Audiophilepure

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“Comparative listening also highlighted how the Hegel Röst couldn’t match the Audio Note in fluidity and palpable presence. Through the tubed amp, harmonically rich and complex instruments, such as John Roney’s piano, or Bobby Hutcherson’s vibraphone on Eric Dolphy’s “Out to Lunch (LP, Blue Note/Music Matters MMBST-84163), sounded organically smooth, liquid, and whole, with full harmonic development and believable attack, sustain, and decay. The Hegel’s harmonic envelope seemed smaller in comparison, particularly in terms of sustain and decay, which resulted in a mildly coarser sound. But again, this was audible only in a head-to-head comparison with the twice-the-price Audio Note; the Hegel outdid many other good solid-state amps in listenability, tone, and texture.”

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“Perhaps the most startling sound I heard was that of the immortal Miles Davis’s Harmon-muted trumpet in “Basin Street Blues” from his Seven Steps to Heaven (CD, Columbia/Legacy CK 48827). It was explosive and piercing in a pleasant way, the notes lingering a bit in the air, a ghostly presence in my listening room. Every note was clear, tactile, evolving in time, plaintive and dynamic. The detail was such that notes bloomed as Davis played them, from attack impact to a subtle gathering in volume or a fading in aching diminuendo in long, sustained legatos and portamentos. There was a fabulous sense of touch and liveliness, the trumpet’s aural image solid and center-forward. It was as if Davis were there in front of me. The other players of his quartet were spread across the soundstage: Frank Butler’s drums deep at left, Ron Carter’s double bass near the center and noticeably behind Davis, and Victor Feldman’s piano at right. ”

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“The VA910 midrange had lovely, emotionally significant accuracy, but it was not as magical as that of a a SET amp, nor did the VA910s bring out the inner harmonic structure of music in the way triodes or OTL amplifiers can. I had no complaints with their bass, which was full and nimble. The upper end of the frequency spectrum, however, was not quite as extended as it could be, with a little less airiness or openness in the upper reaches than I would preferred.”

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“If your emphasis is on functionality and you don’t need a ton of output power, the Atom is a killer choice. You’d spend more than $2,995 just buying power cords and interconnect cables for a preamp, power amp, and headphone amp. Stay tuned for part two, where we concentrate on all of the different options and functions.”

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“The overall character of the Platinum amplifier is similar to the Inspire Fire-Bottle vacuum tube amplifier with 6V6 output tubes installed. As noted in the Inspire review, the 6V6 tubes deliver a nice warm midrange, but with noticeably limited treble response. The QUAD amp has very good bass. The Class A Pass XA30.8 amplifier has a very linear and extended treble range that will sound bright and forward in a system that is voiced for the more laid back character of the QUAD amp. These amplifiers are not interchangeable without significant system alterations to maintain a proper tonal balance across the audio frequencies, from low bass to uppermost treble.”

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“The amplifier is delivered in a professional, Italian-made case made of a rigid, impact-resistant plastic. This case features wheels, which is a welcome addition when you have to move this heavy device around”

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“The Brio’s 50 watts per channel is enough to drive most speakers to realistic levels, and more than enough to get most apartment dwellers evicted, so you can look forward to distortion, fatigue free music, regardless of how loud or how long you listen. After initial listening with the Totems, we auditioned the Brio with a number of different speakers, some considerably more expensive and came away highly impressed with the level of refinement that this amplifier delivers. TONEAudio Magazine gave their overall Product of the Year award, judging the $995 Brio-R against other components with six-figure pricetags. A side by side comparison with a friend’s last generation Brio-R proves the new model sonically better in every way.’

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“Peachtree Audio 2.0 has taken its original goal of affordable lifestyle audio and moved it into affordable high performance audio. That it comes in a handsome, lightweight case is a wonderful added benefit. The new Class-D amps are fantastic and drove my floorstanding 86dB Vandersteen Treo CT’s to stupendous levels. The grip on the low end was wonderful. There was more than enough power to go around. Coming in at a price of £2,195 or $2,500, the Nova 300 is a flat out steal for all the audio capabilities it delivers. If you are upgrading, check it out. If you need to remove the shrine, it can do that too! Highly recommended!”