501 Mono Amplifier

I owned the Soulution 501 monoblocks for two years and moved on from them. While they had a very clean and clear sound, they were not all that musical. I would recommend a new or used Soulution 711 stereo amp instead. It sounds so much more musical and refined. It is in an entirely different league sonically from the 501 monoblocks.

Soulution preamps sound best with Soulution amplifiers because of their preamps’ low output impedance that matches well with the Soulution amps’ low input impedance, and the same sonic signature.

Ken
 
dmc said:
A dealer has warned me that Soulution amps don't "play well" with others and the amps need the Soulution preamps. Is this true or is this a dealer just trying to sell a preamp? Is the lack of a preamp why I didn't think the 511 Stereo was a musical as the Odyssey's?
I am also considering Constellation Taurus, but when heard them at an audio show (suboptimal conditions?) they were unremarkable (particularly bass). Florida is too hot for Pass gear (I leave the amps on 24/7 because my listening time is often impromptu.

My system is Magico M3's, Berkeley Alpha Dac Series Two, Berkeley Audio USB to SPDIF/AES Converter, souped up Odyssey Audio Stratos Extreme mono amps, Aurender N100H server, 2 JL e110 Subs, Synergistic Research 12 UEF power cell with Galileo SX power cord, SR Galileo UEF Digital and USB Cables, some Shunyata Alpha power cords, and Wywires Diamond interconnect and speaker cables.
What am I giving up, if anything, using 501's without a preamp? Suggestions? Thanks in advance.
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FWIW, my dealer whose opinion I trust and who sells Soulution, has also told me that Soulution amps sound best with Soulution preamps.

I also auditioned the newer Constellation Taurus monoblocks for over a month with my Magico M3s. That wasn’t a good match for me either, in part because of a lack of bass.

Gryphon amps (Antileon EVO and Mephisto) play very well with tube and SS preamps, and sound GREAT on the M3’s. Haven’t heard them without a preamp.
 
I had the same concerns about pairing a tube pre with a Soulution 511 that I had been looking at.

Electrically I have no issues as the VAC pre could work with 300 ohm load as recommend but sonic match was the biggest concern to me.


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Forgive the late reply...I used to run a 520 pre + 501 monos as well. While this was my first step into the world of Soulution it did open up an entirely new musical experience from my previous set-up. I actually prefer the latest 5 series to the 7 and have since moved to the 511 stereo amp and 525 pre. There is a definite synergy when it comes to pairing Soulution electronics so I'm not entirely surprised the 511 fell short of its true potential. A used 520 will certainly make magic but I would definitely consider the 525 as it's pretty significant step up. Best of luck!
 
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