Hi all,
After ownership of 6 months to make sure, and having a few friends to listen, here is my take on the Clones 55pm from Hong Kong - a lovely amplifier from Hong Kong, with great service by Funjoe, who owns the Company.
It is tough to buy into India - I got it hand carried. However, it mates well with the Harbeth Compact 7ES3 for my kind of sound! Of course there is bias of ownership, but read on, please!
(I can't get no) satisfaction
Playing with a budget and buying off reviews means lot of mistakes. Used low power amps or ones that exacerbated the warmth of the Harbeths. Fast clean and powerful was the order of the day, I came to the conclusion.
In any case beyond a point my terrible live room was going to be a bottleneck - yet I wanted something there so that I could hear music with the kids around.
You can't always get what you want
Given my history of not right matching Harbeth Compact 7, I keep ding donging between a budget diamond or going for really expensive equipment while I can afford it (just once, darling, last time and once). Then I think of customs duties shipping hassles and get cold feet.
Frankly, never been lucky at getting good second hand stuff. Or indecisive when time comes, in plonking sans listening. My music loving self says don't spend so much money on all this.
Tumbling dice
Finally, those self same reviews, and recommendations from a couple of reviewers whom I became friendly with got me to the Clones.
Gimme Shelter
I started off with the Clones 25i which sounded right finally. While it was underpowered for the room, a bit dry too,it had moments of the kind of sound that I liked. I ams sure it would have been great in a smaller room.
So I decided to make the sound a little wet and use an Elekit pre which worked. Then I messed up the Clones 25i while taking out the pre and make it just a power amp and caused all sorts of ground loops.
Have you seen your mother baby?
My sister was leaving Hong Kong for good, and was planning a trip and I took the decision and finally said "OK, now beyond 25W" and ordered the more powerful 55pm. Funjoe of Clones was very decent about the exchange with the 25i, and in fact, is a great guy to deal with.
So did the exchange for the larger mono block amps.
19th nervous breakdown
And the sound was bright. Funjoe recommended break in and not switching it off. I am a brightness hater ( I love BBC monitors - you know the types) and so it bothered me.
You got me rocking
Leave it on for 48 hours (a bit of a pain) and after few days of break in - Music! Magic! Great deal of transparency. Lovely voices, timbral separation, tonal correctness and decent soundstage. Great flow and PRAT. Transparency. Bass, wow, I could hear bass notes so wonderfully my feet move.
Happy
Yes I am. Reading less reviews and listening to more music (you can guess which group is playing surely, when I wrote this down). With Ratoc, Leben and Graham in the bedroom, just think I am lucky.
The Last Time
I am enjoying music a lot now. I don't feel the urge to go and listen to someone else's music system. I could live with this set up till something rots. In fact, I am trying to aim for an embargo from buying unless something breaks (hallelujah, my transport is on the blink - can still shop).
The Clones play very well in their budget category. Surely, you get more when you pay more (refinement, richness, blah blah), and yes, I could get seduced by more (who said that we are a sensible lot?. KT 120, KT 150, triode, midrange bloom, powerful mosfet amp which sounds like tubes....yeah well!), but in the six months I have owned it, I have derived great musical enjoyment.
For more details on the Clones including the pricing, please visit the website:
http://www.clonesaudio.com
The site has links to other professional reviews as well.
May the midrange be with you.
Regards,
Vivek
PS. Too lazy to take pics! But it looks like the ones on the website, no kidding!
After ownership of 6 months to make sure, and having a few friends to listen, here is my take on the Clones 55pm from Hong Kong - a lovely amplifier from Hong Kong, with great service by Funjoe, who owns the Company.
It is tough to buy into India - I got it hand carried. However, it mates well with the Harbeth Compact 7ES3 for my kind of sound! Of course there is bias of ownership, but read on, please!
(I can't get no) satisfaction
Playing with a budget and buying off reviews means lot of mistakes. Used low power amps or ones that exacerbated the warmth of the Harbeths. Fast clean and powerful was the order of the day, I came to the conclusion.
In any case beyond a point my terrible live room was going to be a bottleneck - yet I wanted something there so that I could hear music with the kids around.
You can't always get what you want
Given my history of not right matching Harbeth Compact 7, I keep ding donging between a budget diamond or going for really expensive equipment while I can afford it (just once, darling, last time and once). Then I think of customs duties shipping hassles and get cold feet.
Frankly, never been lucky at getting good second hand stuff. Or indecisive when time comes, in plonking sans listening. My music loving self says don't spend so much money on all this.
Tumbling dice
Finally, those self same reviews, and recommendations from a couple of reviewers whom I became friendly with got me to the Clones.
Gimme Shelter
I started off with the Clones 25i which sounded right finally. While it was underpowered for the room, a bit dry too,it had moments of the kind of sound that I liked. I ams sure it would have been great in a smaller room.
So I decided to make the sound a little wet and use an Elekit pre which worked. Then I messed up the Clones 25i while taking out the pre and make it just a power amp and caused all sorts of ground loops.
Have you seen your mother baby?
My sister was leaving Hong Kong for good, and was planning a trip and I took the decision and finally said "OK, now beyond 25W" and ordered the more powerful 55pm. Funjoe of Clones was very decent about the exchange with the 25i, and in fact, is a great guy to deal with.
So did the exchange for the larger mono block amps.
19th nervous breakdown
And the sound was bright. Funjoe recommended break in and not switching it off. I am a brightness hater ( I love BBC monitors - you know the types) and so it bothered me.
You got me rocking
Leave it on for 48 hours (a bit of a pain) and after few days of break in - Music! Magic! Great deal of transparency. Lovely voices, timbral separation, tonal correctness and decent soundstage. Great flow and PRAT. Transparency. Bass, wow, I could hear bass notes so wonderfully my feet move.
Happy
Yes I am. Reading less reviews and listening to more music (you can guess which group is playing surely, when I wrote this down). With Ratoc, Leben and Graham in the bedroom, just think I am lucky.
The Last Time
I am enjoying music a lot now. I don't feel the urge to go and listen to someone else's music system. I could live with this set up till something rots. In fact, I am trying to aim for an embargo from buying unless something breaks (hallelujah, my transport is on the blink - can still shop).
The Clones play very well in their budget category. Surely, you get more when you pay more (refinement, richness, blah blah), and yes, I could get seduced by more (who said that we are a sensible lot?. KT 120, KT 150, triode, midrange bloom, powerful mosfet amp which sounds like tubes....yeah well!), but in the six months I have owned it, I have derived great musical enjoyment.
For more details on the Clones including the pricing, please visit the website:
http://www.clonesaudio.com
The site has links to other professional reviews as well.
May the midrange be with you.
Regards,
Vivek
PS. Too lazy to take pics! But it looks like the ones on the website, no kidding!