TRON Owners' TestimonialsDon't
take our word for it, hear what owners have to say!
Since
my teenage years I have been an audiophile and remember the great enjoyment in
purchasing my first Linn Sondek when only 19 in 1979. Since then my musical tastes
and Hi-Fi have changed considerably. I went on to purchase a second updated Linn
with Ekos, Lingo etc, Meridian, Naim amps and a variety of speakers. During the
early 90's I started to move away from just listening to current pop and began
to enjoy more jazz , classical and singers in particular Frank, Ella, Cole etc.
The trouble was that I found the classic Linn Naim sound did not suit this type
of repertoire. About this time there was a resurgence of interest in the classic
valve sound. I ended up selling my system and replacing it with a Garrard 301,
Quad II's and electrostatics. Soon after purchasing the Quad amps I decided that
it might be a good idea to have them checked out. This initially turned out to
be a big mistake because the first 'specialist restorer' who lived closeby ripped
me off by replacing the perfectly good KT66's with cheap Chinese valves and charging
me a fortune for doing so! Predictably the amps sounded worse than before. I had
read various articles in the Hi-Fi press where the name Graham Tricker kept appearing
when the maintenance and restoration of classic valve amps was being discussed.
He lived some distance away but decided to contact him to see if he could sort
the Quads out for me, this was about 1995. To cut a long story short I ended up
with, his expert help, a superb sounding pair of Quads used with a Croft pre-amp
which he had 'breathed on' as well.
I spent the next couple of years enjoying music and buying as many LP's as I could
afford. In early 1997 Graham phoned to say that he had a new amp he wanted me
to hear which turned out to be the first prototype TRON pre-amp called the Nucleus.
He wired it into my system and I put on the Blue Note LP by Freddie Hubbard called
Open Sesame. I was immediately struck by the natural lifelike sound of his trumpet.
The more records I played only confirmed my view that this amp was something special.
It was rather more than I could afford but I placed an order for one there and
then. Mine was the first production model.
A year later I purchased from Graham a Platine Verdier turntable which was a big
improvement over the ageing Garrard. Another year or so went past when Graham
phoned me to say that his new TRON single ended 300B stereo power amp was ready,
if I was interested. It was expensive but I said OK bring it over and I'll have
a listen. The improvement over my excellent Quads was amazing. There was so much
more resolution and the bass was far superior. At this time Graham started importing
the Avantgarde Horns from Germany. The combination of the TRON amps and the horns
is a marriage made in heaven. For the first time it was like listening to real
live music. With the aid of a personal loan I ended up with the TRON 300B and
Avantgarde UNO's which I still own today. I would dearly love a pair of TRIO's
but I have neither the room or funds for them. In 2001 I read an extremely favourable
review of a modified Pioneer CD player. At this time Graham had no involvement
with CD players and so without telling him I went ahead and purchased one without
listening to it at a cost of £2,800. This was my second big mistake because it
sounded no better than my Pioneer CD recorder I purchased for £150! I sold it
within eighteen months for £800. After the money was exchanged the buyer asked
if he could listen to an LP. He was simply bowled over by the sound and already
started to regret his most recent purchase. In his opinion he had never heard
a sound as good as my system produced at any of the many Hi-Fi shows he had attended.
The system remained unchanged until Easter 2004 when I purchased from Graham the
great sounding Lindemann D680 CD/SACD player. For the first time CD and especially
SACD were sounding near to and sometimes better than vinyl. I still consider that
plain CD's lack the front to back depth of a really good analogue recording.
Now for one of the biggest improvements to date, the new TRON Syren valve pre-amp
a one box line and phono stage with stunning looks that matches the design of
the power amp perfectly. Do not be put off by the horizontal controls, you get
used to them within the first day and wonder why others are not made the same
way. My Syren is the first to go directly to a customer and Graham delivered it
earlier this month (I am writing this Christmas Eve 2004). There is a huge uplift
in sound over my original excellent sounding TRON Nucleus. Bass is deeper and
has more depth but the main advantage for me is the total lack of glare coupled
with improved levels of resolution. From my experience most systems sound either
very transparent but coupled with brightness or smooth and dull. I played the
DCC 180 gram pressing of Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys which when first purchased
found a little disappointing. It is still not the greatest audiophile recording
but the sound now had great soundstage depth with extended bass and no hint of
hardness in the upper midrange or treble, a huge improvement over what I remember.
A difficult sounding CD is Rudy Van Gelder's 24bit remaster of Dexter Gordon's
GO. This is a hard sounding recording which previously I found very tiring especially
when I owned the aforementioned Pioneer player. Whilst it is still not the smoothest
sounding CD I own it is now pleasurable to listen to. A really good Blue Note
recording is Hank Mobley's Roll Call, I own the Classic Records stereo 180 gram
reissue. Now listening to Freddie Hubbards trumpet is just like he was blowing
in the room. Superbly extended highs with no distortion or hardness.
If you are after a great natural sounding system then I cannot rate too highly
any of Graham Tricker's products. His TRON amps come with a five year warranty
(excluding the valves) not that you are likely ever to need it. I have been a
customer for almost ten years now and he has never given me poor advice. I have
spent a huge sum of money with him but has probably saved me another small fortune
by not buying inferior highly reviewed more well known products (Pioneer excepted)
along the way as well. Associated
equipment: Platine Verdier / SME 3012-GTA / Ortofon SPU, Lindemann D680 CD/SACD
player, Tron Syren preamp, Tron Type 300B power amplifier, Avantgarde Acoustic
Uno's, PHY-HP cabling. From
Adrian Rudge, Surrey, England ------------------------------
Dear Graham,
I finally got to put together the modded Comet preamp with my new Allaerts cartridge
and it sounds FABULOUS--easily the best sound I have ever had in my listening
room. It is just so clean! I resisted MC cartridges for many years because I couldn't
stand the exaggerated highs and fluffy lows (Gordon Holt once used the term: "like
hitting a sofa cushion with a salami!" That was my impression also.) I found the
Grados and my Music Maker II much more solid and, well, musical. Until now, that
is. I believe I (with Hart's help) have found the right combination and I look
forward to years of musical pleasure, and I am set up just the way I had hoped
to be. Thank you so much.
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a universal digital player--the McIntosh 861 (CD,
DVD-A, SACD, DVD). I had sold my old CD player (Theta) and needed Something upon
which to play the CDs I have accumulated over the years. At CES last week, I went
around to the musical software vendors and asked them to recommend their very
best SACDs, DVDA's, etc., and actually came home with 6 examples of the new formats.
When I came home, I put each of them on with some trepidation. I had just spent
a lot of money upgrading my vinyl-playing front end: what if I liked the new formats
better? I need not have worried. They still suck(!) compared to vinyl. In fact,
a fellow at the show was selling old classical Londons, Mercs and Shaded Dogs
for a dollar or two per record (he had gotten them from a university where the
students never checked them out). Even the old Londons (Kertesz playing all the
Dvorak symphonies) sounded unbelievably good in my new system and the Mercs were
incredible. I had always considered the Mercs somewhat chancy--they could sound
much too bright. So far, however, the Mercs have sounded simply wonderful. Now
I can hear what the fuss was about. So thank you! Yours is a remarkable product
that I will cherish for a long time. From
Chuck Cabell, Colorado Springs, USA ------------------------------
I purchased
the Tron Comet as a replacement for an ARC LS3, itself a temporary preamp holding
the fort whilst I sold my Jeff Rowland Coherence II. It is the best preamp I have
yet owned or heard. It at least matches present from JRDG, Levinson, Krell, ARC,
CJ, LAMM in pure hi-fi terms such as bass extension, detail, soundstaging, etc...
and exceeds them in terms of musicality, naturalness and life. Despite being valve
based it is extremely quiet. Note, it is essential to use the best partnering
equipment, especially the power cord - I use the French PHY cables, without which
some of the musicality and naturalness is subdued. Highly Recommended. Associated
equipment: Linn LP12 / Ecos / Lyra, Tron Comet preamp, Quad II power amplifiers
(G T A restored), Avantgarde Acoustic Duo's, PHY-HP cabling. From
Peter Earnshaw, Surrey, England
------------------------------
TRON and TRIO's
I write this as a long-term purchaser of far too expensive Hi-Fi. Like any addict,
much of my money has been wasted over the years, with systems matched myself,
not producing MUSIC and although better in some Hi-Fi attribute or other still
leaving me dissatisfied. To put this in context, much of my desire has been to
try to get closer to the musical event by spending money to get better imaging.
Eventually I found I preferred low powered triode amps, which needed more efficient
speakers, but although these had the openness I wanted, perversely these mostly
also had flabby bass and the more efficient speakers showed up noise in the amp
circuits. Then I found G T Audio. The Avantgarde Trio's and TRON Comet phono and
line amps solved every musical aim I had all at once, but in quite amazing ways.
The Trios - 107dB efficient! made singers and instruments truly believable by
doing two things staggeringly well. By playing the micro dynamics of how a singer
sings or how Mahler shaded crescendos, and my reproducing the ambient information
so well that imaging considerations were simply irrelevant. I KNEW that if it
was on the record it was reproduced through the speakers. The only way I can scale
this difference is that this sounded so right that everything else I had had in
the past sounded almost like a radio on a beach. I realised I'd actually been
listening for the wrong things, purely because everything else I had ever heard
couldn't come close to doing their job properly.
Now the Comets.
With 107dB speakers, amp noise and buzzes would ruin everything but Graham
recommended the TRON Comet as ghostly quiet, feeding the TRON PX25 amps, which
have an output of 5 watts per channel! BUT and it's a big but, this was a system
professionally matched to play my type of music "believable". The system
could reach about 114db if required for its 5 watts, bass was tight and extended,
and imaging was "there". I have music not Hi-Fi, from Led Zeppelin to
Mahler in the home.
Well done Graham, I'm committed.
Associated
equipment: Platine Verdier / SME 3012-GTA Spec / Allaerts MC1B MkII / TRON Comet
Phono stage, TRON Comet Line stage, TRON "Type PX25" power amplifier,
Avantgarde Acoustic Trio Horn loudspeakers and PHY-HP cabling. From
Wayne Chopping, Worcestershire, England
------------------------------
After
25 years as an audiophile I am finally listening to real music. The Tron Meteor
linestage and phono stages, together with the 807-based power amps, represent
the fulfilment of my search for satisfying musical playback . I did not think
this level of reproduction was actually possible. I am not going to attempt to
describe the the sound, since all the usual audiophile catch-phrases are inadequate
here. My quest is over. All my subscriptions are cancelled. I am finally content
and able to connect emotionally with my music.
Associated equipment: Allaerts Formula 1 and MC2 Finish cartridges, DPS and Verdier
turntables, 2 Schroder Reference tonearms, TRON Meteor phono stage, TRON Meteor
Line stage, TRON Jubilate (807) Monoblock amplifiers, Brocksieper Arabesque and
F/J Dude loudspeakers, Sony 999 CD player modified by Audience, Tandberg TD20ASE
1/2 track high speed tape deck. From
Gene Sienkiewicz MD, New York, USA
------------------------------
Fifteen years ago, Graham Tricker at GT Audio supplied me with an immaculately
rebuilt Leak Stereo 20 through which to play my growing collection of Jazz and
Classical LPs, which were mercifully becoming available at bargain prices as the
rest of the world went digital. This started me down the road of building a system
that played music so well I could forget about the equipment performance and just
enjoy the music.
The next and probably most important thing Graham did
for me was to share many enjoyable evenings listening to music played on different
set ups and working out what I wanted. The conclusion was something like this
- minimum complexity, maximum efficiency / minimum power. A prototype Comet preamp
used with the Leak had an UNBELIEVABLE impact. This is still the heart and most
treasured component of my system. Then came the decision to use Voigt Corner Horns
and the long search to source a reasonably matched pair. These are now teamed
up with the best modern Lowther drive units (I know they don't go high enough
but then the audiences in most live music venues absorb most of the high stuff
and the absence of crossovers is divine) and a decent sized Victorian room for
them to transform the sound into.
My Garrard 301 was sunk into a massive
plinth, armed with a Nottingham Analogue tonearm and cartridge and I was ready
to go. But no amp!
The Leak was getting outclassed and badly unsuited to the
speakers All I needed was a straight wire with enough gain to give me five or
six watts of unadulterated music. Graham said the "Type PX25" Tron he
was working on might be simple enough to do the trick. He was right. The only
problem with Voigts is their extreme sensitivity. Signal to noise ratios are everything.
The combination of the Comet and "Type PX25" ONLY send music down the
line. And the amount of music hidden in those ancient grooves is prodigious. This
is the fastest and most effortless system I know. Over years of use, I've learned
to love it. It works faultlessly. I've forgotten all about the equipment involved
and the only upgrades I care about are improving and extending the record library
- now many thousand! Thank you, Graham Associated
equipment: Garrard 301 / NA Mentor tonearm / No 4 cartridge, TRON Comet Preamp,
TRON "Type PX25" power amplifier, Voigt domestic corner horns.
From Rob Nedham, Somerset, England ------------------------------
Sometimes
in life you simply have to accept the superior knowledge, experience and expertise
of others - enter Graham Tricker. I have been designing and building prototype
and pre-production products throughout my life and in some areas I prefer to believe
that my company and the contacts I have at many academic institutions are capable
of doing a better job than most. As a personal project, and with a certain amount
of naivety I decided to build myself a valve amplifier based upon the 211/VT4-C
tube... I borrowed the circuit layout from various well known sources and designed
what I thought would be a simple to complete product.
After many hours of component sourcing and breadboard design prototypes it became
painfully clear that this was NOT a simple exercise. After being recommended to
call Graham at G T Audio I took the design and some components along and was enlightened
as to why my design was not working well and how best to approach the project.
All of this advice was given to me free of charge.
Another failed attempt later and I found myself back at G T Audio. Eventually
it became clear that if this was ever going to work successfully I should leave
the job to those who know best....
Graham completed the amplifier beautifully (basically a TRON "Type 211")
and I had the pleasure of hearing it for the first time after it had been run-in
for a couple of weeks. The amplifier is totally silent, and sounds absolutely
bloody fantastic, rich, open, dynamic, fluid and extremely musical, and the build
quality reminds me of the work I get involved with in the Aerospace industry.
Graham has also suggested some improvements that I may wish to make on the amplifier
that he uses on his own current designs, but for now I am content with the sound
as it is, simply the best I have ever heard. I can thoroughly recommend Graham
and G T Audio to anyone interested in listening to music, but please leave the
amplifier design to the experts.... Associated
equipment: Linn LP12/PU2/Koetsu Red signature, Croft Preamp, TRON "Type 211"
power amplifier, Living Voice Tone Scout horns. From
Richard Palmer, Managing Director, Designblue Ltd. London ------------------------------
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