Audiophilepure

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/ta-caruso-r

The matching speakers haven’t been supplied for this review, but the unit has enough power to drive a wide range of third-party choices: the onboard amplification delivers 50W into 8ohm, doubling into a 4ohm load, with peak output at 50 percent more. That proves to be more than sufficient for the speakers with which I try the T+A, including the Scansonic M20 reviewed in the last issue and my own Neat Iota Xplorer (HFC 435), both of which are driven and controlled with authority, whether from network or online sources, or the excellent onboard CD player.

The balance here is more refined and mature than red in tooth and claw, meaning that the Caruso R puts up a fine showing with First Aid Kit’s live Who By Fire set of Leonard Cohen covers. A small tweak of the contour controls brings out more of the presence of the set, but that apart the immediate impression is of weight and richness allied to fine levels of detail, instantly involving the listener in the performances. There’s not quite the speed and drive you’d get from the similarly priced models in the Naim Uniti range, for example, or from NAD’s M-series all-in-one streaming amplifiers, but the generosity of the T+A sound combined with the ease of listening it offers is hard to overlook.

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