April | 2026 | Audiophilepure

With the Allegri Reference, there is no gain available as with a typical powered preamplifier, only attenuation, and this should be borne in mind when matching it to a power amplifier. If you enjoy listening at a high level, you’re going to need power amplifiers of appropriate input sensitivity and power to compensate for this. Rated at 170W, the Naim NAP 350 monoblocks I use have weapons-grade power—the NAP 350 has a claimed input sensitivity of 1V for full-rated power, and offers 26dB of gain. As a result, I could comfortably attain what I would term “session levels” with this pairing. A friend who uses an Allegri Reference partners it with a Krell KSA‑100S and big JBL monitors, and his system kicks serious ass, too.

On the title track of Duran Duran’s sole 1990 album, Liberty (LP, Parlophone PCSD112), the Allegri did a superb job of rendering Simon Le Bon’s vocals center-stage. Sterling Campbell’s energetic and bouncy drum style was projected with excellent power and drive, which I found surprising for what is essentially a passive device. Sure, the Allegri didn’t deliver bass rhythms with quite the same snap and articulation as my Naim NAC 82 preamp, but it certainly sounded less grainy. The Naim excels at speed, slam, and note definition, whereas the Allegri has other strengths, which are rare outside an extremely elite group of valve amplifiers of impeccable quality.

World Premier Review of Zesto Audio Athena DAC with ESP Power Supply. $15,000

April 1, 2026 § Leave a comment

World Premier Review of Zesto Audio Athena DAC with ESP Power Supply

After throwing every kind of music and connection I could muster including USB, S/PDIF, and AES/EBU, I was unable to make the Zesto Audio Athena DAC with ESP Power Supply do anything but perform to state of the art levels. I have never heard a DAC this alive, lively, and realistic with such extraordinary definition. The level of quiet between instruments is perfection. Switching between bit rates is without flaw. The lights on the front panel clearly show you what is playing. I love the analogue knob dialing in the clearly marked digital sources. I have not heard a DAC on the planet that exceeds the Athena’s performance, tube or solid-state. I go to the symphony to hear the real thing and that is what you will hear with the Athena DAC. I heartily recommend you call your Zesto Audio Dealer and audition the Zesto Audio Athena DAC with ESP Power Supply ASAP.