Butler Amp: Anyone buy one yet?

[MiTT]

That's a real pet peeve of mine. Frankly, the (limited) reviews of the Butler have been gushing praise, so I had high expectations. I tried the Butler with my Aerius i's, and felt it had better synergy. Perhaps the powered woofer design of the Summits are the issue. Regardless, the Summits are here to stay, and my Aerius' will be up for sale shortly.

Fortunately, my dealer was gracious enough to offer a refund (minus re-stocking fee). I'll give it a good 150 hours of break-in, before deciding yea or nay.

sleepysurf, I'd recommend exactly that were I in your position. Give them plenty of time to burn in. I don't know if there is a Butler "house" sound, but if your amp is anything like the Monads I heard at the RMAF a few weeks ago there is magic coming your way eventually. Then again that magic may be specific to the Monads - there is a reason why they cost significantly more. Since you have such a sympathetic dealer you don't really have much to loose. Keep us all informed as things progress.

 

[stone]

Sleepysurf, I wonder if it is a synergy thing. When I installed my 5150 I noticed an immediate improvement over my previous Sunfire/Rotel/Ascent setup. I did not notice further improvement over time, but my ears are still in training. I'm interested to read your thoughts after the burn in period.

 

[sleepysurf]

Well, after 200+ hours of "burn-in" I concluded there is (at least for MY system and room), a "synergy" issue with the Butler and the Summits. I never was able to "flesh out" the bass detail and pinpoint imaging as I had hoped. Those issues were NOT evident when I substituted my Aerius' for the Summits, so it is definitely something unique to the Summits.

My dealer has just picked up the Belles line of amps, and suggested I try the new Belles 350A Reference, which is a MosFET design with an extremely beefy power supply, and 64 amps current output capacity. The Belles, (like the Butler), is a unique design coming from a well-respected and experienced audio designer, but little-known in higher end circles. The (few) reviews and comments I've read are pretty favorable, and I'm seriously considering it. Here's a recent review... http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/belles_350a_reference.htm

I have no doubt the Butler would have stayed in my system if I was keeping my Aerius i's. I think Stone's positive experience with the Butler and his Ascents (vs. the Sunfire) further supports my theory that there is just "bad karma" between the Butler and the new "ice-powered" models. If anybody else has the chance to audition the Butlers (either the TDB design or the Monads) I heartily recommend you give them a listen, and report your findings. As they say, YMMV.

As a side note, I searched our humble forum, and found just a single post from Spike, who listed the Belles on his short list of SS amps worthy of consideration. Unless somebody can recommend an even MORE esoteric and little-known design (at the <$3500 price point), I think I just might take Shane up on his offer. Stay tuned!

 

[timm]

Curious... what did you find lacking in the Sunfire? I too have a Sunfire - and sometimes feel this urge to look for something else. They are not necessarily audiophile 'approved'... but, the only thing I A/B'd them with was Rotel. I bought the Sunfire. Which Sunfire do you have? I have a Signature bi-amped. I think it sounds great - but, always wonder....hmmmm....there must be something better right??? I thought the Signature put out 80 amps? Continue on with the thread... I think a lot of us are more than interested!!

 

[sleepysurf]

Well, it remains to be seen (heard ?) if the Sunfire is truly lacking, vs. other "higher end" amps. I have the Sunfire Cinema Grand 200 ~five, which I bought specifically to vertically (passively) bi-amp with my ML Aerius i's. I found it to be a superb match with those speakers. Alas, the Summits are (functionally) already bi-amped, so I'm wasting 3 channels of power. Unfortunately, the Sunfire Signature amps are no longer in production, though I could certainly find a used one.

I know the Summits are capable of a "throatier" midrange, as I have heard with Craigs setup (driven with an Art Audio Jota tube amp). However, I'm not particularly interested in tube-rolling, and besides, my current setup doesn't have the space/ventilation for tubes, nor a hot running Class A.

I had hoped the Butler hybrid would work some magic with the Summits, but it wasn't meant to be.

I have yet to try a MosFET design like the Belles (or McCormack, Van Alstine, ? others), nor one of the newer Class D's. Since those designs are low maintenance, and relatively cool running, I am hoping to find one that has great synergy with the Summits. Who knows, I might still end up with a Sunfire Signature in the end!

 

[timm]

Well keep us up to date!! Us Sunfire owners need to know!! I have heard the Summits with Macintosh gear (amp/pre/& CD)... Dang if I can remember if it was their solid state or tube stuff!! A very 'reach out and touch someone' type of sound...i.e 3 dimesional. You didn't just hear the cymbal - you heard the stick hit the cymbal. I know it wasn't the mono-blocks - and it wasn't 'mega' expensive...Probably in the 2-3 grand amount for the amp & pre each (Is that expensive?? I have lost the ability to determine that - so it seems ). I didn't see tubes -- but of course that means nothing. My hunch tells me it was their solid state stuff. This from a Sunfire Sig/Odyssey owner.