Alpar
feat. Heed Audio
I should have joined this thread earlier and mentioned that the Elixir needs a fairly long run-in period and it starts shining after 100+ hours it has partly to do something with the capacitor coupling we extensively use in almost all of our amplifiers.
As for the Elixirs positioning, the project began two years ago with the profound wish of a number of French dealers to have a Brio-R alternative. However, we have realised soon that we cannot make an integrated amp as cheap as the Brio-R. So it has become clear that we have to change the original concept somewhat and, in order to justify the higher price, we better take the bull by the horns and create a completely new integrated amp which offers more than the Brio-R both sonically and feature-wise, yet ranging below the Obelisk Si3 in the Heed amplifier hierarchy.
The Elixir sports an MM phono stage roughly comparable to our Questar MM (£300) and an exceptionally good headphone preamp which is almost as good as our Canalot costing £550, so if you add these two figures together, you have the pure integrated amp actually for free. Joke aside, Neville Roberts discovered it quickly and compared the Elixir very favourably to the more expensive Elex-R in his Hi-Fi Choice review (As well as the similarity in the name, the Elixir compares well with Regas full-width Elex-R integrated amplifier with its similar range of features the latter costing around Ł150 more . the Heed is a formidable contender for audio fans looking for a multitalented amplifier at a real-world price.)
It is all the more a shame that availability of the Elixir in the UK (and also of the Obelisk Si3) leaves much to be desired at the moment. We can of course help out from the continent with our mail order offer but we are well aware that it is just a stopgap. Needless to say, quality audio products shall ideally be demod, sold and supported by specialised local dealers being appointed by the distributor.
As for the Elixirs positioning, the project began two years ago with the profound wish of a number of French dealers to have a Brio-R alternative. However, we have realised soon that we cannot make an integrated amp as cheap as the Brio-R. So it has become clear that we have to change the original concept somewhat and, in order to justify the higher price, we better take the bull by the horns and create a completely new integrated amp which offers more than the Brio-R both sonically and feature-wise, yet ranging below the Obelisk Si3 in the Heed amplifier hierarchy.
The Elixir sports an MM phono stage roughly comparable to our Questar MM (£300) and an exceptionally good headphone preamp which is almost as good as our Canalot costing £550, so if you add these two figures together, you have the pure integrated amp actually for free. Joke aside, Neville Roberts discovered it quickly and compared the Elixir very favourably to the more expensive Elex-R in his Hi-Fi Choice review (As well as the similarity in the name, the Elixir compares well with Regas full-width Elex-R integrated amplifier with its similar range of features the latter costing around Ł150 more . the Heed is a formidable contender for audio fans looking for a multitalented amplifier at a real-world price.)
It is all the more a shame that availability of the Elixir in the UK (and also of the Obelisk Si3) leaves much to be desired at the moment. We can of course help out from the continent with our mail order offer but we are well aware that it is just a stopgap. Needless to say, quality audio products shall ideally be demod, sold and supported by specialised local dealers being appointed by the distributor.