All,
I recently inserted some EWA components into my system and thought a review would be useful to some.
System prior to changes:
PS Audio P12 PowerPlant AC regenerator
Linn LP12 / Karousel / Radikal (Akurate) / Rubikon subchassis / Khan top plate / Chris Harban plinth
(Makore wood) / Naim ARO (with sKale counterweight) / DV XV-1s cartridge
Ryan Sound Lab phono stage (https://ryansoundlab.com/)
Mogami 2549 interconnects (1m)
Ryan Sound Lab preamp
Flashback RCA phono to XLR cable (1m)
Naim NAP250 power amp (olive, fully serviced)
NACA5 speaker cable (5m per side)
Dynaudio Excite X38 speakers on DIY plinths
All power cords are AV Options Cryo Tibia (Naim cords that have been cryoed)
The listening room is 20' x 13.5" and the speakers are set up firing down the long axis using the golden ratio method. The room is acoustically treated and also has a dedicated radial power supply with separate ground
Changes:
1. NAP 250 replaced by EWA M-50
2. Flashback RCA phono to XLR cable replaced by EWA IC-25 interconnect (1.2m)
3. NACA5 speaker cable (5m per side) replaced by EWA LS-25 (4m per side)
First of all, I must say that the service from Colin Wonfor and Alan Brown at EWA has been exemplary. I was able to talk to Alan and Colin by phone, and e-mails were answered promptly. I was initially deciding between the M-50 and M-100 amps, but Alan convinced me that in my room and with my system the M-50 would be all the amp I’d need. Also, Alan and Colin bent over backwards, forwards and sideways to solve a slight mains hum (through the speakers) from the M-50.
Compared to the NAP250 the EWA M-50 is a revelation.
From a Hi-Fi perspective:
a. Perceived extended frequency response at both ends of the spectrum.
b. In my system and room, the amp is easily the most neutral I’ve heard.
c. Extremely open sound stage (width, depth and height) with precise imaging.
d. More natural mid and high frequencies.
e. Incredibly tight and deep bass, - and I do mean incredibly tight.
f. Increased detail, attack and decay of notes, dynamics and timbre of instruments.
g. The M-50 makes even poor pressings sound very listenable, - and believe me, I have some stinkers.
From a musical perspective:
a. Easier to separate musical strands and juxtaposition of tunes and melodies.
b. Connection between listener and performers is increased.
c. Many more moments that give me goosebumps.
d. Simply a thoroughly enjoyable listen.
I won’t go into the effects of the LS-25 and IC-25 as that has been covered in other posts, but I will say that I agree with almost everything written.
Concluding comments:
Best regards,
Mark Dunn
I recently inserted some EWA components into my system and thought a review would be useful to some.
System prior to changes:
PS Audio P12 PowerPlant AC regenerator
Linn LP12 / Karousel / Radikal (Akurate) / Rubikon subchassis / Khan top plate / Chris Harban plinth
(Makore wood) / Naim ARO (with sKale counterweight) / DV XV-1s cartridge
Ryan Sound Lab phono stage (https://ryansoundlab.com/)
Mogami 2549 interconnects (1m)
Ryan Sound Lab preamp
Flashback RCA phono to XLR cable (1m)
Naim NAP250 power amp (olive, fully serviced)
NACA5 speaker cable (5m per side)
Dynaudio Excite X38 speakers on DIY plinths
All power cords are AV Options Cryo Tibia (Naim cords that have been cryoed)
The listening room is 20' x 13.5" and the speakers are set up firing down the long axis using the golden ratio method. The room is acoustically treated and also has a dedicated radial power supply with separate ground
Changes:
1. NAP 250 replaced by EWA M-50
2. Flashback RCA phono to XLR cable replaced by EWA IC-25 interconnect (1.2m)
3. NACA5 speaker cable (5m per side) replaced by EWA LS-25 (4m per side)
First of all, I must say that the service from Colin Wonfor and Alan Brown at EWA has been exemplary. I was able to talk to Alan and Colin by phone, and e-mails were answered promptly. I was initially deciding between the M-50 and M-100 amps, but Alan convinced me that in my room and with my system the M-50 would be all the amp I’d need. Also, Alan and Colin bent over backwards, forwards and sideways to solve a slight mains hum (through the speakers) from the M-50.
Compared to the NAP250 the EWA M-50 is a revelation.
From a Hi-Fi perspective:
a. Perceived extended frequency response at both ends of the spectrum.
b. In my system and room, the amp is easily the most neutral I’ve heard.
c. Extremely open sound stage (width, depth and height) with precise imaging.
d. More natural mid and high frequencies.
e. Incredibly tight and deep bass, - and I do mean incredibly tight.
f. Increased detail, attack and decay of notes, dynamics and timbre of instruments.
g. The M-50 makes even poor pressings sound very listenable, - and believe me, I have some stinkers.
From a musical perspective:
a. Easier to separate musical strands and juxtaposition of tunes and melodies.
b. Connection between listener and performers is increased.
c. Many more moments that give me goosebumps.
d. Simply a thoroughly enjoyable listen.
I won’t go into the effects of the LS-25 and IC-25 as that has been covered in other posts, but I will say that I agree with almost everything written.
Concluding comments:
- All of the EWA products mentioned are well built and well finished.
- Spurred by the improvements wrought by the items described above, a couple of days ago I replacedIC-25. In another thread Alan Brown commented that he thought the IC-25 were the cherry on thecake and not as big an improvement as changing to the LS series speaker cables. In my system I’d saythat’s a very large cherry.
- I have no affiliation with EWA apart from being a very satisfied customer.
- I’ve listened to many amplifiers from the cheap to the outrageously expensive. From what I can recall, some of the better ones sounded as neutral as the M-50 but somehow they didn’t inspire, - they sounded insipid and/or bland. The M-50 doesn’t fall into that trap, - it’s a toe-tapper.
- The threads on the LS-40 and LS-80 speaker cables have me wondering how much better they might be. I may be upgrading the LS-25 soon if money isn’t tight.
- If I had to sum up in one word what the EWA products have brought to my listening experience I’d say ‘Joy’. Lots and lots of extra joy from the music.
Best regards,
Mark Dunn