Tag Archives: Solid State
This AXPONA was simply essentially the most upbeat, finest organized, and nicely attended present outdoors Munich. But what actually made this 12 months’s occasion so heartening was the range of the attendees. The halls and exhibit rooms had been filled with younger individuals and {couples} in search of new methods to discover music. Fortunately, this present had loads of inexpensive merchandise for them to see and listen to, and with options and capabilities focusing on how they wish to entry music.
Here are my picks of essentially the most attention-grabbing new electronics on the present.
5 Most Significant New Products
PrimaLuna EVO 100 Phonostage
PrimaLuna, the corporate identified for delivering superb worth and excessive build-quality, has launched a “swing-for-the-fences,” all-tube phonostage with the EVO 100. Nearly all tube phonostages make use of a step-up transformer or transistor achieve stage on the enter earlier than the tube stage to maintain noise ranges low. Realizing 65dB or extra of achieve with simply tubes can lead to a poor signal-to-noise ratio. PrimaLuna has addressed this problem with a large all-tube energy provide that makes use of a pair of EL34s, a tube normally present in a power-amplifier output stage. The EVO 100’s tube complement contains 4 12AX7s within the entrance finish, a 6922 for extra moving-coil achieve, and a pair of 5AR4 tubes as rectifiers. The EVO 100 presents three achieve settings (52dB, 56dB, 60dB). The first manufacturing items simply began transport from distributor/retailer Upscale Audio. Price: $3695.
Aesthetix Pallena Preamplifier and Dione Power Amplifier
Aesthetix has a protracted historical past of constructing exceptionally musical merchandise, a practice continued within the new Pallena preamp and Dione energy amp. The Pallena is a totally balanced tube preamp with a switched-resistor quantity management primarily based on that of the Calypso preamp. An ideal characteristic is the flexibility to customise the Pallena to your wants or add functionality later. Specifically, you possibly can add an elective phono module with achieve and loading changes. These changes could be constructed from the entrance panel or distant management. A second module provides digital-to-analog conversion that helps as much as 384kHz/24-bit PCM and DSD64 and DSD128. The Pallena comes normal with a headphone amplifier, or you possibly can go for a totally discrete differential-input headphone amp. The modules are $1250 every.
The matching Dione energy amplifier is a hybrid design with a tube achieve stage and solid-stage output stage. The amplifier options zero suggestions and has differential balanced-bridged circuitry by means of the output stage. All inputs are supplied on each unbalanced and balanced jacks. The energy transformers are, unusually, wound in-house. Power output is rated at 160Wpc into 8 ohms and 320Wpc into 4 ohms.
The Pallena and Dione are priced at $6500 every and are a step up from the spectacularly nice Aesthetix Mimas built-in amplifier that’s Neil Gader’s reference.
Cabasse Abyss Amplifier
One of essentially the most outstanding demos at this AXPONA wasn’t with one of many present’s greatest methods, however with one in every of its smallest. French speaker maker Cabasse confirmed its Abyss “High-Resolution Connected Active Amplifier,” a 120Wpc built-in amplifier with built-in streaming. What’s particular concerning the Abyss is the DSP processing inside that may enormously enhance the sound of any speaker, most dramatically with fashions from Cabasse. The DSP means that you can inform the system the place your loudspeakers are positioned relative to room boundaries and the DSP will regulate the frequency response for smoother bass. You also can regulate the tonal stability with the integral tilt controls. But right here’s the most effective half: When used with a passive Cabasse speaker, the amplifier will interact a DSP program particular to that speaker to easy out response. The frequency profiles of a variety of Cabasse audio system are programmed into the Abyss; you simply choose which one to interact. The DSP filter has 30 bands, permitting for very exact adjustment. Non-Cabasse audio system profit from a generic DSP algorithm. In addition, the Abyss has a patented processing algorithm referred to as Dynamic Fidelity Enhancer (DFE) that analyzes the sign’s dynamics and degree in actual time and modifies the sign to revive the music’s dynamics and bass extension at low listening ranges. Price: $1795.
Naim NSC 222 Streaming Preamplifier, NAP 250 Power Amplifier, and NPX 300 Power Supply
Naim confirmed the brand new 200-Series, comprising the NSC 222 streaming preamplifier, NAP 250 energy amplifier, and NPX 300 energy provide. The NSC 222 options Naim’s personal streaming engine that helps each streaming platform, Internet Radio, UPnP servers, and can be Roon Ready. A front-panel show exhibits the album artwork. The new preamp is managed by the Naim App, which additionally supplies multi-room management over all of the Naim parts on the community. A high-quality headphone amplifier, inherited from the superb Uniti Atom Headphone Edition, is included. Price: $8999.
The NAP 250 energy amplifier carries the mannequin designation of an iconic Naim amplifier launched in 1975. This new sixth-generation mannequin is, after all, considerably up to date with the newest expertise and design. It advantages from some circuitry developed for Naim’s quarter-million-dollar Statement energy amplifier, together with discrete power-supply regulation and the similar transistors within the output stage. The NAP 250 outputs 100Wpc. Price: $8999.
Finally, the NPX 300 energy provide continues a long-held Naim custom of offering an improve path by means of a really high-quality energy provide in a separate chassis. The NPX is designed to enhance the efficiency of the NPX 222 by delivering exceptionally clear DC energy to the streaming preamplifier. Price: $8999. I’ve heard a number of demonstrations of Naim’s outboard energy provides, and the development in sound high quality was important every time. The three items within the 200-Series share similar styling for a unified look. They are additionally housed in superbly machined aluminum chassis with distinctive build-quality.
Balanced Audio Technology VK-80t
MoFi Distribution confirmed the brand new all-tube BAT VK-80t energy amplifier to rejoice BAT’s 25th anniversary. The VK-80t outputs 60Wpc from the high-current 6C33C-B output tube, the identical tube present in BAT’s flagship REX 3 energy amplifier. This tube has a better present capability that the 6550 discovered in lots of amplifiers. The enter stage is constructed round a 6H30 “SuperTube.” This new BAT could be operated as a stereo amplifier or a 120W monoblock. An auto-bias circuit simplifies possession. Available in black or silver. Deliveries of the $9995 unit start in Q2.
Auspicious Debuts
Air Tight ATC-7 Line Control Amplifier
The venerable Japanese artisanal producer debuted its reference linestage, the ATC-7 Line Control Amplifier. In growth since 2018, the ATC-7 is Air Tight’s assertion in linestages. The all-tube unit options three unbalanced and two balanced inputs, two pairs of 12AX7s, two pairs of 12AU7s, and a extremely superior new quantity management together with an modern energy provide. The styling harkens again to basic merchandise of the previous, with giant front-panel knobs slightly than a digital show. Much consideration was paid to the look and tactile really feel of the knobs; Air Tight wished to convey again the enjoyment of hands-on involvement in working an audio system on this age of touchscreens. In that spirit, the ATC-7 contains 4 separate changes for tonal stability, two for “Presence” and two marked “Bass Compensator.” These mean you can dial within the sound to your significantly loudspeakers, room, and style. The stability management is a pair of knobs (one for every channel) marked “Gain Trim.” As with all Air Tight merchandise, the ATC-7 is constructed by hand to the best normal.
Technics SU-GX70X Streaming Integrated Amplifier
Technics’ new SU-GX70X streaming amplifier is filled with a bunch of superior options. The amplifier is digital, which means it retains digital enter alerts within the digital area during the amplifier. Digital-to-analog conversion happens as a part of the switching output stage. The unit outputs 40Wpc into 8 ohms and 80Wpc into 4. It options Technics’ LAPC processing that “appears to be like” on the traits of the speaker the amplifier is driving and processes the sign to higher match the amplifier to the loudspeaker load. The SU-GX70X has two line inputs, mm phono, networking, Internet Radio, FM radio, Bluetooth, and each streaming service you possibly can think about. It additionally does DSD as much as 5.6MHz. An HDMI enter is included with Audio Return Channel (ARC) for straightforward integration with a TV. You can management the unit through the entrance panel, distant management, or app. Price: $1999, with availability starting in late July.
AVM CS 5.3 and CS 30.3 All-in-One, and PAS Preamplifier
Udo Besser of Germany’s AVM was available to indicate me the corporate’s new CS 5.3 all-in-one unit. The CS 5.3 is a community streaming amplifier with each streaming perform possible, HDMI enter for integrating with a TV, a phonostage with adjustable loading and achieve, and a whopping 330Wpc of Class D output energy. The CS 5.3 could be ordered as a hybrid unit with a tube enter stage at $12,800, or with a solid-state enter at $10,000.
If you don’t want that a lot energy, take into account the brand new CS 30.3 all-in-one, a part of the brand new 30.3 line that brings AVM’s expertise and build-quality to a cheaper price tier. The $5000 CS 30.3 is totally loaded functionally however presents 125Wpc of output energy. The 30.3 sequence comes with the identical superbly machined aluminum distant management as AVM’s high fashions.
If you have already got an influence amplifier and wish to add extra options to your system, AVM confirmed the PAS preamplifier, which is actually a CS 5.3 with out the facility amplification stage. Price: $8000 with tube enter stage.
All the AVM merchandise are supplied in black, silver, and chrome finishes, the latter carrying a small upcharge. Commendably, AVM has written its personal streaming engine software program and invested significantly in making a management app. I noticed a demo of the app and was enormously impressed by its energy, visible magnificence, and ease of use. The app has an ingenious graphic show for multi-room management of an AVM system with a number of parts all through the house.
Rotel Michi Series 2 Integrated Amplifiers and Preamplifier
After a protracted quiet spell, Rotel launched three formidable merchandise within the upscale Michi Series. The first of two built-in amplifiers is the Michi X3 Series 2. The X3 options greater than 90 element upgrades, ESS ES9028PRO DACs, and reengineered energy provides. This powerhouse delivers 350Wpc into 4 ohms and features a full complement of analog and digital inputs, in addition to an mm phonostage.
If you need much more energy, the Michi X5 Series 2 will present 600Wpc into 4 ohms thanks partially to twin, in-house-manufactured, shielded, low-noise toroidal transformers. The X5 additionally advantages from element upgrades and contains selectable mm or mc phono enter.
Finally, the Michi P5 Series 2 preamplifier options the ESS SABRE DAC tailored to “mono” mode for enhanced efficiency. It presents a full suite of analog and digital inputs together with MQA decoding, DSD as much as 4x, and mm and mc phono inputs. The X3 Series 2 is priced at $5799; the X5 is $7999; and the P5 is $4599. Availability begins in April.
WestminsterLab REI Class A Monoblock Amplifier and Quest Preamplifier
I noticed and heard an formidable new energy amplifier and preamplifier from an organization new to me, Hong Kong-based WestminsterLab. The compact amplifier, referred to as the REI, operates in Class A to ship 100W; but, the amplifier ran cool to the contact because of the VARI-BIAS expertise and heatsink design. The amplifier can double its output energy because the impedance is halved, all the way in which all the way down to 2 ohms. The direct-coupled, no-global-feedback circuitry is totally discrete and realized with hand-matched parts. The REI could be bridged for 400W. The minimalist industrial design is uncommon and delightful, realized with CNC-machined aluminum and carbon fiber. The matching Quest preamplifier is equally tweaky, with a dual-mono totally balanced design and a discrete stepped attenuator. Prices: $32,900 per pair for the REI, and $25,100 for the Quest preamplifier. WestminsterLabs merchandise are distributed by HearThis in Newport Beach, California.
SoTM sPQ-100 Phonostage
Korea’s SoTM, maker of dozens of high-tech digital parts for community streaming, launched its first phonostage, the sPQ-100. Housed in SoTM’s acquainted wedge-shaped chassis, the sPQ-100 presents banks of DIP switches for high-quality changes of the equalization curve. One place on every change is marked “RIAA” for setting the unit to accurately equalize for the worldwide normal. No pricing was introduced, however the sPQ-100 is predicted to promote for about $800 plus the price of one of many outboard energy provides supplied by SoTM.
Mola Mola Lupe Phonostage and Perca Stereo Amplifier
The acclaimed phonostage constructed into Mola Mola’s Makua preamplifier has now been become a stand-alone unit with its personal energy provide. The new Lupe options three single-ended inputs and one balanced enter, balanced and single-ended output, and a subsonic filter, all housed in a half-sized chassis. Unusually, the mm and mc levels are utterly separate; in most phonostages the mc sign merely goes by means of a further achieve stage. Any of the 4 inputs could be routed to the output to accommodate turntables with a number of tonearms. Price: $9850.
Mola Mola additionally confirmed a brand new stereo energy amplifier, the Perca. It delivers 150Wpc into 8 ohms and may double that score into 4 ohms. Price: $9850.
Leak Stereo 230 Integrated Amplifier
Talk a few legendary title from the previous. Leak confirmed, by means of its U.S. distributor MoFi Distribution, the brand new Stereo 230 built-in amp. The unit options mid-century-modern styling together with a brand new DAC part that gives full MQA decoding, DSD512, and decoding of any PCM sign. An HDMI enter with Audio Return Channel (ARC) permits the 230 to breed tv sound. An mm phonostage and devoted headphone amplifier are included. The 230 is Roon examined, however certification is pending. Power output is 75Wpc into 8 ohms, and 110Wpc into 4 ohms. Price: $1695
Robert Harley’s Best of Show
Best Sound (value no object)
I’ll title three methods, in no specific order.
Axiss Audio’s demo of the Gauder Akustik DARC 200 loudspeaker pushed by Soulution electronics with a Transrotor turntable and Air Tight Opus One cartridge. Spectacular dynamics, hard-hitting bass, fast, clear, non-fatiguing, and simply plain musical.
The Acora Acoustics VRC loudspeaker ($218,000) pushed by VAC Statement electronics sourced by an Oracle Delphi Reference turntable and cabled with Cardas all through. The sense of presence and immediacy was beautiful, as was the large three-dimensional soundstage.
MBL’s lately upgraded 101 Mk.II loudspeaker pushed by all-MBL entrance finish and electronics delivered the standard dose of MBL virtues—a shocking sense of lifelike presence, top-to-bottom coherence, enormous soundstage, and great bass extension and impression. Because of the 101’s omnidirectional nature each seat in the home was within the candy spot.
Best Sound (for the cash)
The Cabasse Rialto energetic loudspeaker. This small dice combines a concentric forward-facing driver with a rear-firing woofer, integral amplification, streaming, and even DSP room correction. You’ve heard the expression, “Just add audio system.” The Realto is, “Just add music.” The sound was stunningly nice for $4000 a pair. As a showgoer stated, “It’s scary good.” I couldn’t agree extra.
Most Significant Product Introduction
Magico S3. This new $45k speaker brings the sonic qualities of Magico’s flagship merchandise to its less expensive fashions. I’d have thought I used to be listening to one in every of Magico’s M-Series audio system.
Most Significant Trend
Great enhancements in app-based consumer interfaces. Once crude and clumsy, the most effective interfaces are quickly turning into slick and highly effective. Examples: Server-maker Innuos’ spectacular customized music-management system and AVM’s app management of its all-in-one methods with multiroom functionality. That form of software program growth is extraordinarily costly however delivers a superior buyer expertise.
Most Coveted Product
The Hill Plasmatronics plasma tweeter. Dr. Alan Hill, the physicist who invented the plasma tweeter 40 years in the past, was available to witness the primary public show of his driver in 4 a long time. The plasma driver, which has no diaphragm and thus no shifting mass, was paired with an Eminent Technology LFT-8c, crossed over at 1kHz. The sound was extremely lifelike and easy—essentially the most pure and sensible replica of upper-midrange and treble I’ve ever heard. Thanks to Tony Salsich, Joe Galanti, and Ron Hoering for spending the time, effort, and expense to showcase this outstanding expertise and landmark piece of high-end historical past.
The submit The 2023 AXPONA Show: Robert Harley on Electronics appeared first on The Absolute Sound.
Very often, buying a part is the hardest a part of writing the evaluate. Usually, that isn’t the case. Most instances, one cellphone name to the appropriate individual at a producer or distributor will begin a evaluate in movement, with the part arriving at an agreed-upon time. But with Topping issues haven’t been really easy. Unlike most producers who’re based mostly in international locations apart from the United States, Topping has no U.S. distributor. Instead, all Topping merchandise are shipped straight from China through DHL; the corporate has no bodily presence within the U.S. Instead, it depends on Internet retailers resembling Amazon and Apos Audio to deal with U.S. gross sales. So, as a substitute of sending out evaluate samples, Topping assigns that process to its retailers. And whereas my contact at Apos Audio assured me a number of instances that I used to be “on the record” to obtain a Topping LA90, after many emails forwards and backwards over greater than a month, I used to be nonetheless no nearer to getting a unit in my arms for evaluate. That’s what occurs when there are too few evaluate samples on the market on the planet.
I can rely on one hand the variety of instances I’ve bought a part earlier than I accomplished writing and delivering a evaluate. The Topping DA90 SE was the primary in various years. I additionally broke down and bought the primary of the 2 Topping LA90s I’ve in my possession. (Why two? Read on.)
It was an impulse buy. I used to be perusing The Music Room’s choices (it’s a web based retailer which makes a speciality of used and refurbished high-performance audio), and I got here throughout a “like-new” Topping LA90 for $794. Out of curiosity I went to the Apos web site to see what the present new value was. At this level, I used to be shocked when Apos Audio’s price-match AI introduced me with a value of $804 as a substitute of the standard new value of $899. So…I purchased it. Five days later it arrived.
After a few days listening to it in my nearfield system, I contacted Apos Audio to see if Topping provided an business lodging for a second LA90 and its PRE90. They did. But in contrast to corporations that use brick-and-mortar retailers, Topping’s pricing doesn’t permit for the standard 40% or 50% low cost off record value. They provided a 15% low cost. I took it. A second LA90 and a PRE90 arrived every week later.
The Question of Reviewer Bias
All my readers are human (I hope), and as people all of us have our private biases. As a reviewer I’m nicely conscious of my very own predilections. In the introductory video I did lately for The Absolute Sound’s YouTube channel, I enumerated a number of of them. Another bias I need to acknowledge is that I’ve a distinct degree of attachment to and affection for elements I personal versus ones which were loaned for evaluate. It’s the primordial mine versus not-mine, I suppose…and since I do know myself nicely sufficient to acknowledge my inclination, I counter it by being much more vital of elements I personal than of ones which can be loaned for evaluate. Does that degree the taking part in area? Maybe, however be forewarned that I’ll take some additional house to notice all the LA90’s potential shortcomings.
Tech Tour
The Topping LA90 amplifier ranks as distinctive for a number of causes. The first purpose it’s particular is that in contrast to most new energy amplifier designs from China and elsewhere, the LA90 is an Old School Class AB linear amp as a substitute of a Class D or different digital variation thereof. Given its extraordinary specs, I inquired in regards to the nature of the design when it comes to suggestions. The response from Topping’s design workforce (routed via Apos Audio) was that “the suggestions construction is just like [that of] our headphone amplifiers. The S/N determine is obtained via cautious designs of energy provide, resistor selections, and different fundamentals of design goodness.” Well, okay, then…
The LA90 has extra changes than your run-of-the-mill energy amplifier. You can change the acquire from 9.5dB to 19.5dB through a change on the again of the amplifier. This change places a resistor in entrance of the principle amplifier stage. Why would you wish to decrease the acquire? Depending in your preamplifier’s acquire, chances are you’ll discover that the decrease acquire places the preamplifier’s output right into a extra linear area.
Even 19.5dB of acquire is on the low aspect for an influence amplifier. Most are inclined to hover round 26dB, and a few just like the Clones Audio 25P ship 30dB of acquire. When you couple the acquire with the facility output, which relying on whose numbers you employ sits between 50 and 60 watts per channel in stereo into 8 ohms, you might have what most would contemplate a lower-power amplifier, particularly when in comparison with the facility amplifier choices from Krell or Boulder.
One solution to get the LA90 as much as a extra respectable energy output is to transform it from a stereo amplifier right into a mono amplifier; each channels will be bridged collectively to make an amplifier able to 180 watts into 8 ohms, based on producer’s specs. Now you might have two mono energy amplifiers able to driving most medium-sensitivity loudspeakers efficiently.
Inexpensive elements (something underneath $1000) normally come within the equal of a plain brown wrapper—an oblong black or silver-metal mission field. The LA90 avoids that pitfall. Its chassis is made of 5 separate CNC-machined aluminum sections (they don’t name it billet aluminum although, like billet, it’s machined reasonably than forged), designed to permit for max thermal movement, in order that as a substitute of a fan or strong high-mass heatsinks, the LA90 makes use of slotted warmth fins that permit for air movement in a means that strong heatsinks can’t.
Topping could be very a lot a “numbers store,” by which I imply it prides itself on the excellent specs its merchandise ship. Even its least costly DAC has numbers any high-end producer would envy. The LA90 boasts a complete harmonic distortion and noise (THD+N) of 0.00008% at 20 watts into 4 ohms. Count these zeros…that’s greater than fairly good. Between its THD+N and printed sign to noise (S/N) of 143dB in mono mode, you might have an amplifier that ranks up with the easiest energy amplifier specs, such because the Benchmark ABH-2.
Setup and Ergonomics
As I famous within the technical tour, the LA90 can be utilized a number of other ways. I’ve tried all of them. First, I put in the LA90 in my nearfield laptop desktop system as an built-in amplifier, with the quantity management each out and in of the circuit. Used as a stereo amplifier the LA90 had no bother efficiently driving Audience 1+1 and Falcon LS 3/5A loudspeakers in my reference nearfield system. With extra power-hungry transducers, such because the ATC SC-7 II, the LA90’s 50 watts had been barely lower than what was wanted. But when two LA90 amplifiers had been used on the ATCs in a nearfield setup, there was sufficient present to energy the SC-7 IIs properly.
When used inside arm’s attain as a desktop built-in amplifier, the LA90’s lack of a distant management gained’t be an excessive amount of of an inconvenience. But if you wish to use the LA90 as an built-in amplifier in a room-based system, the absence of a distant may provide you with some further train. (When used as a fundamental energy amplifier with the quantity disabled, the distant was, clearly, not a difficulty.)
When it comes time to modify the LA90 from stereo to monoblock, along with shifting a change you will need to connect a jumper cable between one pair of the amplifier’s speaker outputs. The equipped cable suits tightly, which is nice, however its inflexible strain-relief collars need to be rigorously angled in order that the cable doesn’t both stick up in a means that partially blocks different cables or all the way down to contact the shelf floor underneath the amplifier.
Another ergonomic quirk: The LA90 amplifiers in mono mode can get sizzling and are higher off positioned with as a lot house as potential round them. That’s as a result of they depend on thermal cooling methods to direct air laterally via their chassis. If you will need to put them aspect by aspect, I counsel leaving open house round them and elevating them on footers to permit airflow underneath the amplifiers to cut back inner temperatures.
The exterior energy provide for the LA90 is sort of as heavy because the LA90 itself. It’s a beefy 64 volts and 4 amps. It additionally will get heat throughout operation. Its AC energy cable employs a easy two-prong/figure-8 connection. And whereas you may get some beefy AC cables with that termination, they don’t seem to be as widespread as the standard IEC variety. I used the inventory AC cords, which had been lengthy sufficient to maintain the facility provide away from some other cables and in a well-ventilated spot. I do know that for some people the thought of an exterior PS reasonably than an inner one is “cheaping out,” however given the LA90’s thermal design I can’t assist however really feel that placing the facility provide in a bigger chassis with the remainder of the amplifier would have merely elevated the value and decreased the amplifier’s efficiency.
I exploit balanced cables every time potential, so I had no points with the LA90’s all-balanced enter configuration. But if in case you have already invested in some high-quality single-ended RCA cables, you might have to get some RCA-to-XLR or RCA-to-TRS adapters to interface with the LA90.
Even when the amp is in bridged mono mode, you may, if you want, have the quantity management within the circuit. While it’s comparatively unusual to see a quantity management on most energy amplifiers bought within the U.S., my expertise with Ali Express-sourced energy amplifiers is that together with a quantity management (normally an Alps Blue Velvet) on a fundamental energy amplifier is widespread in China. If you propose to run an over/underneath amplifier setup with one LA90 amp set in mono on every tweeter and an even bigger stereo or mono energy amplifier on the midrange/woofers (in a two-way system with separate speaker connections for the tweeter and midrange/woofer), with the ability to modify the LA90’s output would make it simple to stability the degrees between radically completely different gain-level amplifiers, if wanted.
Sound
My present energy amplifier choices embrace a number of Class A Hood-based designs, a Pass 150.8 class A/B, Texas Instrument chip amps from LSA and Clones Audio, in addition to a number of different Class D amps utilizing Sanyo chips or ICE modules, however nothing in my assortment sounds fairly just like the Topping LA90. It is just probably the most sonically invisible energy amplifier I’ve heard and comes closest to the perfect of a straight wire with acquire.
Even with my most delicate loudspeakers, a pair of 93dB Omega single-driver prototypes, the Topping’s base noise degree is so imperceptible that even with my ears practically imbedded within the driver I hear no sound in anyway, with no distinction between the sound of the amplifier when turned on or off. Nothing. You’re most likely pondering: “Big woo! I can get the identical end result with my XXXX amp and my XXX audio system.” But, belief me, it’s not the identical. The LA90 disappears extra fully than any amplifier I’ve ever heard earlier than. By disappearing, I imply that it appears there may be much less of a way of “amplifier” affecting the sound. Instead, the music is introduced in a means that appears like a extra direct connection between the supply and my ears.
I’ve a quiet listening room. It measures solely 35dB on my sound-pressure meter in A-weighted mode. In the previous I’ve rejected some very advantageous gear as a result of it was merely not quiet sufficient for my room. The LA90, even in high-gain mode (which was the way it was used, besides when put in in a nearfield setup), added completely no further noise, and when coupled to the Schiit Freya S in passive mode, I may flip up the quantity controls to most and nonetheless hear completely nothing via the Spatial X-2 loudspeakers (86dB sensitivity) even with my ear an inch away from the tweeter. If it wasn’t for the LA90’s front-panel LED, I wouldn’t have recognized it was turned on!
Ranking probably the most spectacular features to the LA90’s sound, the primary must be the extra ease in listening. The lack of low-level noise imbues your entire soundstage with a quieter background than I’m accustomed to listening to, even with quiet amplifiers just like the Pass 150.8, which solely produce the slightest hiss (you have to put your ear extraordinarily near the tweeter to listen to it). There had been a number of heretofore-undecipherable throwaway traces within the background of some Billie Eilish’s singles that I hearken to recurrently. Through the LA90 I may make out phrases that even via headphones had beforehand been a blur. Was I shocked? You wager.
The second most spectacular sonic attribute was the LA90’s readability all through its frequency vary. Even within the decrease midrange and higher bass, which normally have probably the most points with homogenization, sluggishness, and murkiness, via the LA90 these frequencies had a degree of element and lack of constriction that made music refreshingly simple to listen to and decipher.
In his current evaluate of the Pear Blue Audio Odar turntable, Robert Greene writes: “As it occurs, that is true about audio typically. Low-distortion electronics additionally sound non-aggressive inside a given bandwidth.” I agree. While nonetheless lightning quick, the LA90’s higher frequencies don’t get laborious or brittle even throughout dynamic peaks. I observed this clearly by myself stay recordings. The violins and brass throughout fff passages of my recording of Mahler’s Third Symphony from Mahlerfest 2013 (co-recorded with Jerry Bruck of Posthorn Recordings) remained musical even throughout massed dynamic peaks. Flutes and piccolos had been candy reasonably than piercing.
This Mahler recording additionally demonstrated the extraordinarily correct picture placement inside the soundstage. Not solely was lateral placement exact, however the layering of devices, with the brass barely greater (they had been on risers) and farther again on the stage, was simple to listen to. The LA90 does the 3D factor (on recordings that comprise the spatial data) in addition to any solid-state Class AB amplifier I’ve heard.
Vocals via the LA90 have a exceptional readability coupled with pure heat. The Punch Brothers’ newest launch Hell on Church Street has a tune referred to as “Orphan Annie.” After an acoustic bass introduction that captures the essence of acoustic bass tonality, Chris Thile’s vocals start. Through the LA90/Spatial X-2/JL Audio Fathom f112 system, the sound of his voice had an arrestingly sensible character. I’ve been round Chris at workshops and jams, so I do know what his voice appears like; this recording, via this method, had a degree of veracity that might, in J. Gordon Holt’s phrases, “produce goosebumps.” Also, in the event you hear in a quiet room, you may even hear the rustling of clothes because the musicians transfer across the microphone.
Although I exploit a pair of JL Audio f112 subwoofers with the Spatial X-2 loudspeakers, I’ve the system arrange in order that the Spatial X-2s obtain a full-range sign with none crossover truncating their low frequencies. Turning off the JL subs let me hear how the LA90 was supporting the bass. Again, I used to be struck by the readability, particularly within the midbass area, the place the low ranges of synthesizers mixed with guitars and keyboards compete and battle on many pop releases. On Finneas’ “Partners in Crime” from Blood Harmony, the fluttery synth half had a degree of texture and inside element that was simple to luxuriate in.
I like Finneas. On his Optimist album, “the 90s” just isn’t solely an ideal tune, but in addition a torture take a look at of how nicely a system can reproduce the sound of distortion. At 2:10, what sounds virtually like a sawtooth waveform on the synthesizer begins. Distortion as percussion. As the distortion builds, on some methods the sound will get more and more foggy and obscure. Through the LA90 the distortion sounds clear. What? Even as Finneas provides further layers of distortion, every layer retains its personal identification as a substitute of merging right into a miasmic entire. At 2:53, the distortion halts abruptly, and Finneas solo voice begins, bringing a soothing feeling of calm to the combination.
Competition
Yes, I notice that selecting an influence amplifier isn’t the identical as a horse race. Or is it? At a sure level it does come all the way down to: “What can I get for the way a lot?” For the value of 1 LA90 you may get one Schiit Audio Vidar ($799), which can be a Class AB solid-state amplifier that may be bridged for mono. It has double the facility of the LA90 at 100 watts into 8 ohms, however not fairly pretty much as good SNR determine at 115dB down. If you wish to devour extra power, have much less energy, worse specs, however get that Class A sonic character, Schiit additionally presents the Aegir ($899), which is a Class A model of the Vidar.
If we have a look at what’s within the value vary of two LA90s ($1798), the competitors will increase. The LSA Warp One amplifier I reviewed in Issue 331 lists for $1495. It has fully completely different topology, being a Texas Instrument switching energy amplifier, however it shares the LA90’s variable-gain function, providing 4 completely different acquire choices through DIP switches. The Warp One additionally presents each single-ended RCA and balanced XLR inputs. In phrases of sonic variations, each are exceedingly clear and detailed, however compared the LA90 delivers a barely hotter higher bass and decrease midrange with some loudspeakers, such because the Falcon LS35/A. Both amps had wonderful low-level element and general readability, to the purpose the place the winner in a sonic shoot-out would rely extra on how a specific loudspeaker interacted with every amplifier reasonably than variations in intrinsic sonic character.
Although in a very completely different value class from the LA90, the Pass 150.8 ($7500), has been my major reference amplifier driving the Spatial X-2 loudspeakers. When I first attached two LA90s, I puzzled whether or not the mix could be in the identical league in general sonic high quality with the Pass Labs amplifier. While the 2 amplifiers had related ranges of element and soundstage capabilities, the Pass had extra grunt and a better sense of energy in reserve.
Although I not have it to match on to the LA90, the Benchmark ABH-2 ($2999) shared some sonic similarities with the LA90. The ABH-2 was equally quiet and equally good at inserting devices precisely within the soundstage’s lateral aircraft, however I don’t suppose the ABH-2 had the identical degree of depth recreation or fairly the identical degree of low-level decision. Through the LA90 I felt listening into the combination was simply simpler and my engagement degree deeper.
Summary
More instances than even I can keep in mind, I’ve learn audio part evaluations which conclude with “I purchased it!” This is normally the ultimate coup in most evaluations, exhibiting that the product was so good even the reviewer couldn’t resist it (at a 40% to 50% low cost). That’s not going to occur right here. This form of “large reveal” has already had its balloon popped within the third paragraph.
For most of my energy amplifier wants, one or two LA90s have been virtually ultimate. Obviously, I do plan to maintain the pair of LA90 energy amplifiers I already personal, and maybe, as time passes and so they turn out to be extra out there on the secondary market, I’d even decide up one other one or two, simply because….
If you might have mid- to high-efficiency loudspeakers that you simply love, chances are you’ll discover the LA90 to be a great energy or built-in amplifier in your system, too. I can simply see a single LA90 because the “summer time amp” in high-efficiency horn methods. I’d not advocate that house owners of 2-ohm Apogee Scintillas or Theil CS3.5s, or if in case you have a big room with solely reasonably environment friendly audio system, run out and purchase a pair. Some loudspeakers merely want extra energy than even two LA90s can provide.
But until you might have a good friend who has already bought an LA90, your possibilities of listening to one or attempting one out before you purchase are just about nil. If you might be intrigued by the LA90’s potential, you’re going to need to take a leap of religion (with a 45-day return window from Apos or 30-day from Amazon) and purchase earlier than you strive, identical to I did. So, whereas I’d normally end a evaluate by recommending you hear a product for your self, that’s going to be tough with the LA90. However, in the event you’re feeling fortunate (just like the signature dialog from the movie The Mask), I encourage you to take a leap of religion and provides the LA90 a strive. I critically doubt you’ll be disenchanted by its capabilities or efficiency.
Specs & Pricing
Type: Solid-state Class AB amplifier
Output energy: 50Wpc into 8 ohms stereo, 180W into 8 ohms mono
Inputs: Three XLR/TRA inputs
Output impedance: <3 ohms
Dimensions: 20.5 x 22 x 9cm
Weight: 2.7 kg
Price: $899
The publish Topping LA90 Power Amplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.
Very sometimes, buying a element is the hardest a part of writing the overview. Usually, that’s not the case. Most instances, one telephone name to the suitable particular person at a producer or distributor will begin a overview in movement, with the element arriving at an agreed-upon time. But with Topping issues haven’t been really easy. Unlike most producers who’re primarily based in nations apart from the United States, Topping has no U.S. distributor. Instead, all Topping merchandise are shipped straight from China through DHL; the corporate has no bodily presence within the U.S. Instead, it depends on Internet retailers similar to Amazon and Apos Audio to deal with U.S. gross sales. So, as an alternative of sending out overview samples, Topping assigns that job to its retailers. And whereas my contact at Apos Audio assured me a number of instances that I used to be “on the listing” to obtain a Topping LA90, after many emails forwards and backwards over greater than a month, I used to be nonetheless no nearer to getting a unit in my arms for overview. That’s what occurs when there are too few overview samples on the market on the earth.
I can depend on one hand the variety of instances I’ve bought a element earlier than I accomplished writing and delivering a overview. The Topping DA90 SE was the primary in a lot of years. I additionally broke down and bought the primary of the 2 Topping LA90s I’ve in my possession. (Why two? Read on.)
It was an impulse buy. I used to be perusing The Music Room’s choices (it’s a web-based retailer which makes a speciality of used and refurbished high-performance audio), and I got here throughout a “like-new” Topping LA90 for $794. Out of curiosity I went to the Apos web site to see what the present new value was. At this level, I used to be stunned when Apos Audio’s price-match AI introduced me with a value of $804 as an alternative of the same old new value of $899. So…I purchased it. Five days later it arrived.
After a few days listening to it in my nearfield system, I contacted Apos Audio to see if Topping provided an business lodging for a second LA90 and its PRE90. They did. But in contrast to corporations that use brick-and-mortar retailers, Topping’s pricing doesn’t enable for the same old 40% or 50% low cost off listing value. They provided a 15% low cost. I took it. A second LA90 and a PRE90 arrived every week later.
The Question of Reviewer Bias
All my readers are human (I hope), and as people all of us have our private biases. As a reviewer I’m effectively conscious of my very own predilections. In the introductory video I did just lately for The Absolute Sound’s YouTube channel, I enumerated a number of of them. Another bias I have to acknowledge is that I’ve a distinct stage of attachment to and affection for elements I personal versus ones which were loaned for overview. It’s the primordial mine versus not-mine, I suppose…and since I do know myself effectively sufficient to acknowledge my inclination, I counter it by being much more important of elements I personal than of ones which might be loaned for overview. Does that stage the enjoying discipline? Maybe, however be forewarned that I’ll take some additional area to notice all the LA90’s potential shortcomings.
Tech Tour
The Topping LA90 amplifier ranks as distinctive for a number of causes. The first motive it’s particular is that in contrast to most new energy amplifier designs from China and elsewhere, the LA90 is an Old School Class AB linear amp as an alternative of a Class D or different digital variation thereof. Given its extraordinary specs, I inquired concerning the nature of the design by way of suggestions. The response from Topping’s design staff (routed by way of Apos Audio) was that “the suggestions construction is just like [that of] our headphone amplifiers. The S/N determine is obtained by way of cautious designs of energy provide, resistor selections, and different fundamentals of design goodness.” Well, okay, then…
The LA90 has extra changes than your run-of-the-mill energy amplifier. You can change the achieve from 9.5dB to 19.5dB through a change on the again of the amplifier. This change places a resistor in entrance of the primary amplifier stage. Why would you need to decrease the achieve? Depending in your preamplifier’s achieve, you might discover that the decrease achieve places the preamplifier’s output right into a extra linear area.
Even 19.5dB of achieve is on the low facet for an influence amplifier. Most are likely to hover round 26dB, and a few just like the Clones Audio 25P ship 30dB of achieve. When you couple the achieve with the ability output, which relying on whose numbers you employ sits between 50 and 60 watts per channel in stereo into 8 ohms, you’ve got what most would contemplate a lower-power amplifier, particularly when in comparison with the ability amplifier choices from Krell or Boulder.
One solution to get the LA90 as much as a extra respectable energy output is to transform it from a stereo amplifier right into a mono amplifier; each channels might be bridged collectively to make an amplifier able to 180 watts into 8 ohms, in keeping with producer’s specs. Now you’ve got two mono energy amplifiers able to driving most medium-sensitivity loudspeakers efficiently.
Inexpensive elements (something underneath $1000) normally come within the equal of a plain brown wrapper—an oblong black or silver-metal mission field. The LA90 avoids that pitfall. Its chassis is made of 5 separate CNC-machined aluminum sections (they don’t name it billet aluminum regardless that, like billet, it’s machined reasonably than forged), designed to permit for max thermal circulation, in order that as an alternative of a fan or stable high-mass heatsinks, the LA90 makes use of slotted warmth fins that enable for air circulation in a manner that stable heatsinks can’t.
Topping may be very a lot a “numbers store,” by which I imply it prides itself on the excellent specs its merchandise ship. Even its least costly DAC has numbers any high-end producer would envy. The LA90 boasts a complete harmonic distortion and noise (THD+N) of 0.00008% at 20 watts into 4 ohms. Count these zeros…that’s greater than fairly good. Between its THD+N and revealed sign to noise (S/N) of 143dB in mono mode, you’ve got an amplifier that ranks up with the easiest energy amplifier specs, such because the Benchmark ABH-2.
Setup and Ergonomics
As I famous within the technical tour, the LA90 can be utilized a number of alternative ways. I’ve tried all of them. First, I put in the LA90 in my nearfield pc desktop system as an built-in amplifier, with the amount management each out and in of the circuit. Used as a stereo amplifier the LA90 had no hassle efficiently driving Audience 1+1 and Falcon LS 3/5A loudspeakers in my reference nearfield system. With extra power-hungry transducers, such because the ATC SC-7 II, the LA90’s 50 watts had been barely lower than what was wanted. But when two LA90 amplifiers had been used on the ATCs in a nearfield setup, there was sufficient present to energy the SC-7 IIs properly.
When used inside arm’s attain as a desktop built-in amplifier, the LA90’s lack of a distant management gained’t be an excessive amount of of an inconvenience. But if you wish to use the LA90 as an built-in amplifier in a room-based system, the absence of a distant may offer you some further train. (When used as a primary energy amplifier with the amount disabled, the distant was, clearly, not a problem.)
When it comes time to change the LA90 from stereo to monoblock, along with shifting a change you need to connect a jumper cable between one pair of the amplifier’s speaker outputs. The provided cable matches tightly, which is nice, however its inflexible strain-relief collars must be rigorously angled in order that the cable doesn’t both stick up in a manner that partially blocks different cables or all the way down to contact the shelf floor underneath the amplifier.
Another ergonomic quirk: The LA90 amplifiers in mono mode can get sizzling and are higher off positioned with as a lot area as attainable round them. That’s as a result of they depend on thermal cooling programs to direct air laterally by way of their chassis. If you need to put them facet by facet, I counsel leaving open area round them and elevating them on footers to permit airflow underneath the amplifiers to scale back inner temperatures.
The exterior energy provide for the LA90 is nearly as heavy because the LA90 itself. It’s a beefy 64 volts and 4 amps. It additionally will get heat throughout operation. Its AC energy cable employs a easy two-prong/figure-8 connection. And whereas you may get some beefy AC cables with that termination, they aren’t as frequent as the same old IEC type. I used the inventory AC cords, which had been lengthy sufficient to maintain the ability provide away from some other cables and in a well-ventilated spot. I do know that for some of us the concept of an exterior PS reasonably than an inner one is “cheaping out,” however given the LA90’s thermal design I can’t assist however really feel that placing the ability provide in a bigger chassis with the remainder of the amplifier would have merely elevated the worth and decreased the amplifier’s efficiency.
I take advantage of balanced cables at any time when attainable, so I had no points with the LA90’s all-balanced enter configuration. But in case you have already invested in some high-quality single-ended RCA cables, you might have to get some RCA-to-XLR or RCA-to-TRS adapters to interface with the LA90.
Even when the amp is in bridged mono mode, you may, if you want, have the amount management within the circuit. While it’s comparatively unusual to see a quantity management on most energy amplifiers bought within the U.S., my expertise with Ali Express-sourced energy amplifiers is that together with a quantity management (normally an Alps Blue Velvet) on a primary energy amplifier is frequent in China. If you propose to run an over/underneath amplifier setup with one LA90 amp set in mono on every tweeter and a much bigger stereo or mono energy amplifier on the midrange/woofers (in a two-way system with separate speaker connections for the tweeter and midrange/woofer), with the ability to regulate the LA90’s output would make it simple to stability the degrees between radically completely different gain-level amplifiers, if wanted.
Sound
My present energy amplifier choices embrace a number of Class A Hood-based designs, a Pass 150.8 class A/B, Texas Instrument chip amps from LSA and Clones Audio, in addition to a number of different Class D amps utilizing Sanyo chips or ICE modules, however nothing in my assortment sounds fairly just like the Topping LA90. It is solely probably the most sonically invisible energy amplifier I’ve heard and comes closest to the best of a straight wire with achieve.
Even with my most delicate loudspeakers, a pair of 93dB Omega single-driver prototypes, the Topping’s base noise stage is so imperceptible that even with my ears almost imbedded within the driver I hear no sound in anyway, with no distinction between the sound of the amplifier when turned on or off. Nothing. You’re most likely considering: “Big woo! I can get the identical end result with my XXXX amp and my XXX audio system.” But, belief me, it’s not the identical. The LA90 disappears extra fully than any amplifier I’ve ever heard earlier than. By disappearing, I imply that it seems that there may be much less of a way of “amplifier” affecting the sound. Instead, the music is introduced in a manner that seems like a extra direct connection between the supply and my ears.
I’ve a quiet listening room. It measures solely 35dB on my sound-pressure meter in A-weighted mode. In the previous I’ve rejected some very high-quality gear as a result of it was merely not quiet sufficient for my room. The LA90, even in high-gain mode (which was the way it was used, besides when put in in a nearfield setup), added completely no further noise, and when coupled to the Schiit Freya S in passive mode, I may flip up the amount controls to most and nonetheless hear completely nothing by way of the Spatial X-2 loudspeakers (86dB sensitivity) even with my ear an inch away from the tweeter. If it wasn’t for the LA90’s front-panel LED, I wouldn’t have identified it was turned on!
Ranking probably the most spectacular facets to the LA90’s sound, the primary must be the extra ease in listening. The lack of low-level noise imbues your entire soundstage with a quieter background than I’m accustomed to listening to, even with quiet amplifiers just like the Pass 150.8, which solely produce the slightest hiss (you want to put your ear extraordinarily near the tweeter to listen to it). There had been a number of heretofore-undecipherable throwaway strains within the background of some Billie Eilish’s singles that I hearken to commonly. Through the LA90 I may make out phrases that even by way of headphones had beforehand been a blur. Was I stunned? You wager.
The second most spectacular sonic attribute was the LA90’s readability all through its frequency vary. Even within the decrease midrange and higher bass, which normally have probably the most points with homogenization, sluggishness, and murkiness, by way of the LA90 these frequencies had a stage of element and lack of constriction that made music refreshingly simple to listen to and decipher.
In his current overview of the Pear Blue Audio Odar turntable, Robert Greene writes: “As it occurs, that is true about audio usually. Low-distortion electronics additionally sound non-aggressive inside a given bandwidth.” I agree. While nonetheless lightning quick, the LA90’s higher frequencies don’t get arduous or brittle even throughout dynamic peaks. I observed this clearly alone dwell recordings. The violins and brass throughout fff passages of my recording of Mahler’s Third Symphony from Mahlerfest 2013 (co-recorded with Jerry Bruck of Posthorn Recordings) remained musical even throughout massed dynamic peaks. Flutes and piccolos had been candy reasonably than piercing.
This Mahler recording additionally demonstrated the extraordinarily correct picture placement throughout the soundstage. Not solely was lateral placement exact, however the layering of devices, with the brass barely increased (they had been on risers) and farther again on the stage, was simple to listen to. The LA90 does the 3D factor (on recordings that comprise the spatial data) in addition to any solid-state Class AB amplifier I’ve heard.
Vocals by way of the LA90 have a outstanding readability coupled with pure heat. The Punch Brothers’ newest launch Hell on Church Street has a tune referred to as “Orphan Annie.” After an acoustic bass introduction that captures the essence of acoustic bass tonality, Chris Thile’s vocals start. Through the LA90/Spatial X-2/JL Audio Fathom f112 system, the sound of his voice had an arrestingly sensible character. I’ve been round Chris at workshops and jams, so I do know what his voice feels like; this recording, by way of this technique, had a stage of veracity that would, in J. Gordon Holt’s phrases, “produce goosebumps.” Also, should you hear in a quiet room, you may even hear the rustling of clothes because the musicians transfer across the microphone.
Although I take advantage of a pair of JL Audio f112 subwoofers with the Spatial X-2 loudspeakers, I’ve the system arrange in order that the Spatial X-2s obtain a full-range sign with none crossover truncating their low frequencies. Turning off the JL subs let me hear how the LA90 was supporting the bass. Again, I used to be struck by the readability, particularly within the midbass area, the place the low ranges of synthesizers mixed with guitars and keyboards compete and battle on many pop releases. On Finneas’ “Partners in Crime” from Blood Harmony, the fluttery synth half had a stage of texture and internal element that was simple to luxuriate in.
I like Finneas. On his Optimist album, “the 90s” just isn’t solely an excellent music, but in addition a torture check of how effectively a system can reproduce the sound of distortion. At 2:10, what sounds nearly like a sawtooth waveform on the synthesizer begins. Distortion as percussion. As the distortion builds, on some programs the sound will get more and more foggy and imprecise. Through the LA90 the distortion sounds clear. What? Even as Finneas provides further layers of distortion, every layer retains its personal id as an alternative of merging right into a miasmic complete. At 2:53, the distortion halts abruptly, and Finneas solo voice begins, bringing a soothing feeling of calm to the combo.
Competition
Yes, I understand that selecting an influence amplifier isn’t the identical as a horse race. Or is it? At a sure level it does come all the way down to: “What can I get for a way a lot?” For the worth of 1 LA90 you may get one Schiit Audio Vidar ($799), which can be a Class AB solid-state amplifier that may be bridged for mono. It has double the ability of the LA90 at 100 watts into 8 ohms, however not fairly nearly as good SNR determine at 115dB down. If you need to eat extra power, have much less energy, worse specs, however get that Class A sonic character, Schiit additionally provides the Aegir ($899), which is a Class A model of the Vidar.
If we take a look at what’s within the value vary of two LA90s ($1798), the competitors will increase. The LSA Warp One amplifier I reviewed in Issue 331 lists for $1495. It has fully completely different topology, being a Texas Instrument switching energy amplifier, nevertheless it shares the LA90’s variable-gain function, providing 4 completely different achieve choices through DIP switches. The Warp One additionally provides each single-ended RCA and balanced XLR inputs. In phrases of sonic variations, each are exceedingly clear and detailed, however compared the LA90 delivers a barely hotter higher bass and decrease midrange with some loudspeakers, such because the Falcon LS35/A. Both amps had wonderful low-level element and total readability, to the purpose the place the winner in a sonic shoot-out would rely extra on how a selected loudspeaker interacted with every amplifier reasonably than variations in intrinsic sonic character.
Although in a very completely different value class from the LA90, the Pass 150.8 ($7500), has been my major reference amplifier driving the Spatial X-2 loudspeakers. When I first connected two LA90s, I questioned whether or not the mixture could be in the identical league in total sonic high quality with the Pass Labs amplifier. While the 2 amplifiers had related ranges of element and soundstage capabilities, the Pass had extra grunt and a higher sense of energy in reserve.
Although I not have it to match on to the LA90, the Benchmark ABH-2 ($2999) shared some sonic similarities with the LA90. The ABH-2 was equally quiet and equally good at putting devices precisely within the soundstage’s lateral aircraft, however I don’t suppose the ABH-2 had the identical stage of depth recreation or fairly the identical stage of low-level decision. Through the LA90 I felt listening into the combo was simply simpler and my engagement stage deeper.
Summary
More instances than even I can keep in mind, I’ve learn audio element evaluations which conclude with “I purchased it!” This is normally the ultimate coup in most evaluations, displaying that the product was so good even the reviewer couldn’t resist it (at a 40% to 50% low cost). That’s not going to occur right here. This kind of “huge reveal” has already had its balloon popped within the third paragraph.
For most of my energy amplifier wants, one or two LA90s have been nearly supreme. Obviously, I do plan to maintain the pair of LA90 energy amplifiers I already personal, and maybe, as time passes they usually develop into extra accessible on the secondary market, I’d even decide up one other one or two, simply because….
If you’ve got mid- to high-efficiency loudspeakers that you simply love, you might discover the LA90 to be a really perfect energy or built-in amplifier to your system, too. I can simply see a single LA90 because the “summer time amp” in high-efficiency horn programs. I’d not advocate that homeowners of 2-ohm Apogee Scintillas or Theil CS3.5s, or in case you have a big room with solely reasonably environment friendly audio system, run out and purchase a pair. Some loudspeakers merely want extra energy than even two LA90s may give.
But until you’ve got a good friend who has already bought an LA90, your probabilities of listening to one or making an attempt one out before you purchase are just about nil. If you might be intrigued by the LA90’s potential, you’re going to must take a leap of religion (with a 45-day return window from Apos or 30-day from Amazon) and purchase earlier than you strive, similar to I did. So, whereas I’d normally end a overview by recommending you hear a product for your self, that’s going to be troublesome with the LA90. However, should you’re feeling fortunate (just like the signature dialog from the movie The Mask), I encourage you to take a leap of religion and provides the LA90 a strive. I significantly doubt you may be disenchanted by its capabilities or efficiency.
Specs & Pricing
Type: Solid-state Class AB amplifier
Output energy: 50Wpc into 8 ohms stereo, 180W into 8 ohms mono
Inputs: Three XLR/TRA inputs
Output impedance: <3 ohms
Dimensions: 20.5 x 22 x 9cm
Weight: 2.7 kg
Price: $899
The put up Topping LA90 Power Amplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.
In the movie Caddyshack, the character Ty Webb (performed by Chevy Chase) is an affable businessman and crack golfer who even performs properly when blindfolded. At one level, he undertakes to provide some free recommendation to the formidable teenage caddy named Danny (Michael O’Keefe). As the duo survey the course on the venerable Bushwood Country Club, Webb recites a saying that he fancifully attributes to the well-known Seventeenth-century Japanese thinker and haiku poet Matsuo Basho: “A flute with no holes in it isn’t a flute. A donut with no gap is a Danish.”
So, what does that make the Danish Gryphon Commander—a black aluminum two-chassis design with no exterior knobs or switches that primarily does virtually nothing to the audio sign? I’m no thinker, however I can attest that it makes the Commander not only a preamplifier however one thing of a magical instrument.
Your eyes will let you know a variety of the story. Put bluntly, the Gryphon Commander preamplifier is a commanding object. Its separate containers are related by three cables, that are the one slender factor about it. The hefty energy provide sits silently, whether or not in operation or not. So does the signal-processing chassis. No noise, no vibration, no nothing. Just obsidian silence. Quite a feat for a big energy provide that incorporates 4 custom-made 36VA toroidal transformers, two for every left and proper channel, that go a great distance towards rendering this preamp as potent as a variety of amplifiers. The energy provide can be able to powering a forthcoming phono- stage from Gryphon in addition to a digital supply. A considerable distant management with a rubber pad on the again to keep away from scratching furnishings controls the Commander, until you resolve to make use of your fingers and make use of the 4.3″ TFT capacitive touchscreen.
Situating the Commander in my {custom} HR-X stand required two folks to make sure that the preamp didn’t get dented or scratched or take a bit out of the stand itself. Fortunately, Jeff Fox of Command Performance AV in Falls Church, Virginia, and Anthony Chiarella, the Director of Sales and Marketing for Gryphon North America, had been each available to assist set up it safely. All the fuss proved to be well worth the effort. The Commander, which is the successor to the corporate’s earlier Pandora preamplifier, didn’t open up an auditory Pandora’s field. Instead, it provided a reminder of the significance of nice energy exercised with duty.
In the previous few years, I’ve listened to quite a lot of wonderful preamps, together with the Boulder 3010 and the Ypsilon PST-100, Mk. II. My present reference is the Swiss battery-powered darTZeel NHB-18NS, which features a phonostage. The Commander introduced its personal distinctive mix of attributes to the sonic desk. I didn’t solely take pleasure in listening to it; I reveled in its dynamic prowess and its means to resolve fantastic particulars, each of which will be traced to its superlatively low noise ground. Throughout my audition, the Commander did as little to change the sign emanating from digital or analog sources as I’ve ever heard a preamp do. It could be exhausting to consider a extra linear and immaculate part.
It might sound paradoxical, however the quiescence of the Commander was instantly audible. It offered silky black backgrounds on recording after recording. One CD that I very a lot loved listening to on the Commander, as an illustration, was a reside recording from December 2010 of the legendary Chicago Symphony Orchestra brass part enjoying all the pieces from Bach to Percy Grainger, from Gabrielli to Prokofiev. All the facility on faucet meant that the Commander was in a position to situate every instrument securely in its personal area. This was notably noteworthy, because it had been, on a spooky piece by the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas known as “Sensemaya.” The tuba emerged from what appeared like prehistoric depths with an virtually voluptuous tone, conveying properly the instrumental rendering of the Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen’s saga a couple of ritual Afro-Caribbean chant that’s recited throughout the killing of a snake. And drumsticks had a extra authoritative and life like crack to them. Then there was the CSO brass’ rendition of Bach’s C minor Passacaglia and Fugue which vividly shows the clarion would possibly of the ensemble. The precision of soundstaging on Bach’s blockbuster work was actually marvelous, and the piccolo trumpets had a piping high quality to them that was wholly endearing.
Another factor all the facility of the Gryphon buys you is easy rest—not the soggy variety that you simply discover when collapsing right into a La-Z-Boy, however one thing a lot tauter and extra elegant. The sheer exactitude of the Commander meant that there was no sense of smearing or bloat, which translated into an enviable readability of musical line. This attribute was abundantly obvious after I streamed Roberta Flack, who made an abortive try at a profession as an opera singer then took R&B to new heights, singing “Jesse” or “I’m the Girl” on her traditional album Killing Me Softly. The Commander’s lack of grain and its iron-fisted management allowed it to spotlight the lilting and lissome high quality of her voice. Something comparable occurred on a Concord LP of the Warren Vache Trio known as Midtown Jazz. The elegant breathiness of Vache’s cornet enjoying on numbers akin to “I’m Old Fashioned” was by no means extra in proof on my stereo system. On Count Basie Remembered [Nagel Heyer Records], which options the New York All Stars enjoying reside in Hamburg, Germany, all the pieces snapped into place. When a preamp exerts the type of grip that the Commander does, it turns into rather a lot simpler to hint the interaction of an ensemble, in addition to its circulation. The rhythm turns into audibly snappier on swing music, because the devices, from piano to guitar, appear to cease and begin only a hair extra rapidly. The command of the Commander supplies that “you’re there” sensation that each one audiophiles in good standing are inclined to covet.
The would possibly of the Commander additionally signifies that it could actually distill the music to its essence, stripping away any digital detritus or encrustation. This got here dwelling to me whereas listening to the well-known German soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. She made many recordings beneath the supervision of her husband, Walter Legge, who headed the classical music division at EMI/Angel. One such LP was a 1975 launch on the EMI label known as Songs I Love that I not too long ago picked up off eBay. Its very good high quality instantly displays the notoriously authoritarian Legge’s fastidious consideration to element (he was recognized, amongst different issues, as “the autocrat of the turntable”). Two notable songs on this recording are Schubert’s “To Silvia” and “Still Sea.” In her insightful memoir of Legge, On and Off the Record, Schwarzkopf observes, “Schubert didn’t soak himself in his poets; his nature was so filled with music, so wealthy in melody, that just about any piece of verse was sufficient to stimulate his creativeness.” Still, it virtually goes with out saying that these two songs, which set to music poems by Shakespeare and Goethe, traverse the very best inventive peaks, no matter Schubert’s inattention to poetry. In listening to them via the Commander, I heard an unprecedented stage of readability on the vocal traces and within the relationship between voice and piano that made it simplicity itself to comply with each the textual content and Schwarzkopf’s musical intention. In this regard, it jogged my memory of the mesmerizing transparency that I skilled when not too long ago visiting my buddy Ali Saad’s elaborate Avantgarde Trio setup in Beverly Hills.
More Schubert was on faucet after I reached for the Austrian baritone Florian Boesch’s 2012 recording of the Viennese composer on the Hyperion label. As you’ll count on, Hyperion did a bang-up job, however the Commander took it to a brand new stage by way of pellucid playback. It could be simple to confuse the calm that the Commander conveys with placidity. But that’s actually not the case in any respect. Rather, the reserve energy signifies that essentially the most delicate tonal shadings at pianissimo ranges—these umbratile passages that may be so haunting in classical music—are conveyed with stupendous constancy on songs akin to “Der Wanderer.” My consideration didn’t wander. On the opposite, on quite a few recordings I used to be impressed by the Commander’s means to seize the tonal shadings of quite a lot of singers.
As you’ll count on, the brute pressure of the Commander additionally signifies that it exerts a level of management within the bass that’s fairly uncommon. On jazz recordings, the place the recording of the standup bass can typically be slightly murky, the Commander reached proper down into the nether areas to clear issues up. And on numbers the place you simply rock out—Pharrell Williams’ Girl or Isaac Hayes’ Shaft—the Commander, in tandem with darTZeel 468 amplifier, offered a bass basis that was each richly sonorous and rock stable. On Williams’ hit music “Happy,” the cymbal within the background might hardly be crisper. What’s extra, there was merely no sense of bass bloat on numbers akin to “Gush,” the place Williams evocatively croons about “eager to get soiled, woman.” Suffice it to say that the efficiency of the Commander is all the time pristine.
Perhaps one of the simplest ways to explain the Commander is as a preservation machine. It preserves the sign about in addition to a Boulder preamp however provides a level of silkiness to the proceedings. And it’s received actual cojones. If you’re the type of individual that desires to go straight to the supply, as my colleague Jonathan Valin likes to say, then the Commander actually needs to be at your beck and name. Compared to the darTZeel preamp the Gryphon lacks a little bit of the supernatural musical circulation and midrange bloom that’s the hallmark of that preamplifier. But the Commander has superior dynamics, a decrease noise ground, higher management of the bass, and extra correct transient pitch definition. The Commander occupies a spot on the very apex of musical playback and casts a fascinating spell, whether or not or not you occur to be a devotee of the fabled Basho.
Specs & Pricing
Inputs: Four pairs XLR balanced, two pairs RCA single-ended
Outputs: Two pairs XLR balanced, one pair RCA single-ended
Input impedance: 18k ohms balanced, 12k ohms single-ended
Gain: 18dB
Frequency response: 0.1Hz–1.5MHz at –3dB
Dimensions: Audio/management unit, 18.8″ x 9.3″ x 17.9″; energy provide, 18.8″ x 9.29″ x 17.3″
Weight: Audio management unit, 67.2 lbs; energy provide, 84.2 lbs.
Price: $63,000
GRYPHON AUDIO NA Inc.
9 Lynn Court, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677, USA
Anthony Chiarella, Director of Sales & Marketing
(201) 690-9006 (workplace)
(201) 264-7217 (cell)
[email protected]
The publish Gryphon Commander Preamplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.
Audible Illusions L3B
$5295
A purist design based mostly on a single Russian 6H23n-EB triode per channel, the L3A distills one of the best attributes of recent tube sound: exact transients, an in depth presentation, and pure but non-euphonic textures. It is its insistence on the sonic reality that defines it as a real reference line preamp. The L3A’s potential to retrieve the music’s rhythmic drive and drama makes it probably the most sonically persuasive line preamps in the marketplace. Audible Illusions’ greatest effort thus far and top-of-the-line line preamps DO has auditioned over time at any value: audible illusions on a grand scale! DO, 259
PrimaLuna EVO 400
$5295
The EVO 400 just isn’t solely PrimaLuna’s greatest line preamp providing ever, but it surely additionally holds its personal in opposition to ultra-high-end competitors. It’s laborious to flee the impression that it was designed from the bottom up on an influence amplifier chassis. It options huge and complicated energy provides, high-voltage regulation, unique passive components, and tube rectification through a pair of 5AR4s. Miraculously, it manages to mix the virtues of recent tube sound with the tonal heft and timbral realism afforded by classic tube preamps. If purity of expression and tonal realism are sonic priorities, get able to embrace the EVO 400. DO, 305
Atma-Sphere MP-3
$5590 ($6500 with LOMC phono)
This no-frills tubed preamp from Atma-Sphere is a must-hear for the purist music lover. Offering a crystal-clear, clean, and concise window on the music, the MP-3’s expansiveness is an ideal match for each tube and solid-state amplification. Balanced-only operation, phono non-obligatory. SK, 184
Aesthetix Calypso/Calypso Signature
$6000/$8500
The all-tube Calypso delivers many of the efficiency of Aesthetix’ two-box $13,000 Callisto linestage for a couple of third the worth. Sonically, the Calypso is characterised by extraordinarily good dynamics and dynamic nuance. Although the treble is clean and considerably laid-back, transparency and backbone are first-rate. Noise flooring is very depending on tube high quality, which has been variable. Competes with the megabuck preamps. The Signature model improves on the Calypso’s already terrific efficiency with an expanded soundstage, richer portfolio of instrumental textures, extra air, longer decays, and better-defined bass. AT discovered that the Signature model imparted a hotter forged to timbres. RH, 151; AT, 196
Pass Labs XP-12
$6100
The XP-12 line-level preamp forgoes dual-chassis extravagance however sonically you wouldn’t understand it. Music abounds with gorgeous orchestral layering and complicated three-dimensional soundspace vistas. There’s a stage of harmonic bloom throughout the spectrum, most notably within the infusion of resonance and decay cues round strings and winds. Anchored by the precision of Wayne Colburn’s single-stage digital quantity management from the Xs line, the XP-12 produced an nearly eerie sense of music spontaneously bursting forth within the right here and now. An outright discount. NG, 286
Lamm Industries LL2.1
$8490 ($8790, deluxe model)
This all-tube linestage preamp (with tube rectification) captures 80% of the sound of price-no-object preamps for a fraction of their price. Never in-your-face analytical, the LL2.1 frames particulars organically throughout the cloth of the music. Treble, bass, and transparency may be improved by utilizing the appropriate after-market tubes. DO, 198
McIntosh C53
$8500
McIntosh’s C53 preamplifier replaces an entire shelf-full of elements, rolling a state-of-the-art linestage, phono- stage, DAC, equalizer, and headphone amp right into a single elegant, albeit massive field, with no compromises in efficiency. With 16 inputs and three outputs, the C53’s connectivity is unequalled, its DAC supporting each widespread digital format, plus an ARC HDMI enter that appropriately decodes and mixes down film and TV sources for individuals who demand first-class AV copy by way of their two-channel setups. Its two phonostages are ok to obviate the necessity for separates. In addition to all this, the C53 gives battleship building and appears that simply radiate class, style, and elegance. One of PS’ reference preamplifiers. PS, 315
Aesthetix Janus/Janus Signature
$9000/$13,500
The Janus combines Aesthetix’ Calypso linestage with a scaled-down Rhea phonostage in a single chassis. The Signature model options upgraded components within the similar circuit. The models share quite a few qualities: velocity and element; a low noise flooring; exact rhythms; dynamics which are nearly reference-caliber; and a laid-back perspective. The quiet background and clean highs add as much as lengthy hours of wonderful, fatigue-free listening. AT, 196
MBL Cadenza C11
$9200
With civilized sonics, each ethereal and open, dynamics which are vigorous, and dimensionality and imaging which are distinctive, the C11 is a pleasure to make use of in live performance with different Cadenza gear, the place management and communication through Ethernet hyperlink is glitch-free. It can also be outfitted with probably the most sonically clear analog quantity controls (through a motorized potentiometer) that we’ve come throughout. NG, 228
Mark Levinson No5206
$9900
Part of the extra inexpensive (for Mark Levinson) 5000 Series, the No5206 sports activities a number of superior circuits and options. The dual-monaural sign path is direct coupled and pure Class A in operation. The audio path contains a single achieve stage mated to a digitally managed resistor-ladder quantity management. The No5206 is fitted with an integral DAC with MQA decoding and rendering and Bluetooth connectivity; the unit can deal with PCM as much as 384kHz/24-bit in addition to DSD as much as 11.2MHz. The No5206 even features a headphone jack with sufficient present drive to energy any ’telephones. The icing on the cake is an excellent mm/mc phonostage that includes a hybrid achieve expertise with an infrasonic filter and unusually complete cartridge-loading adjustment. The preamp is excellent with low-level passages, with decision restricted solely by the supply, not the preamplifier itself. AHC, 322
Pass Labs XP-22
$9975
The XP-22 is a big improve from the earlier mannequin on this slot. Based on new semiconductors and a brand new quantity management, the two-chassis XP-22 vaults the efficiency into one other league. The dual-mono energy provides function double-shielded toroidal transformers for even decrease noise. The output stage is extra sturdy, with the power to drive lengthy cable runs. The XP-22 is so clear that it improves upon the sound of operating a supply part instantly into an influence amplifier—not one thing each linestage can declare. Musically significant element and backbone are wonderful. If the recording possesses the knowledge, the rendering of area may be dramatic and dynamics startling. AQ, 316
Yamaha C-5000
$9999
Yamaha put some coronary heart and soul into its return to the audio deep finish. While the NS-5000 audio system and GT-5000 turntable are more likely to entice many of the 5000 Series consideration, the C-5000 preamplifier deserves its personal highlight. This totally balanced, solid-state preamp incorporates an exquisite, totally discrete phonostage with a large 80dB of potential achieve. There’s a sense of a sign unimpeded. The C-5000 doesn’t require a sonic counterbalance elsewhere within the system. It additionally occurs to be probably the most rewarding elements to simply put your palms on and use. An fascinating and distinctive possibility in high-end preamplifiers, particularly if a turntable is a vital a part of your system. AM, 308
The publish 2023 Editors’ Choice: Preamplifiers $5,000 – $10,000 appeared first on The Absolute Sound.
Audio by Van Alstine DVA M225
$3398/pr.
These high-power (225Wpc into 8 ohms), reasonably priced monoblocks hint their origin to the Nineteen Eighties and Frank Van Alstine’s remodeling of the Dynaco ST-120. That elementary circuit—realized with many refinements—kinds the center of the M225. Within its energy limits, the M225 is likely one of the finest, most impartial, and most revealing energy amplifiers round at any value. It could not have the dynamic power of much more highly effective amplifiers within the lowest frequencies at extraordinarily excessive volumes, however management of bass dynamics and element are superb. The M225’s soundstaging additionally will get excessive marks for its pure depth, width, and detailed placement of voices and devices. AHC, 327
Wyred 4 Sound SX-1000R
$3599
While many amplifiers use Bang & Olufsen’s ICE switch-mode output module, the SX-1000R combines it with its personal direct-coupled, balanced, dual-FET enter stage, designed by Bascom King. The SX-1000R’s 625W of energy (1225W into 4 ohms) can effortlessly ship copious dynamics and particulars. Imaging by way of the SX-1000R is laterally exact. If you require an influence amplifier that may generate oodles of easy output, runs cool, produces a really exact lateral soundstage, gives substantial bass extension and management, has a impartial harmonic steadiness, and is exceedingly quiet, the Wyred 4 Sound SX-1000R needs to be in your brief checklist. SS, 273
Rogue Audio Dragon
$3995
The Dragon is a complicated, hybrid tube/Class D design that stands atop the Rogue Audio lineup. Boasting 300Wpc into 8 ohms, the Dragon gives a near-granular stage of finesse and readability. Speed and transient element are naturalistic and vigorous; tonal steadiness is predominately impartial, with glimmers of midrange heat and a well-defined presence vary. Strings are significantly well-rendered and distinct. Bass response and backbone are excellent. The Dragon can reproduce an organ pedal level or the left hand of a pianist on the underside octaves of a live performance grand with lifelike authority. Not simply one other high-powered beast, the Rogue Dragon is a very splendid piece of electronics. NG, 311
Cambridge Edge W
$4000
Reviewed alongside Cambridge Audio’s Edge NQ community participant/preamp, the 100Wpc EdgeW energy amplifier delivers on this London-based producer’s definition of Great British Sound. Opposing-symmetry twin transformers (which cancel electromagnetic interference) contribute to a considerable bodily presence, however the efficiency is something however heavy. Instead, search for sonic clues in a sign path of simply 14 parts. It’s this less-is-more strategy (additionally splendidly realized within the minimalist aesthetic) that has resulted in an influence amplifier with shocking transparency and composure. Neither imposing nor well mannered, the W is a becoming fiftieth Anniversary celebration from an organization recognized to offer innovation with worth. AM, 301
Audio Mirror SET
$4995
This 45-watt monoblock expands the attain of SET designs to incorporate even reasonably delicate 88-to-90dB loudspeakers. Each amp has a pair of Russian 6C33C-B triodes in parallel, thereby considerably extending energy supply. The bass vary is effectively outlined, which serves as a basis for a barely heat and highly effective presentation with satisfying tonal gravitas and a way of ease on dynamic peaks that’s unusual for a typical SET. The Audio Mirror makes one helluva musical assertion and would have earned an enthusiastic suggestion even with a $10k price ticket. DO, 289
NuPrime Evolution STA
$4995
Class D amplifiers preserve getting higher and higher, and the NuPrime STA is a main instance. The power-stage topology is full bridge, offering push-pull differential operation with NuPrime’s proprietary MOSFET drive design. Power output is a beneficiant 230Wpc into 8 ohms and 310Wpc into 4 ohms. The entrance finish is absolutely analog. Both the preamp stage and Class D pulse-modulation circuit use the NJR MUSES8820 op-amp. The STA’s sonic persona is very like that of distilled water, missing intrinsic taste. It merely displays the character of upstream parts, making it a superb match for a tube preamp, should you’re after a candy and heat system persona. Its robust fits are tonal purity, soundstage transparency, an expansive depth perspective, and glorious bass management. It’s laborious to consider that any amp at this value level, not to mention a Class D amplifier, is able to such beautiful musicality. DO, 330
Atma-Sphere S-30 Mk 3.3
$5100
The Mk 3.3 model of this 30Wpc Circlotron OTL amplifier nudges efficiency greater in dynamics and soundstage transparency. Although responsible of slight timbre alterations and a considerably darkish tonal steadiness, these acts of fee, possible attributable to load interactions, level out the necessity for a suitable loudspeaker and front-end electronics. The S-30 strikes an clever steadiness between high quality and amount, focusing because it does on delivering a robust first watt. Its asking value is a small value to pay for a beneficiant slice of musical heaven. DO, 261
Pass Labs XA25
$5150
The XA25 amp is amongst Pass Labs’ most humble efforts thus far—at the least outwardly. And customers will admittedly have to be slightly respectful about speaker choice, since this solid-stater is rated at a mere 25Wpc into 8 ohms. But that wattage is delivered courtesy of Pass’ single-ended Class A design. So, buckle up and put together to luxuriate in pure liquid musicality. Pass gear typically suggests sweetness and heat, however the XA25 takes these qualities a luminous step additional. Beyond the extraordinary decision engraved within the XA25’s persona is a capability to rework a listening area right into a three-dimensional tableau of photos and atmosphere. A magical amp. NG, 286
T+A A 200
$5450
This small however mighty (125/250 watts per channel into 8/4 ohms) energy amp is a part of T+A’s Series 200, a part stack that takes a novel—however undeniably legitimate—strategy to constructing a reference-level system with a small footprint. Since the absolutely discrete, thermally protected Class D A200 will get its personal chassis, it’s not topic to the digital and different noises that pollute modular built-in amps. The sound is straight out of the Swiss faculty: wide-open, pure, quick, and dynamic, however with an additional dollop of low-end richness. For these looking for reference-class efficiency in a compact, fairly priced amp, the A 200 is tough to beat. AT, 335
Bel Canto e.One REF601M
$5590/pr.
To Steven Stone’s ears, Bel Canto’s 15.4-pound, 300W (600W into 4 ohms) e.One Ref601M Class D monoblock is sweet sufficient to qualify as one of the best all-around energy amplifier he’s heard thus far, no matter expertise or circuit topology. Its mixture of extraordinarily low noise that makes it appropriate to drive even extremely environment friendly loudspeakers, precision three-dimensional imaging, relaxed and pure harmonic steadiness, and energy functionality, makes for a potent bundle. Couple all its sonic achievements with its comparatively modest value and you’ve got an influence amplifier that might effectively be a benchmark reference for a lot of audiophiles for years to return. SS, 269
Audio by Van Alstine DVA M750
$5598/pr.
This large hybrid monoblock with a 12AT7 enter stage and a transistor output part delivers a whopping 850W into 8 ohms. Industry veteran Frank Van Alstine pulled out all of the stops for the DVA M750, together with a circuit primarily based on the patented Fet Valve amplifier and weird lateral MOSFET output transistors. The amp gives a remarkably jaunty and silky sound—with a number of headroom—that all the time errs on the sound of musical bliss. Despite its excessive energy, the DVA M750’s presentation is elegant and refined. A discount in powerhouse amplifiers. JHb, 273
The submit 2023 Editors’ Choice: Power Amplifiers $3,000 – $6,000 appeared first on The Absolute Sound.
When it appeared in Issue 313, I read colleague Jacob Heilbrunn’s review of the PS Audio M1200 monoblocks with interest and more than a little curiosity. Are you kidding me? Class D monoblocks driving Jacob’s $850k Wilson WAMM mega-system? And highly successfully, to boot? In the article’s conclusion, JH didn’t mince words, either. “Of the amplifiers that I’ve auditioned in this price range, the Stellar M1200 is by far the best, a gangbuster piece of gear that upends many old verities about switching amplification. I could live with it for a very long time. Stellar, indeed.” The cost for the amps? A piddling $6598 (gulp) a pair.
So, when I found myself in sudden need of a reasonably priced, 100Wpc stereo amplifier to review some recently received compact loudspeakers, I sought out PS Audio. Its team came up with the Stellar S300, the smaller stereo cousin to the mighty M1200 and also designed by PS Audio’s resident-wiz Darren Myers.
The $1649 Stellar S300 stereo power amplifier is a dual-mono design (separate power supplies and amp stages for each channel). It’s rated at 140 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 300Wpc into 4 ohms, and it’s based on a modern Class D ICE module, designed in Denmark. Like the M1200, it has a high damping factor for bass control and plenty of headroom for the difficult loads and lower sensitivities of some loudspeakers. As PS Audio points out, “Class D output stages provide near-perfect linearity, low distortion, and high efficiency. Because Class D amplifiers require an output filter to remove their switching noise, they do not have frequency extremes into the many hundreds of thousands of Hertz…modern Class D amplifiers, like the type used in Stellar, extend high frequencies to about 50kHz.” The input stage topology is known as the Analog Cell—a proprietary, fully differential, zero-feedback, discrete Class A MOSFET circuit. PS Audio makes no bones of the fact that it considers this hybrid design to be the best of both worlds. Note: S300’s Analog Cell input stage stands in contrast to the M1200 monoblocks, which have their own discrete tube input stage—a potentially significant difference.
The sleek, low-profile design of the S300 is matched by first-rate construction quality—a solidly assembled chassis with smooth rolled aluminum edges. The back panel features RCA and XLR inputs and a dual pair of high-quality nickel-over-copper speaker terminals. I listened to the S300 in a couple of system configurations. In one, it was driven by a Pass Labs XP-12 preamp and powered Vivid Audio Kaya 12 compact speakers. In another system, I enlisted the preamp section of the formidable Aesthetix Mimas integrated with the S300 driving the ATC SCM20SL compacts (with their low 84dB sensitivity). Power conditioning was from Audience and Shunyata. Cabling was Audience front- Row. Source components were by Lumin and dCS.
Like many audiophiles I’ve become accustomed to amplifiers of imposing girth and weight—the time-honored visual cues that signal power, dynamic headroom, stability, and (of course) heat. If you count yourself among this crowd, prepare for a little culture shock. With the S300 tipping the scales at a mere 13 pounds and its compact chassis rising to all of three inches in height, you may not be ready to contend with the high level of performance, power, and finesse that the S300 is capable of.
The S300’s tonal balance is essentially neutral and colorless, in the best senses of those words. Rather than making itself the center of attention within the system, the S300 became a chameleon—a virtually invisible part of the chain of source components in front of it. In sonic performance, the word that immediately came to mind was contrasts—dynamic contrasts from the micro level to the macro. Music simply snapped into focus in full harmonic bloom. This amp was as fast and as explosive off the mark as any I’ve heard. This speed and power were combined with a bass-range grip that could send most other amps back to the gym. When the thundering kettle drums enter during Copland’s Fanfare, the S300 reproduced their tactile energy with an intensity that jolts the listener to attention. Remember, I said this amp was neutral, not boring.
As for timbral contrasts, the amp’s ability to define with certainty the character and personality of each musical element was in full-color display. Instrumental and vocal texture and timbre were reproduced with purity and clarity. The amp vividly portrayed the woody resonance of cello and bass violin, the crackle of a snare, the sharp song of a piccolo trumpet, the rattles of a tambourine, the grit of rosin from a cello bow, the clatter of a flat pick, a singer drawing a breath. In addition to its astonishing grip, the S300 had a sensitivity to low-level information like backing vocal harmonies or microdynamic shifts, right down to the duration of held-note sustains and reverberant decays from piano soundboards. It’s these contrasts that I would argue constitute a large portion of the live experience (and why the stone quiet of this amp is not only important but paramount). A favorite example is Ricki Lee Jones’ “I’ll Be Seeing You” [Pop Pop]. Here on full display was the eerie and airy naturalism of the clarinet, the soft resonance of the nylon-string guitar—the S300 seemed to hang on to the edges of every note and extend each decay. Prolonged sustain and decay was also handily evidenced during Laurel Masse’s brilliant a capella performances in the vast acoustic space of the Troy Savings Bank.
The S300’s entire sonic picture came into even sharper focus when I cued up David Bowie’s smash hit “Let’s Dance.” This explosive and complex multi-track is all about transient speed, rhythm section focus, dynamic impact, and heavy, intense drumbeats, extending right down to the drummer’s foot pedal. The S300 wore its speed and rhythmic integrity like a badge of honor, making this cut leap forward, as if a nano-second ahead of the beat. Even if you never listened to the lengthier Euro 45rpm remix as I do, you’ll find the streaming version is also a stunning production. Co-produced with Nile Rodgers at the Power Station in New York, it offers the bonus of a blistering guitar solo by a youthful Stevie Ray Vaughn. And most of all, Bowie’s riveting, sensual, throaty vocal. “Under the serious moonlight,” indeed.
Toward the conclusion of this evaluation, I challenged the S300 a final time. Thanks to the generosity of MBL’s North American distributor (for which I’m forever grateful) I still had the remarkable MBL 126 compact Radialstrahlers on hand. And if there was an octave range where the S300 might show a little temperament, it would be through one of the most transparent midrange/tweeter combinations I’ve ever experienced. Few loudspeakers are more revealing of timbre and texture or as transparent and sensitive to low-level detail as these marvelous omnidirectional three-way compacts. However, they are sensitive to electronics, demanding accurate, reliable. and generous amounts of power. I typically drive them with MBL’s own Cadenza C51 180Wpc integrated ($9800), a Jürgen Reis-designed Linear Analog Switching Amplifier (LASA). The Stellar S300 put forth an excellent effort driving the Radialstrahlers. On larger-scale brass and wind pieces like the sweeping Liberty Fanfare [Wilson Audio], they demonstrated superb command and control over the barrage of heavy percussion. But in direct comparison, the S300 lacked the epic bass extension and hard-core slam of the MBL C51, a trademark of Reis designs. The top end might have been a little drier, too, lacking the effortless harmonic bloom of the MBL amp. Nonetheless, the S300 put on an impressive show, to say the least.
A final word on Class D, if I may. Digital artifacts and colorations (the early rap was flat mids, brittle, snappish treble, deep but stiffly controlled bass) of an earlier era have been largely expunged from today’s top crop of Class D amps. Candidly, I don’t even know anymore what it means to describe a contemporary amp’s sonic signature as “Class D.” Yet, many of us still have a negative knee-jerk reaction to the “D” word. It’s rather like acknowledging a superb recording on vinyl, and then finding out the transfer wasn’t pure AAA and deciding it wasn’t up to snuff, after all. This is a long-winded way of saying, listen first before you judge. The era of apologizing for Class D is over.
To describe the PS Audio Stellar S300 as a “good” value is an understatement. And with a retail price of $1649, I’m not joking when I initially thought this must be a typo. If you can’t get excited over an amp like the S300, you might reconsider your own high-end bona-fides. Enthusiastically recommended without reservation.
Specs & Pricing
Type: Stereo, dual-mono Class D power amplifier
Power output: 140Wpc 8 ohms, 300Wpc into 4 ohms
Inputs: RCA and XLR
Dimensions: 17″ x 3″ x 12″
Weight: 13 lbs.
Price: $1649
PS AUDIO
4865 Sterling Drive
Boulder, CO 80301
(720) 406-8946
psaudio.com
The post PS Audio Stellar S300 Power Amplifier appeared first on The Absolute Sound.
Renowned for performance, high output power, and natural sound since 1988, the French firm JMF Audio’s new line of analog products features new Orose-machined sealed cabinets with rose-gold engraving. Transformers, capacitors, and most major components are bespoke, created to JMF Audio’s specifications. Products like the 700-watt HQS 7001 monoblock (pictured) are completely handcrafted and hand soldered, including the proprietary PGP gold-plated circuit boards. JMF Audio’s approach to power amplification includes huge reserves of energy achieved with bespoke toroidal transformers and high-performance capacitors, plus high-voltage electronics for superior headroom and higher efficiency. Also featured are the shortest possible signal paths starting with a precision-trimmed balanced input stage. Two other amplifiers are available in this new series of amplifiers from JMF Audio—the HQS 6002 dual-mono amplifier and the flagship HQS 9001 mono amplifier.
Price: HQS 7001, $68,000/pr.
The post Future TAS: JMF Audio HQS 7001 Monoblock appeared first on The Absolute Sound.