Audiophilepure

https://www.hifinews.com/content/devialet-astra-%E2%80%98op%C3%A9ra-de-paris%E2%80%99-streaming-amplifier

I’ve been on a Zimmer whirlwind recently, as his pieces are both a) masterfully constructed and b) great for auditioning audio gear. On this live Gladiator medley, the Astra found the power to track the expansion from quiet opening to full-on finale, strands of violin notes twisting in and out of view next to choral and brass swells. Again, the sensation was of musical detail laid bare, but here also with a hint of coarseness in the upper frequencies.

This sort of artifice can limit the suspension of disbelief that a great musical system should bring, but perhaps I’m being overly harsh on what is a svelte, powerful, streaming amp designed with an eye on living room acceptance. And the Astra still gets plenty right, excelling with a wide rendition of The Allman Brothers Band’s epic ‘Mountain Jam’ [Eat A Peach, MoFi; DSD64], where it gave brilliant focus to every snare, tom and cymbal during the lengthy ‘dual-drummer’ battle, and ensuring the piano on Anna Fedorova’s Intrigues Of The Darkness [Channel Classics; 192kHz/24-bit], appropriately enough, emerged from a deliciously dark background. When this amp is good, it’s as good as gold.