Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/ta-r-2500-r-multisource-receiver

The first thing I like to test with amplifiers new to my B&W 808 speakers is the low end. The Benchmark amp drives these speakers with remarkable control and precise bass extension. A bassline that is recorded distinctly should sound the same; the beat should be crisp and well-defined. I have created a Qobuz playlist, “Bass Test,” made of tracks I find useful in amplifier and speaker comparisons (footnote 9). Some of these tracks are far from the ultimate floor-shakers, but each tells me something about how an amp/speaker combo handles the lowest octaves. For instance, in Bob Marley’s “Concrete Jungle,” the tonality of the bass instrument is distinctive, and each note is clearly articulated. It’s the same with the Grateful Dead’s cover of “Mama Tried,” with the tonality of Phil Lesh’s bass amp also part of the sound. “Flea,” from St. Vincent’s recent All Born Screaming, features interestingly jagged bass-synth sounds. Meanwhile, Professor Longhair’s “Big Chief,” in the version by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, has a prominent bass part for sousaphone. And Charlie Watts’s booming kickdrum on “Honky Tonk Women” from the Stones’ Forty Licks anthology should pound like a gut punch when the volume is turned up to a level suitable for the raunchy romp the song calls for. In all cases, the T+A R 2500 R’s power amp comported itself well.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1870-orchard-audio-starkrimson-mono-premium-amplifier

Speaking of class-A amps, I compared the pair of Starkrimson Mono Premiums directly against my First Watt F5 stereo power amp (discontinued; $3000 when new), which is roughly their polar opposite. Both amps post near-cutting-edge distortion and noise specs, but the First Watt gets there from a different direction.

The F5 is a big, heavy, class-A push-pull transistor amp, with output MOSFETs bolted to chunky heatsinks, a hefty linear power supply fat with capacitors, and not much else—designer Nelson Pass favors designs that put as few parts in the way of the signal as possible. With these two amps coming from competing philosophies, I knew this would be a fun comparison.

At first, I was struck by how similar they sounded. Both amps circled closely around neutrality, but each offered its own distinct flavor. Replaying “Car Radio” with the F5, I heard the class-A amp thicken things up a touch, in the expected way. It provided more density and tonal color than the Starkrimsons, albeit at the expense of the micron-precise separation of the GaN amps. The flawless tonal presentation of the First Watt F5 gave the amp more verve and groove-factor, though it gave up some grip at the frequency extremes compared to the Starkrimson Mono Premiums. The Orchard amps let me hear everything in the music more clearly, however, and surprised me with their imaging prowess.

Keeping the A40 in context with the gear I’d probably pair it up with if I were building a system for about 10-15k is a home run. An out-of-the-ballpark, across the fence, into the parking lot home run. Using an older ARC SP-9 preamplifier (about $900 – used), the Naim CD5is CD player (about $2k new), a used SOTA Sapphire turntable (again about $1,500) along with the Harbeth Monitor 30 speakers, Magnepan 2.7X speakers, and the Vera-Fi Vanguards.  Altogether, these Legos were combined to build systems worth about $6,000 to about $20k.

It’s also worth mentioning that the A40 does an excellent job driving the MartinLogan ESL9s we have on hand. If you have a pair of MLs around, this can be your amplifier, too, if you don’t need to blow the windows out. Great success was had with my vintage Acoustat 2+2 ESL speakers, so this might just be a FAB amplifier to pair up with a pair of Quad 57s too. Finally, the A40 perfectly matches the new SVS Ultra Evolution Towers. We’ve got a pair of those in on review, too, and their highly resolving diamond tweeter might be a bit too much for some, but the combination of the modestly mellow A40 and the up-front SVS speakers is a killer combo.

In conclusion, the A40 is an excellent anchor for a sub-$20k hifi system without having to go used or DIY. While you can’t bridge them (again, there goes the magic), using a pair of these in a vertical biamp type system could be incredibly good for those craving more dynamic headroom.

After multiple dedicated listening sessions over many weeks, with dozens and dozens of albums, the amplifiers never rose more than a few degrees ambient room temperature. These will happily drive whatever speakers you might choose to use. These could very well be the last amplifiers you’d ever need to buy. I’d be hard pressed to find a need for more power than these can offer and the ability to upgrade the sound stage in years ahead makes this a no-brainer.

Final Thoughts

Testing the preamplifier by itself and using the RCA digital input jack, the results of activating the three available digital filters on the frequency response with 16/44.1 sampling are shown below in Figure 21. The digital input was 0 dBFS which means full DAC analog output into the preamplifier section, The Volume was set to 48. Each filter delivers a different roll-off response at 20 kHz. You just need to try them all to see which one you prefer. Filter 2 gives the most high-frequency roll-off, and this will make the sound a bit smoother. Since this Class D amplifier has quite a bit of high frequency distortion, start with Filter 2, and then switch to the others, using music that has a lot of high frequencies, such as violins.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/primaluna-evo-300-hybrid-integrated-amplifier

The PrimaLuna EVO 300 Hybrid disrupted my preconception that pure tube amps are superior to amps with a solid state component. From the first note, the EVO 300 established itself as a modern classic, reproducing music fresh-scrubbed, juicy, spatially adroit, dynamically adept, and powerful. It possessed the liquidity and richness of a good tube amp, never crossing over into syrup or schmaltz. It boasts an undeniable aliveness that grabs you from the first note and never lets up. It’s got drive. It engaged me in the music for many blissful hours.

I’m no longer agnostic regarding hybrid tube/solid state integrated amplifiers, let alone committed to the all-tube approach. At least when it comes to the PrimaLuna 300 EVO, I’m a hybrid believer.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/ta-r-2500-r-multisource-receiver

While the R 2500 R was situated in the office, I tested it as a USB-connected computer audio interface, with my aging Lenovo desktop PC. I downloaded and installed the T+A Windows USB driver with no problems, and the R 2500 R was immediately recognized and worked as expected with no further tweaking. I did some production editing and CD authoring using the T+A amp instead of my regular RME soundcard, and everything worked as expected. Based on all the listening I did from the computer, I’d say the R 2500 R’s DAC is pro-grade as far as neutrality and the smooth operation of its USB driver. I also plugged a bus-powered Western Digital hard drive into the USB socket of the R 2500 R. Using the phone app, I was able to navigate the file menus and play anything I desired. It was in this mode that I first experienced the R 2500 R’s excellent DSD DAC, playing files ripped from SACDs. My ears perked up, because I heard a clarity and naturalness that not all DACs seem able to convey from DSD material.