HEED LAMBDA & GAMMA

from AudioKeyREVEIWS! Magazine - Canada/English - Issue 2

HEED LAMBDA & GAMMA

psychedelia” in their own words. Their hazy, dreamy take on folk rock, Silvering, is their debut full length release after several EPs. It is quite simply a sonic trip with flanged and fuzzed out guitars, organ, mysterious melodies, and chanted choruses. The Heed stack made this 24 bit download come to life with three dimensional spacing between instruments, while the mind bending arrangements and fantastical lyrics and vocals, enhanced with plenty of reverb, were certainly far out.

of each album in 24/96 resolution. To say these were the definitive digital versions of these classic albums would be an understatement.

Tracks from “Still Life,” “Godbluff,” and the others were given new life, making overlooked subtle instrumental and vocal passages easy to enjoy. This music is avant-garde even 40 years later. The Heed amplification made complete sense of vocalist Peter Hamill and company’s strange and wonderful musical vision.

We of course also connected our Rega turntable and phono stage to the Heed preamp and spun vinyl extensively. The recent Blue Note all analog reissue of McCoy Tyner’s opus, The Real McCoy, was a thrill in every way. The Lambda and Gamma managed to get the pacing, texture, and overall gestalt of this recording just right. Tyner’s piano was beautifully presented, with the wooden overtones and percussive attacks perfectly preserved. The same goes for the legendary band. Ron Carter’s bass, Elvin Jones’s drums, and Joe Henderson’s tenor sax all had their own position in the mix, but it all came together as a cohesive sonic tapestry.

Delving into more far flung territory, boutique label We Want Sounds has produced two excellent reissues of legendary Egyptian guitarist Omar Korshid’s With Love and Giant + Guitar. The music is transcendental, with belly dance rhythms anchoring both Western and North African instruments, creating a bubbling stew of exotica. The Lambda and Gamma produced startling realism, with Korshid’s stratocaster lines navigating their way through the intoxicating arrangements. These albums brought home the fact that the Heed duo just made music fun to listen to.

CONCLUSION:

The Budapest designed and made Heed Thesis Lambda and Gamma preamplifer and power amplifier are sonically pure no nonsense components. They are for purists who want analog inputs and a high quality volume control on their preamps, and crave honest, transparent and meaty sound from their power amps. You get all that and more here. All in a nice tidy package, a manageable footprint, and built to a very high standard. Both Heed components ran cool to the touch, and the Lambda remote control was well laid out. We are hard pressed to think of separates at this price point that perform as well as the Heed Thesis components. The Gamma has more than enough power to drive the Spendor A2 speakers we used, and we loved the volume range available on the preamp. For those upgrading from an integrated amplifier and looking to delve into the world of separates, the Heed gets our highest recommendation and a HIGH NINES Award!