Winding up Tim de Paravicini isn’t difficult — just tell him he’s wrong. Doesn’t matter about what, the Engineer of Fine Audio is pretty much ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone over anything.
I’m having a bit of fun at Tim’s expense because it’s fun, but also because spending time with Tim is fun. He’s absolutely hilarious. He’s pretty much seen it all in high-end, and he’s not afraid to tell it like he sees it. The problem is, he’s not wrong. At least, not about audio. Well, probably not.
In the front of the room, Tim was showing off some flagship-level solid-state gear, including the be-winged 312 preamplifier ($12k) and the massive (75kg/channel) and Stereophile Class A-rated M100a monoblocks ($30k/pair). The latter Tim describes as a “simple circuit that measures like a tube amp” but puts out 350wpc.
We don’t really see too much of E.A.R. solid-state electronics here States-side, but in the back of the room, more traditional EAR tube gear Graham Audio LS5/8 loudspeakers. I didn’t get to hear the E.A.R. turntable or the reel-to-reel, but the sound coming from the latest DAC from the new-old speakers was smooth and fulsome.
