Audiophilepure

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1289-vinnierossi-brama-integrated-amplifier

The rapid-fire, start-stop crack of Neil Peart’s drums contrasted wonderfully with the saturated sound of Lifeson’s effect-laden guitar. This isn’t subtle music—it’s life-affirming rock that’s jam-packed with information, and the Brama sorted out the details while retaining all of the power. The Brama’s midrange is admirably clean and neutral, yet at the same time it remains extremely expressive. The quick bursts of crackling distortion backing up Geddy Lee’s voice in the chorus stood out as discrete elements, and Lee’s voice cut through clearly, unmuddied, without artifice.

Up a little further, into the lower treble, the Brama injected a small amount of texture into Peart’s cymbals and Lifeson’s incendiary guitar solo. As I listened to “Freewill”—and, heck, pretty much every other piece of music via the Brama—I nodded my head in admiration at the way this amp treats the overtones that are the hallmark of listening for pleasure rather than analysis. I could probably rephrase this to claim that the solid-state amps and preamps I’ve been using over the past decade have failed to reproduce some of the inner light and harmonic realism that’s integral to live music, but I think that’s just a tiny bit of a stretch. Still, there’s definitely tube magic flowing from the Brama’s 300Bs.

I just loved that sound, that tiny ember, that warm glow. It seemed to fill in some of the gaps in the 805s’ wildly spacious sound, making them sound more cohesive and realistic. It was never overdone, remaining exceptionally subtle. Though I could really only identify it in certain isolated instances, I can’t help but think that the tube richness was at least partially responsible for the image solidity I’ve already raved about.

Next up were the Russian Mullard CV4004 stock tubes. This was better. Less detail, sure, but a more fully rounded sound and no hole. I could live with these tubes. They did nothing wrong, but also did not do anything outstandingly well. Just solid-sounding tubes. Maybe it was not terribly surprising, but these sounded similar to the Mullard 12AX7 tubes from Great Britain, and it was six of one and half dozen of the other – between the two. Best to go with what is available and less expensive.

The next tubes just smoked me, the Amperex Bugle Boy tubes. I was not prepared for this degree of difference. Unlike the Mullards, which did everything very nicely, these tubes did everything exceptionally well. Darn, the guitars sounded like musical instruments instead of a copy of a guitar. What a fantastic sound stage, wide and deep, and “Yeah, I am a sound stage freak,” and these delivered. Powerful low end, both the low bass and the mid bass. Very lifelike male and female voices. These tubes simply had no weaknesses. Sign me up for these. Now I wonder what they would sound like in my McIntosh C2200? I do not want to know because they are not inexpensive tubes, and I’d need four of them.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/brilliant-corners-32-air-tight-atm-2plus-amplifier-tube-rolling-and-joni-mitchells-hejira

I have to admit that I’ve had decidedly mixed experiences with MoFi’s vinyl (and not because of the fuss around the “digital step”). While all of it sounds some variety of terrific, I’ve been less convinced by some releases’ ideas about the music. Take 2019’s double-disc reissue of Miles Smiles. The glossy, high-resolution mastering somehow allows the music’s rhythmic structure to drift. When I compared it to the 1967 Columbia original, I heard the playing of Miles Davis’s quintet as notably less incisive and communicative.So I slid the new Hejira out of its heavy sleeve and turned the Garrard’s speed dial to 45 with a bit of trepidation. When I sat down to listen, the music that came out of the speakers dazzled me. The MoFi team has somehow excavated a whole new layer of musically relevant information: not only more distinct notes from the guitar and bass and a closer, less murky acoustic but also tons of ambient sounds I’d never heard. And far more body, making Mitchell and the band present in a way I hadn’t experienced.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/airtight-atm-1e

Ultimately, what convinced me that the AirTight ATM-1e is more than the sum of its parts was monumental bass from an all-but-forgotten demo-worthy CD, Clannad’s 1989 compilation Pastpresent [BMG PD74074]. Naturally, the gorgeous vocals showed off the ATM-1e’s super-sweet, sibilance-free top-end. But I was not prepared for the room-filling mass of the opening of ‘White Fool’, almost Kodō-like in its grandeur. Then I remembered: AirTight is Japanese. Who better to deal with the drums of giants?

Hi-Fi News Verdict

AirTight’s ATM-1e ticks every box defining a stereo tube power amplifier of true usability and practicality, with a price reflected in superb perceived value. If there truly is a category for ‘entry-level high-end’, this fits the bill. It’s an artisanal amp offering exceptional musicality, more than sufficient power and – if this matters to you as it does to me – shameless pride of ownership. Pride may be a sin, but if so, then sin on, sinners.