Totem Acoustic from Montreal, Canada, just launched its first Kickstarter campaign to fund production of the first series of its new ARC amplifier. Since Totem is known primarily in the HiFi technology scene for its speakers, the ARC represents a new adventure into the realm of amplifiers.

The ARC is not just another HiFi amplifier the company say, but possibly the first in line of a new generation of digital amplifiers. Totem likes to call it “The next generation of digital amps” adding “This amplifier allows all digital music to be played on a HiFi system with the sound quality of any large sound system”.

The ARC allows Bluetooth audio wireless streaming from any digital device directly to almost any 8-ohm speaker system. Small and easy to use, all that is needed is a pair of speakers and the ARC. With the integrated Bluetooth audio wireless connection, the ARC works autonomously with a set of speakers and a smart phone. It can also be hooked up to a computer via USB. The ARC will thus act as a USB audio device, but will switch automatically to Bluetooth Audio if it is connected to a smart phone.

“Today most of the music we listen to is digital; it’s on our phones, our laptops or streamed from the web. But there is gap, a missing link, when it comes to listening to our online music library or internet streaming music on a good HiFi system. As music passionate, we know that high-end quality is absolutely irreplaceable when it comes to a great listening experience and immersive sound. That’s why we created the ARC,” explains Gabriel Bull, Director of Technology at Totem Acoustic.

“All you need is a set of nice speakers and the ARC. Done. Now go ahead and play your music collection from your computer, smart phone, or any internet radio streaming on your existing HiFi setup or run out and get yourself some nice sounding speakers,” says Robert Valtierra, Research and Development Engineer in the field of Electronics and Embedded Systems and inventor of the ARC.

Being the size of a book, it can be placed anywhere. The ARC has no buttons or knobs; it turns on automatically when you connect to it. With a total power of 120W, it runs at high efficiency thereby providing large amounts of audio output power while requiring very little space and without need for heat sinking.

The ARC is a fully-integrated amplifier system. Amplification is provided by the latest in Class-D amplifier technology. It is designed using digital inputs: USB Audio 2.0 and Bluetooth aptX Audio. The USB audio connection delivers 24-bit resolution and sampling rates up to 192 kHz. The Bluetooth connection can provide a “CD-quality” connection via aptX.

Although the ARC performs on its own initiative, it is possible to customize sound with the free and optional ARC App.

Suggested retail price: $350 US

On the 12th December KJ West One in London are teaming up with Devialet to bring an exclusive first UK presentation of their new limited edition ‘Expert’ amplifier, Le 900 (or Original D’Atelier) to KJ West One. Hifi Pig got a sneak peek of these recently in Paris and they look beautiful!

Le 900 is a special product which has been created by Devialet for just 100 units. As the company says ‘A new audiophile icon is born’.

The new model features many upgrades from the previous Le 800 including a newly designed board in the ADH hybrid core which allows for more power transmission, without any size variation. The Class A amplifier has also been optimised to expand its audio performance to 900W and more.

A new thermal management system has been developed. The area of exchanges between the electronic boards and the casing is now doubled.

The power supply for Le 900 has been improved and uses a new card which filters out unwanted noise from the mains. The supply has also been optimised to increase the power transmission capacity allowing it to react more precisely to the power requested by the amplifier.

Why is Original D’Atelier unique?

• Each piece is individually numbered from 1 to 100. This will be the only batch ever created by the company.
• The 900 chassis is carved out of a single aluminium block and features a stunning hand polished Copper Gold finish.
• The Copper coated plate is a unique piece, signed by Devialet founder Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel.

SAMLab Comes to KJ

If you use a Devialet Expert amplifier, but your speakers are not currently SAM compatible, don’t worry. Devialet will be bringing their ‘SAMLab’ to the event.

A Devialet engineer will be on hand to analyse your speakers. If you would like your speakers to be SAM compatible, book yourself in for a session with the engineer.

You will need to bring along at least one of your speakers. The sessions will last between 30 minutes and an hour, so we are limited to 10 sessions. These will be first come, first served.

Devialet consultants will be on hand, running demonstrations of Le 900, the ‘Expert’ range and Phantom. This event is a must attend for any Devialet fanatics.

We look forward to seeing you at the event.

Saturday, 12 December 2015 from 10:00 to 17:30 (GMT)

Tangent Audio announces the introduction of their new micro amplifier, appropriately named, Ampster.

Tangent’s new Ampster BT is a micro sized amplifier with a host of connectivity options including wireless Bluetooth 4.0, Digital optical input, Analog RCA and AUX inputs and a Sub output.

When left idle on the Bluetooth source, the Ampster BT will go to standby automatically and wake automatically when you start playing a Bluetooth source again.

Ampster BT provides 2 x 50 Watts controlled by a remote to switch between sources and volume level.

Key Features

• 2 x 50 watts output
• Bluetooth 4.0 in
• Digital and analog RCA input
• 5mm Aux input
• Stylish Remote control
• Wake on Bluetooth

The Ampster is available in the UK now at a retail price of £149.95.

• Power: 2 x 50 Watt
• Inputs: Bluetooth, 3.5mm AUX, Analog RCA, Optical Digital
• Output: Subwoofer out
• Frequency: 20 – 20,000 Hz
• Impedance: 4 ohms
• Weight: 1.85 Kg
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 190 x 139 x 52mm
• Standby: less than 1W (EUP2013)
• Remote Control

After reviewing the Merrill Audio Veritas monobloc power amplifiers in January 2015 Stuart Smith auditioned the American company’s $4800 Thor amps. 

I’ve had the Thor amps now for around the six month mark and they’ve been doing a great job in the main system having become our reference and so I thought it about time that I finally got around to writing a few words about them for you.

Regular readers will remember I reviewed the Merrill Audio Veritas amps back in January of 2015 commenting “Hard to fault in my opinion but I just don’t give perfect tens. Had I the means to buy the review amps I certainly would.” Sadly my financial situation didn’t allow me to make the purchase and so, after speaking with Merrill and him assuring me that the Thors, despite their much more achievable pricepoint offered up a good percentage of what the Veritas would…he also mentioned that many people have found distinguishing the two very difficult. Let’s scotch this one from the off…the Thors are not ultimately as good as the Veritas, but they’re not far off and they cost a lot less, with the Veritas costing $12 000 and the Thors costing $4 800 for a pair.

The Thors use Hypex Ncore tech in the UcD Modules and the cases are, like the Veritas, milled from a solid billet of aircraft grade aluminium. Commercially they are available in a high gloss black finish (mine are a unique pair in opalescent white) and they are pretty dinky affairs measuring just 23cm x 23cm and stand just 9cm high including their Stillpoints. Along the front in pretty subtle lettering is milled THOR and round the back you have the Furutech IEC mains input, a Cardas XLR input that is Silver with Rhodium plate and the absolutely brilliant (in my opinion) Cardas patented speaker binding post that are Rhodium over Copper… I said it in the review of the Veristas, but I reckon these are without a doubt the best way of connecting spade connecters to your amp!  Underneath each amp you have the muting button which glows red when on and looks pretty cool reflecting off the marble slabs I have the amps standing on. A note here is that you must not play about with connections etc even when the amps are muted and you must ensure they are disconnected from the mains!

Power output is rated at 200 Watts into 8 Ohms and 400 into 4 but they can be double-height bridged for 700 Watts into 4 Ohms.

THE SOUND

These are Class D amps and I know from experience and reading the various Facebook groups that this technology does not find favour with everyone. However, put down your prejudices and realise that Class D has come a long way in recent years and is not what you may assume it to be. Class D amps have a reputation of being bass light and favouring the midband, but that’s just not the case with these specific amplifiers. I’ve used them with a wide range of loudspeakers (Triangle, hORNS Mummy, Audio Physic Avanti 3 and the Avantgarde Duo XDs) and I’ve never found them lacking in the bass at all… I’ll expand on this in a bit.

I’m not going to babble on about a whole load of specific tunes I’ve listened to with the Thors in place as I’ve listened to just about every genre you could imagine (sadly no Mongolian throat singing but I’m working on that) with them over the months and they seem to perform equally well with everything.

Like the Veritas amps what you do immediately notice is an absolutely silent background, particularly when using a passive pre (I used the Bespoke Audio and Music First Baby Reference passives). This was an interesting observation on my part because I thought I needed to have my Coffman Labs valve pre in front of the Thors to stop them sounding cold and sterile…this is clearly not the case. What you do get is a beautiful clarity of sound that is just sparklingly clear throughout the frequency range. The Thors don’t have that certain indefinable quality that the Veritas had but the flavour (or lack of it) is the same and partnered with the passive pre amplifiers I mentioned these are “high-fidelity” in the strictest sense of the word, neither adding nor taking away much at all. Let’s wheel out the hifi reviewer clichés shall we… “an open window to the recording”, “veils lifted”, “see through to the source transparency”… you get the picture I think. This clarity of sound allows you to get the most out of your chosen music and brings you closer to the original recording than I’ve experienced with more conventional amplifiers. It also allows you to change components up stream and be immediately aware of the different seasoning these changes bring to the cocktail.

You’ll be well aware that we like to play pretty loud and you can crank the Thors up to pretty realistic levels with the right speakers, but you don’t get the impression that the flavour of their presentation changes at all…there’s just more volume and that same clarity right to the point where you know you need to turn it down or the neighbours are going to be hammering on the door.

The Thors are also fast amps in the sense that they will play quiet to loud bits in your music without missing a beat and the bass is also fast and taut… I like taut bass and anything that doesn’t deliver in this department gets the cold shoulder immediately from me. Deep Purples ‘Smoke On The Water’ was a real treat when the bass guitar comes in, as was our other bass test track from Hardfloor. Drums have slam, hats are crisp and the spatial bits within the mix are all there in front of you. Soundstage and imaging is predominantly a factor of your loudspeaker choice in my honest opinion, but with the Thors in place there is the feeling that imaging is tack sharp and accurate…this is another must for me!

Real instruments sounded real across the board and electronic music had the requisite pace and rhythm with the Thors plumbed into the rig. As I’m writing this I get the impression that the words I’m using suggest a cold and sanitary sound, but that’s not the case I don’t think. A double bass sounds warm and fat (as does synthesised bass) but then hats are steely and razor-sharp…what I’m saying, perhaps badly, is that the Thors add little to nothing to the tonality of an instrument allowing it to be what it is and given the silent backdrop the Thors afford you get to hear all the attack and decay of an instrument. 

These would be great tools in a studio environment I reckon, but they also do their job in the home setting. They are that “open window” and as such crap recordings will sound crap, as will poor electronics before the amps. Let’s be honest here and say that high fidelity (in the truest sense) is not always the end goal for audio enthusiasts and most like to add a bit of flavour to their set up (some prefer a warmer more relaxed sound, whilst others may favour a faster more steely approach) and with the Thors in place (along with a suitable pre) you can tune to your tastes with the DAC or other source components…and of course your loudspeakers.

CONCLUSION 

The Merrill Thor amps look great, offer a clean and pure sound and cost less than half the price of the Veritas amps and as such I reckon they offer pretty decent value for money. For a reviewer they are a great tool as they just don’t seem to add a great deal of character to the sound and so they are great for assessing other equipment. However, they are also eminently listenable in the home set up and I can honestly say that I’ve never listened to more music than I have with the Thors. They are an easy and yet accurate listen, with enough power to satisfy all but the most power hungry of speakers. Comparing them to the Veritas they don’t seem to have quite the same dynamic quality I enjoyed so much, but they’re really not far off not all.

Here’s the thing… if you want to add colour to your set up at the amplifier link of the chain then you need to look elsewhere, if you want to have an amp that does little but amplify then you need to audition these. I have a lot of amps come and go and I like to hear what they bring to the table in terms of their character, but having the Thors in place just feels like I’ve slotted back in that tool that neither adds nor takes away very much and as such I heartily recommend them.

After writing this review I’ve just read through the review of the Veritas and the two are very similar indeed!

Sound Quality: 8.85

Build: 9

Value: 9

Overall: 8.95

Price as reviewed $4800 

Pros :

Transparent and revealing

Fast and taut

Relatively good value

Cons :

Transparent and revealing

Not quite as dynamic as the Veritas

Stuart Smith

Designer’s Notes

The Thor Monoblocks were conceptualized to provide a lower priced entry to the VERITAS Monoblocks while retaining as much as possible of the VERITAS Monoblocks. In creating these units, the power and the size were considered independently and coincidently ended up being about half the price and half the power.  When completed the Thors retain between 75% to 80% of the VERITAS Monoblocks characteristics.

The design was to still use Class D and very clean power supplies in which an SMPS power supply was selected.  The original boards are modified and the modifications were decided on by using focus groups that helped with the voicing of the Thor Monoblocks.  The base technology is the UCD from Hypex with 75% of the Ncore technology implemented in this. This is then further modified by Merrill Audio for the final product.

The chambered Chassis is made from Aircraft grade Aluminum. It is CNC’ed out from a solid block of aluminum, then painted with high gloss Black car finish and baked. (The limited edition Pearl White Monoblocks were double baked).  While it is small, the chassis is designed for good airflow to keep the internal operation cool.

As with the VERITAS, the high quality Cardas XLR, Cardas Patented Speaker binding posts and Furutech IEC is used. The Thors also provide for a remote trigger like the VERITAS. There is only 1 Speaker Binding post on the Thors instead of 2 like the VERITAS as the size limited the easy to use layout. Stillpoints Ultra mini risers are also provided and an upgrade to the Symposium Rollerblocks are provided.  Part of the focus group was to test out different power cords to would provide a match to the Thors. Since we could not come up with a cost effective power cord that worked well, a custom power cord was build using Furutechs Silver plated 27 stranded pure copper wire and terminated with Cardas AC plugs. These are only available in US and Schuko. The Cardas plugs were chosen as it complimented the Furutech cable very well in sound.

Internally, silver plated, Teflon sleeved pure copper wire is used throughout from the power supply to the audio signal. All lines are kept as short as possible.  A synergistic fuse is also included to improve the sound. The Fuse is not user accessible as the fuse is the protection of last resort. The synergistic fuse does affect the Sonics hence the extra cost was justified. The Thors have a slew of internal protections.  Should all of them fail, then the fuse will blow. At this point the customer should return the units to see what has failed and have it corrected, which should be an extremely rare occurrence, should it happen.

We were more than please with the final result of the Thor Monoblocks that is being offered at a great price using the economies of scale and design derived from the VERITAS Monoblocks.

Merrill Whettasinghe

French based Cabasse make the renowned Sphère loudspeaker system, but they also produce more modestly priced items.Here Dominic Marsh takes a listen to the Stream 100 amplifier (£499) and Surf loudspeakers (£379)

Cabasse Loudspeakers hail from France and have a long history of quality speaker manufacture, founded by Georges Cabasse in 1950. The Cabasse name goes even further back than that, with generations of the family engaged in building musical instruments since the 1700’s and still in use today with many orchestras, much prized by their musician owners.

CONSTRUCTION

STREAM 100 AMPLIFIER

Weighing in at only 1.9kg, there is nothing lightweight in its performance, with a continuous power rating of 50 watts per channel into an 8 ohms impedance.  It measures some 21cm wide by 22cm deep (including speaker terminals) by 9cm high.  The outer case is fabricated from black gloss Perspex on all sides except the rear panel, along the bottom edge of the Perspex runs a silver coloured alloy strip, inset into which is the front panel USB socket.  To the rear we find the input and output connections, starting with the LAN Ethernet wired connection plus ‘reset’ and WPS  buttons to synchronise the internet connection, a digital data input TOSLINK socket, 2 pairs of RCA analogue inputs, a trio of RCA analogue outputs to a pre-amp and subwoofer, then two banks of four (eight in total) speaker binding posts confusingly labeled 1 to 4.  The left bank of 4 binding posts is devoted to left speaker connections, while the right hand bank corresponds to the right speaker connections.  Unusually too, the positive terminals and the negative terminals are arranged horizontally, so to connect one set of speakers you need to connect to the top pairs of binding posts in the horizontal plane only for left and right accordingly.  A second pair of speakers can then be connected to the lower tier of binding posts in the same sequence, again arranged horizontally.  Note the lack of SPDIF digital input terminal, although there isn’t much space left on the rear panel for such an inclusion.  To the left of the speaker terminals is a small switch which configures the amplifier for either 4 ohm or 8 ohm speakers.  To complete the rear panel layout, we have an IEC power inlet socket without an earth pin which tells us it’s a double insulated device, a mains protection fuse and a small fan.  The Stream 100 is also configured for AptX Bluetooth connection.

Without any power applied, it appears to be a plain black Perspex box with rounded corners and an alloy trim with the Cabbasse legend screen printed onto the alloy strip, but power it up and a backlit display appears.  It is also touch sensitive controlled with all functions available, so if the dog runs off with the remote control and buries it in the garden, you are not hamstrung by having a device that won’t function.  Talking of which, it is an oval or pebble shaped unit that adjusts volume, input selection and mute, which fits neatly in the hand and you have to look twice sometimes to make sure the ‘right’ end is pointed at the amplifier due to its symmetrical shape. 

The Stream 100 amplifier has a retail price at time of review at £499.00.

SURF LOUDSPEAKER

A fairly compact enclosure measuring 29cm high by 17.5cm wide by 22cm deep, with a tweeter measuring  27mm and a long throw 13cm bass driver with a rubber roll surround, the crossover frequency being 3,600Hz, with a frequency response envelope ranging from 65Hz to 23,000Hz.  Power handling is said to be 65 watts continuous with a maximum short term peak of 450 watts so Cabasse say, with a quoted  efficiency of 85dB for 1 watt of input measured at 1 metre on axis.  There is a single pair of binding posts, so is not biwire or biamp capable.   It is a reflex cabinet design with a rear facing port.  Available in either piano gloss black or gloss white finishes, the review pair submitted were finished in black gloss.  A pair of protective perforated metal grilles is supplied, which fits snugly into vertical slotted recesses either side of the front baffle.

SOUND QUALITY

I was rather pleased with the sound right at that first hearing, even knowing that both were factory fresh units and needed some running hours.  The bass in particular was constrained somewhat so I left the pair running for a full 24 hours, by which time the bass cones had loosened up considerably.  My initial listening sessions concentrated on this pair’s sound quality through the RCA analogue inputs, leaving the wireless, Bluetooth and digital inputs until much later.  I noted the top of the case had become slightly warm and although there is a fan fitted to the rear panel I didn’t hear it operating, that is if it activated at all during the listening sessions.

So, connected up to the analogue outputs from my resident CD player, I began by playing my current reference disc, namely Fink’s “Wheels Turn Beneath My Feet” live album.  Track one on this album called “Biscuits For Breakfast” contains plenty of ambience cues from the venue it was recorded in and indeed this track probably has the greater wealth of this attribute than the entire album, each track recorded in different venues.  The Stream/Surf pairing did a pretty good job of relaying that ambience, although there were not unexpected limitations as how far they could scour the last drop of detail that other systems manage – albeit at greater cost, I might add.  Throughout this opening track the drummer gives a pounding rhythmic kick drum that underpins the entire piece and some fine cymbal work with crisp rim shots to the snare drum too, all of which has to sound tonally accurate with spot on timing to be believable and the Stream/Surf pairing gave a good rendition of that.  Moving on to the track “Sort Of Revolution”, the pace quickens and the audience shows plenty of enthusiasm by clapping along with the bass guitarist’s intro, adding whistles and cheers for good measure.  Once again I expect realism in this part of the track and lesser systems tend to blur and smear here, but to their credit the Stream/Surf pairing acquitted themselves well.  Following the intro the drummer sets up a pounding kick drum beat and he really does drive down onto the floor tom which has to be delivered with crisp power and authority by the speaker and amplifier under evaluation here.  A pleasant surprise as they mustered a goodly percentage of the standards I’m expecting during this track and I then became curious which component out of the two was the better performer.

“Go for broke Dominic” I thought to myself and paired the £499.00 Cabasse amplifier with a pair of Audiofilia AF-F6 floorstanders costing 6000 Euros no less.  Much to my surprise, the Cabasse amplifier drove them with absolute ease and produced a clean open sound with some decent heft in the bass registers too.  Top end too was well extended and crisp, with the Audiofilia speakers having a sensitive ribbon tweeter installed, any deficiencies here would soon have been readily highlighted.   Time for the Surf speakers to show what they are made of and in they went into my resident system, mounted on to 60cm stands around 15cm from the rear wall.  Given the size of the enclosures and drivers, they managed to produce a big hearty sound with plenty of drive and dynamics, comparable with speakers from a much higher price bracket.  However, I would liked to have heard just a tad more resolving power and detail resolution at the very top end of the treble registers as I struggled to hear the venue ambience changes in the Fink live album.  OK, I am nit picking here and at their £379.00 price point they performed rather well against their contemporaries in a similar price bracket, so they are worthy contenders for a serious listen in maybe an overly bright sounding system where that slight curtailment in the upper treble could be beneficial.

Fine then with analogue input, so how did the digital evaluation pan out?   Cabasse have their own downloadable software suite which I duly installed on my mobile phone so I could connect to the Stream amplifier both internet wirelessly and via Bluetooth.  The software perpetually told me I had to download the latest version after it had finished installing and that was despite downloading the current version and in the end I just ignored that message.  Apart from that small hiccup, the software worked very well, it was easy to set up and navigate, so for a crusty old reprobate like me it was a small blessing.  Of course my perpetual gripe about battery life with tablets and mobile phones still holds true and my own preference would be to link via internet wirelessly from my PC running Windows rather than a mobile device relying on limited battery power with either Apple iOS or Android operating systems, which of course my PC won’t run.  I cannot be the only person on this planet who wishes to stream wirelessly from either a PC or laptop running Windows surely?  My PC recognizes that these devices are registered on the ‘net, but no software to connect with them to send music to.  There is software that purports to do that available for Windows, but I have yet to manage configuring any of them to work in that role.   Sermon over, I did manage about 90 minutes of music from my mobile phone before the battery expired.

The Stream is equipped with a TOSLINK digital input and my resident CD player has SPDIF output only so apologies for skipping that, nor does it have HDMI or USB connections and that is a hindrance at times.  I do have a convertor box thingy but that isn’t a great performer so decided that was not a worthwhile move.  OK then, a USB cable from my PC to the front panel input on the Stream produced a comparable sound to the analogue input, again a satisfactory result.

CONCLUSION

While the Stream amplifier isn’t the Swiss Army Knife of media players with a plethora of inputs like some of its immediate rivals (notably the Pro-Ject MAIA), it more than makes up for that shortfall in outright sound quality and ease of use.   I particularly liked the touch sensitive front panel controls which means that if the remote control unit stops working or gets lost, at least you have full control of the device’s functions regardless.   It would therefore be wise before purchase to ensure that your source output connections match the input connections available with the Stream, as the convertors available on the market leave a lot to be desired.

On the subject of sound quality, the Stream managed to drive really well a pair of speakers that were well out of its league and capable of showing up any deficiencies the amplifier may have had and the Stream amplifier acquitted itself really well in this respect.  Paired with the Surf speakers they produced a powerful and pleasing sound that I could not really level any criticism at, save a slight rolling off at the extreme top end and I do mean extreme, which shouldn’t perturb the average listener.  A lack of SPDIF RCA digital input should be noted here again though.

The Surf loudspeakers also deserve merit as being very good performers in their own right both for their performance to size ratio and price.

SCORED AS A PAIRING

Build quality: 8.4/10

Sound quality: 8.8/10

Value for money: 8.5/10

Overall: 8.56/10

Pros:

Ease of setup and good sound quality

Front panel touch controls are a welcome feature

Cons:             

No SPDIF digital input.

Dominic Marsh

Fezz Audio are based in Poland and make the Fezz Audio Silver Luna valve amplifier. The basis for the creation of the whole Fezz Audio project is a family business known as Toroidy.pl who supplies mains transformers to a myriad of audio companies and they have partnered with a host of well known brands including inter alia, Mytek (the “Manhattan DAC”), Lampizator, Amare Musica, Audio Valve, Ancient Audio, WILE, and Baltlab.

“A few years ago we have decided to create something that would change the “rules of the game”, break the stereotype. It was supposed to be a Toroidal Speaker Output Transformer, but one that is destined to work in “Single Ended” designs. We succeeded. The design work pertaining to such a construct lasted three years. During that time, we developed a unique toroidal core and winding production technology. Thanks to those developments, we are now able to design, and what is most important, to produce speaker output transformers for virtually any type of vacuum tube, irrespective of topology type, be it Single-Ended, or Push-Pull” says Maciej Lachowski from the company.

First the company built the Laura SE amplifier which came out of the company wanting to build a proof-of-concept as the general thinking in the market was that a single-Ended tube amplifier that uses toroidal transformers would not be workable.

The interest in Laura SE at last year’s Warsaw show exceeded the company’s expectations and so the production of speaker output transformers commenced in full swing. But in the meantime Maciej had other ideas along the lines of creating a wholly new commercial brand, designing a vacuum tube based amplifier for retail and positioned at an affordable price-point.

And that is how the Fezz Audio Silver Luna came to be.

Specifications

Maximum output power : 2 x 35W / 8Ω

Circuit type : AB1 class

Output impedance : 4Ω / 8Ω

Inputs : 3 x

RCAHarmonic distortions THD : < 1%

Frequency response : 15Hz-77kHz (-3dB)

Power consumption : 150WAC fuse : 3,15A

TNet weight : 15,3kg

Dimensions : 400x320x165mm

Tubes : EL34 x 4 (power output), ECC83 x 2 (pre-amplifier and power drivers)

Luxman, one of the world’s oldest and most revered audio manufacturers, enters its tenth decade of with the arrival of the L-590AX Mark II – the best integrated amplifier the company has ever produced. The amp operates in pure Class A and is said to be a culmination of all that Luxman has learned since launching Japan’s first high-quality integrated hi-fi amplifier, the valve-based SQ5A, in 1961.

At the amp’s heart lies Luxman’s fourth-generation ODNF (Only Distortion Negative Feedback) circuit, sporting a three-parallel push-pull structure with three-stage Darlington. This restricts feedback to distortion components only, enabling a fast primary slew rate, ultra-wide bandwidth and enhanced signal-to-noise performance.

The preamp section borrows much technology from Luxman’s flagship C-900u preamplifier, including the LECUA 1000 attenuator circuit, which provides an extremely fine degree of volume control and left/right balance adjustment. Power is rated at 30W per channel into eight ohms, doubling to 60W per channel into four ohms – a healthy output for a pure Class A design, with sufficient power on tap to drive any loudspeakers of suitable quality.

The L-590AXII’s high-inertia power supply circuit features a substantial transformer. A high-capacity block capacitor contributes to the amp’s ability to deliver abundant power instantaneously yet, while its low-impedance transmission design, fully optimised signal paths deliver “maximum sonic fidelity”.

The L-590AXII includes bass and treble tone adjustment, a ‘loudness’ control for low- level listening, a ‘line straight’ button that bypasses the tone controls, and phase selection for the balanced inputs. Turntable users are well catered for, as befits the current vinyl revival, with an onboard phono stage switchable for MM and MC cartridge types. A headphone output is also included.

In classic Luxman style, the L-590AXII’s fascia sports two illuminated VU meters, one for each channel, giving a real-time indication of signal level. Around the back are six line-level inputs (four single- ended RCA and two balanced XLR) alongside the phono input for turntables, plus two sets of heavy-duty speaker binding posts. Also present are record-out, monitor-in and pre-out terminals, an external preamp input for integration with an AV system, and two remote output terminals for integrated system control.

The Luxman L-590AXII integrated stereo amplifier is available from selected audio retailers from January 2016, priced at £6,995.

McIntosh Laboratory has launched a new feature-packed processor. The new MX160 replaces the existing MX151 and brings the McIntosh sound and build quality to home cinema connoisseurs everywhere.

The new MX160 supports RoomPerfect™ room-correction technology, which adjusts the audio to the specific acoustics of the room. It also supports new object-based 3D audio formats, including Dolby® Atmos and Auro-3D®

There’s support for Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio™ and, of course, other popular legacy formats including DVD and Blu-ray™. All audio is processed according to the McIntosh sound and performance standards, not found in any other home cinema processor.

There’s full support for 4K Ultra HD native sources, plus up-conversion to 4K Ultra HD for the best possible picture quality from 1080P, 720P and 576P/480P inputs. The MX160 offers an incredible eight HDMI inputs and four outputs for current and future TV compatibility, plus offers a 3D video pass-through feature. An HDBaseT output is also included to provide degradation-free, uncompressed digital video and audio, over long cable runs between the MX160 and projectors or televisions.

The MX160 features balanced outputs for 11.1 (also known as 7.1.4) audio channels, plus four auxiliary channels for use in bi-amping speakers or driving additional subwoofers. For digital audio sources, the MX160 features four optical and three coaxial inputs, one USB (up to 24-bit/192kHz data), plus an XLR connector. For analogue audio, there are two sets of stereo balanced inputs, four sets of stereo unbalanced inputs, a dedicated phono input, plus a set of 7.1 multichannel unbalanced inputs.

All analogue and digital connections can be custom-named for simplified system operation and matched in volume level for a smooth transition between sources. Bass and treble controls offer further audio fine-tuning.

The classic black glass front panel, knobs, illuminated logo and custom-machined brushed- aluminium end-caps make the MX160 a rousing addition to any home cinema system. It can be paired with a variety of McIntosh amplifiers and speakers for a complete home cinema system; UK distributor Jordan Acoustics is happy to advise.

Like all its products, the MX160 is handcrafted in the Binghamton factory (NY) and boasts classic 1950s styling with contemporary features and performance.

The MX160 sells for £13,995 and is available to order now from Jordan Acoustics in the UK

Last year, Aavik Acoustics released their very first amplifier, the integrated amplifier Aavik U-300 and now the Danish company is to introduce two new amplifiers to the 300 series: the Aavik P-300 power amplifier and the Aavik C-300 preamplifier.

The two new Aavik Acoustics amplifiers will be introduced at the 2016 CES in Las Vegas.

The Aavik P-300 power amplifier devices never stop conducting current. This means that the amplifier circuitry never has to deal with residuals such as switching spikes and device “latchings”.

The Aavik P-300 has an ultra short and simple signal circuit design, where all gain and feedback is performed by a single transistor pair. This short signal path gives the Aavik P-300 a gain structure with extremely low distortion and a more than 90-degree phase margin for amplifier stability.

The Aavik P-300 has four 600 W power factor corrected resonant mode power supplies. The in total 2400 W power supply combined with the extremely large electrolytic power banks allow the Aavik P-300 to deliver peak currents in excess of 80 A.

The Aavik C-300 preamplifier

The Aavik C-300 is equipped with two built-in DACs (PCM and DSD) and a phono section. It also comes with three line inputs: two single-ended and one balanced, and an RCA and an XLR output.

The virtual ground circuits eliminate the possibility of injecting dirty ground noise into the delicate audio circuits.

Design

Aavik Acoustics’ inspiration from Scandinavian design traditions is easily found in the Aavik P-300 and C-300 amplifiers with their simplistic functionality and their beautiful minimalistic design. All chassis in the 300 series are made of anodized aluminium.

McIntosh has introduced three new products at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2016): the MX122 A/V Processor, MB50 Streaming Audio Player and RS100 Wireless Loudspeaker.

MX122 A/V Processor

The MX122 A/V Processor can serve as the brain centre for an advanced home theater system for years to come. It features many of the latest breakthroughs in surround sound and object-based 3D audio such as Dolby® Atmos, and will be upgradeable to support DTS:X™ and Auro-3D®. Besides 3D audio, existing formats like Dolby

TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio™ and others are still supported. The MX122 is fully compatible with modern 4K Ultra HD video sources and can upscale lower resolutions to 4K Ultra HD. A wide assortment of inputs and outputs are included to connect current and future entertainment sources. All HDMI inputs and outputs are HDCP 2.2 and support High Dynamic Range (HDR), 4K Ultra HD at 50/60Hz, 4:4:4 color, Rec. 2020 and 3D video pass-through. The MX122 can send select audio and/or video to 2 additional zones within in the house. Users can connect to their online digital music with either the wired or wireless network connections. DSD64 files can be played from flash drives or over the network. Bluetooth and AirPlay® connectivity allows for easy streaming from mobile devices. Interfaces to popular streaming services including Pandora®, SiriusXM® and Spotify® are included while vTuner connects to 1,000s of internet radio stations. Audyssey MultEQ® XT32 will calibrate the MX122 to each home theater’s unique acoustical properties.

MB50 Streaming Audio Player

A home audio system can be transformed into a wireless audio system with the MB50 Streaming Audio Player. The MB50 features DTS Play-Fi® technology to give the freedom and flexibility to wirelessly play music at home over an existing Wi-Fi network. While utilizing DTS Play-Fi streaming capabilities, the MB50 delivers the legendary McIntosh sound quality and performance found in our other home audio products. Simply connect the MB50 to a Wi-Fi network and audio system via the analog or digital outputs and then stream music to it from the Apple or Android mobile app or Windows desktop app. Besides accessing a personal music library on a mobile device, the apps have built-in support for many leading online streaming services including Deezer, KKBox, Pandora®, QQMusic, Rhapsody, SiriusXM®, Songza, Spotify® and TIDAL (list subject to change). If there’s more than one audio system to stream to, just add an MB50 to each and then stream the same music to all systems. Or if there are multiple mobile devices with the app, different music can simultaneously be streamed to each system.

Analog and digital inputs allow for connecting audio components such as CD players, letting the MB50 to act as a mini-preamp.

RS100 Wireless Loudspeaker

The RS100 wireless speaker allows streaming music capabilities to be added to any room. It features DTS Play-Fi® technology that gives the freedom and flexibility to wirelessly play the music on mobile devices over an existing Wi-Fi network. Simply connect it to a Wi-Fi network, install the free Play-Fi Apple or Android mobile app or Windows desktop app and then begin streaming. A single RS100 is all that is needed to start building a wireless speaker system; more can be added over time to expand the system. Up to 16 speakers can be connected to a single Wi-Fi network – enough for stereo playback in 8 separate rooms. With the Play-Fi app installed on multiple devices, each device can stream different music to each room, giving all family members or guests control over what they want to hear in their room. Besides accessing a personal music library, the apps have built-in support for many leading online streaming services including Deezer, KKBox, Pandora®, QQMusic, Rhapsody, SiriusXM®, Songza, Spotify® and TIDAL (list subject to change). Not limited to just streaming, the RS100 is flexible thanks to its auxiliary input which allows it to be used in non-streaming setups; it can quickly be switched back and forth between the two inputs to accommodate listening preferences. A subwoofer output is also included.

All three products are available to order now from authorized McIntosh dealers with shipping anticipated in January for MX122 and in March for MB50 and RS100. Suggested retail price for each (VAT, shipping and any customs duties related to current standards of individual countries are excluded):

MX122: $7,000 USD

MB50: $2,000USD

RS100: $1,000 USD per speaker

Parasound has expanded its ZoneMaster custom installation amplifier line with the introduction of three new models. The six-channel Parasound ZoneMaster 650, four- channel ZoneMaster 450, and two-channel ZoneMaster 250 use the same 50-watt bridgeable amplifier circuits, offer the same quality sound, and deliver the same high levels of dependability as the company’s ZoneMaster1250 Universal 12-channel amplifier, which was introduced at CEDIA last year.

“Custom installers are very specific about amplifiers,” said Richard Schram, president and founder of Parasound. “They want reliability, easy installation, impeccable sound quality, and no service calls.The better installers like to use high-performance in- ceiling and in-wall speakers that are more demanding of amplifiers. The rugged, high- current amplifier circuits we use in this line have proven exceptionally reliable in our ZoneMaster 1250, while delivering the same outstanding sound quality which has made Parasound a favourite of audiophiles for over 30 years.”

Every ZoneMaster model uses the same Parasound-designed discrete Class AB input stage and specially selected Class D power stage to achieve sonic performance consistent with Parasound’s audiophile heritage, while meeting industry demand for absolute dependability.

Each 2-ohm stable, high-current channel pair is rated at 50 watts per channel into    8 ohms, and 90 watts into 4 ohms; bridged mode can deliver 160 watts RMS into 8 ohms and 200 watts RMS into 4 ohms.

Each channel pair has an independent oversized power supply for exceptional high- current capabilities.

This combination of high power and low-impedance stability enables each channel to drive multiple speakers. Detachable Phoenix-style speaker connectors accept up to 12-gauge wire, with separate connections for two speakers per channel; up to 24 in the case of the ZoneMaster 1250.The three new models are 1U (1 rack space) high and the 1250 is 2U high. Models 250 and 450 are one-half rack space wide, while the 650 and 1250 are full rack width.

In addition to full-range applications, the ZoneMaster 250 can also be configured to drive in-wall and passive subwoofers thanks to its built-in 18dB/octave low-pass crossover.

All ZoneMaster amplifiers include independent level controls for each channel as  well as a speaker-level input making them compatible with any receiver or existing audio system. Installers can choose between a 12-volt turn-on trigger or audio- detection trigger for each zone independent. The 650 and 1250 also include bus inputs with loop outputs. All ZoneMaster models offer exceptionally “green” power consumption with minimal standby power consumption meeting Energy Star and European Union specifications.

All three models are now in stock at AV Distributors European warehouse.

The Parasound ZoneMaster Model 650 has an MSRP of Eu1699. The ZoneMaster 450 and 250 have MSRPs of Eu999 and Eu699 respectively.

The previously-introduced ZoneMaster 1250 has an MSRP of Eu2999.

A full size integrated amplifier with phonostage, plus a CD player that is also a streamer for just shy of £1200 seems like a good deal. Stuart Smith investigates. 

FMJ CDS 27 

The CDS27 is a bit of a swiss army knife of a player and will get your tunes from SACDs, normal Red Book CDs as well as from your network, in our case NAS and Melco units connected to a straightforward and unmodified home network. Handily the CDS27 is UPnP compatible as well as CIFS…I’ll be using UPnP because that is what I know.

Inside the player you have a DAC in the form of the TI/Burr Brown PCM1794 and this is coupled with a linear phase Bessel output filter and reclocking system. Power supplies for the drive, audio and DAC boards are all discreet and “sub-regulated”. The DAC will handle files up to 24-bit 192kHz.

On the front of the unit you’ve got a pretty workaday look to the player and I actually quite like this as it harks back to the glory days of the mid 80’s when hifi looked like…well it looked like hifi really. There are no pretentions with the looks of the CDS27 and as soon as you see it you know what it is and what it is made to do. You’ve got four nicely functioning push buttons that control the CD player’s transport, an on off button, the CD drawer and a large LCD screen so you can see what is playing and where from. You can also mess with all the settings via the remote and screen too. All pretty normal and standard stuff, but all nicely done.
Round the back you have balanced audio outputs as well as the more standard RCAs and coaxial and optical outputs for digital signals allowing you to connect to an external DAC should you feel the need. Inputs provided are a remote in (didn’t try) and an RS232 (didn’t try), a network connection to connect by wire to your home network and a USB input which allows you to access files stored on a directly connected hard drive. The upper limits of media supported by the USB input are FLAC (24/192), WAV (24/192), AAC (24/96), AIFF (24/192), OGG (24/192), MP3 (320/48) and WMA (192/48) so you are well covered whatever your files…unless of course you are wanting to play DSD which, given what I feel is the target market for this unit is sensible. Also on the back cover is the aerial input to connect wirelessly to your network.. the aerial comes packed with the comprehensive and well written/illustrated owner’s manual.

The remote that comes as standard is a pretty normal looking affair with all the functions needed being available.

FMJ A19 Integrated Amplifier

The A19 is a perfect visual match for the CDS27 measuring the same 423 x 275 x 85 cm (WDH) and comes in matching black. Again, nothing to get the bling merchants hot under the collar, but nice and functionally pleasing to look at none-the-less. Claimed output power into 8 Ohms is 50W and into 4 Ohms 90 W with a quoted distortion at 80% power (8 Ohms 1kHz) of 0.003%.

Inside the A19 Arcam say there has been a focus on the power section of the amp and (I wondered what the two weird little cables in the pack were for) you can power up to two of Arcam’s r-Series products from the amp. Now I didn’t really get the point of this a first but it’s actually a pretty neat solution allowing you to add the rBlink, airDAC, irDAC or rPAC to your set up without having to fanny about with having extra wall sockets available to power them…good thinking I reckon.

Also good to see on the unit is a MM phonostage that will allow you to listen to vinyl. Sensible also they went for the MM option as I reckon the target market for this amp will be the kind of folk that will want a no nonsense kind of deck like Pro-Ject’s low and medium priced offerings that come installed with good MM cartridges. There’s also a headphone amp included, with the output socket being the mini-jack type…I’d have preferred a standard quarter inch jack here, but again this may be clever thinking given what I reckon will be the people who shell out for one of these…more of that in a mo’.

On the front of the amp you’ve got eight source selector buttons, a power on off, a large infinitely turning volume knob, a self explanatory mute button, a balance button allowing you to set the output from each speaker and a button to control the brightness of the display. You’ve then got left just the minijack for the headphone amp and a minijack input so you can connect your MP3 player or mobile phone.
Round the back you’ve got 8 line level inputs which should be enough to satisfy pretty much everyone out there, plus the phono in and ground, the 3.5mm socket for the accessory power I mentioned earlier, a voltage select switch so you can choose between 120V and 240V and a pair of speaker terminals that will accept spades, bananas or bare wires.  You also get a record out (stereo RCAs) to attach to a tape player or whatever the modern equivalent is and a pre out so you can bi-amp should the fancy take you.

WHAT’S THE MARKET FOR THESE?

You see not all people who want to enjoy music in the home want to have myriad boxes and wires all over the show that mess up their harmonious family lifestyle, and I reckon this is who Arcam are squarely aiming this pair of products at. The boxes look like hifi everyone will recognise and whilst they are standard width, they are pretty low profile and look nice stacked on top of each other and placed on a cabinet or AV unit…most people buying these will not want, or need to have dedicated racks and what not and will stack them. The headphone output on the amp is a mini-Jack of course, but look at the headphones most people who are not certified audio nut-jobs (I include myself in this latter social grouping) will be carrying about with them on a daily basis…the ones they will use to listen to their iPhone or whatever and these will invariably have a mini jack. And whilst we’re talking about smartphones, the inclusion of the aux input on the amps front panel allows folk to easily and simply get tunes off their players and into their main living space, so that when the teens of the house come home and treat the place like a hotel, they can simply plug in and delight their parents with the best of what the 21^st Century has to offer. And then there’s the MM only phono input I’ve already mentioned that allows folk to listen to vinyl on relatively budget decks that are readily available and without faffing about with separate phonostages. Then you’ve got all the connections on the amp, some of which I have no idea what the acronyms for mean, but will be self evident to most members of the human race that were born after 1970, don’t obsess about their hifi and want a box that integrates into their entertainment system and life. You have: AV so you can connect your telly or VCR, PVR (new one on me) intended for connecting your “Personal Video Recorder”, BD for your DVD or Blu-ray player, SAT for your satellite box, Tuner for radio, CD for attaching the CDS27 (or other CD player). Finally you’ve got that nifty pair of power supplies for the r-series stuff meaning you can add an r-Blink (or other r-Series kit) and stream tunes off your phone via blu-tooth.

On the CDS27 you have the normal array of stuff you’d find on a normal CD player, but then you’ve got the advantage of being able to stream your tunes wirelessly or via wire from your NAS.
It’s an increasingly connected world out there and this is a connected set of kit, and whilst the partnering offered up here may well be scoffed at by some of the audio snobs in hifi-land, I reckon that Arcam know what they are doing, have been smart in the features they have included and have pretty much nailed it as far as offering units that are simple, elegant and useable by more members of the household than just the audiophile patriarch/matriarch. I like this approach! It is inclusive and democratic.

SET UP

I was initially a bit disappointed to find that Arcam’s UPnP app (Music Life) was iOS only and I think this is a mistake on their part given what I have said about who I think is the target market and the inclusive nature of the products on test. I would have loved to have seen this available as an Android app and whilst I am aware that a significant proportion of the population use iOS, there is an equally significant number who don’t. I do hope Arcam will address this in the very near future!

Wiring up the pairing is the usual affair for all the basic stuff and the pair power up with an attractive (I really like this) green hue to the displays. Remote is intuitive for basic functions and works well at distance, though the display isn’t great for looking at from a distance when streaming.

Connecting to the network was a doddle using the remote (the only option) and involved no more than clicking the remote to Network Setup, scanning for available networks (it found our home network immediately) and then pressing OK to connect. You then find the media you want to play from (NAS drive and Melco) and then load the library of tunes to the machine. All good, quick and very simple…we like simple! Next up was to update the firmware which again was a simple affair of scrolling through the on screen options with the remote and pressing OK. A couple of minutes and the CDS27 is all updated and ready to roll.

Now you can of course scroll through the albums and artists you have on your NAS using the remote and the screen on the CDS27 (not great), but it is more likely that the vast majority of people will choose to use a suitable app and I used BubbleUPnP to control the tunes I wanted streaming. Setting this up was fuss free too with the app seeing The Arcam “renderer” immediately. The CDS27 reacts with a slight delay when there’s a change in tune or album which was a bit annoying.

SOUND

I’m a firm believer in placing items sent for review in appropriate contexts and whilst I could pop each of these units into the main rig, I don’t think that would be relevant or useful to the people who may well be considering these products. With that in mind, the pair have been sat on an Ikea unit in the sitting room next to the television and have been partnered with a pair of mid-priced loudspeakers in the form of the Leema Xens. No special racks, but the cabling is Chord’s Epic Reference for the speakers and some Merrill Audio RCAs for connecting the two together…I’m well aware a “normal” user will probably use less expensive cables, but these are what were to hand and of suitable lengths.

What’s not to like to be perfectly honest and at this price. This combo plays music and it plays it well. No, you do not get the resolution and finesse the main rig brings to the table, but let’s not forget that this pretty all inclusive pairing costs just £595 (at the moment) per box…so for 1190 quid, plus the cost of your chosen speakers and cabling, you are getting a pretty comprehensive set up. I’d purposefully not looked at the price these were available at until having heard them for a while and quite frankly I’m a little more than gobsmacked at these units’ capabilities on a bang for buck basis.

I’m playing Miles Davis’ All of You while I’m sat here typing and my right foot is tapping away to the music and I’m finding I’m typing in time to the rhythm! The top end is a bit much and a tad harsh-sounding in absolute terms (if I was to compare to the reference) on some of the piano parts and upper registers of trumpet, but the bass and mids are really quite involving and thoroughly enjoyable. I turn the volume up a little for Bye Bye Blackbird and there is good if not spectacular presence to the music that is really agreeable. The little Xens don’t go super low, but in a smaller room (I have them set up in the telly space that is abut 6 x 4 m with the wall opposite the speakers being open into a larger area) I think much more would be overkill, but the Arcam amp controls the lower frequencies pretty well and with only a slight bloom at this louder volume and with these speakers.

Switching over to the rather excellent Crown Electric by Kathryn Williams plays to the set ups strengths and there is a nice creamy quality to her voice. Mids are a little forward in the mix, but this is what I would expect for relatively budget amp, and whilst there isn’t the resolution, or absolute detail and finer refinements you get with some more expensive kit, you are presented with an enjoyable and appealing sound that sounds great. If I was being uber-critical here I’d suggest the sound is a little “flat” perhaps, but nothing that would stop me recommending this kit.

Popping on a bit of techno from the early 90s in the form of Mark NRG’s Military City presents crispy and snappy hats and snare and there’s good insight into the stereo mix without it being holographic. Ok, you lose the vigour and verve you get with a bigger system and realistically this music demands bigger speakers, but it is still enjoyable. I have the Triangle Titus EZ speakers here and popped them into the system for a short while but the bass proved to be too much for the room at volume, but showed that bass control isn’t perfect in the very lowest registers with the Arcam amp, but it’s tolerable.

Popping on an MP3 of my old reggae band shows the Arcam kit to be forgiving of poor recordings and files and, despite what many may think, this, to my mind, is a good thing given the market place I think this kit is targeted at. Lots of people buying these will have a whole host of MP3s that they have either ripped from their CD collection or have stolen off the internet (this is not me condoning this in any way, rather it is a reality of the free for all society we live in) and do not want kit that is so utterly resolving as to render it impossible to listen to.

As you would expect given that the digital signals are going through the same DAC, you get a similar presentation with CDs as you do with streaming and to be fair I’d struggle to tell the difference.

Now, our youngest has a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit turntable at the moment that came fitted with the Ortofon 2M Red and, as I mentioned, I reckon this is the kind of level of turntable that folk buying the Arcam kit will partner it with if they have any vinyl…so that got pilfered from his room and set up through the Arcam amp. I like the idea of having a simple phonostage on a budget priced amp and again we’ve got the target market thing ticked off and added another reason for prospective buyers to consider this amp. Rather than offering perfect fidelity the phonostage offers up a presentation that is commensurate with what you would expect from this price point. This is not to suggest that listening to vinyl on this set up isn’t great fun; it is and it really took me back to the days that I fist got into vinyl in my early teens where I would listen to the music for the music’s sake.

CONCLUSION 

For just shy of £1200 you get a capable streamer, CD player and well specced amplifier that it is really hard to fault given the price. Partnered with a good but relatively budget priced pair of speakers (Q Acoustics’ offerings would be excellent if budget was tight) and turntable as I have and you can have a system that will give you years of satisfaction. Yes you could go on EBay and buy better gear secondhand, but with the Arcam kit you are getting brand new kit, in their boxes and with a guarantee… and that will be important to the target market. Their price is commensurate with the kind of gear you would have called budget in the ‘80s and that would have been seen as the perfect system through which to enter the world of high-fidelity audio – this has not changed and the Arcam gear here fits this market nicely.

Whilst not the final word in absolute resolution and fidelity, the partnering gives you a great deal of enjoyment and pleasure, where you will find yourself listening to the music you own for the music’s sake rather than what your system is doing. Again the “upper echelons” of the audiophile world need to recognise that the vast majority of people just want systems that function properly and without quirks, are reliable and give them access to the music they love in an acceptable quality… and you get this in spades with these units.
If I was looking for a relatively budget system with loads of connectivity, streaming capabilities, was simple to use and offered great value for money, without being too pretentious and faffy, then the Arcam units would definitely be on my short list.

The Phonostage is an added bonus that is the cherry on top of the cake for me and as such I can do nothing but heartily recommend both the FMJCDS27 and the FMJA19 to Hifi Pig readers looking for this kind of level of kit.

Sound Quality: 8.2/10 

Build Quality: 8.5/10 

Value for money: 9 /10 

Overall: 8.57/10

Pros: 

Easy to set up

Great value

Engaging and yet forgiving sound

Phonostage built in

Good remote

Great value

Cons:  

Not the last word in absolute fidelity

Arcam’s app is iOS only

Screen not really suitable for streaming purposes

Stuart Smith

Read more CD Player and Amplifier Reviews

Dominic Marsh takes this €4790, chrome plated integrated amplifier from German manufacturer High End GmbH for a whirl to see if its sonic attributes live up to the amps good looks.

Aaron?  Who?  I hear you ask. Let me tell.  Aaron and Sovereign are the two brand names of High End GmbH, a German company owned by Thomas and Marita Hoehne situated in Elze, Lower Saxony and founded some 20-odd years ago under the then name of Neumann Audio Teknik, which was changed to Aaron in 1989.  The Aaron brand represents their value products, while the Sovereign brand represents the very best products this company produces.  All their products are hand built.  I like the way they communicate with people by calling them “Music lovers” and wish you “Happy listening” which sums up their take on their own products.

I personally have owned an Aaron product in the past, namely a Millennium Number 3 power amplifier.  Have any of you owned a product then sold it on, only to rue the day you did that ever since?  Yep, that’s me too we are talking about here and if ever there was a truly dumb thing to do, it was selling that amplifier.  I am not very good at running, but if I could have managed even a short sprint I would have chased that courier’s van down the street to get it returned for sure.  You live and learn as they say.

Strictly speaking, The Chrome One isn’t actually a “new” model in their line up, it is in fact another variant of their standard No.1.a model wearing a new coat, in this case a beautifully finished coat with a chromium plated front panel, control knobs and a square chamfered panel fitted to the lid.  The same amplifier is also available in “Let’s Rock” guise which has a cast and polished alloy front panel adorned with skulls, stars, Fleur De Lys and other motifs, a top plate with a large cast skull figure, specially designed by Marita Hoehne and comes in two variants; a Silver Machine which is the bare casting and a catacomb style which has an applied dark relief coating to the casting. If polished chrome and cast alloy figures are not your scene, then the No.1.a. base model sports a brushed aluminium from panel and top plate to match.  At the time of writing, there is also another variant called the “Aaron XX  Anniversary Limited Edition”, with a black anodised front panel,  ‘XX’ being the Roman numerals for 20, representing the number of years the business has been trading.

CONSTRUCTION

The two most obvious things that strike you with this amplifier is the chrome frontage which isn’t in the slightest bit blingy and I will tell you why I think that.  The QUALITY of the chrome is exemplary in the flesh and that takes it well away from being tacky or tasteless, because simply put, it isn’t.  The second thing that you notice is the conical control knobs which are similarly attired in high quality chromium plating.  Someone nicknamed it a “Madonna” look, for the star of the same name’s famed stage appearances wearing a brassiere with large conical points.  In actual fact there was a considerable delay in the delivery of The Chrome One for review as Thomas Hoehne wasn’t satisfied with the finish of the plating and he had to source another electroplater who could satisfy his demands for the finish quality he wanted.

That aside, it’s measurements are 440mm wide X 108mm high X 375mm deep and chassis/cover is made from plate steel with a flecked black finish.  Weight is 15.5kg.

The two conical front panel controls are for menu and source selection for the left hand control and the right hand control sets the volume and power standby.  In the centre of the front panel there is a rectangular blue fluorescent display showing the selected source and the volume control setting, doubling up as the menu options display when the left hand control is pressed.  Below the display is the remote sensor window which also houses the standby LED.  Inputs are all line level with CD, MD, TUNER, DAT, TV and AUX inputs via RCA single ended connections, each of which can be level matched by software control in the menu system. To the rear panel we find the corresponding RCA inputs plus a single set of good quality speaker binding posts which will accept bare wire, 4mm banana plugs or spades.  Mains input is via a standard chassis mounted 3 pin IEC plug connection.  An optional Phono module is available at extra cost.

A remote control is supplied which gives direct input to any of the 6 sources, a pair of buttons to adjust volume up/down and a standby button.  Looks almost hewn from a solid billet and the domed metal buttons are fantastic functionally and appear to be able to last a lifetime, although both the remote and the rotary knob were none too precise in setting the level I wanted with up/down fiddling around as it’s a touch too sensitive.  In fact the amplifier also has that similar look, the same way as you admire a 1930s Rolls Royce driving by and you are in awe because it doesn’t belch out clouds of smoke, sound like a rattled bucket of stones and the bodywork looks as pristine as when it left the factory.

Incidentally, the square chamfered metal panel mounted on the lid isn’t just there for show purposes, it is also part of the chassis damping system and it has significant weight to it, as I found out when I popped the lid off for a quick surreptitious peek inside.  Internal layout is superb by the way.

SOUND QUALITY

Mercifully, all of High End GmbH’s products are soak tested before leaving the factory, so they are ready to play straight out of the box.  Connect CD player, then my resident Russell K Red 100 speakers, connect the power cord and hit the right hand conical control knob . . . . . . POP!  Wasn’t loud but wasn’t expecting it either, so Dominic here had to R.T.F.M (Read The Flaming Manual) which informed me this is perfectly normal as there is no soft start relay fitted because it degrades the sound, so Aaron say. So a pop when switching on or off is part of the design and to be expected.

In keeping with solid build perception its outward appearance suggests, the sound too can be summed up in one word . . .  SOLID.  This amplifier is unflappable and whatever you throw at it, it just does its job exactly as it should do.  No bells, whistles, or fireworks, it just puts out of the speaker terminals whatever you shove in at the input.  The specifications say it is rated at 100 watts per channel into an 8 Ohms impedance and 180 watts into a 4 Ohms impedance at 0.1% total harmonic distortion and 7 amps current draw continuous, but then Aaron go further by stating it can deliver 360 watts into 2 ohms and 440 watts into 1 ohms on short burst peaks of 100ms duration with a maximum 22 amps of current draw.  This is evidenced by superb and immensely powerful dynamics that are lightning quick and with no hesitation. The leading edges are crisp and clearly defined, so you never think to yourself it is ONLY a 100 watts per channel amp because the sound makes that number entirely irrelevant.  I don’t have any speakers to hand that are deemed to be a difficult load and I couldn’t put Aaron’s claims to the test, but if those figures are accurate then you would be hard pushed to get this amplifier to clip in a normal domestic listening environment.

So much for the overall picture of the sound, let’s move in to look at the closer details.  Of course, the reference CD went in to the player and it has to be Fink’s “Wheels Beneath My Feet” live album.  From the first bar onwards you can tell the calibre of this amplifier is a stunningly refined act.  Treble is defined in every sense of the word, separated out from the rest of the music as is the midrange and bass for that matter, each having its own space and boundaries within the music, with no clashing or muddling. Soundstage is exemplary, plus the imaging is wide and deep, although not as high as some I have heard.  The intro strikes on the Ride cymbal the drummer plays on track one called “Biscuits For Breakfast” is so convincing and so . . . what’s the word I’m looking for . . . . . tangible, it makes the hairs on the back of your head stand up.   This CD has been recorded in different venues throughout Europe during one of Fink’s many tours so the venue ambience is different for each location and the Aaron amplifier homes in on this like a laser guided Cruise missile and misses none of it.  Each audience reacts differently too and this is the first amplifier I have installed into my system that really does make you feel you are sat in amongst the audience.  No “shooshing” sounds like bacon frying in a pan during the applause, each audience member is an individual, clapping, whistling, cheering and cat calling enthusiastically all around you.  Was it my imagination, or was I actually hearing that annoying person behind me rustling their toffee papers?  Loved it.

You can actually hear each individual string of the guitar playing during chords and riffs, you can even tell what the string is made from and what it was plucked with (Plectrum or fingers) from  Fink’s acoustic guitar playing and it felt rather smug to say “nylon” while the music was playing.  When we talk about this level of fine detail, it might be crossing your mind reading this review that this amplifier is a bit explicit or somehow spot lit in its treble and midrange resolution, but be assured it isn’t, as you can listen to this amplifier for hour after hour and it never fatigues, despite the sheer torrent of fine details and nuances it is feeding you.  If it did, I would have no hesitation at all in saying so, as the Russell K Red 100 speakers take no prisoners in this respect.

I have left the best analysis of this amplifier’s performance until last.  When I listen to this particular album, it is the drums that get the closest scrutiny from me, because there must be a latent hidden aspirational drummer inside me busting to get out and start bashing those skins myself.  Kick drum must have a clearly defined start, middle and end to each strike and you must be able to hear the shell of the drum, not just the actual strike by the beater alone – be it a hard or soft faced beater being used.  Some drummers remove the front skin for a tauter less reverberant sound and that too must be easily deciphered.  Snare drum is a very revealing instrument, full of timbres and resonances, particularly so during rim shots where the rim and the shell has to be clearly heard during each strike, but above all else it must be realistic, similarly so with the tom toms and the floor tom.  I cannot abide any “tish” sort of sound from any of the cymbals, particularly the ride, crash, or riveted cymbals and if you cannot clearly hear that a wooden stick is making contact with a metal cymbal and the resulting shimmer following the strike then something is amiss with your system.  That is a roundabout and long winded way of saying that the Aaron ‘The Chrome One’ amplifier passed all of those benchmark criteria with ease.

Put some funky Jazz music on and this amplifier will soon get you out of your chair and bopping along with the music, it is so infectious.  I was even minded to play some Classical music excerpts too (Yes, but not a full symphony for me I’m afraid!) and the scale and power of the entire orchestra was delivered through the speakers effortlessly with awesome weight and dynamics, even though Classical isn’t featured at all in my regular listening sessions or evaluations as a rule.  Must be a good amplifier then!

CONCLUSION

I can assume you get the perception that I like if not love the sound of this amplifier and you would be right in thinking that.  But, there are other factors to consider before Dominic starts handing out the plaudits and gongs.  All this eulogising about how great it sounds and the one thing I haven’t mentioned at all is price.  The amplifier featured in this review will set you back 4,790Euros, which equates to GB£3,582 or US$5,238. Uniquely though, Aaron offer payment terms if you so wish with a deposit down and monthly repayments plan of up to 36 months which is available on their website.  Given that this could be the last amplifier you would possibly buy and which will last for many years, it might be worth considering that route as a long term game plan if you don’t have the available reddies.

If you require the matching Phono module, then that will set you back another 1,590 Euros.  That makes it a fairly expensive proposition and sets it above its immediate rivals in the marketplace too, but if the price fazes you not, then go ahead and audition this very fine amplifier.

As much as I greatly appreciate the quality of the Chrome One’s appearance, if I had the money (which I don’t!)  I would personally forego that luxury finish and head towards its cheaper sibling, the No.1.a. amplifier in brushed aluminium priced at 3590 Euros, which should still give me the great sonic performances that I have heard from The Chrome One.

In my annual letter to Santa Claus I specifically requested a Chrome One to be in my stocking on Christmas Day morning.  I woke very early especially in eager anticipation.  All I got was a Satsuma.
Sound Quality: 9.6/10

Build Quality: 8.9/10

Value For Money: 8.3/10

Overall: 8.93/10

Pros:
Awesome sound quality that’s hard to find fault with in any area.

Beautiful chromium plated highlights

Cons:
If pops on switch on or off bother you, then avoid
Price is a tad steep compared to its rivals, but hand built quality never ever comes cheap
No built in phono stage
Remote control and front panel rotary volume control a touch too sensitive

Dominic Marsh

Read more amplifier reviews

Designer’s Notes

The AARON“The Chrome One”was developed to reproduce complex Music events in a live-like sound quality and volume.
It is an integrated amplifier in modular method of construction. Composed with separate monaural output stages, preamplifier and operating sections. The preamplifier section consists of two mono-boards in a discreet design with high precision, for each channel selected components.
The power supply for the preamplifier and control section and the output modules is made by using two separate transformers.
The AARON ” The Chrome One”works very stable and is also for low impedance speakers suitable. The power output stages work in collector follower circuit.
The amplifier is equipped with discrete channel-wise selected and matched parts in a shortest possible signal path layout. This, for a short signal path optimized layout, without the use of any sound damaging capacitors, guarantees a perfect natural and balanced sound.
Six Stereo devices with line outputs, can be connected. The input and output levels of each connected device are high precise adjustable. The high quality metal AARON remote control is included. The amplifier can be used as a pure high-end amplifier in solo mode. Alternatively, the operation of speakers with an additional power amplifier, such as AARON No.3 Millennium, in Bi-amping operation is possible.
A Phono stage is available as an option.

TechnicalSpecifications:

Outputpower continuous sine wave: 100 W/8Ω 180 W/4Ω 0.1%THD

Output power pulsed: 360W/2Ω 440W/1Ω 0.1%THD
Maximum continuous current: 7A
Maximum pulsed current: 22A (100ms burst)
Minimum load 1Ω
DistortionTHD: 0.0115%8Ω –5Watt– 1kHz
DistortionTIM: 0.012% 8Ω –5Watt– 50Hz/7Khz4:1
Humand Noise level: -98dB ref: Max, output level
Bandwidth: 0 – 130kHz -3dB 1W/8Ω
Gainmax: 100x =40dB280mV for max output
Input impedance: 47KΩ
Damping factor: 600
Slewrate 21V/µS
ACvoltage: 115VAC/230V AC internal switch 50/60Hz
+/-10% Power consumption: Idle9VA – Max 550 VA
Power supply: 500VA toroidal transformer and 6×10.000µF
Volumecontrol: 64 step Log digital controlled ladder switch
Features: Each input channel programmable – input gain (-16dB). Each output channel programmable output gain (-16dB). Programmable processor switch 2 channel in/out, Infrared remote control
Protection: Internalfuseon power rail only (no current limiting). Power amp mute on switch off
Inputs: 6 x 2channel lineinput RCA gold plated
Outputs: 2channel preout +2channel proc.out RCA gold plated
Controls: 2x rotary encoder with push button
Loudspeaker outputs: 2 x pairs binding posts gold plated
Dimensions: 440x108x375mm WxHxD
Shipping weight 15,5 KG
EAN / UPC (0)609465757933

Valves or solid-state? Solid-state or valves? The question that is always getting brought up in audio circles. Ian Ringstead looks at a bit of the history and some of his preferences.

I was born in the fifties when valves were the norm for electronics, but by the sixties a new kid on the block came into town called the transistor and that changed our way of thinking and listening. As long as I have been involved in hifi the debate over whether valves are better than transistors (or vice verse) has gone on and is still a contentious issue to this day.

When I was eight years old (1964) my parents bought a Pye Black Box stereogram which had a valve amplifier and that was not unusual, but around the corner the transistor was about to burst onto the scene and revolutionise electronics completely. I remember the valve amp well and as a curious youngster had the unit in bits to see how it worked and tinker with it. My knowledge of electronics then was limited, but it didn’t stop me messing! My next experience of a valve amp was my sister’s boyfriend’s hifi amp during a summer break when he brought it to our house. It was a Tripletone unit and, as it was a decent upgrade on the Pye unit and a true separate amp, I had a very enjoyable summer playing with it. 

When I bought my first amp in 1972 it was a cheap transistor unit as valves had all but died out by then, but it wasn’t brilliant. Over the years I made continual changes to my system and all the amps were transistor based. I had the Meridian 101 pre amp and 103 power amp, which for the seventies was an exciting new design and served me well for a few years. I moved onto a Musical Fidelity Dr Thomas power amp and used a Yamaha pre amp as I couldn’t afford the Musical Fidelity pre amp. These amps were classic AB designs (see more about this later) but then in the early eighties a company called Krell changed our way of thinking and the KSA50 Class A amp turned the industry upside down and caused a lot of excitement and controversy. Designs like the Naim 250 were looked upon as the reference standard here in the UK, but Krell transformed all that and I was so excited when a customer of mine bought a KSA50 and brought it into the shop for us to listen to. Well it certainly divided opinions, but I loved it. Class A wasn’t new of course, after all Sugden were great protagonists of it, but it didn’t come cheaply. Class AB still proved the most popular and affordable route in the eighties, but then valve amps started becoming popular again. 

The thing with valve amps was they were expensive and cost a lot more than most decent transistor amps. Size and heat was another issue. The output transformers required by a valve amp meant they were heavy, bulkier and more expensive to manufacturer, not forgetting that valves were very hot in use and so not domestically acceptable to many people. I went to a show where when I walked into the room there was a very large and exotic SET valve amp and whilst it sounded great, it produced so much heat in the smallish room on a hot summer’s day that I couldn’t bear to stay in there for long at all. I have to say this alienated me against valve amps as being impractical in a domestic situation, but it didn’t stop me admiring their sound. Audio Research is a legendary American valve amp company and every time I’ve heard their amps at shows they have sounded sublime, but the problem for me was their price! Oh well a lottery win maybe.

Valve amps in the eighties had an issue; reliability could rear its ugly head. Unless welldesigned and quality components were used, they could fail more easily than transistors and valves inherently wear out and have a limited life. The valve amps we used to sell in the eighties were good, but they were expensive and inevitably often broke down. This doesn’t mean transistor amps were sonically superior; just that they tended to be more reliable in use than their valve counterparts and as a retailer the last thing you wanted was an unreliable product, so we therefore shied away from valves for some years.

Not all amplifiers are the same and there is a clear distinction made between the ways their output stages operate. The main operating characteristics of an ideal amplifier are linearity, signal gain, efficiency and power output, but in real world amplifiers there is always a trade off between these different characteristics. Generally, large signal or power amplifiers are used in the output stages of audio amplifier systems to drive a loudspeaker load. A typical loudspeaker has a nominal impedance of between 4Ω and 8Ω, thus a power amplifier must be able to supply the high peak currents required to drive the low impedance speaker.

A Little About Amp Classes

One method used to distinguish the electrical characteristics of different types of amplifiers is by “Class”, and as such amplifiers are classified according to their circuit configuration and method of operation.  Amplifier classes represent the amount of the output signal which varies within the amplifier circuit over one cycle of operation when excited by a sinusoidal input signal. The classification of amplifiers ranges from entirely linear operation (for use in high-fidelity signal amplification) with very low efficiency, to entirely non-linear (where a faithful signal reproduction is not so important) operation, but with a much higher efficiency… whilst others are a compromise between the two.

Amplifier classes are mainly lumped into two basic groups. The first are the classically controlled conduction angle amplifiers forming the more common amplifier classes of A, B, AB and C, which are defined by the length of their conduction state over some portion of the output waveform, such that the output stage transistor operation lies somewhere between being “fully-ON” and “fully-OFF”.

The second set of amplifiers are the newer so-called “switching” amplifier classes of D, E, F, G, S, T etc, which use digital circuits and pulse width modulation (PWM) to constantly switch the signal between “fully-ON” and “fully-OFF” driving the output hard into the transistors saturation and cut-off regions. The most commonly constructed amplifier classes are those that are used as audio amplifiers, mainly class A, B, AB and C and to keep things simple.

Back To Transistor Amps

American companies like Mark Levinson, Jeff Rowland, Boulder etc. have certainly impressed me, but once again their quality doesn’t come cheap. About ten years ago I discovered a new type of transistor amp design called class D. The company was Flying Mole, a Japanese offshoot of engineers who had worked for Yamaha. Here was a new design that was compact, powerful and very efficient. I heard the CAS10 model at Heathrow and I was immediately impressed, so much so that I purchased one. This was a lovely, compact, beautifully made integrated amp that was very clean sounding and detailed, but the press were divided, either praising it highly or being ambivalent. I personally really liked it and so did my friends, but class D was new then and it has taken a few years for it to be accepted as an alternative approach. Needless to say Audio Research, Jeff Rowland and a lot of other companies now use this design in some of their models. It’s a design that has been refined and adapted in many ways by several companies and I believe is a brilliant addition at a cost effective starting point, although some of the designs now aren’t cheap, but certainly really deliver sonically. Class D has been adopted as a real alternative for many products in hifi, especially active sub woofers and active speakers because of their compactness and efficiency. Also they run fairly cool which is a real bonus and are cheap to run and green (so saving the planet).

So where does this leave us in our debate on whether valves or transistors are better? I don’t think there is an easy answer to this question. So many theories abound as to why amplifiers sound different that no one can agree. Peter Walker of Quad famously said “An amplifier should be a wire with perfect gain” and he eschewed many of the designs that came along after his original valve designs, then his classic 303 transistor amp and the 405 current dumping design. You will never get everyone to agree, after all we are human and, as they say in Yorkshire “there’s nowt as queer as folk”.

My recent experience with a modern valve amp design from PrimaLuna has shown me that the choice is entirely down to personal preference. There are great sounding designs from all the different classes of transistor and valve types. The world is your oyster and I suggest you keep an open mind to all the types and listen for yourself. Don’t be prejudiced. Decide what price, qualities and practicalities suit you best in your room and system. You might be surprised at the outcome.

Ian Ringstead

Read more fidelity Matters wih Ian Ringstead

The Prima Luna DiaLogue Premium HP Integrated Amplifier at £3598 is billed as a fit an forget valve amplifier that avoids many of the headaches traditionally associated with valve amp ownership. Ian Ringstead takes one for a spin. 

This was always going to be an exciting product to review. Firstly because it was a product I had always wanted to review and although not new to valves I had never taken the plunge in the past to buy one and so when given the chance to try the Prima Luna I couldn’t resist. 

I have followed this manufacturer from their beginnings and heard the amps at many shows over the years and have always been very impressed with what I heard. Valve amps have a certain mystique amongst audiophiles, love them or hate them, but I have always been open minded and every time I have heard one at the numerous shows I have attended over the last 40 years they always fascinated  and usually impressed me. Prima Luna is a relatively young company compared to its established rivals from the USA and Europe being founded in 2003. The name Prima Luna is Italian for first moon and founder Herman van den Dungen adopted the name from his Grandparents and a place in Italy.

More than 30 years of high-end experience in the fields of design, manufacturing, export, import, retail, and after-sales-service is the basis for a range of affordable and reliable, yet highly musical products. Together with Marcel Croese (of Goldmund fame) and Dominique Chenet (of Jadis fame) he heads his team to simply bring the best products, with the best service and for the best price.The philosophy of the PrimaLuna team is that it is not just the PrimaLuna products, but also the people involved in PrimaLuna that have to be top-of-the-bill. So the goal for PrimaLuna is to give you excellent designers, highest quality manufacturing and a first-class sales and after-sales network. This is all without becoming unaffordable and involves Western design and marketing, combined with Far East manufacturing under European control and Dutch after-sales-service. PrimaLuna say they are proud that skilled and experienced distributors and dealers from all over the world have now started to recognize the potential of the PrimaLuna brand for themselves and their clientèle.

With a philosophy like that I was eager to try the DiaLogue Premium HP Integrated Amplifier in my system. Absolute Sounds, the distributors here in the UK, very kindly supplied not just the standard EL34 valves that are normally supplied, but also a set of KT120 valves. This was great because I could then compare the difference between the valve types (tube rolling as it is called).

The DiaLogue Premium HP Integrated Amplifier is very solidly built and extremely well put together, being neat in appearance and footprint. Unlike some valve amps I have seen at this is not a great behemoth and fitted neatly on my equipment rack, being no wider than standard separates. The only proviso is that you must give it room to breathe with adequate ventilation as tubes obviously get hot, so it rested on the top shelf. I had the black version, but it is also supplied in silver. The quality of finish is to automotive paint standards and there are five coats of paint applied, not as many as a Rolls Royce , but still very impressive. The front panel is simply laid out with a volume control on the left, the input selector on the right and headphone socket. The controls are well weighted and solid in feel and use. In-between are power indication LEDs  and a neat touch is the green and red valve operation LEDs as you can switch on the fly via the remote control between triode and ultralinear mode, allowing one to alter the sound at the flick of a remote switch. What a great feature. Although not a new innovation, being switchable via the remote is so convenient.

PrimaLuna amps are famous for long tube life and running relatively cool. What they’ve done is increase the power and output transformer size, designed and built a larger Adaptive AutoBias board, and all the supporting circuitry required to run eight power tubes instead of four.  This doubles the power and increases bass slam. Customers can use almost any tube on the market and the new DiaLogue Premium HP can be shipped with EL-34s, Gold Lion KT88s, or Tung-sol KT120s

The headphone amp runs from all the power tubes and the elegant, well designed circuit allows you to switch from speakers to headphone as you wish.  If you love private listening, this amp is ideal. I tried this feature near the end of my time with the amp and I have to say it was excellent with very low noise and no detectable hum.

The design and development that has gone into the PrimaLuna range is astonishing.

As with all PrimaLuna amps, you never have to worry about biasing your amp ever again, and the need for matched tubes is eliminated.  Just plug in EL34, KT88, or KT120 (as well as many others) and the on-board Exclusive Adaptive AutoBias does the rest.  Tubes are constantly monitored and kept in their best operating range, reducing distortion by up to a claimed 50%!

Silver-plated, oxygen-free continuous crystal (OCC) copper with a Teflon dielectric wiring is used in the critical signal paths (point-to-point wiring is used throughout) and an ALPS Blue Velvet motorized volume control is used as standard. TAKMAN premium resistors made in Japan are used inside the amp, as are SCR Tinfoil Caps in the critical signal paths and while they are expensive, the PrimaLuna team felt they could not be left out.

PrimaLuna custom-winds their own AC toroidal transformer and instead of a cheap selector switch, PrimaLuna has a relay and circuit mounted at every input.  If you select a CD player input, for example, a relay closes and a perfect load is presented to the item you are listening to.  All other relays are open so as to prevent crosstalk between inputs.  If the power transformer should overheat, the “Power Transformer Protection” circuit cuts primary power, allows the amp to cool down, then resets itself.

The DiaLogue Premium uses three 12AU7 tubes per channel and as mentioned previously you can switch between Triode/Ultralinear from the remote. In ultralinear you get the flattest response, whilst in triode mode you get a sound that PrimaLuna say people have compared to 300B single-ended amps.  On the chassis’ deck in front of each power tube, is a small LED that lights up if the tube goes bad. The circuit then puts the amp into protection mode, you just replace the tube it tells you to and turn the amp back on. Another useful safety feature is the “Output Transformer Protection” circuit that protects the output transformers in the event of users crossing speaker wires. A “+B relay” replaces the plate fuse and works in conjunction with the OTP-circuit to protect the amp against tube failure.

The amp has dedicated subwoofer output for those that prefer smaller speakers and a sub.

That is one comprehensive list of features but what about the sound of the amp? I found this amp immediately engaging, solid and real sounding with a lovely depth to the sound being produced. There is no hint of a syrupy sound or lack of clarity here which is a negative attribute that is often levelled at valve amps, particularly older designs. All types of music were beautifully portrayed. I tried Fink’s album Wheels Turn Beneath My Feet, a favourite of my colleague Dominic Marsh, because it is a superb live recording from several venues during their European tour. Each venue has a different acoustic and it was easy to hear the differences with the PrimaLuna in place. Also very apparent was the excellent quality of the sound recording and I was able to pick up every nuance of the atmosphere and characteristics of the guitar, bass and drums. The kick drum on Sort of Revolution was amazing and had a real palpable feel and wallop to it…almost as if the drummer was in the room with you. Tracey Chapman’s Fast Car, amongst the many great tracks from her first album from the eighties, sounded fresh and still had a joyous feel to it even all these years later. Great music never dies out.

CONCLUSION

What I learned listening to the PrimaLuna  DiaLogue Premium HP Integrated Amplifier was valve amps can be domestically acceptable as well as “fit and forget”, something that has not always been the case and one of the reasons valve amps have not gained universal acceptance. PrimaLuna have certainly done their best to arrest this issue and I feel they have succeeded admirably. Now as to which mode was best is truly down to personal taste and will depend on many variables. I switched many times and although it was obvious on occasions, I wouldn’t like to say which was best. The same was true of the output tubes, EL34’s or KT120’s, with the KT120s having a more powerful sound than the former. Again you choose. Both were excellent and it may well depend on your room size and speaker efficiency as to which ones you choose.

At £3598 this amp isn’t cheap, but when you appreciate the effort that has gone into this design I think it is fantastic value compared to many of the more expensive brands out there. The remote control is excellent, hewn out of metal with rubber protective bands either end. Recently PrimaLuna announced you can add a Phono module, allowing owners to use a turntable with a moving magnet or high output moving coil cartridge on one of the amps inputs for a very reasonable cost. Nice touch and keeps the box count down.

The power output was more than adequate and I had loads on tap, after all valve watts are certainly more powerful than transistor watts in my opinion.

Power output si quoted as follows: EL34 – Ultralinear  73 watts, Triode 42 watts and KT120 – Ultralinear 89 watts, Triode 51watts

All in all a truly versatile amp. What more could you ask for? Well PrimaLuna also make pre amps, power amps and a nice looking CD player. If you fancy taking the plunge into valve territory the PrimaLuna range is a great way to enter without fear of problems. There are of course other excellent companies producing valve amps, but PrimaLuna seem to have covered all bases and although not budget they don’t bankrupt you if you are serious about owning a very reliable long term investment.

Sound Quality: 9.2/10

Build Quality: 9.1/10

Value for money: 8.9/10

Overall: 9.06/10 

Pros        

A true “fit and forget”, easy to use valve amp with remote control

Great sound with tube rolling capability and switchable triode/ ultralinear mode

Headphone output

Valve cage included

Excellent build quality 

Cons

Remote is metal and very heavy so don’t drop it on your foot!

Requiring eight output tubes can make changing expensive.

The Nēo ACE is a complete experience of musical ecstasy” says the company’s latest press release…a bold claim indeed. The ACE is an Integrated Amplifier and Streaming DAC music player meaning you need to simply hook up a pair of speakers, connect to the internet and you are ready to stream your music.

Featuring all-new setup software, this is the most configurable and customisable MOON product ever offered. The ACE includes a high resolution DAC (DSD decoding up to DSD256 and 32- bit/384kHz PCM). The ACE also features a moving magnet phono preamplifier and has RS-232 and IR ports for custom-install environments.

Features

3 line-level inputs including a front-mounted 1/8” mini-jack for personal media players.

Headphone output on 1/4” TRS jack located on the front panel.

Seamless integration with MOON’s MiND app.

Eight (8) digital inputs include USB (hi-res audio), SPDIF (2), Optical (2), aptX® Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi and Ethernet inputs.

The first MOON product using an OLED type screen.

Simple MiND setup via on-board software menu.

Moving magnet phono preamplifier input.

Analogue inputs are configurable to “pass-through” mode, which bypasses the gain stage to accommodate components like a home-theatre processor, whose own volume control is used.

Technical Specifications

Output Power at 8Ω: 50 Watts per channel

Input Sensitivity: 370mV – 3.0V RMS

Input Impedance : 11,000Ω

Gain: 37dB

Signal-to-noise ratio: 100dB @ full power

Frequency response (full range): 10Hz – 60kHz +0/-3dB

Crosstalk: 90dB

THD (20Hz – 20kHz @ 1 watt/50 watts): 0.015% / 0.02%

Intermodulation distortion: 0.05%

PCM Bit-depth range/sampling rates: 16-32bits / 44.1-384kHz

DSD sample rates: DSD64, DSD128 & DSD256

Shipping weight: 24 lbs / 11 Kgs

Dimensions (width x height x depth): 42.9 x 8.9 x 36.6 cm.

RRP: £2,500

The Silver Luna integrated valve amplifier from Polish company Fezz Audio uses EL34 tubes and costs £725 including European shipping, which is something of a budget price for tube amp. Dominic Marsh takes a listen. 

Whoever said that turntables and valve amplifiers were strictly yesterday’s technology?  Far from being the dinosaurs of hifi from days gone past, there is a huge unprecedented resurgence of both and this trend shows no sign of letting up just yet either.

Enter then the Fezz Audio (A newly formed division of Toroidy.pl) Silver Luna valve amplifier sporting EL34 output valves and designed and manufactured in Poland.  The most critical component in valve amplifiers is of course the transformers and who better to specify and build them than Toroidy who have been manufacture high quality transformers for many years.  I have used Toroidy myself not too long ago when a CD player I owned originating from the far east decided one of its mains transformers needed a permanent holiday. This was not long after the manufacturer ceased trading but a quick email to Toroidy had a custom built replacement winging its way to me a week later and at a very sensible price too I might add.  My fellow reviewer Dan Worth has balanced mains units feeding his system, fitted with Toroidy transformers.

CONSTRUCTION

The entire chassis is formed of folded mild steel plate and is nothing remarkable to look at in form and shape.  Fezz Audio do make at least make an attempt regarding the aesthetic aspect by giving a choice of paint colours.  Black Ice gloss chassis with matte black finish transformer covers, White gloss chassis with Sky Blue gloss transformer covers, Burgundy gloss chassis with matte black transformer covers and Burning Red gloss chassis with matte black transformer covers.  The colourways do at least make the amplifiers more attractive than plain black all over with no relief.  To the centre of the front panel is a bright metal oval plaque proclaiming “Fezz Audio”  in laser cut relief.

Instead of using the traditional laminated plate type of construction for the output transformers, Fezz Audio use Toroidy’s own in-house designed and built toroidal transformers in the output stages as well as the mains transformer.  Fezz Audio say there are many quality components installed like Alps volume pots and Nichicon FG Fine Gold capacitors.

The review sample provided was finished in the Burning Red finish with silver lettering which I found difficult to read, especially round the back when making connections due to the contrast in tones between the red and the silver.  It was less important on the front panel for me as remembering what only two controls do wasn’t dependant at all on the lettering to recall.  On any of the other colours the lettering is clear and distinct with higher contrast ratios and in the case of the white chassis variant, black lettering is used.

The valves were packed separately in their original Electro Harmonix boxes, each thoughtfully numbered in the order they were to be installed into the amplifier.  Nice to see good quality valves being used.  It is wise to do a quick check of the valve biasing (Easy to perform, well explained in the handbook) and all was still within specification when installed.

The amplifier has three line level inputs, selectable by the right hand front panel rotary control.  The left side of the front panel sports the volume level rotary control.  The rear of the chassis we find three sets of single ended RCA inputs, then the loudspeaker connectors with a single pole for the negative or return connection and either an 8 Ohm or 4 Ohm tapped connection for the corresponding impedance value of the speakers being employed.  Finally, an IEC mains inlet plug with a mains on/off switch above it.  This is one of my personal bugbears as it means components fitted with rear mounted power switches give you a choice of either having them sited on the top shelf of the rack for easy access, or having to contort your body and arm to reach it between the shelves lower down in the rack.  With the heat from the valves to contend with during switch off or inadvertently knocking a valve and breaking it, it makes even less sense to rear mount the power switch.  Yes I know, it is all to do with cost, but I have seen many amps with power switches on the side panel or underneath the front panel, which takes all that stress and risk away and doesn’t add THAT much to the build cost in reality.

There is no remote control facility.

SOUND QUALITY

EL34 valves and their circuits do have a reputation that precedes them and are often accused of being syrupy, warm toned, coloured and combinations thereof.  It’s all in the implementation of course and usually it’s because designers try to wring more performance from EL34’s than they are comfortable in delivering.  Reputations, rumours and whispers do not interest me in the slightest and this was just another amplifier submitted for review and so I began listening with an open mind.

As is the case with most valve amplifiers, they seem to need around 20 – 30 minutes to come “on song” from switch on and I gave  a comfortable 30 minutes warm up time before each listening session.

What first struck me was how light and airy it sounded, that is not to say light in power or weight, more by the transparency and delicacy it was showing me.  Images were hanging in the air as if supported by near invisible gossamer threads and it was very close to being a true walk around the sound stage experience.  I would expect that kind of performance from a 6550 valve and above, but not from an EL34, which shows some care has been taken with the circuit topology in the design of this amplifier.  Having a rated 35 watts per channel into 8 ohms to play with, you could be forgiven for thinking this amplifier doesn’t have a lot of headroom to play with, but you would be wrong.  It could go very loud without showing any signs of break up or distress and that was a test rather than saying this amplifier could belt out heavy rock music day after day, because that’s not what this amplifier’s true forte is by any means.

It was in its element with female vocals, acoustic, jazz and middle of the road kind of music, where the natural organic sounds of these genres shone through.  It would play large scale orchestral and rock music in moderation at sensible levels, but push the volume control around past 12 o’clock and the edges started to fray a bit, albeit at a level that wasn’t comfortable to listen to.  A party or disco amplifier it is not, for sure.  Keep the volume control below that 12 o’clock mark and it held it together really well and when I put James Newton Howard and Friends direct cut album on to play the Silver Luna gave me a fast, lithe and vivid performance that was a real pleasure to listen to.

Whenever I listen to Fink’s “Wheels Beneath My Feet” live album I have certain benchmarks I pay particular attention to during my evaluations and here are just some of the key points.  Kick drum must have a clearly defined start, middle and end to each strike and you must be able to hear the shell of the drum, not just the actual strike by the beater alone – be it a hard or soft faced beater being used.  Some drummers remove the front skin for a tauter less reverberant sound and that too must be easily deciphered.  Snare drum is a very revealing instrument, full of timbres and resonances, particularly so during rim shots where the rim and the shell has to be clearly heard during each strike, but above all else it must be completely realistic, similarly so with the Tom Toms and the Floor Tom.  I cannot abide any “tish” sort of sound from any of the cymbals, particularly the Ride, Crash, or Riveted cymbals and if you cannot clearly hear that a wooden stick is making contact with a metal cymbal and the resulting shimmer following the strike then something is amiss.  That is a roundabout and long winded way of saying that the Fezz Audio Silver Luna amplifier passed all of those benchmark criteria.

CONCLUSION

Well, the Fezz Audio Silver Luna EL34 just about shrugged off all that I pitted against it and it didn’t offend me at any point either.  It is a sweet natured beast rather than a snorting bull of an amp, but it can kick like a mule when called to do so, provided you don’t pair it with inefficient speakers.  It wouldn’t win a beauty pageant, but to me most of the budget seems to have gone into the internals rather than wearing a fancy coat designed to impress.  A choice of colours deflects the mind away from that though and is a good compromise.

In the value for money stakes, costing some 950.00 Euros (GB £725.00) which includes shipping within the EU, it offers good value.  At US$1033.25 plus shipping it still looks to be good value.

As an introduction to the world of valve amplifiers, it gives an insight into that velvety “Valve sound” without busting the bank balance and you can be sure it will have both reliability and longevity too.

Build quality: 8.1/10

Sound quality: 8.7/10

Value for money: 8.5/10

Overall: 8.43/10

Pros:

Great sound, quality components used throughout and chassis colour choices should find many fans

Cons:   

Lack of valve protection cage and rear mounted power switch (see text above)

Dominic Marsh

SPECIFICATIONS (Not verified by Hifi Pig)

20 years ago Audio Analogue introduced to the world the original Puccini integrated amplifier and it rapidly developed a reputation as a fine sounding and good value amp. It was Audio Analogue’s very first product; the Puccini launched the brand and put the company’s name firmly on the high-end audio map.

To celebrate this anniversary Audio Analogue has created the Puccini Anniversary, a genuine zero feedback design developed by the specialist AirTech R&D department within the Audio Analogue family.

The brief was to create the best Puccini ever – a product that would achieve another landmark turning point in Audio Analogue’s history and pave the way to future products: new, no-compromise designs that would marry analogue musicality with advanced technologies, while remaining true to Audio Analogue’s commitment to providing excellent value for money.

AirTech designer and technical manager of the project, Andrea Puccini (yes, you read correctly – a pure coincidence) and his team spent tireless months during the first stages of R&D on the basic design. In many respects it was a case of intense experimentation based around the bold decision of the philosophy of zero feedback. Well-designed zero feedback amplifiers are acknowledged as having pure audiophile traits such as clarity and detail and a holographic, deep soundstage. The end result is a sound that is more musical and realistic in numerous aspects.

The advantages and disadvantages of feedback-based designs were contemplated in some detail. The elimination of global feedback to obtain optimum performance is not an easy thing to achieve, and so certain technical aspects of the Puccini Anniversary are unique to its design to deliver optimum performance within its zero feedback topology.

The Puccini Anniversary is a fully dual-mono design. The oversized 700VA transformer, together with three pairs of power transistors for each channel, enables it to effortlessly deliver 80W into 8 ohms, rising to 300W into 2 ohms, thus allowing the amp to drive even the most difficult of loads.

As a result of many hours of listening sessions during the product’s development, AirTech’s founder, Claudio Bertini, fine-tuned the Puccini Anniversary to realize the full potential of the design. Bertini selected solid 7N OCC copper wiring along with gold-plated pure copper binding posts. He minimized switching and contact noise by using relay-controlled inputs with gold-plated pure copper RCA sockets soldered directly onto the input circuit board. Separate boards are used for each stage of the amplifier with double-thickness gold-plated pure copper tracks for optimal current flow.
The Puccini Anniversary’s chassis is robust and solid, of practical dimensions and finished with a thick (14mm) brushed aluminium front panel. The minimalist design is further complemented by a single, recessed central control knob that serves a variety of functions: it has a push function for power and input selection, and also activates an encoder that communicates with four digital, high-precision potentiometers (two per channel) for the volume. A choice of four volume ‘curves’ are selectable according to the speaker sensitivity. To finish the elegant aesthetics, white dimmable LEDs were chosen for the indications, while a full remote control completes the package.

Technical specifications

Audio Analogue’s Puccini Anniversary amplifier is available now, in black or silver, priced at £2,999 (inc. VAT).

Janine Elliot takes a listen to the Krell Digital Vanguard, an integrated amplifier costing £5998 and boasting a whole host of features relevant to today’s modern home. 

Krell were one of the first manufacturers to bring out amplifiers “built like a tank”; heavy-weights full of masses of capacitors, toroidal power supplies and front panels as thick as, well, tank armoury. Indeed, makers from across the big pond, including those in Canada have always had a reputation of building big and thick and Krell’s latest integrated amplifier The Vanguard is no exception with the distinctive “I mean business” bonnet on the front and four large wheels to hold it down, though at only 10.5cm tall it is small by Krell standards.

For those who have studied Krell, this product is a typical no-expenses-spared offering with a fully discrete and balanced Class A circuit. Krell rightly believe that Class A designs are the most musically accurate circuit designs, and don’t suffer from the characteristic distortions that Class AB amplifiers create. The Vanguard is Class A through-and-through, both in the power and in the preamp section, as is employed in their top-of-the-line Illusion preamps. The amplifier also has Krell’s Current Mode technology to ensure significant signal bandwidth, vital for those PCM or DSD sources.

The word Vanguard means ‘a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas’, and this product certainly isn’t short on facilities. There are 4 analogue inputs; three RCA and one balanced XLR. One RCA input can be set as “Theatre”, meaning the input goes straight through to the power amplifier stage and misses out the preamp for use as part of a surround sound theatre setup.  I used this setting for some of my review, using my MFA transformer passive preamp.  Connection to loudspeakers is provided by high-quality WBT terminals.  There is also a 3.5mm jack for IR input and 12-volt trigger input and output, as well as optional rack-mount ears, should you want to fit it onto a 19” rack. I’m not sure why you would want to do that; you really would want to show off this beautiful integrated rather than sticking it in a rack hidden away in a cupboard.

The latest version, the Digital Vanguard, has an all-encompassing digital module on board, which gives USB, 3 HDMI inputs and output, and more conventional coax and optical digital inputs. The coaxial and HDMI inputs support PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz, with optical input supporting up to 24-bit/96kHz. Moreover it also offers Ethernet music streaming controlled through dedicated iOS and Android apps; and Bluetooth wireless for convenient streaming from phones, tablets and computers. The USB and Network streaming works well with MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV (PCM), FLAC and ALAC up to 192kHz, and the Bluetooth streaming supports A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP formats. The HDMI inputs support DSD and 4K video content. HDMI output supports Audio Return Channel (ARC). Quite some line-up then!  If you don’t choose the digital option that section on the back panel is blanked over.

For this review I used my Krell KPS20i CD player and vinyl for analogue sources, and for digital inputs I used the mConnect Player app from Google to stream audio from my Xperia phone using Bluetooth, and my laptop and Fiio X5. For those who buy the basic Vanguard you can add the digital board at a later date, installed by Krell or the retailer, and you can you can update software when required.  The UK retail price for the Vanguard with digital board is £5,998, and the standard analogue Vanguard is £4,498, both highly competitive prices when you consider all you get.

Turn it to standby and above the KRELL logo in the centre of the panel it lights up a row of red. I like this. Then turn it on and the colour spread changes to blue, both of which means that at some point it matches the blue and red LEDs of my other equipment. All amplifiers in their present range have this distinctive bonnet, just as previous Krells have had a distinctive design in the centre. Also typical of Krell is the substantial power supply, in this case a 750 VA toroidal transformer and 80,000 microfarads of storage capacitance, meaning the Vanguard will have a very intimate relationship with your mains supply, whatever quality it is. All this adds weight, though at 17.7 kg, it is actually very light for a Krell.

SOUND

Whenever I think of Krell I think first of music like Beethoven and words like ‘gutsy, big, menace’ and ‘force’.  Their amplifiers have always had that reputation and in some respects it has perhaps put people off. I have followed Krell since Dan and Rondi D’Agostino formed the company in 1980, having both a KAV250a power amp and KPS20i CD player, and KAV150 and KRC before that. I like my music to leave an impact, and Krell certainly turns that prospect into a reality. I wanted to see just how good this entry-level product compared with other Krells I know well, and of course everything else around this price point. Putting on Beethoven to start with was therefore the obvious choice, and all playing through my Wilson Benesch speakers.  The Dresden Philharmonic under Herbert Kegel is an excellent performance full of energy that some amplifiers just cannot deal with. This one left nothing untouched. My speakers came alive such that even my cat sat up and listened. Symphony number 7, complete with hitting mic stand at one minute in (never heard that on my KAV) had the dynamic range of Mahler or Bruckner. I was worried when I initially unpacked this unit that the two fans at the rear, which cool down the heatsink, would make this quite loud in operation, but ironically this 400W/4Ω beauty was as quiet as, well, silence, even with the two thermostatically controlled fans at the back. It still gets hot inside, though that was as expected, so good ventilation above is still a necessity.

The front panel is minimalist in comparison with the accompanying remote, but has all the functions you needed to operate should you lose the latter. The remote itself was typical of Krell products, putting many, many other companies to shame with the solidity of build and weight; being a slab of aluminium, machined to insert the electronics, mirroring the controls on the amplifier and with many extra buttons, and offering access to other Krell products such as my aged CD player. With its ribbed back-and-sides black finish with silver buttons, this remote was quite simply gorgeous. The Vanguard itself has a two line LCD display, below the USB socket which is only operable if you have the digital card attached. The LCD display stops illuminating after around 15 seconds of inaction, though the blue line above the KRELL wording stays lit, I’m pleased to say.

Using MP3 from my Xperia, Track 2 of Heathen, David Bowie, had powerful top and an amazing definition making compressed audio sound almost acceptable. Eagles ‘Long Road out of Eden’ Title track on disc 2 of this great double album had a depth and width that made for an exceptionally invigorating listen. If you wanted warmth and easy listening then you needed valve, however the bass from this behemoth was definitely valve inspired. This bass was so good, and the tops were pin-sharp and quick. This was like having just had my ears syringed, and my listening soon became all about power, detail and fun! Moving swiftly to CD the energetic Naim “The Ark” album playing “Mambo Jumbo” (John van der Veer), had detail and energy that really took me aback with jumbo stereo spread of the two guitars. This was good.

Turning to vinyl I went via my Manley and MFA pre, turning the Vanguard into “Theatre” mode so I missed out the on-board class-A pre. Mozart Piano Concerto No 21 in C major, something I played when I was a young piano student, sounded as musical and gentle as I would expect from the young female pianist Geza Anda (Camerata Academica of the Salzburg Mozarteum) showing this bulldog could also be tamed when needed. This music had pizazz, sweetness and space that let every nuance of the music through. The famous slow movement was not hurried, but performed in my living room like I was there at the recording. The Krell pre-amp stage, though, is still excellent and worked well when I removed the MFA from the chain.

Turning to the Queen Studio Collection, this was now getting seriously good. The brilliantly remixed set of albums had extensive depth and detail as Freddie and the team whizzed between, as well as in front and behind my speakers with energy. ‘A Night at the Opera’ is one of the best albums from Queen, not only in its content, but also in the sound engineering. With tracks like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘You’re my Best Friend’ and ‘Love of My Life’ it is no wonder this album hit the number one spot in 1975. The fading in and out of the musical stabs in ‘Death on Two Legs’ showed just how good the original sources – and this, the remixed version – were. But equally it showed how well the Krell performed. Queen albums are not the easiest to play well, and many amps cannot cope with such a wide degree of sounds and dynamics with such ease as the Krell.  Turning to Mike Valentine’s ‘Big Band Spectacular’ suddenly the soundstage grew by metres, with forceful sounding brass at one extreme and precise and gentle ride cymbal at the other, beautifully married together. The Krell showed off with both vivacity and gentleness in equal amounts. The 200W/8Ω integrated might be the baby of the Krell range, but this was no slouch. Everything was there, from the detail that is missing from so many amplifiers to the grunt when it needed to have it. Class-A rules A-O.K, and I really started enjoying this. The clarity was better than on my KAV250a, though the grunt wasn’t quite as big; the sound was much more in control and the stereo width and speed was one of the best I have heard, resolving imagery faster and more accurately. All it lacked was a headphone socket. It could do everything else, well, perhaps except vinyl, but I guess fitting a vinyl card in as well would be a tight squeeze in this already anorexic Krell.  And, to top it all, it was made in The USA, rather than China!

CONCLUSION

Those not convinced of just how good Krell can be, should give this one a go, and particularly the digital version. This one just does everything except make coffee, and allows user adjustment of settings from the comfort of your armchair, and does it all with both authority and tenderness. If you want a large-scale performance in your living room, especially in the speed of sound and stereo spread, you will like this one, but if you want easy listening, then go elsewhere; this Vanguard will keep your attention for as long as it’s switched on.

Sound Quality – 8.90/10

Value for Money – 8.6/10

Build Quality – 8.8/10

Overall – 8.77/10 

Price at time of review £5,998 

Pros:

Digital features pleases everyone
Muscle where you need it
Well behaved bass
fast and accurate imagery
Petite size of amplifier will please more folk
Quiet fans keep the heat down
Love the red and blue lights

Cons:

Pretty expensive but a lot of features for the money
You might not like the bonnet

Janine Elliot

SPECIFICATIONS