Sophia Electric > "Virginia, USA" - yeah sure ..

vtshopdog wrote:Too late.  Virginia USA called and hired me.  We are doubling the price of all products now that the prestigious Institute of Ionic Electroflux Purification has confirmed the efficacy of our patent pending technology with a very scientific study that cannot be released to the general public.

On the contrary - you should definitely release it to the general public as a "white paper".  You've obviously already mastered the arts of "Electroflux Purification" and the ceramic infusion of composite materials with great efficacy. Just make sure that your catalepticly catalyticly-purified ions are performed most judiciously in a quantum environment.

Jokes aside, the wiring shown in the review is both unprofessional and unsafe.  It's something I fully expect to see as a breadboarded test circuit on a DIY workbench. However, for this to exist in a product intended for consumer use is IMHO something approaching criminal.

This thread illustrates how the amp Mr. Samra described in post 21 began arcing at the base of one tube (or as the reviewer described it, "...the amp gasped me a little hiccup").  He's lucky that's all it did.  In the end, the owner walked away happy.  But considering he was out five G's from the start for what amounted to a substandard, breadboarded, ST-70 pseudo-clone in extruded aluminum jewelry - well, I'll put in with you guys that Bob's amps are a much better deal.

Mr. Zenith wrote:

vtshopdog wrote:Too late.  Virginia USA called and hired me.  We are doubling the price of all products now that the prestigious Institute of Ionic Electroflux Purification has confirmed the efficacy of our patent pending technology with a very scientific study that cannot be released to the general public.

On the contrary - you should definitely release it to the general public as a "white paper".  You've obviously already mastered the arts of "Electroflux Purification" and the ceramic infusion of composite materials with great efficacy. Just make sure that your catalepticly catalyticly-purified ions are performed most judiciously in a quantum environment.

Jokes aside, the wiring shown in the review is both unprofessional and unsafe.  It's something I fully expect to see as a breadboarded test circuit on a DIY workbench. However, for this to exist in a product intended for consumer use is IMHO something approaching criminal.

This thread illustrates how the amp Mr. Samra described in post 21 began arcing at the base of one tube (or as the reviewer described it, "...the amp gasped me a little hiccup").  He's lucky that's all it did.  In the end, the owner walked away happy.  But considering he was out five G's from the start for what amounted to a substandard, breadboarded, ST-70 pseudo-clone in extruded aluminum jewelry - well, I'll put in with you guys that Bob's amps are a much better deal.

To be fair,the owner got the amp for 3500 dollars but still,WAYYY OVER PRICED even at that. I made dramatic improvements with the upgrades in comparison to where we started,but for the price he paid was basically for the amp's physical architecture.

Mpfff....

Five (5) operating stereos, 4 at home, 1 at the summer house.
The makings of several more, but for speakers.
Probably two dozen (24) vintage tube radios in operational condition going from 1919 to 1964. About 1,500 tubes as spares.

In all that, I have one (1) Chinese tube (5AR4) that 'came with' a dumpster dive.
I have no equipment made in China.

That 5AR4 will remain the sole Chinese member of the collection excepting other 'come withs'.
I promise I will never purchase a piece of Chinese audio equipment.

The amp in question is for those with more money than brains, and, perhaps, tin ears - those more impressed by appearance, and noise than actual substance. And that is as far as I will go as that direction may be mistaken for politics. It is not.

pedrocols wrote:In this review the author says "Opening up the 126S chassis I saw a well laid out clutter free interior with point to point wiring." Click>> What a Joke

Illustrates the principle behind most audio "reviewing:" PAYOLA.

Below, with Bob's pictures scrubbed of any identifiers is the text of my note to Sophia. Their website has more than a few references to "knock-offs" and other problems they have been having - and it is also interesting to note that they sell transformers, tubes, speakers and other bits as well as fully completed amps and preamps.

Anyone here think I will get a reply?

And, we might all feel a bit liked smacked *ss*s if this turns out to be a knock-off.

I always believe in going to the source, if possible.


Where are your amplifiers manufactured, with specific reference to transformers and tubes?

And, are the images below a fair representation of an actual Sophia product?

Thanks in advance!

Peter Wieck

The "Enjoy The Music" review does not say how the magazine got its sample, but if typical of published audio reviews, it was a manufacturer loan (I can't imagine a maker of a counterfeit copy loaning one out!).  So we can assume that what they got is a typical production unit, or maybe one that has been thoroughly checked out by Sophia in (hopefully) Virginia prior to shipment.

And yet the wiring of the unit under test looks just as bad as the one shown in the photos at the start of this thread (see attached image)...unsupported wiring splices with shrink-tubing insulation, and all!

Unfortunately, Sophia's reply to Peter is as likely to be a fabrication or silence as anything else.

Maybe it's just me, but I smell some Chinese bashing going on here. Just thought I'd toss this in. BIG fan of the Maverick DACs ... made in China. They're well designed and built, and perform well above their price point. Love mine, and it's been bulletproof for years now.

Hasn't stopped me from popping the top though ... Tube rolling and upscale op amps and capacitors. Didn't really need it, but hey ... couldn't help myself. ;-}

Warning:
Don't be fooled by similar looking transformer devices. Claims by those selling "vintage" transformers are also selling you distortion under the name of flavor and limited bandwidth. We are confident that there is no other similar audio device that comes close to the build quality or measures up to sonic performance of Magik Box.

Bob...this is posted on their web page. And you know very well that if its on the internet it has to be true.

I wonder how many tubes this company sells at rediculously inflated prices. Based on the amp in this thread I'm going to guess that these so called audiophile quality tubes are glorified light bulbs.

vtshopdog wrote:You guys have it all wrong:

The black inner cover hiding the tiny transformer is made of proprietary Ferro-Electromagnetic-ionizing ceramic infused composite.  Combined with the special brushed Zirconium aluminum heat trapping outer tranny cover, ions produced by the inner cover catalyticly purify 99.76503% of all electrons passing through the precision transformer windings resulting in better depth, wider sound stage, more natural mid range and extremely clear but non fatiguing highs.  Impure, dirty electrons are the cause of dirty sound!!  

As with all Virginia USA amps, bass is tight, clean and non boomy.  (Unless, of course, you happen to prefer boomy bass, in which case one simply flips the special low damping inductor-flux switch located on top panel to "boom-bass" mode)


(My apologies:  Sitting in car on return drive from family trip with nothing better to do than type this blather ...)

(Virginia USA - if you need a copy writer I have about 4 more hours of drive left....)

Where is the "Like" button ???

vtshopdog wrote:You guys have it all wrong:

The black inner cover hiding the tiny transformer is made of proprietary Ferro-Electromagnetic-ionizing ceramic infused composite.  Combined with the special brushed Zirconium aluminum heat trapping outer tranny cover, ions produced by the inner cover catalyticly purify 99.76503% of all electrons passing through the precision transformer windings resulting in better depth, wider sound stage, more natural mid range and extremely clear but non fatiguing highs.  Impure, dirty electrons are the cause of dirty sound!!  

As with all Virginia USA amps, bass is tight, clean and non boomy.  (Unless, of course, you happen to prefer boomy bass, in which case one simply flips the special low damping inductor-flux switch located on top panel to "boom-bass" mode)


(My apologies:  Sitting in car on return drive from family trip with nothing better to do than type this blather ...)

(Virginia USA - if you need a copy writer I have about 4 more hours of drive left....)

It's a good thing only texting while driving and not replying to a thread while driving is against the law. :-)

Dogstar wrote:

It's a good thing only texting while driving and not replying to a thread while driving is against the law. :-)

Hey, I was riding in a top secret prototype Virginia USA self driving car (with a Bose sound system as the V-USA radio kept killing the engine)

If you send me $20 I promise to alert you anytime it is attempting to drive anywhere near your neighborhood - it's easy to recognize, just look for the big shiny 3/8" thick aluminum grill and massive custom wheels all powered by a 3 cylinder 2-stroke motor adapted from an early '50s Soviet tractor.

$5,995.00 now inflation I guess
https://sophiaelectric.com/products/pages-amp-magic126?variant=14533785092165

Obviously the word about Sophia needs to be restated from time to time. Hopefully the fellow will get over his disillusionment, and come back to purchase a better amp he can be sure of.

I cannot believe that a company making this kind of junk is still in business. Also, I have to commend myself for giving up years ago about relying on any of the 'expert' commentary that proliferates in the audio world. I have enough knowledge to be able to make good decisions for myself on audio equipment purchases. I know good build quality when I see it, and know what sounds good to me. Looking at the reviews for that multi thousand dollar junk just reinforces what I have come to believe. There's a lot of expert 'BS' out there. Paul Klipsch had it right when he wore that BS button under the lapel of his jacket when he attended audio product events.

I want to thank Bob and Roy for providing great quality products that are the best value in the audio world. I have been enjoying my M125's and SP-14 for a few years now. You guys didn't have to do this, and hope you know that you are appreciated by many of us. Thank you.

this entire thread is a good summary of my audio experience the past 20 years.
First of all, I've only seen one amp in my entire life where the wiring looked worse.
Possibly the photo is on this forum where Bob and I have posted the "worst spaghetti photos".
2nd, seriously, a 6U8 driver tube?? The circuit is a COPY of something someone else made in the 50s for $99.
Sure, they spend $500 more on a nice chassis and you can buy similar transformer covers on ebay for under $15 each.
But the whole mess, the "professional reviews" remind me of someone asking my advice about the Dynaco ST70 series 3
(yeah, the $3000 one that's not as good as what Bob sells here).
For any newbies, the reason our VTA ST70 amp kit is only $899 with tubes, is because we really only need to make $150 profit on it,
not $2000 profit, because of the same reasons the SP14 preamp is only $950 instead of $4950.
Don't get me started . . . !!!! TOO LATE . . . here . . . . some uncommon sense . . . .

VTA doesn't pay a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) $200,000 a year.
VTA doesn't pay a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) $125,000 a year.
VTA doesn't pay a VP of Marketing and Sales $125,000 a year.
VTA doesn't pay a Director of Human Resources $75,000 a year.
VTA doesn't pay for 4 Electronic Engineeers at $75,000 each a year ($300,000).
VTA doesn't pay for 20 electronic techs (worker bees) each at $45,000 a year ($900.000).
VTA doesn't pay $250,000 a year to rent a manufacturing warehouse
VTA doesn't spend $1 million a year on advertising (1000 sales = an exact $1000 added to the price of each product).