Ampzilla 2000 second edition

[Rocket]

Hi Guys,

I haven't posted on the forum for a while and I thought I would do so and let you know about the new amplifier that I have purchased.  Currently I'm using Bel canto dac 2 and their pre1 preamp that I purchased earlier this year for a bargain price.  The bel canto pre1 replaced an aging but nice sounding tube preamp N.E.W. p3 that I've used for years.

I currently use Salk Sound ht2 non transmission line series.  They are great sounding speakers and look really nice as well.  The aussie dollar has taken off compared with the US dollar (sorry guys but your loss is my gain  ).  Anyway in the search for higher fidelity I was looking at a new amplifier for my system.

Anyway long story in short form is that I purchased a brand new Ampzilla 2000 second edition from Underwood Hifi.  I've bought a couple of components from Walter in the past and he convinced me to purchase the monoblock form of the amplifier.  I currently use a Son of Ampzilla which I liked but I have to agree with reviewers that it could be a tad more transparent and it has a slight laid back sound.  I was going to purchase a second SOA as per the Dick Olsher review from Enjoy the Music but he gave me such a good price on the monoblocks that I couldn't resist. 

I have paid up and ordered the amplifier for $4700US plus $470US for shipping to Australia.  By the time I pay import duties the amplifier will cost me about $6500AU.  Which is a very good price for this amplifier.

I'm hoping to gain a bit more transparency and more of an upfront exciting sound with the upgrade in amplifier.

I'll post some comments when the amplifiers arrive.  Now I will have to break the news to my wife before I bring them home  .

Btw I went for the black version faceplate and ordered a new black one for my SOA.

Regards

Rod

[lonewolfny42]

Rod...

When will you amp be arriving ? 

.....Link.....

[Carlman]

Wow, big step you must be excited! Congrats!  As to telling the Missus.. At least you can tell her you're a lot more 'stable' than most of us.   Not that it'll help. haha.  So glad to hear from you, Rod and very happy to hear you're about to embark on another plateau of musical satisfaction.
-C

[BobM]

I remember back in my college days one of the "rich" kids had an audio fetish. Now this was in the time before anyone knew anything about soundstaging and such. All we cared about was if it played loud and rocked.

He had an original Ampzilla and one of their preamps. I still remember sitting there and recognizing that this sounded profoundly different from my Harmon Kardon receiver, or the other kids NAD and Marantz and Yamaha stuff. Why would he buy separate components? Why would he sit exactly between the speakers? Well, I found out and caught the bug. The Ampzilla really took my understanding of audio to a new level.

Congrats on the amp. If it is anywhere near as musical as the old stuff I remember you should be very happy.

Bob

[Rocket]

Hi Guys,

I emailed Walter yesterday and the mono amplifiers are ready to ship.  He is waiting for the new Son of Ampzilla faceplate that I ordered to be completed.  My current when is blue and I damaged the gold etching on the faceplate when I was placing it in its box after one of many component changes.

My amplifiers will have the black faceplate which I'm hoping doesn't stand out as much in my system as the blue one does.

I don't think that it is too much of a risk purchasing the monoblocks without hearing them first because I do own the SOA amplifier and it gives me some form to base the second edition amplifiers with.

Anyway, I'll update you when they arrive.

Regards

Rod

[Rocket]

Hi Guys,

The amplifiers arrived on 6/11/09.  Unfortunately disaster has struck and I'm continuously blowing fuses and the power meter box safety circuit is tripping all the time.  Warranty is a mute point because shipping the amplifiers back to the US is about $800 one way.

I packed the amplifiers up and sent them to Clarke Audio who is located in Melbourne (2000miles away).  Clarke Audio has a good reputation in the hifi world and he services many big brand audiophile amplifiers.  He thought that possibly the amplifier wasn't properly configured for 240 v 50 hz and this could be the cause.  I'm hoping that it is something simple.

I did get to the the amplifiers for about 30 minutes at one point and they did sound quite nice.

I don't seem to have much luck with importing audiophile gear.

Regards

Rod

[lonewolfny42]

Sorry to read of your problem Rod....and after such a wait for their arrival.

I hope things can be worked out....good luck.

[Ecramer]

Wow that just sucks hope you get it fixed with out to much trouble

ED

[Rocket]

Hi,

Well Walter Leidermann and Rick Cullen are going to provide the audio technician with help and I'm sure that it will work out okay.  It's just a bit annoying and I'm fairly broke from this purchase and so the timing isn't particularly good.

I'll keep you updated.

Regards

Rod

ps Chris I received the cd's the other day.  Thanks for sending them the cd's have provided me with a range of music that I haven't heard.  Its much appreciated.

[richidoo]

Rod, you got some good guys helping you. You should be just fine. It should not cost you anything more to get them working and delivered, except time. Please let us know how it turns out.

[Carlman]

As my friend Allen once told me, it's not true hifi if it just works flawlessly the first time.    It's good to get this issue out of the way now.. I think it's a good omen!

[Carlman]

So how's it going, Rod?  Got an ETA yet? 
-C

[Rocket]

Hi,

The anticlimax... will the amplifier work and not keep blowing fuses?  I'm hoping to collect it from the transport company today.

The ampzilla monoblocks have been in melbourne since November 2009 waiting for repair.  I won't go into details but I had to apply pressure to have them repaired and returned to Perth.  It has been a frustrating experience waiting all this time and I'm hoping that the amplifiers are finally fixed.  I bought these amps because I already use a Son of Ampzilla and it sounds quite good and it has been very reliable.

I think this experience MAY have cured my upgraditis.

I'll update this thread once I know the details.

Regards

Rod

[Carlman]

Good graciousness, Rod.. Glad the pressure paid off.  I'm not sure what I'd do in that situation but I'm glad you'll have some kind of conclusion soon... Keep us posted.. and BEST OF LUCK!

-C

[Rocket]

Hi Carl,

I haven't had much news to post lately.  I have been really anxious waiting for the repair of the ampzilla monoblocks.  The technician kept delaying me and in the end I had to write an official letter and give him a deadline to either fix the amps or return them to me.

Anyway, I collected them today from the courier and they appear to be working fine now.  Apparently the power supply wasn't configured correctly to australian voltage requirements ie. 240 v 50 hz.  I also won't get into what happened between the dealer and manufacturer but I was definitely the 'meat in the sandwich'.

They do sound really nice but so does the Son of Ampzilla's.

Regards

Rod G