They say that size isn’t everything, or big things come in small packages, so let’s see if those statements hold true with
the amplifier under review here – the Pro-Ject MaiA.
CONSTRUCTION
This really is a diminutive amplifier by anyone’s standards and I can easily see it fitting unobtrusively into countless domestic situations. Measuring some 206mm(W) x 36mm(H) x 200mm (220mm including speaker sockets) deep and weighing not far off a kilogram, excluding the power supply. The separate power supply seems to be a generic design which provides 20 volts of DC at 3 amps and is fitted with a dual pole plug that connects it with the power inlet socket on the rear of the amplifier, with the power input to the supply via a standard UK 3 pin mains plug. Other plugs and voltage matching power supplies are available for non-UK consumers. The casework is of steel construction with the choice of either a black or silver finish faceplate. Fit and finish of the casework is exemplary.

When it comes to source inputs, there is an absolute plethora available, with an impressive NINE separate digital and analogue inputs to choose from. Rarely seen these days although we are seeing a huge revival of vinyl playback, is an RCA phono input that caters for moving magnet or high output moving coil cartridges only, followed by 3 line level analogue inputs labeled 1, 2 and 3 accordingly, then on to the digital inputs which comprises 2x TOSLINK sockets, an RCA co-axial digital input, a USB input and a Bluetooth connection to APT-X standard, with a supplied external aerial which screws on to a dedicated socket on the rear panel.

There is only provision for a single pair of speakers to be connected. The group of four 4mm connectors are grouped tightly together at the far right of the rear panel and not insulated from each other either, plus the holes to insert bare wired cables are aligned vertically so extreme care is needed so the wire isn’t pushed right through the connector body to touch the adjacent terminal above or beneath. A good tip would be to measure exactly how much bare wire is exposed on the cable to be inserted that is less than the connector’s diameter, so none of the bare wire is exposed external to the connector to negate the risk of shorting. I would not advocate or even contemplate using spade connectors for the speaker connections because of the close proximity of the naked terminals.

On the front panel reading from left to right, we have a power button with a tiny blue LED above. A real surprise was to see the amplifier perform a soft start operation with the LED blinking while it is being carried out, so no switch on or power down thumps through the speakers from this amplifier, which is rather refreshing to see. Next we have the remote control window which is a small unobtrusive plastic dome, followed by a 6.3mm headphone socket, which mutes the speaker output when a headphone jack plug is inserted. We then have a rotary volume control knob to adjust the volume by hand, although the control itself is also motorized for adjustment via the remote control handset. The control itself is quite stiff to turn by hand, although in all probability this stiffness will ease over time with usage. The remote control handset provides the basic functions of source selection, volume adjustment and power on/off. Next on the front panel of the amp we find a source selector button which changes the source in upwards increments, with a bank of blue LEDs to indicate which source has been selected and screen printed in white lettering beneath those LEDs is the source names themselves, then finally another source selector button to change the source in downwards increments. Incidentally, the front panel LEDs are very small yet still bright, but don’t actually provide much glare as blue LEDs are prone to do. You can tell the power is applied and which source has been selected without constantly drawing your attention to them – a nice touch.

I have a policy whereby I don’t get the tools out to investigate the internals of any component submitted for review, but sometimes I still get curious about the goings-on inside things as an integrated amplifier with motorized volume control, a phono stage and a DAC crammed into such a small enclosure I would imagine would be pretty well packed. I gave in to temptation this time and found that there wasn’t a lot of fresh air to be found inside the chassis, as you can see.
Power output is provided by Flying Mole modules and said to be 2x 25w into an 8 ohm load and 2x 37w into 4 ohms (both channels driven) although not confirmed by objective measurements myself. The integrated DAC uses a Cirrus Logic CS4344 24bit/192kHz multi-bit Delta Sigma type.

Price at date of test circa £399.00

SOUND QUALITY
Unlike a standard run-of-the-mill integrated amplifier review, I had my work cut out with this one as it wasn’t just a case of bunging a CD player into it and any old pair of speakers and cables for the output either. If the inputs were there, they all had to be tested which proved to be quite a lengthy and protracted process, made more complicated by my lack of real enthusiasm for computer based source material. Not only that, I had to fit the amplifier into various systems ranging from high end to budget, including ancillaries so hopefully you the reader can get a handle on it’s performance envelope.
Firstly, I paired the MaiA with my HTC mobile phone using the Bluetooth facility and this was straightforward and easy to do when following the instructions given in the user manual. Select the “BT” source on the front panel, and then set the phone to detect any nearby devices and when the BT LED on the MaiA flashes, momentarily press the power button on the MaiA and job done with no need for passwords. I only have a small selection of MP3 tracks on my phone, but the sound quality was perfectly acceptable nonetheless given the limitations of the MP3 format. I have Spotify on my tablet PC and the sound was again perfectly acceptable from that source.

Next, I connected the MaiA into a TEAC AH300 series midi sized component music system using the TEAC CD drive and a pair of Eltax bookshelf speakers. There was a huge increase in sound quality over the TEAC amplifier and really did get hold of the Eltax speakers, producing a crisper more powerful and lucid sound. The overall sound quality was somewhat let down by the woolly sound from the TEAC CD player, but still a worthwhile exercise nonetheless because it told me just how far class D chip technology has advanced in recent years compared to the TEAC which I believe (correct me if I am wrong) has Tripath based amplification.

By good fortune, I had a pair of Acoustic Energy 101 bookshelf speakers to hand which had also been submitted for review here at Hifi Pig and they seem like the genre of speakers that would very likely be paired with the MaiA, being of modest dimensions and pricing, so they were coupled up to the MaiA with my resident CD player performing front end duties. With a more accurate and realistic signal being fed into the amplifier, I was stunned at just how good this little amplifier sounded. Delicious treble performance which was clean and vibrant, the sound of struck cymbals were as realistic as anyone could wish for, with a defined metallic “ting” and the following decay all clearly rendered. Mid tones were slightly on the lean side giving a slightly cool balance to the sound. Of course, I didn’t expect the bottom octave to be forthcoming from the Acoustic Energy 101s due to their size, but even so that absence wasn’t missed because what bass was there I found to be very solid and articulate, full of expression and energy, well defined and textured. Placing the speakers on stands and close to the rear wall elicited an increase in bass output but that to me added a small booming effect, so I preferred them out a bit into free space, around 3 inches was optimum for me personally. They were equally at home on a desk surrounded by computer paraphernalia, so placement isn’t critical, aided of course by being front ported for the bass reflex. The performance of the Acoustic Energy 101s has already been detailed in a separate Hifi Pig review. Incidentally, I heard this same pairing fed with a Pro-Ject turntable at the recent Bristol Hi-Fi Show and they sounded extremely good , even with a room for of people chattering among themselves.

Back to the sound then of the MaiA/AE 101 pairing, I found it a very entertaining listen and happy to say that I was never affronted by what I was hearing, or never once thinking to myself “Wish there was more bass, better mids, clearer treble, etc” because it simply wasn’t the case. Fink’s “Sort of Revolution” CD sounded palpable and full of detail, the propulsive bass line being recreated very well indeed and the treble especially so, that “ting” from the Ride cymbals in all the tracks never being overwhelmed by the rest of the music so it stood as an individual clear entity. This album is threaded throughout with close mic’d acoustic guitar recorded so the body of the instrument needs to be captured and the squealing of the finger work on the frets is integral to the performance, adding not detracting from the charm of the album.

Time now to really put the MaiA through it’s paces with my resident system CD player, speakers and cabling. The speakers are medium efficiency infinite baffle designs on rigid spiked stands, situated in a smallish listening room so the amplifier won’t be expected to fill a huge room with sound and the purpose was to try and find the upper limits of the MaiA’s capabilities. Cabling was by Audiomica in the form of the ERYS Excellence interconnect and the CELES Excellence speaker cable (Reviewed elsewhere in Hifi Pig). Now I found that the MaiA wasn’t seriously outclassed at all with every component costing many times more than it did. The sound moved on into yet another dimension that was snapping at the heels of my resident amplifier which cost some 10 times more than the MaiA. Yes it didn’t have the raw grunt and outright power at higher volumes, but even so it says more about the MaiA’s capabilities and what can be achieved with good design that enabled that. On that note, I can easily imagine that someone will design a more powerful low noise power supply unit to replace the supplied stock one and perhaps give the amp a bit of a turbo boost to aid performance.

Back into the CD drawer went Fink’s “Sort of Revolution” and here we are talking about differences between the two amplifiers in the finite range, they were that small. Bass was 85% of what my resident amplifier gave me, treble was even closer and it was much easier now to pick up the ambience cues in the recording , but it was the mid band was where I heard the greatest difference and the MaiA provided a slightly “leaner” sound, but even that I could probably have lived with on a daily basis without real criticism in the long term, because that is a better compromise than a flabby or chesty sounding midrange.

Imaging and soundstage were certainly well up to standard with good height and depth, the sound extending well out beyond the speaker boundaries.

When the amp was paired with the AE speakers that last octave of bass was certainly curtailed, with my resident speakers however bass extension went much lower and with taut power which suggests a high damping factor for the MaiA. The MaiA didn’t quite have the same “punch in the guts” bass power and dynamics that my resident amplifier has and frankly didn’t expect it to be, but I don’t see that as a weakness on behalf of the MaiA. Turning the volume control right round until 2 o’clock and it all held together really well with no muddling or instruments crashing into one another as the volume level went up. Bass grip was extraordinary for what is deemed as a low power amplifier rated at 25 watts into 8 ohms. By about 3 o’clock on the volume however the sound started hardening up and although I could detect no clipping or any other distress at all I didn’t risk taking it any further, because by then the listening room was full of sound anyway and so my test objectives were met in full. Incidentally, the casework didn’t even get the slightest bit warm during these high power runs. A highly commendable performance.

I had to borrow a turntable as I am ‘in between’ turntables at the moment. A friend loaned me a Thorens TD160B with a Grado Prestige Black cartridge to evaluate the MaiA’s phono stage. I found no hisses or hums through the phono input and it had sufficient gain to match the analogue line inputs. Sound was clean and rather lively I thought, although I couldn’t tell for sure if it was the Grado cartridge or the MaiA amplifier responsible. I am out of my comfort zone whenever I use components for evaluation I am not wholly familiar with, so will leave it that I found no immediate causes for concern.

Last, but by no means least, I turned to the digital input capabilities of the MaiA. Both co-axial and optical inputs routed from my CD player in to the MaiA’s DAC were more than satisfactory with no noise or mush detected. It was nigh on impossible to tell if the resulting sound via the DAC was any better or different to the DAC within my resident CD player because they sounded so similar. Signal lock was instantaneous although there is no indicator to show that it was. USB connection from my laptop PC was of a similar performance so no quibbles there either. As my television and satellite receiver are in another room unfortunately, so I was unable to test how the MaiA interfaced with that equipment although I foresee no issues there either.

CONCLUSION
My opening statement to this review asked whether size isn’t everything and if big things come in small packages, so do these statements apply to the Pro-Ject MaiA amplifier? The answer has to be a resounding “yes” by anyone’s standards and even now I am still astonished at how much performance can be crammed into such a small box, which also happens to suit modern lifestyles with it’s abilities to become inconspicuous. A good solid 25 watts per channel of clean sound, three line level analogue inputs, a moving magnet level phono input, a headphone output too, no less than three digital inputs and a Bluetooth connection as well, adds up to a versatile and highly flexible heart to any hifi music reproduction, computer, or two channel A/V system, provided of course that reasonably efficient speakers are being used and in a room not exceeding 25 square metres unless near field listening in a larger room is envisaged.

It will happily integrate into budget systems, middle ranking systems and not entirely out of place or embarrassed when rubbing shoulders with the esoteric either, although there are some inherent limitations like power output which is not entirely unexpected at the sort of level we are discussing here. What available power is there, is clean and enjoyably listenable, free of fatigue and distortion.

The icing on the cake has to be that sub-£400 price tag and that to me ranks it as a complete steal in terms of sound quality over value for money. I am confident it will win many admirers.

Construction: 9.3/10

Sound quality: 9.4/10

Value for money: 9.6/10

Overall: 9.4/10

Recommended for: Any music system where high power demands are not a primary requirement. Will interface with just about anything that churns out music – in whatever format, analogue or digital.

Dominic Marsh

With a score exceeding 8.5 overall for the MaiA amplifier from Dominic’s review above, we now hand the same amplifier over to Dan who conducts the follow-up below:

From the very first chord that strummed from the Pro-Ject Maia, I was hooked! The small intricate delicacies that the little multi analogue and digital input amplifier presented was incredible, I was warned by Dominic that this amp is ‘a little sweetie’ and my oh my was he right.

Class D amplification, coax, optical and USB inputs as well as a handful of analogue inputs including a MM Phonostage, 3.5mm input for a portable player or phone and a 3.5mm output to pass a signal to active desktop/computer speakers and a bluetooth aerial for streaming from a PC, phone or tablet!

How do Pro-Ject do it? No really…how do they do it? A price tag of £399 would have suited me just fine if this was a simple analogue based input class D amplifier that p doused such engaging tones as the Maia.

Getting on to its class D amplification, the Maia doesn’t sound cool, cold, limp or lacklustre. The musicality that simply effortlessly flows from this magicians box of tricks was driving my big Ayons sweetly, let alone a few little speakers I have to hand. The power output is rated at 25W into 8 Ohms and 37W into 4 Ohms. My Ayons are 6 Ohm so we can assume a good 30W was available for them. The Maia is claimed to have a drive capability of 2 Ohm loads. I’ve had some strong contending A/B amplifiers here just recently that don’t come anywhere near the Maia’s ability to convey such micro details at lower levels with a background blackness that is just so dead each small nuance sounds simply eerie. All of this from a nasty switch mode power supply. A good linear with plenty of headroom would no doubt give more drive and attack and may well support the intentions put forward that the Maia is capable of dipping to 2 Ohms comfortably.

The MaiA was connected to my own personal Pro-Ject Stream Box DS Net via its coaxial RCA output for most of my listening. I have ordered a custom made 9v PSU for this from Paul Hynes as Pro-Ject’s own multi rail linear PSU is for their 20v based equipment which the Maia is (I have also been informed that a complementary Maia linear power supply is due soon) so I think for my own piece of mind when my 9v arrives from Paul I will get a Pro-Ject Linear PSU from Henleys the UK Distributer and try the Maia once more and attach a small update to this review as the intrigue in me is very high due to the current unexpected performance I’m getting currently.

Another point really worth mentioning which can be somewhat of a big deal is the remote controls ability to control the amplifier from all sorts of different angles and even working around objects even though it’s signal is infrared and not radio frequency. I’ve been in torment just recently with a couple amps that, although I don’t mind getting up and twisting the knob manually, if your going to provide a remote for the love of God make sure it can be used at more than one degree of axis! So thank you Pro-Ject for restoring my faith in simple engineering!

I don’t use a turntable but I have various sources which have analogue outputs and also some active desktop speakers which the Maia dealt with admirably once again, conveying a sound which was detailed and truly musical.

The bluetooth feature worked well, sound quality may take a little hit here but keeping to streaming good quality files allows one to quickly forget about any slight dip in performance and simply enjoy the flexibility of the technology and ease of use.

CONCLUSION
All in all the Pro-Ject Maia is the first true budget All in One amplifier that truly demands an audition. It’s so compact and feature rich it can adorn any room of the home and the Stream Box Ds Net I use is the same width, they just sit on top of each other as would the other Pro-Ject components, so whether you want to play a CD from the matching form factor CD Box S or the taller CD Box DS,mlisten to Internet radio or stream there is a compact solution that will drive loud volumes of any speaker 90db or above and below that threshold to most reasonable levels.

Treat the Maia with respect regarding its power output and the results are truly great, push it too hard and it I’ll bite back.,

Don’t be afraid to add something a little more expensive on the end of Maia as it will only benefit the overall experience this little amp is a bit of a show off.

Build Quality – 9/10

Sound Quality – 9/10

Value For Money – 9.6/10

Overall – 9.2/10

Recommended for ‘True value for money’ a one stop shop with a sound quality that just makes you sit back and smile.

Dan Worth

Arte Forma’s stable of electronics are made in Taiwan with the company coming together in the beginning from a group of DIY hobbyists with a passion for music reproduction. It’s a diverse group of 26 members with backgrounds ranging from computer engineer, electrical engineers and communication industry specialists. In the UK the distribution is handled by JoSound.
Arte Forma produce a handful of tube amplifiers, a tube preamplifier, plus a solid state preamp and the Mezzo solid state power amplifier we have here.

Coming in at 20KG this is a heavy beast of an amplifier which round the back sports a single XLR input (for when used in mono mode), a pair of RCA inputs, the power inlet and a good set of heavy duty speaker terminals. Round the front there’s a single toggle switch for on and off and a discrete red LED to let you know it’s powered up.

As I said this is a heavy amp and it looks very well put together. The front facia is a thick piece of brushed aluminium and the whole aesthetic is one of purposeful simplicity. I like the looks of it a great deal.

TECH SPEC

Quoted output for the Mezzo is a healthy 180 W into 8 Ohms and 500 into 8 Ohms when used in mono mode. It operates in Class A/B and has a frequency response of 5Hz to 65KHz. Looking through the top of the amp (the ventilation holes are quite large) there is a massive (and I mean huge) torroidal transformer and I guess this is where a good deal of the weight is coming from. I like this.

SOUND 

All listening was done using files fed from a dedicated computer running JRiver through the VAD DAC10, The Coffman Labs G-1A valve pre using a mix of cables from Tellurium Q, Chord, Computer Audio Design and Vermouth Audio. Speakers are the usual hORN Mummy.

I was told the amplifier had been fully run in and it certainly seemed a solid performer with no bettering of performance during the review period. 

On with Neil Young’s After The Goldrush and it is immediate that the amp has the ability to connect you emotionally with the music. Ok I know this is a bit woolly but it is often that connection that I want to feel above all else. The midband clarity is good here and I think there is a good cohesion between the Mezzo and our reference pre. There is a terrific openness to the sound I’m hearing here in the vocal range and it’s all underpinned with a nice and tight bass quality.

Popping on Madonna’s American Life there is a feeling of great slam and speed to the bass. The cat went and hid. This is not the same speed I’m used to with the Iridium reference which is Class A but there is more weight in this respect with the Mezzo. In a lot of ways this amp is preaching to the choir in the way it bangs out electronic music over and above the reference. Imaging on this type of music is rock solid with an excellent representation of the studio mix. Indeed, coming from a studio/DJ environment this is ticking a lot of boxes for me. It doesn’t have the overall finesse of the reference amp (£6 000) and overall I prefer the recently reviewed Merrill Audio Veritas amps ($12 000) but this is an amplifier costing just £1 800.

Hypnosis’ Italo monster Droid with its Moroderesque bassline sounds great and it strikes me that what we have here is an amplifier with the power and pump of a very good professional amplifier with added upper and mid refinement.

OK, I admit that this amp is really addictive playing my preferred techno, disco and house but that wouldn’t really be telling the full story and very few people play just this one kind of music and so I must tear myself away and (reluctantly) explore other genres to see where this amplifier stands in the grand scheme of things. 

Smoke On The Water from Deep Purple’s Made in Japan album had that live and immediate feel to it and that bass line that I use as a reference had all the necessary power and grunt. The cat hid and growled. The amp seems to be in good control again in the bass and on Pink Floyd’s Meddle album the bass….oh no I’m doing it again Truthfully I’m not all about the bass, no treble (Meghan Trainor reference there kids) and neither is this amp.

On with Pascal Mailloux’ excellent Rain album and the feeling I get is once again of weight and authority with the double bass underpinning the piano, ensuring a solid foundation for the music to build on. This is not to say, as mentioned, that this amp is a one trick pony with a booty bass and nothing else, there is a good deal of openness and detail here too and again a good sense of the recording feeling live. Soundstaging is good if not outstanding and there is a decent, if not holographic, sense of three dimensionality. What there is again is that emotional connection to the music that is difficult to pinpoint or describe accurately.

I was interviewing Nigel and Alan from The Chord Company recently at the Bristol Sound and Vision Show and one of the things that got mentioned a lot was the “magic” that music can bring – it’s indefinable but you know when you hear it. It may not be produced by the most resolving system or the best recording, but when you hear it causes the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up. And so it was with Vladyslav Sendicki’s Solo Piano at Schloss Elmau…a connection. There isn’t the same level of insight into the recording as the reference amplifier, but there’s a lovely tone and feel to the music that lets you forget the system and get on with enjoying the tune.

On bigger orchestral pieces (regular readers will know this isn’t really my ‘bag’) such as The Russian National Orchestra and Mikhail Gembaczka playing Tchaikovsy, the Mezzo demonstrates it can do scale and subtlety as well as slam. The orchestra is laid out in front of me and the instruments hold their position in the stage. What strikes me most is that however loud I crank the volume knob there’s never a feeling of strain.

CONCLUSION 

For the asking price of £1800 this is a very capable amplifier that is able to connect the listener with the music in a real and palpable way. It is enormously dynamic and allows the preamp to demonstrate its own set of skills without getting in the way too much.

On studio produced, beat driven music it excels and both Linette and I said that it would be great to be able to switch this amplifier into the system when listening to this kind of stuff. If you are a lover of this genre you really should check the Mezzo out.

The Mezzo isn’t the last word in poise or refinement (though it is far from unrefined), but what it slightly lacks in these areas it more than makes up for in sheer enjoyment factor.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this amplifier but it’s getting picked up tomorrow for the next leg of its journey!

Construction: 8/10 

Sound quality: 8.5/10

Value for money: 8.9/10

Overall: 8.4710

Recommended for listeners looking for a good value power amplifier that is hugely dynamic and brings a real sense of that indefinable magic to the listening experience.

Stuart Smith

Using borrowed  techniques and circuits from the company’s top-line monoblocks like the Concero 65 and pre-amp stages like the Pondera Ref Aries Cerat have come up with what they describe as being “the absolute and superlative design in integrated amplifier”.

The Diana is a three stage, all direct heated triode single ended amplifier.

All three stages are designed as direct heated single ended amplifier stages. The first two stages are loaded with bifilar-wound, interstage transformers with no coupling capacitors present in the signal path.

Input tubes are a pair of DHT 814 tubes, driving another 814 pair, which drives a pair of 813 DHT output tubes.

The power supplies are fed by 800VA and 1000VA (1800VA total) transformers, controlled  by a soft start circuit. The four 814 and two 813 tubes, all have their separate choke filtered PSUs and all 6 filaments are powered by 6 triple filtered PSUs, to provide solid power reserves.

Output stage power supply ,uses three film SuperCapacitors weighing 3Kg each whilst biasing of the input, driver and output tubes is attained via special biasing circuits, and all stages can be fully adjusted and monitored while listening.

Attenuation method is discrete-relay-switched-resistors.

Number of inputs: 5 unbalanced, optional Balanced input

HT pass-through ready

Gain: 24db

Power Output 25W sine, 50W square

Signal bandwidth :6Hz-100KHz

SNR >110db

Weight: 115kg

Dimensions: 570mmW X 630mmD X 360mmH

The MINT Maraschino is a two channel implementation of the Digital Amp Co’s  Maraschino Amplifier Circuit plus input select (front/back), sleep control (on/off/auto), and volume control.  Power is provided by a single, external, upgradeable power supply.  There is a standard (48V) version and a KING version (60V).  Output power is up to 250W with the standard version and up to 1000W with the KING version!  The KING version also includes Gold WBT binding posts.  The MINT is a compact (7.8″ x 6.5″ x 2.3″) based in an extruded aluminium chassis on Sorbothane feet.

MINT stands for Maraschino Integrated Nano Technology.  It is a stereo amplifier, nade in USA, for use with a wide range of kit.

There’s only a very short time left on the company’s Kickstarter campaign and they are looking for a little more support, despite having hit their target.

Marantz has just announced the offer of a hardware upgrade for their AV8802 flagship AV pre-amplifier. As promised by Marantz this January, current owners of their home cinema centre will now be able to upgrade it to support future-proof HDCP 2.2 copy protection protocol, needed to play back copy-protected 4k Ultra-HD content. The upgrade requires hardware modification at a Marantz certified Service Centre. Starting in June, this will be arranged on request by a local Marantz retailer for a cost price of EUR 199. At the same time, Marantz will start selling the factory-upgraded AV8802A model (SRP: EUR 3.999), gradually replacing the AV8802 (SRP: EUR 3.799).

On a separate note, Marantz announced a plan to offer a software update to add new DTS:X immersive surround sound format to the AV8802A and AV8802 later this year. Details will be revealed soon.

AV8802A Multi-channel AV Pre-amplifier with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – Main Features

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in
• Current Feedback topology and new Marantz HDAM
• Toroidal transformer & Copper plated chassis
• Three piece top cover construction
• Power supply with 4x 000μF capacitors
• 32bit / 192kHz DA-Converters
• Auro-3D upgrade-ready (up to Auro 1)

    Dolby Atmos (5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4 configuration)

• Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio
• Audyssey MultEQ XT32, LFC, Sub EQ HT, Pro ready
• Audyssey DSX; DTS Neo:X (11.1ch)
• 2ch pre-out (13.2ch XLR, 13.2ch RCA) and 11.2ch signal processing
• Latest HDMI version with 4k 50/60Hz 4:4:4 resolution
• Full HDCP 2 compatibility for all 8 inputs
• 7+1 front HDMI in / 3 HDMI out (2 + 1 zone) (4k 50/60Hz, 3D, ARC, Deep Color)
• HDMI scaling 1080p, 4k 50/60 Hz
• isf video calibration
• MP3, WAV, AAC, WMA, AIFF
• HD Audio streaming: FLAC 192/24, DSD, ALAC
• Gapless Playback
• USB port
• Spotify Connect* (* where available), Flickr, Internet Radio support
• Phono (MM) input
• Setup Assistant and Advanced GUI
• 4 Smart Select buttons for fast selection of listening presets
• Marantz Remote App for iOS and Android devices

Denon has just confirmed the availability of a hardware upgrade for their AVR- X7200W flagship Network AV Receiver. Current owners of this AVR will now be able to upgrade their unit to support future-proof HDCP 2.2 copy protection protocol, needed for copy-protected 4k Ultra-HD content playback. The upgrade, which requires hardware modification at an authorized Denon Service Centre, will start in May. The cost for this upgrade will be EUR 199. At the same time, Denon starts replacing the AVR-X7200W (SRP: EUR 2.799) with the AVR-X7200WA (SRP: EUR 2.999), which is already factory-upgraded with the above new features.

Customers who wish to perform the HDCP 2.2 upgrade to transform their AVR-X7200W into an AVR-X7200WA should get in contact with their Denon retailer. For the owners of either AVR-X7200W or AVR-X7200WA, the Auro-3D software upgrade will continue to be available via Denon.

On a different note, Denon also shared a plan to offer a software update to bring new DTS:X immersive surround sound format to the AVR-X7200W and the AVR-X7200WA later this year. Details will be revealed when the time approaches.

Denon AVR-X7200WA 9.2ch Network AV Receiver – Key Features

• 210W x 9ch
• Symmetrical monolithic amplifier design with Denon custom made transistors
• D.S.C.-HD32 with AL32 Processing Multi-channel, Denon Link HD
• Built in Wi-Fi with dual antenna, built in Bluetooth
• Latest HDMI standard with 4K Ultra HD 50/60 Hz Pass-through and 4:4:4 colour resolution
• Full HDCP 2 compatibility for all 8 HDMI inputs
• Advanced Video Processing with upscaling up to 1080p and 4k Ultra HD 50/60Hz
• 8 HDMI inputs (incl. 1 front), 3 HDMI outputs (2 main + zone)
• Dolby Atmos (5.1.2, 5.1.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4*, 9.1.2* configuration)
• Auro-3D upgradable (9.1ch, 1ch* with VOG (Voice of God) configuration)
• Audyssey DSX and DTS Neo:X 1ch processing
• Wide support for streaming formats including DSD and AIFF streaming
• AirPlay and DLNA music streaming; Spotify Connect
• Advanced ECO mode with off/on/auto setting
• Audyssey MultEQ XT32 / Sub EQ HT / LFC (Pro ready)
• Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ
• RS232 control
• Phono input
• 2ch processing and 13.2ch pre-out; gold-plated terminals
• 3 source, 3 zones

Following the rebranding of Sansui UK as Mitchell and Johnson at CES 2015, the new British based hi-fi manufacturer is launching its integrated amplifier with built in 24bit/192kHz DAC and a matching CD player.

Designed in Europe, the SAP-201V is an updated and improved version of the slim-line integrated amplifier previously sold under the Sansui brand name. The company’s press release comments ” Internal modifications at the component level have improved its audio performance significantly, without increasing the competitive retail price”.

The amplifier boasts a healthy 40 watts per channel into eight ohms and features seven inputs, including: four line level analogue inputs, a 3.5mm front panel socket, a dedicated phono input, and a coaxial or optical digital input for use with the built in DAC.

Including a DAC in such a keenly priced product and sporting a built-in phono stage is in keeping with the company’s philosophy of aiming to make the best quality hi-fi at very competitive prices. The 24bit/192kHz Wolfson DAC enables digital audio sources, such as computers, portable players or the soon to be launched matching network music player to be connected via coaxial or optical sockets for the best possible signal transfer.

The circuit topography utilises a ‘direct access’ design to shorten the signal paths to ensure unhindered music reproduction. High quality toroidal transformers and audiophile grade components are used throughout.

Packed with features not normally associated with products at this price point, the SAP-201V includes a standard ¼” headphone socket on the front panel and line level output via RCA connections on the rear for recording purposes. Loudspeaker connections are made using the substantial binding posts and the amplifier works with speakers from four to 16 ohms.

Supplied in brushed silver or black finishes, with restyled metal volume controls and flush mounted control buttons, the SAP-201V aesthetically matches the CDD-201 CD player, which is compatible with all common CD formats including; CD/CD-/+R/RW and MP3. The CD player can be connected to the amplifier via its analogue or digital outputs.

Paul Mitchell, CEO, of Mitchell and Johnson commented, “With the launch of the SAP-201V and CDD-201 and the real improvements and features we have engineered into the products, we have fulfilled our ambition of making really good quality hi-fi available to all consumers, regardless of budget.” He adds, “Independent listening tests have demonstrated that the performance is more than a match for other products in the market and we are confident that hi-fi and music enthusiasts are going to love them. And for the independent hi-fi retailers Mitchell and Johnson is providing an opportunity for them to sell British hi-fi at very competitive prices.”

The DAC and phono stage equipped integrated amplifier has a recommended retail price of £299 and the CDD-201 CD player is just £249.

New British hi-fi brand, Modern British Audio Company, is launching the Status integrated amplifier. With a strong emphasis on minimising noise and distortion the Status will be a dual mono design.

Manufactured in the UK, from largely British sourced components, the Status comprises two separate 170 watt per channel (8 ohm) monobloc amplifiers within the casework, which are coupled to an analogue control pre-amp stage.

Digital and analogue power supplies are utilised for the pre-amp section, with an advanced switch mode design offering very low standby dissipation that is then regulated using linear regulators to provide clean supplies for the pre-amp control and DAC sections. Ultra-low noise regulators are used in a two-stage regulation design for the analogue side of the pre-amp.

The integrated Bluetooth 4.0 receiver and DAC allows high quality streaming of music from iOS, Android and Windows devices using A2DP and AVRCP 1.4 protocols. The DAC’s differential analogue outputs are coupled directly to a dedicated differential pre-amp input to maintain signal integrity, reject noise and minimise distortion.

The emphasis on differential circuit design, utilised in the pre-amplifier, is carried through to the Bluetooth input, which is also differential, as is the dedicated XLR input. Four single ended inputs are provided, but these too take advantage of the differential circuit topology, allowing each single ended input to operate with single point grounding.

Substantial power supplies, separate for each individual mono channel, provide high current capacity for the power stages and a separately regulated higher voltage supply to the power amplifier’s input and driver stages. A total of 80,000uF storage capacitors are used in the amplifier. Circuit design within the power stages has been as carefully planned as the preamp stage, with the use of field effect transistors in critical circuit positions, including the output stages.

Physical connection to the Status is via three sets of phono inputs, a 3.5mm front mounted socket and the balanced XLR inputs. Left, right and subwoofer pre-amp outputs are provided and the speaker terminals are fitted with WBT posts. The Status also features a dedicated Class A headphone amplifier.

Control is via the IR remote and provision has been made for integration into control and distribution systems via the RS232 port.

Darren Hollands, of Modern British Audio Co. says, “The Status represents our first amplification product and is a no compromise design; a substantial and impressive statement piece that shows off the brand philosophy of MBAco. Namely, producing hi-fi products and in this case an amplifier, that delivers a powerful yet transparent sonic performance to enhance people’s enjoyment and to reveal musical detail they’ve never heard before. Coupled with our new loudspeakers, MBAco will be bringing a whole new level of musical enjoyment to the Bristol show visitors and wider consumer base.”

£6295 UK MSRP inc. VAT

McIntosh Laboratory has reissued two classic amplifiers that retain the aesthetics of their era, while sporting modernised internals for contemporary system integration.

The C22

First issued in the 1960s, the reintroduced C22 preamp maintains the retro McIntosh design but has been modernised to deliver performance equal to any other McIntosh pre. The 2015 C22 features electromagnetic input-switching to provide a reliable, noiseless and distortion-free operation: distortion levels of all types are typically less than 0.08%.

The C22 boasts 10 inputs, including two balanced and six unbalanced, plus Moving Coil and Moving Magnet phono inputs; the latter offering selectable resistance and capacitive loading to enable a wide range of cartridge and turntable combinations.

The C22’s outputs comprise one set of balanced and three sets of unbalanced connections, while further features include (bypassable) bass and treble controls, plus a power control, enabling a complete McIntosh system to power up/down using the front panel or remote.
The MC75

Originally launched in 1970, the reintroduced MC75 mono vacuum tube power amplifier delivers modern performance standards in a classic design.

At the MC75’s heart lies McIntosh’s patented Unity Coupled Circuit design, which provides “low distortion, an extended frequency response and long tube life”.
Balanced and unbalanced inputs combined with power control, allow seamless matching with all contemporary McIntosh preamps and processors and a Sentry Monitor tube protection circuit ensures the MC75 will have a long and trouble-free operating life. The MC75 offers 75 watts into a 2, 4 or 8 Ohm speaker with less than 0.5% distortion.

The C22 is priced at USD $6,000; the MC75 is USD $3,750. Both are available in non-EU regions now. The C22 and MC75 will not be available in the European Union due to current power management and standby power requirements.

Having scored so highly the Graham Slee Proprius Mono Power Amps are currently with second reviewer Ian Ringstead to ascertain whether they will receive the coveted Hifi Pig Outstanding Product Award. This review will be published shortly. Read Janine Elliot’s first part now!!

Over the last half year I have done a few reviews on products by Graham Slee, a highly religious and uniquely kind personality, whose ideas are well known but not as often reviewed as I feel they should be. Best known for the small phono and headphone amplifiers, his background was making mixing desks and amplifiers for the BBC in the days when even the girls wore suits. The days where you not only took pride in the work you did but also what you wore. I loved those days. So, sit me down (not in a suit) listening to his 25W Proprius monoblock Class Ab power amps, connected with Ecosse MS2.3 cabling to Graham LS5/9 speakers and I am reliving my 25 years at the corporation. The Graham S and Graham A combination are just meant for each other. 

The Proprius, like most of the Slee product base is simplicity in looks, but this hides some really good engineering design inside. No mass produced tech which is designed to woo in the listener with either over-accentuated bass or zillion Hz topz. This is about music; this is real class Ab – not D or T; this is about ease of listening, and an amazingly good amount of audio level despite the low power numbers; all those sudden bursts that many an amp needs hundreds of Watts in reserve to deliver with any meaning, are catered for with comfort here, even when I connected them to my 83dB sensitivity 15ohm LS3/5a speakers. Rated at 25watts into 8 ohm or 45watts if into 4ohm, each unit costs £645.90 and with XLR balanced in and conventional loudspeaker terminals is no mean product. The Proprii playing Sibelius 2 (Thomas Søndergård, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Linn Records) via Fiio X5 into Slee Majestic DAC with its balanced output is masterfully performed, just as the sound engineer would have heard it. I could have been sitting behind the mixing desk. Memories from my past aside, this was a very musical and detailed performance easily justifying its price point. This is a truly dual-mono amplification system, allowing improved stereo separation. The small unit size is helped by having the 120 Watt switch-mode power supply in an external unit, and comes complete with a mounting kit so that it can be piggy-backed to your loudspeakers. That is where the balanced input really comes in, though it worked just as well unbalanced mode in the hi-fi rack. All that is missing is a power switch. I miss that as it means every time I turn the unit off or on I get a burst of current through the speakers. Whilst this is minuscule into the Graham Audio, through my aged Chartwell LS3/5a I needed to turn down the volume controls on the Proprii to protect the Kef B110 bass/mid driver. These amps are really designed to be kept on continually. Whilst the Proprius is designed to run on full power, having a volume control on each channel means it could be used as a single-input integrated. Despite its diminutive appearance this exudes quality, including rugged 15 Amp 30 MHz output transistors, high-end professional gold plated XLRs on input and power sockets, and an effective head radiator case for cool class Ab running. Frequency response into 8 ohm went up to 47kHz with no more than 0.1% distortion and S/N A-weighted at 87dB. OK, nothing mind boggling, but bearing in mind this is a discrete component design in a 105 x 55 x 205 mm box, there is nothing diminutive about its performance. There was nothing wanting from the sound I heard, and no confusion in the sound, whatever music I threw at it. This is professional audio amplification, often reminding me of my modified Quad 405’s from years’ back. Each mono-block comes complete with its own frequency chart showing that, as is very important, specification between units are as closely matched, much as was the tight consistency of quality control between every single manufactured LS3/5a, that I also paired for this review.
Playing Nielsen Symphony No 3 (New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Alan Gilbert) first movement DSD recording via coaxial output from my aged Kenwood DVD-A player into the new NuForce DAC-80 gave a compellingly purposeful performance. At 09’30” even I jumped out of my seat as the music took to a new level. The instrumentalists of course remained in theirs. 

These amplifiers are not just for classicophiles, as Graham says;

“With an ever increasing audience of rock lovers, I set out to design products to not only sound fantastic with symphonies, choral music, quartets and audiophile jazz, but also to reproduce rock music in such a way as to provide fun listening – to provide those air-guitar inspiring moments!”

He decided this after listening to Led Zeppelin ‘Kashmir’ in a hi-fi shop and wondering why it sounded flat and compressed. Indeed, in the 1970’s Graham was himself a DJ, and also building on-the-road equipment. It was at this time he began developing phono preamps and headphone amps The Proprius certainly has enough welly to make even the most ardent Progressive Rock fan happy. And whilst this baby couldn’t compare anywhere near my Krell KAV250a in terms of power output, size or cost, this was no mere sibling. This had grunt, with an exceptionally dynamic and energetic soundstage from the deepest lows to the tizzling tops. I have sat on this power amp for a considerable time now, and every time I switch it on I get surprised just how good it goes.  Whilst China-built packages can sound really good nowadays, I’m not interested in cheap prices or spec or buttons or lights. I just wanted to listen to musicians, and through this kit I most certainly could.

Suzanne Vega Tom’s Diner gave a sweet but solid rendition of her solo voice in all its glory. All frequencies were clear and musical, from the lowest to the highest. Through the LS5/9s this was one of the best performances I had ever heard at any price.

Patricia Barber ‘Live, A Fortnight in France’ had excellent depth of field, with each and every instrument played just as the musicians intended, with me there in Metz, La Rochelle and Paris. Thoughts of my 10W Valve Leak Stereo 20 came to mind; whilst the 50s design is low in output and has a technical specification today’s designers would be embarrassed to quote, it still sounds remarkably musical. That this 21st Century £1299 all-in package can sound as good as it does is indicative of Slee’s compulsion with creating the very best. Today’s “new” is being small, as shown in minuscule products such as Project’s MaiA, or the simplistic yet beautiful Roksan Oxygene series or the respected Devialet creations, so there is definitely a place for the Slee. As a woman, as well as liking to have less to dust, I would ask whether there could be versions in different colours; perhaps Pink (appropriately for HiFi Pig). Having different finishes not only fits into everyone’s living room and taste but also makes it more of a designer product, and therefore more expensive looking. Yes, I know it would add a few pounds to the cost, but for an amplifier as good as this would add to interest from those who might otherwise not choose a Slee.

CONCLUSION

For a complete Class AB dual mono-block power amplifier at under £1,300 is a feat in itself, but this system is more than that. It harnesses many years of experience of breathing in solder fumes and scratching of the head to create something that Graham himself is happy to put his GPSAudio dove on the front. The dove is portrayed as white and gentle, sweet and loving. This amplifier is certainly something I love, but the sound is not a white wash, nor is it only gentle. This is real Class A in a pint pot, and well worth the price.

Sound Quality – 8.8/10
Value for Money – 8.8/10
Build Quality – 8.2/10
Overall – 8.6/10

Janine Elliot

Having scored so highly the Graham Slee Proprius Mono Power Amps are currently with second reviewer Ian Ringstead to ascertain whether they will receive the coveted Hifi Pig Outstanding Product Award. This review will be published shortly. To find out how Hifi Pig scores products please read our frequently asked questions section.

British hi-fi brand Exposure is updating its range to add fresh features to meet the latest audiophile wants.

Currently being released is the 2010S2-D, an upgraded version of the 2010S2 integrated amplifier. Like its predecessor, the new 2010S2-D comes with six line level inputs. However, one of these is now a direct AV input with fixed gain, to enable integration within a surround sound system.

Special high-quality capacitors are used in the signal path and the circuit topology has been mapped with a view to keeping signal and power supply paths short.

The power supply in the 2010S2-D an entirely bespoke 200 Watt toroidal power transformer which feeds two large reservoir capacitors to provide ample power. To ensure excellent performance in all situations, Cascode circuitry improves immunity to noise and ripple on the power supply rails.

A preamp output allows for tagging-on of a separate power amplifier, in case you want to bi-amp your system. Speaker terminals are doubled to allow bi-wiring.

Finally, there is also the option to fit a moving magnet or moving coil phonostage inside the 2010S2-D, enabling a one-box amplifier solution for vinyl playback.
The Exposure 2010S2-D integrated amplifier is available now in silver or black, priced at £1,020. The optional MM or MC phono boards are priced at £110.

Founded in 1998 by Lee Taylor and Mallory Nicholls (LEE and MAllory = LEEMA) both ex-BBC engineers with an almost fanatical interest in sound reproduction.

They have around 20 products in their current lineup including loudspeakers and electronics, with some news models due to be released soon so we are told.

CONSTRUCTION

Housed in an attractive half width chassis, this amplifier is certainly well built and neatly laid out.  On the front panel working left to right we find the power button, to the right of which is the infra red remote control sensor window.  Below these are the 3.5mm headphone jack socket and another 3.5mm input jack socket to connect an MP3 player.  In the centre of the front panel is a blue fluorescent display panel which shows the input configuration and the volume level.  To the right of that is the volume control which is not a resistive potentiometer, but a rotary pulse generator which sends digital signals to a volume control processing section in the amplifier.   This knob also doubles up as an input selector by pressing on it when the menu display is activated.  Beneath the volume control is the menu push button and a mute push button.

To the rear we find an array of inputs, the single set of speaker terminals and the mains inlet.  There are no less than 3 TOSLINK input connections, followed by a co-axial S/PDIF input and finally a USB input, which takes care of the digital inputs available.  The analogue inputs comprises a pair of fully balanced XLR  inputs, then 3 RCA single ended input pairs and then finally a pair of “pre out” RCA sockets to connect to another power amplifier for bi-amping, or as a line level subwoofer drive output.   Each of the inputs can be renamed to whatever one desires via the menu system and display.   There is also the option to assign one of the RCA inputs to become a dedicated AV input.  Speaker connection is by BFA sockets which will also accept standard 4mm banana plugs, which of course means you cannot connect bare wire or spade terminals.  To the right of the TOSLINK connector we find a pair of sockets marked as “LIPS” which stands for “Leema Intelligent Protocol System” which links the Elements amplifier to other Leema products.  Having only the Elements amplifier submitted for review, I could not test for the efficacy or otherwise of this connection.  Finally we have an IEC mains input socket and fuse panel with the correct fuse rating for voltage input labeled accordingly.

The Elements amplifier also has a built in Digital to Analogue Convertor with a Crystal CS 434X DAC and a Wolfson receiver.  It will automatically detect sample rates up to 96kHz but with rates higher than that they have to be set with the correct frequency value via the front panel menu control system up to a maximum of 192kHz.

The sample submitted for review is in a silver/grey matt finish, a black finish is also available.

Price at time of review is circa £1,700.00.

SOUND QUALITY

Not strictly sound quality as such, but worth a mention at this point is how easy the amplifier is to set up.  The front panel menu system works really well, especially so from following the user manual which was clear, concise and lacking in ambiguity, written in plain easily understood English, which was a refreshing change from the norm.   I detest graphics only based instruction manuals.

First impressions were very favourable when I connected the Elements amplifier into my resident evaluation system.  It certainly had no shortage of power and drive, although refinement and sophistication were not as good as the resident amplifier, but that was no surprise and no slur to the Elements amplifier either.  Treble in particular had a slight trace of fuzziness at the extreme top end that was not offensive or indeed intrusive and that was just me being very critical.  I am always loathe to blight any component with adverse comments, so maybe a change of cabling could sort that out and so I tried the Leema interconnects and speaker cables that came in another package and not officially submitted for review.  With the Leema cables installed the sound wasn’t any better to be truthful, so immediately head first into the spare cables cabinet to find some cables which had a bit more synergy with the Elements amplifier.  I tried several pure silver confections and they were way off beam with the sound I was looking for, silver plated copper was less than ideal too and realised that the Elements amp is a touch sensitive to what it is paired with.   In the end I settled on a set of pure copper cables from SLIC Innovations and now we were rocking.

With these cables in place the Elements amplifier simply blossomed into a powerful and yet refined musical performer that lacked nothing in musical satisfaction.  Whatever CD I put into drawer never failed to entertain, even the one or two of the infamous “torture tracks” I threw at the Elements amp got shrugged off easily, which told me there was some rounding off in performance somewhere but I was not going to carry out an autopsy to discover why and how, I just enjoyed what I was hearing.  Porcupine Tree’s “Deadwing” album is a real wince listen on the majority of systems and the higher the resolving power, the worse it sounds in most instances.  The Elements amplifier managed to balance on that tightrope of bringing out the details and dynamics of the album, without tipping over into a harsh fatiguing listen and assaulting the ears in the process.

The internal DAC is a peach too and I took the digital output from my CD player via the co-axial and TOSLINK connections using a glass lead and both sounded superb, along with a USB hookup from my PC for playing some Spotify tracks.   I am not into hardcore streaming by any means, I just use Spotty to line up any future music purchases and the reviewer part of me must also have this facility to hand to test the increasing number of devices with digital connectivity being submitted for review.

My favourite CD of the moment is Fink’s “Wheels Beneath My Feet” album recorded live in various venues.   The track “Sort of Revolution” has some powerful Floor Tom whacks from the drummer and the Elements amplifier certainly did put the weight and power behind them so they were felt as well as heard, whereas some amps of reputed power cannot seem able to do this.  At the time of the review a pair of Dali Rubicon 5’s arrived for evaluation and there was no hesitation in hooking them up to the Elements amplifier.  These speakers have a rather prodigious bass output to them and those Floor Tom whacks shook the room even at fairly modest sound levels with no boom at all.  Nice.  The Dalis also have a revealing yet accurate treble and if there was any doubt about the Elements amplifier’s treble content then rest assured the Dalis would have found it, as this same album has some well recorded venue ambience which changes at each location and drum kit cymbals which shine with startling realism.  Fink’s lyrics writing and indeed diction of same is terrible when he sings but for reasons I still cannot comprehend, this album is rarely out of my CD player of late.

Of course, I do play many different genres of music during an evaluation, to allay your fears that I have only played two CDs and formed conclusions from that alone.  It is only when something noteworthy crops up during the listening sessions which spans many hours over weeks that I and I suspect many of my fellow reviewers also do, will only incorporate any highlights found into their reviews.  It will generally include Jazz, Orchestral, Rock, Soul, World, Ambient and many others too, although I do draw the line at opera and rap.  Sheesh, no.

CONCLUSION

I cannot in all honesty find fault with the Elements amplifier – not that I look out for them in the first place as it’s not within my remit to do that.  My own experience during the evaluation was that the amplifier is rather fussy with cabling and fortunately I have a veritable armoury of cables to pick and choose from to get the ideal match.  My concern then is that at audition prospective buyers may not be hearing the amplifier at it’s full potential and dismiss it as unsuitable to their tastes.   When you get it right, it’s a delight to listen to and many hours of listening pleasure awaits.  Factor in that it has a superb built in DAC with enough inputs and connectivity to place it at the heart of an entertainment system around the house and at a price that is pretty reasonable too given that flexibility of use.

Construction: 8.1/10
Sound quality: 8.6/10
Value for money: 8.3/10
Overall: 8.3/10

Recommended for:  A stylish compact amplifier offering plenty of inputs including digital, connectivity capabilities and excellent sound quality.

Dominic Marsh

JOB Systems is a Swiss based company working out of the Goldmund facility and shares the technology and machinery of their legendary manufacturing plant. JOB are however a separate entity and should be looked at as such, but with roots so deep in high end equipment the company really has a strong background and engineering know how.

The class A/B design of JOB Systems 225 amplifier is housed in a solid, well constructed enclosure with a gun metal shaded front anodised panel. I really adore the shade of grey the 225 has but for most, it may be a bit of a deviation from an all naturally anodised fascia system, so in this instance the sound of the amplifier must be a deciding factor.

For an amplifier with such modest dimensions it has some good weight to it giving it a feeling of substantial build quality and looking inside doesn’t deter from this feeling of wealth.

A high grade toroidal transformer with multiple secondaries feed discrete regulation and an output stage filled with carefully selected high quality components.

For me the 225 sits at a price point which is very competitive, both in the power amplifier and integrated region, knowing that a preamp is required will bump up the price further and JOB do have a passive available. To excite the sound buds I am going to tell you right now that the 225 is simply stunning, captivating and is beyond any shadow of a doubt the absolute best power amp available today for around £1300. JOB Systems and their Goldmund connections have put together an amplifier (performance-wise) that just doesn’t surprise and excite the listener, or make the reviewer go ‘wow, this should cost several times more’ – a phrase often bandied around. The JOB truly is at the absolute pinnacle of what can be attained in this market right now for price against performance, no ifs or buts!

Have a read on for a breakdown and explanation of its sonic abilities, or don’t bother… if you are willing to spend £1300 or $1700 and don’t have the patience to read all the following then take my word for it, order one and enjoy.

THE SOUND

On first take what did I make of the sound? This was something I was questioning myself for a while before I settled on an initial take on the 225. It does have an unusual quality and characteristic to it, imagine a single ended transistor amp with a raspy quality of organic texture, much like the harmonic distortion of a valve amp. If your brain can comprehend such a mixture then you are certainly on the right track.

Midrange is projected especially well with vocals, leaving great depth for stage interaction and placement of band/instruments. With more bass driven music the 225 sounds fun and exciting, a real captivating bounciness to the presentation which is also reflected in the lower mid/upper bass region. Kick drums have a real crack of the skin, strike of the stick and expression of the drum’s cavity giving an undeniable rhythm-driven pace to music. Overall information in the lower mid upper bass area is particularly stand out, informative and very very complex underpinning everything else the amplifier does like a strong chassis on a Koenigsegg supercar – without it the sound would fall apart.

I’ve heard many pieces of equipment that can convey a terrific amount of lower mid upper bass detail and precision but that’s always to the sacrifice of weight, leaving a leanness in this portion of the frequency range to allow for unmasking of the detail. The 225 doesn’t lift a veil nor does it colour the upper bass, what you get is a level of detail and information that has a tremendous amount of weight, pace, detail and rhythm. To try and put this into terms that may relate to you, imagine a top British amp such as Rega or Quad and combine it with some American muscle and then a few drops of fines from a Swiss timepiece and I think that you will begin to get an idea of the complexity of the 225.

In the higher frequencies that harmonic distortion of a valve amp description just seems to sit well with me. When a valve goes into breakup at peak volumes it doesn’t clip like a transistor amplifier and its breakup is favoured by many guitarists as it produces a raspy quality. The 225 hasn’t got the pin sharp ting of a note but it certainly conveys a sparkly and airy, open treble that is playful, energetic and at the same time engaging with such a natural representation of notes. On first glance I questioned the speed of each note, feeling that a note was taking a nano second or two to express its nature, but after adjusting I concluded that there was so much insight into each note that what I was hearing was more accurate pitch information which for the untrained brain would culminate in a slower type sound as there is more to ascertain over a short period of time – once again like a very good valve amplifier.

Notes disperse very widely indeed across a very strongly imaged soundstage. There’s a fullness of a note which decays in a subtle way rather than being sterile and understated, a little loser in its edges like a valve amp. You could say more liquid with more flow than a typically tighter sounding A/B design.

There’s no question that the JOB does wide, deep and sculptured with height. There’s a quality of responsiveness right across the front of the room where dynamic beats emanate from. The central focus, as strong as it is, becomes replicated from all angles and positions within the boundaries of the room.

Where other amplifiers in the JOB’s price range of $1700 will be able to create nuances of detailed transients in areas off axis, offering descriptions of spatial awareness very well, the 225 conveys an entire story from left to right a full and complex image depth, many a front to back shape that has to be stated with the term sculptured rather than three dimensional.

There’s is such a thickness of tone on the outer edges of the soundstage it’s very difficult to adjust on first listen, weight doesn’t generally lend itself to more particular areas, as by its very nature lower frequencies are difficult to pin point and disperse fairly evenly into the room, but in this case with the lower end voicing the 225 seems to have deployed a special technique which gives almost pocket like areas of low frequencies in the soundstage making for a truer representation of a performance which I’ve only heard from far more expensive gear.

At the time I also had in for review some ATC SCM19’s, pairing the 225 with these was a revelation – the enthusiasm of energetic kangaroo bouncing, informative bass was simply magic. Every piece of music I listened to had a more confident and explorative bottom end than the Rowland integrated was able to convey through ATC’s larger standmounts. Vocals wailed with an intensity of purpose, with delicacy and richness to match and the top end had an airy image that gave the most transparent insight into decaying notes that I had to remind myself that in British Pounds this amplifier only cost around £1300. The relationship between price and musical fulfillment is simply incredible, the sound is just simply so satisfying and then some.

CONCLUSION

An excerpt from the Bible: JOB 22:5 – “Is not your wickedness great?” My God it is, the JOB 225 is a devilishly naughty amplifier that that systematically pushes the boundaries of all that is holy!

In other words the definition, resolution, transparency and emphatic bass performance is shocking. JOB Systems manages to put together an amplifier of such maturity and insight into the music that the price tag simply does not reflect its achievements. To say that I was excited, captivated and surprised by the amplifier, from build to sound quality is an understatement!

I think I will definitely own one at some stage, I don’t have much room left for new kit but once I pass on some other equipment I can see me having a relationship with the 225 for a long time.

Build Quality: 9.2/10
Sound Quality: 9.4/10
Value For Money: 9.6/10
Overall: 9.4/10

Highly recommended for its sheer ability to give sustained and substantial natural, emphatic rhythmic performance that first take you by surprise, toys with your mind and then just lays out exactly what £1300 can actually really achieve in this business – no frills just skills!
Dan Worth

Dan’s overall score of nine point four out of ten overall means Hifi Pig then submits the item for a second view from another reviewer, in this case Dominic.
When I was a lot younger, I used to be drawn to components that had plenty of shiny knobs, switches and VU meters, naively thinking that the more there was of them, the better the component must be. With the benefit of hindsight of course, many years of experience tells you that the more money is spent on the superfluous and pretty to the outside, the less gets devoted to the insides. These days though, my interest is mostly piqued by the “plain Janes” that arrive for review, or something that shouts good engineering without actually doing so. A good case for that philosophy is the JOB Systems 225 power amplifier submitted to me for review.
Upon opening the box it arrives in, you are greeted by a plain rectangular metal case in a gun metal grey colour finish. No bells, no whistles, no VU meters either, in fact it is SO “plain Jane” it’s looks almost home made, save for the laser etched logo on the front panel. Appearances can of course be deceptive, so a look at the specifications tells us that this amplifier can pump out 125 watts of muscular controlled power into whatever speakers you may care to mention, even the ones other amplifiers baulk at, so JOB Systems claim. Not being in possession of some swine to drive loudspeakers, then thee and me will have to take their word for that.

SOUND QUALITY

So then dear reader, what does the JOB Systems 225 power amplifier sound like? In short, it sounds like no other amplifier I have listened to. Are you serious Dominic? Yes I am, so kindly read on.

This is an amplifier you HAVE to listen to, because it is a revelation in the way it presents music. I have heard no other amplifier untangle complex and dynamic music in the same way as this one can. It is so sure footed, so controlled and so . . . . . . ENJOYABLE in the effortless way it can unpick the individual musical strands in a performance so you are left in no doubt how many musicians are performing, what instruments they are playing and where they are seated/stood in the soundstage… and that applies to orchestras too. That might suggest to some readers that it might be rather cold, clinical and unforgiving, but not a bit of it because it has intensity, body and richness to the sound palette that doesn’t leave you even remotely feeling battered by an onslaught of clinically dispensed energy, it just engages you fully all the time and that for me is what sets it apart from the herd.

I think the best example of that to present to you is how the JOB amplifier engaged with my favourite CD “torture track” in the form of Porcupine Tree’s ‘Deadwing’ album. Now this album is packed to the rafters with raw uncouth energy, surprisingly well recorded for all that and as a result it really does wrong foot many hi-fi systems, in fact the better the system is, the more raw and uncouth it sounds. With the JOB amplifier it still sounds raw, but whereas most amplifiers blur the sound across successive notes so it ends up as a sort of painful musical mush, the JOB untangles all of it and presents each note one at a time with the appropriate stop-starts where necessary so there is clear delineated pauses between each note. At first hearing I wasn’t sure what I was hearing, but a second and third hearing made me understand just how controlled and precise the JOB amplifier is.

Play some live recorded music and the audience seems more “live” than ever before and the irritating person coughing three seats away will irritate you even more because if the recording microphone captured it, you will hear it. Massed clapping and whistling doesn’t sound like a frying pan full of bacon sizzling away either, it will sound like hundreds of individuals all around you. Spooky. So if you are the kind of listener that revels in detail and fine nuances, you will be positively bathing in what the JOB can do in that department.

Have I got you drooling and champing at the bit to rush out and buy one? Before you do, I must tell you the following. The JOB amplifier is a soupcon fussy about cabling and I tried several sets to get the right sonic balance, due to the variability of cable performance which the JOB easily picks up on. The amplifier is DC coupled right through and if you put DC in at one end, then DC appears at the speaker terminals, which as you may or may not know, is what loudspeakers are none too keen on accepting, so you must make absolutely sure your pre-amp does not put out any DC voltage however small.

CONCLUSION

For me it is completely refreshing to find a product where the huge majority of it’s specifications and materials costing went INSIDE and not on the outside appearances, especially so at the price point we are discussing. At a mere $1,700 it really is the epitome of a no-brainer purchase because I couldn’t name another amplifier with the same level of performance for anywhere near that asking price.

If you enjoy nuances and fine details you are in for a treat, plus the amplifier’s bass power and control will leave you breathless, as too will the lucid and transparent midrange enthrall and enervate. What’s not to like?

Construction: 8.8/10
Sound quality: 9.6/10
Value for money: 9.8/10
Overall: 9.4/10
Recommended for: Unbeatable bang for the buck amplifier that has a truly engaging sound which redefines and dominates the price sector it occupies. Stunning performance and value.

Dominic Marsh

When asked if I could review the Symphonic Line RG14 Edition integrated amplifier I have to admit to having not heard of the company before in all my years of listening to music and hi-fi equipment. Needless to say the brand hails from Germany, that land of countless companies making superb product we Brits are totally ignorant of. Ikon Audio who import and distribute Symphonic Line are obviously keen to let us in on this companies excellent product range and encouraged me to look at the manufacturers website, something I always do anyway to research a product and company. 

Rolf Gemein the man behind Symphonic Line is a passionate designer and obvious lover of music in order to have designed so many items in his companies portfolio. There are simply too many to mention  here but if you are interested have a look for yourselves . The site is informative but like many foreign companies the descriptions and details get lost in translation and read rather oddly. This is not a criticism of the company , just an observation I have noticed on many occasions when surfing manufactures websites. Being English we are lazy and don’t speak foreign languages very well, expecting everyone else to be able to speak English. The sad fact is they often do, my friends in Germany speak excellent English and put us to shame. So it seems churlish to comment on the website other than to say don’t be put off the companies descriptions due to poor translation , believe me the product is excellent.

The RG14 Edition is the baby in the companies range  retailing here in the UK for £2850 and reminds me of the classic integrated amps of the 1980’s when I was in retailing. It has three identically sized rotary switches, power, source select and  tape monitor and  a larger volume control. The bottom left hand corner of the front panel has a headphone socket near to the green power led. The front panel is substantial being hewn from thick aluminium and engraved with the companies name which is in a larger but different font style to the controls markings. This makes for a somewhat odd looking style of presentation. The controls are very solid and give one the confidence they will last forever. The volume is very smooth and motorised having a remote control for user convenience. There are three line inputs , Aux, CD and Tuner and a phono input with selectable mm/mc on the back panel. Not many amplifiers have this amount of comprehensive facilities these days due to changes in tastes and styles over the last 40 years, but I for one find it very welcome to have all that convenience in one box. The remote only controls the volume but will operate other functions from the Symphonic Line of units one may accompany with this amplifier.

The back panel comes with the usual gold plated solid single ended RCA sockets for the inputs and tape monitor and one pair of substantial speaker binding posts. The phono inputs are split for both mm and mc and selected by a toggle switch. This shows the phono stage is no after thought and it performs very well in its own right. Finally there is an IEC power input socket so you can select your own favourite mains lead. 

The RG14 Edition has been around some time , about 15 years and is highly regarded both in Germany and abroad. As a reviewer I am naturally curious to see what others think of a product but ultimately it is down to personal taste and system synergy as to  whether I like a product or not. I’ll not keep you in suspense or going to the end of this review to find out what I thought. It is very good and I can see why it has the reputation it has over such a long period of production. I guess the design may have been tweaked  over time and improvements made as new components and ideas from experimenting came about , but I reckon Rolf Gemein got it pretty right to start with as his philosophy doesn’t appear to be to make a product unless he is happy with it before selling it. Something all companies should strive for but don’t always in my experience.

The amplifier is bomb proof and built like a German Tiger tank , solid and foreboding with a fearsome reputation. The quality of components inside are first class and chosen for their sound quality as well as reliability and the large toroidal power transformer is shielded in a mu metal case.

Output is a 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms.

THE SOUND

Now to the sound. I let the amp warm up for a few days as recommended by the importer and then began serious listening. Symphonic Line recommend 200 hours burn in but I felt it had had a pretty good run in as other reviewers had had it before me. First impressions were promising, The sound stage was solid, wide and deep. I used mainly CD and turntable and listened mostly through the speaker outputs, but tried the headphone socket with my Beyer’s to assess its capability. The headphone output is very good for an integrated amplifier and when you insert the headphone jack it mutes the loudspeaker output, an obvious thing you might think but not all amps do this. As I am not a great headphone listener I didn’t spend hours using this facility but it impressed me and was quiet with no hum issues, a useful addition.

The phono input was also very good and as already mentioned has switchable mm/mc sockets so catering for enthusiasts with either cartridge or lucky enough to use both. I mainly tried it with a Clearaudio Performance DC I was also reviewing at the time which has an excellent mm cartridge and this worked very well. Like the cd input the sound was very musical and smooth so allowing long periods of fatigue free listening. Comparing the built in phono stage to an admittedly much dearer unit I had (Perreaux VP3 (£1950))  showed the RG14 Edition’s limitations in stage depth and ultimate detailing, but it was still very impressive and more than worthy of inclusion. This would suit anyone who didn’t want to have more boxes and wires and were  happy with the trade off for convenience. The built in phono stage I am sure would be as good as many separate alternatives available now at £500 to £600. Vinyl was first class and did not come a poor second to the CD input if one used a good turntable and cartridge. Hum was low and gain was not an issue with either mm or mc for the majority of cartridges people would use. 

The CD  input also impressed with its musicality, depth and detailing on a good recording like Kate Bush’s last album ’50 Words for Snow ‘. I loved the detail the amplifier could conjure up and depth of the recording making the music sound most lifelike. Even on older recordings like Chaka Khan’s greatest hits which was variable in its quality, I could still appreciate the music and listen to the whole album without wanting to change it, not something I can always say about some systems I have had. The top end was clear, detailed and not harsh, but neither did it feel dull. Mid and vocals were very well portrayed and the overall balance seemed right. Bass was strong and powerful but not overblown.

One minor criticism was the gain on the volume control with my Triangle Titus EZ speakers. As they are quite efficient at 90 dB I found you only had to turn the volume control up by a small margin for the amp to go loud. I contacted Ikon about this and they confirmed the design of the volume potentiometer and its characteristics meant this was the case. It wasn’t a major issue, but using the remote control was tricky at times due to small changes making a big difference in the output level, so fine control was best achieved manually. If you have less efficient speakers then it wont be a problem.

CONCLUSION

The RG14 Edition is an amplifier that wears its heart on its sleeve. It is not the prettiest amp out there but like a good woman /wife, beauty is only skin deep. I have found  in life it is the person within that matters not the exterior appearance. Beauty fades with time and can be fickle. The RG14 Edition is similar. It might not win Miss World in a beauty competition but it sure has fantastic qualities under its skin that are timeless and don’t fade away. I felt it would be there for you years and years down the line just like a good marriage. If all the rest of Symphonic Lines products are as good as this, and I have no reason to doubt that, then they deserve to continue to do well, and the UK now has another fine product range to choose from.

Build  Quality                  8.5/10

Sound Quality                  8.5/10

Value for money              8./10

Overall                              8.33/10 

Ian Ringstead

The NuPrime IDA-8 Integrated Amplifier, a single-chassis, integrated stereo amplifier with a DAC capable of decoding USB PCM 384 and DSD256 in addition to a 100Wx2 power amplifier in a 8.5” wide chassis.

NuPrime tell us that the IDA-8 is packed with innovative features including:

– NuPrime power amplifier design breakthrough technology Ultra Linear Class A Module (ULCAM) to achieve high-end Class A sound signature with Class D efficiency

– State-of-the-art DAC supporting USB PCM 384 and DSD256, that is also capable of decoding DoP formats via coaxial and optical inputs

– NuPrime SRC IC chip provides FPGA processing with ultra-low jitter and distortion

– NuPrime vibration-free isolation feet (patent pending)

– Analogue line-out (Sub Out), with 3X the standard output power, provides impressive lows and a wide sound stage specifically designed for subwoofers

– Four digital inputs and one stereo input for complete system flexibility

– Extension port for Bluetooth dongle and WiFi audio streaming (optional)

The NuPrime IDA-8 is available worldwide for a suggested retail price of US$995 and shipping in mid-June.

Theta Digital are now shipping the new Dreadnaught D modular main amplifier, designed and built in their Montebello, California manufacturing facility.

Designed to accommodate up to 8 channels of amplification, the Dreadnaught D has a built-in power supply using dual power cords, power switches and toroidal transformers plus 4 slots designed to receive proprietary Theta Digital amplifier modules.

There are three modules available for the Dreadnaught D, all based on the Hypex N-Core class D amplifier circuitry.The stereo amplifier module is rated at 225W RMS per channel at 8 ohms and 400W at 4 ohms with no more than 0.05% THD from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. One of the two single-channel modules has identical performance.The other bridges the two modules to deliver over 500W RMS at 8 ohms with over 800 W RMS at 4 ohms.

The Dreadnaught D is available in platinum or black, in standard or rack-mount chassis with either 117V or 230V power supplies.

Pricing depends on the chosen configuration, for example MSRP for 225W x 7 is $9,995.00; 400W x 3 plus 225W x 2 is $10,695.00. Stereo amplifiers are available with 225W x 2 at $6,149.95 and 500W x 2 at $7,445.00.

South Korea might not sound the obvious choice for great sounding hi-fi, but this this part of the world is now becoming a major candidate for technology, and is Asia’s fourth largest economy. Companies such as Samsung, Hyundai , LG, Kia, and more important to hi-fi fans Astell&Kern all come from this massively emerging economy. American sounding Allnic Audio is similarly becoming a major name in the audio dictionary. Despite its short life history, the company products look like they were made by a well-established major brand. The T1500 reviewed here, is solidly built, weighing in at a third of my own weight (honest) at 20kg, and needs it’s handles on the top (or the ones at the back) to lift it up. Being a 300B SET design made this all the more appealing for me to review. The amplifier costs £5000 in the UK.

I remember trying to build a Single-End Tube design when I was young, at a time when everyone was promoting the tiny transistor for its immediacy of sound and smaller footprint. For some reason I liked the looks of valves, the thought of building something Class A, plus the fact that class A single ended designs tend to be simpler to build. Also my poor upbringing meant that my early experience of tape recorders, radios and amplifiers were ostensibly valve. I had no idea then that valves would be so popular all these years later. The 300B is a very well respected tube for the audio aficionado, bringing with it a punchy but well-mannered sound, low noise, long life and good reliability. Introduced by Western Electric in 1937 to amplify telephone signals, little did they know it would start to become popular in audio from the 1980’s. Only a few other tubes excite the audio fan, though I must admit I got excited when I first saw the Russian GU81 last year.

Mr. Kang Su Park, founder of Allnic Audio, is not new to playing about with electronics. Born in 1955, he spent his teenage years showing a love for music and a fascination with electronics. At that time when being an electrician in Asia was considered a low-grade position he decided to study French and English languages at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, South Korea, earning himself a degree. After 5 years of work sitting behind a desk he got bored so went into electronics and audio design for a company called Silvaweld. After 10 years he sold his stake in the company and started afresh a new company which he called Allnic Audio. His contribution is much more than hand-building each valve amplifier, pre-amp, phono stage or DAC (oh, and also two beautiful looking cartridges, the Puritas at £3500, and Verito Z at £2000). On top of all this he has designed and manufactured the constant impedance bridged T and H type, 41 stepped, silver contact attenuator used in the T1500 and his preamplifiers, and also their patented Absorb-gel tube damper sockets to reduce microphony. This is family-run business whereby only the best parts available are used, and if they cannot be found, then the firm manufactures their very own.

The T1500, available in black or silver, has two 300B and two PCL86 driver tubes and very expensive (around 25 times more) output transformer with Permalloy cores (if you’re old enough you’ll remember those Permalloy cassette tape heads) This Nickel alloy construction allows for fewer windings on the primary winding and high ‘open circuit’ inductance, resulting in a very wide frequency range and low distortion bass response.

It uses a 41 step silver contact attenuator, rather than a carbon potentiometer that is used in cheap amplifiers and preamps. Kang Su Park tells me that they have developed a constant impedance attenuator with an amazing 61 steps, but of course this one will be very much more expensive.
The 300B is the real workhorse providing the 12.5 watts per channel of pure class A power output in either 4, 8 or 16 ohm outputs. The initial valves supplied were impressive, but when I was supplied with KR Audio tubes made in the Czech Republic retailing at £600/pair the sound soon opened up further, despite not being fully run in by the time I finished with them. Each 300B tube has a separate fuse, as is there a main fuse for the unit. Indeed, Allnic’s concern that the tubes are looked after carefully is enhanced not only by plastic chimney’s protecting the valves, but also in their instruction manual warning about connecting the 4-pins the wrong way round;

“…in case you have removed and replaced the 300B’s incorrectly…….. you will have to replace fuses, and the damage to your self-esteem for getting it wrong may haunt you forever”. I had nightmares the next few nights.

As well as the 300Bs there are two PCL86 tubes, a very strong power pentode/triode. These are used to drive the 300B’s via a nickel permalloy choke plate inductor. Their chosen choke inductor has very low power loss and infinitely high load impedance. This configuration is an ideal driver stage for 300B SETs.

Returning to the chimneys, I liked the look of these, though would have preferred an LED to light them up in orange or green, as in several other amplifiers I know. The class-A 12.5W output is enough to drive my Graham LS5/9s and also my Wilson Benesch Arc and B&W804s that I used in this review, showing no sign of struggling. This is a simple two stage amplifier giving around 35dB gain. Kang Su Park noted that most 300B amplifiers are under driven and notably distorting, largely due to conventional R-C circuits, which usually give around 70V swing voltage. The T-1500 Inductor Drive circuit more than doubles this up to 150V and with a low 0.3% distortion allowing for the higher output, and believe me 12.5W was enough for me.

THE SOUND

Being a simple design did not temper my opinion on this product. No, I was excited by the 300B. It played with authority and panache with whatever I fed it. What did surprise me, though, was just how heavy this beast was. This unit would be worth a lot just in scrap metal! Good job it has top and back handles, just to help you move it onto your reinforced shelf.

Initial comments on its performance were words like ‘flawless’, ‘spaceous’, ‘musical’ and ‘wow’. This unit had a forceful, exciting and excellent depth of field, with a very clear bass performance. There are 5 inputs, one being balanced. There are two knobs on the front; one to select the input (each with its own indicator) and the volume control. The on off switch is tucked on the right hand side. Each 300B has a small yellow screw current adjustment potentiometer next to the valve so you can ensure each is fed enough current, and which is the reason for the meters on the front. I’d prefer that after adjusting current the meters – perhaps with a button next to it to do that – would then register RMS level when not pressed. But this meter is useful if one of the valves is failing as the meter will decrease its reading, and with the bias adjustment means that you don’t need a matched pair of tubes.

The unit comes with an equally solid and heavy remote control, aka Krell, but I wonder why as well as separate buttons for inputs 1,2,3,4 and 5 there are also two buttons for scrolling channels up and down. Overkill.

To my music. Firstly I listened to vinyl, something made for valves. Classical music gave a powerful soundstage within the limits of vinyl but with depth of field and positioning of individual instruments that DACs still find hard. I did, however, feel the limited dynamic range of vinyl became very apparent when I was listening, and at times sounded cluttered. But once transferring to identical recordings via my DAC opened up much more and gave a more appealing presentation.

Playing on vinyl the duo of Charlie Haden (double bass) and Antonio Forcione (guitar) in Naim’s ‘Heat Play’ album and specifically the track “Silence” gave enviable musicality and space, with plenty of silence and time to think. Recorded in “true stereo” by Ken Christianson at California Institute of Art, this is easily able to convey the 3D that a coincident pair can muster.

Turning to my prize Dave Brubeck’s ‘Direct-Cut Disc’ gave a very controlled and relaxed performance with everything there, including my sensing of the musicians nerves as they tried to get through the pieces without making any mistakes (the album being recorded directly onto a specially designed inverted stylus so limited vinyl copies could be made direct from this ‘negative’). I was there in the room with Dave and his sons.

Turning to digital sources gave me a very warm and musical performance that an uncomplicated Class A 300B design could do so very well. This amplifier also has a pre-output so that you could add a powered subwoofer, bi-amp or, if you need more power, plug into another power amplifier. This amplifier however needed not to feel insufficient. Output was flat all the way up and signal to noise was pretty low down, indeed much better than I expected and as good as most transistor amplifiers. Overall spec on paper might not be mouthwatering, but the performance certainly was. With a name that could come from America the Allnic had muscle and grunt that could well originate from the new world. This product was priced well to provides great competition to any valve amplifier made anywhere. Playing Tolga Kashif’s ‘The Queen Symphony’ track 3 cello and violin solos gave realism and naturalness in a way that many amplifiers cannot do whilst being fed from a DAC. Playing Linn Records 24/192 Chopin Piano Concertos (Ingrid Fliter, Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jun Märkl) the pianoforte sounded very forte, unlike anaemic upright piano sounding renditions on many so-called weighty amps. Whatever I played worked a treat. Ella and Louis “Isnt this a Lovely Day” gave a musicality full of warmth and ‘class’ that made me, oh dear, ignore the fact that this was recorded in mono. Christos Anesti (Agnes de Venice 24bit/96kHz) was clear and full of depth of field whether the piano, the organ, the voice, the sea hitting the pebbles on the beach, the reverb, the ping-pong-delay in this montage. This was fun and very easy to listen to. If you want a no-hassle and mightily good looking valve amplifier, this should be at the top of your shortlist.
CONCLUSION

A surprisingly fun piece of kit that looked as good as it sounded, retrieving as much detail as there was from the music, whatever the instrument, and doing it equally well at low or high levels. This little sister to the 40kg 10-valve T2000 with its KT120’s, D3a’s, and 6485’s, is no lesser a machine. Indeed at its price vs sound quality vs looks vs weight, this is a surprisingly agile proposition.
I fell in love for the few days I had it.

Sound Quality – 8.5/10

Value for Money – 8.6/10

Build Quality – 8.8/10

Overall – 8.63/10

Janine Elliot

Goldnote introduce their new 1000 series with the CD-1000 CD player and PA -1175 stereo amplifier, their first stereo amplifier in over 20 years of designing electronics.  The overall look has been created by architect Stefano Bonifazi and they are designed and handmade in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.

CD-1000

High quality CD player with full resolution 24/192 USB, coax and optical vertically integrated converter.  It has a unique modular design providing a variety of external units including two Class-A tube output stages, atomic master clocks and high power supplies. The structure is made of solid machined steel and thick aluminium panels to guarantee low frequency resonance, vibration control and a low magnetic inertial field. There is also an option for a preamp and stereo analogue input stage.

PA-1175

The PA-1175 merges the knowledge of the Goldnote Demidoff single ended amplifiers with a higher power rate, it is a 175Watt per channel @ 8ohm Stereo Power Amplifier bridgeable to have a mono 350Watt per channel.  The adjustable Goldnote  Damping Factor allows for easy switching between low sensitivity speakers and easy load monitors.

Goldnote have said that they have embarked on a major restructuring of their distribution network and are actively seeking new distributors for foreign markets.

After three years in development, Kent based manufacturer Kleio Audio is launching with the introduction of its first range of high quality electronics, the K1 series.  Founded in 2012, Kleio’s focus is on manufacturing high quality, great sounding products in the UK. Managing director Garry Wise (who you can read more about in our interview here) formed the business with the philosophy that, “It is paramount people feel a Kleio product makes them want to really listen to and enjoy their music.” Indeed music is the heart of the company’s focus as it also works with upcoming artists to help promote their music and has a number of artists lined up ready to work with the brand.

The launch of Kleio is an example of the resurgence in small scale ‘craft’ hi-fi manufacturing that is happening in the UK. Importantly, the technology aspects of hi-fi design have been recognised by funding bodies as part of the Government’s wish to see technical innovation prosper. Kleio’s founding was supported by the Government Start-Up Loans Scheme and Kent County Council’s Small Business Boost (Regional Growth Fund) Loan Scheme, which contributed towards the initial electronic prototyping and enclosure development costs. Kleio is very proud to be a member of the official Made in Britain campaign, with all products assembled at the company’s Folkestone based workshop. Wherever possible components are sourced from the UK and Europe, such as enclosures from Sussex and PCBs from Kent.

Wise has assembled a carefully selected team of experts to help make the concept a reality. Chief audio designer John Cheriton has been involved in the electronics industry since 1978 and is responsible for the pre-amplifier circuitry and innovative power configurations. The careful selection and sourcing of the electronic components was overseen by team member Philip Saunders and software and audio engineer Simon Coachworth, a previous finalist in the Prince Philip Designer of the Year Award and part of a team that secured a Queen’s Award for Innovation, took ownership of the user functionality and product innovation. The aesthetic vision comes from a design house with many years’ experience of industrial design for the broadcast and professional audio industry and Nick Ebdon, graphic designer, is responsible for creating the visual brand image, including website, advertising and packaging. Office management and finance administration is in the hands of Francine Wise, who has over 11 years’ experience in blue-chip organisations and the local authority sector.

Excited about the launch of the new company, Garry Wise says, “While Kleio was officially formed in 2012, the idea was conceived in 2010. We spent two years working out how to make the vision a reality so we could launch with a solid engineering philosophy that sees us ‘do it properly’ without unnecessary gimmicks.” He continues, “Our product roadmap for the K1 series is finalised and over the coming months we will introduce a DAC, headphone amp, phono stage and network media player. What all of these products have in common, apart from the engineering, is a focus on music. We firmly believe that music has to be at the centre of what we do, hence our support for up and coming musicians as without this talent where will the next generation of music come from?”

The first products to come from the company are the K105 and K135 (pre and integrated amps).The K1 series will be available from dealers in late September 2015, with retail prices from £2000 – £4000.

As the lead-in to the Danish brand’s 30th anniversary celebrations, Gryphon Audio Designs launches the Gryphon Diablo 300, a major overhaul of the internationally acclaimed Gryphon Diablo.

The original Diablo stood its ground for a full decade, before making way for a new, upgraded iteration of the technologies and components that made it quite possibly the most popular High End integrated amp of all time with thousands of units sold worldwide.

Fortunately, in designing the Diablo 300, the Gryphon crew had the luxury and privilege of being able to draw heavily on concepts, components and technological breakthroughs that emerged during the evolution of the recent  top of the line Gryphon Pandora preamplifier and Mephisto power amplifier.

Gryphon founder and CEO Flemming E. Rasmussen explains the importance of in-house trickle-down technology in the brand’s design concept, “One of the main purposes of our no-compromise, cost-no-object test bed platforms like the Pandora and Mephisto is to serve as a source of inspiration for somewhat more accessible components. For instance, the Diablo 300 can be fitted with an optional PCM/DSD DAC module based on the innovative, award-winning Gryphon Kalliope digital-to- analogue converter or an MM/MC phonostage based on our Legato Legacy phonostage.”

“Whether you’re out there on the digital cutting edge or one of the dedicated analogue enthusiasts who continues to enjoy the musical treasures only available on black vinyl disc, the Gryphon Diablo 300 can be tailored to suit your tastes at the time of original purchase or later as your needs evolve.”

“Forward thinking is a key element in what sets the Gryphon apart and a large part of the secret behind the long life of our products.” 

The Diablo 300 ultra-transparent, fully balanced volume control derived from the Pandora preamp is executed via a microprocessor-controlled 43-step attenuator for precision in setting the desired listening level. Select resistors and relays ensure long life and perfect level matching with no more than two resistors in the signal path at any setting.

The extreme wideband frequency response of the Diablo 300 extends from 0.5 Hz to 350 kHz and its prodigious 300 Watt (8 Ohms) power output represents a full 25% increase over the original Diablo. The extreme high current capability of the Diablo 300 allows it to double its output to 600 Watts in a 4 Ohm load and a massive 950 Watts into 2 Ohms.

Like every Gryphon product, Gryphon Diablo 300 is designed by Gryphon founder and CEO Flemming E. Rasmussen and manufactured in Denmark.

Price 12.800 euro plus eventual local taxes.