% ready to go.
Will answer a few off the questions next, but for now a quick pic, as I got it looking a bit neater
Hi
As you said i also thought i might struggle to adjust, but i didnt at all, maybe that was made easier as i had already moved my naim source on and switched over to the rossini and melco?
But once it had been on afew hours, it was nice, very nice in fact.
The DCS makes it look minute!
I thought you said it was one box Dunc!? Do you still keep the DCS?
Just spotted the dcs a CD.
Hi analogmusic, i will do my best to answer your questions, but remember at this moment i have about 3 hours in on the vitus, so still early days, but i will do my best.
- Yes you can and its quite clear the difference
- Thats more difficult as i am not really a foot tapper, but the vitus is much easier to listen too.
- Bass is about the same and no noticeable difference really, both very good i would say.
- Haven’t had it loud as yet and only ran in A class up to now, but so far at the volume i have used its been fine, but also never had the 500 up high as my room is not massive, and dont think i would ever get near that with both the amps.
- vitus in A class
- instruments, vocals are in a different class, they were superb before, but have got better and it much easier to follow the music now. This is probably the main thing thats much better now.
- Vitus again unless you like heavy rock music, as that i would say the naim wins, as its more forward, aggressive sound, would suit more. The vitus lets you dig deeper into the music and pick out the smaller details that the naim tends to hide in its delivery.
- thats naim i would think as long as you are in the UK, but plenty off vitus dealers in the UK, that i am sure would help when needed. As for cost i dont know, but as its one box against 4, i should think its cheaper on service and posting costs, but then i am only guessing and dont know. Plus i dont know how long they have been going as never looked.
Hope i have managed to answer your questions as honestly as i can at this point, but i wasnt really ready for the difference this has brought to my system, i guess my rossini probably likes it more? But this A class stuff is very nice, it can do smooth and relaxing very well, it can do fast and punchy when needed. Very revealing and i did think before this that i already had a very revealing system, well i didnt. But playing tracks from Norah Jones’s album, her voice just sounds much nicer and so real, the instruments sound more apart, detailed and again very real, you can pick up the hands on the strings much easier.
Also different music also sounds more different now, if that makes sense? Like if the song is lazy it now is lazy, rather than trying to make it more alive, if you get what i mean. But at the same time it can do fast, lively songs, as long as the song is like that.
I would say, as i have already mentioned, if you only really play, heavy metal or i guess rock music, then this vitus is not for you, i believe it can get more gritty in A/B mode, but the naim would beat it hands down i feel on this sort off music.
This is more for the kind off music that you want to hear the texture of the voices and the instruments and feel like you are in the front row, centre stage or maybe even the conductor.
Would be interested to see how it would get on with say a ND555, plus i can also say my rega P10 has never sounded so good and if you are into vinyl, then try one.
Cheers dunc
The picture is a bit misleading and the amp is about the same size as the rossini player, but the amp is also very heavy and makes the 500 seem light
Do you have the option of demoing the internal DAC vs. the Rossini?
I wonder if airflow / cooling might be an issue in its current location ?
It doesn’t have a built in dav, the 030 you can add a dac module and phono as it has the room, the sia 025 is rammed and no space left
Just been playing pink floyd, wish you were here album, on 24 bit from my melco. Absolutely fabulous, the guitar on the track wish you were here, has never sounded like that before and the sazz on shine on you crazy diamond made me sit up in amazement.
So different it really is
Dunc,
I’m glad to hear you are enjoying the SIA 025 so far, clearly it is a different animal from the RI-101. Out of interest, does the volume control have the same loud incremental, audible click as the RI-101 when you adjust it up/down?
Yes it does and probably like you, I thought what is that about, as its horrible, dont know if it’s as loud as the 101 amp, but you can hear it
But it has something do with the volume being a relay volume control rather than a pot like the naim.
Annoying, but its ment to sound better, so can live with it, as I dont tend to adjust the volume when listening to a track anyway
It has plenty off space around it as it’s on stillpoints to start with and that lifts its more than double the standard feet would, plus about 35mm top and sides
Dunc, that’s a shame. I’m glad it doesn’t mar your enjoyment, but that was one thing I found particularly distracting during my home demo with the RI-101 and it grated with me. The other characteristics of the SIA 025 sound impressive though, so provided that’s not a deal breaker, what’s not to enjoy . Anyway, enough of that… I’m distracting you from Pink Floyd!
It is a negative point, but certainly not a deal breaker, it sounds far to good for that.
My new Violectric V281 is the same with it’s remote relay volume control. Really noisy when shifting volume.
The remote is actually noisy, more so than what comes out the speakers.
Dunc- happy to see that you like the Vitus I found the same characteristics you speak of with the 030. Maybe just a bit more of it though, as expected. The lower end is just so much better in grunt and tonality compared to my 500 and the top end is as you describe- clean and non- fatiguing. Dynamic range is expanded top to bottom.
I do agree with the volume control though…the 0.5 db steps do lag a bit when directing a quick volume change but overall that is my only niggle. I will be curious to see what you think when the 552/500 go back in …
ATB,
Mark
While we await @Dunc final analysis after he reinstates the 552/500, I find it amazing that these single boxes, be it the the 2 Vitus integrated amps or the Gryphon integrated, challenge and possibly surpass the 4 box Naim 500 series. The cost differential is also significant especially when you factor in additional shelving and the likely very expensive interconnects that then require optimal “dressing”. Not to mention de-stressing the Burndy cables and power distribution.
It seems @varyat is also convinced.
It certainly makes me wonder what I’m doing with current setup and future plan. Is there a technology that Naim has not bought into? Are separate power supplies not necessary for optimal SQ any longer?
Or, will these integrated amps ultimately prove to be not as good?
Maybe I’m just a bit too cynical but there is something of a forgone conclusion as this thread progresses, from what the differences might be to those very differences being apparent, with very little give and take.
Perhaps I do Dunc a disservice but I see the conclusions heading only one way and wonder whether there was ever any doubt that they wouldn’t.
.sjb