Audiophilepure

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/goldmund-mimesis-37s-nextgentelos-300

We switch to Bizet’s Carmen Suite and the Goldmunds have no trouble delivering a sound of impressive scale and authority. The music’s dramatic dynamic sweeps come through forcefully and without losing track of low-level instrumental strands. Stereo imaging is expansive, extending well beyond the outside edges of our speakers. The stability of that stereo image is excellent as is the way this pairing focuses and layers the soundstage. This is a complete performance.

Our time with this Goldmund pairing is a blur of music. We move from Beethoven’s Symphonies to De La Soul’s rich back catalogue then to Bruce Springsteen’s early work, and never do the Goldmunds sound lacking or out of their comfort zone. These are excellent all-rounders that are balanced enough to treat all types of music well. That’s not as common a trait as it should be, even at this elevated level.

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/yamaha-s3200

Rhythmically the Yamaha is a battler. It doesn’t quite have the fluidity and lyricism of some similarly priced tube amps, but still makes music engaging and lively. This is achieved in two ways; firstly its midband has formidable transient speed, with a great rhythmic snap to the proceedings. Secondly, the bass is big and solid, but importantly has next to no overhang. There’s none of that spongy sensation that gives a pleasant bloom to proceedings, yet which slurs one note into the next. For these reasons, I find subtle pop songs like The Dolphin Brothers’ Catch The Fall sound surprisingly infectious through this bruiser. This big integrated amplifier is fast, detailed and lithe enough to make even relatively intricate music sound like it has a raison d’être.

The 216 represents a Burmester for the 2020s and beyond. It takes all that went before and improves on that without making sacrifices along the way. A good power amplifier should be impressive without being ‘obvious’; it makes an impression by perfect interpretation of the preamp and perfect control of the loudspeakers, and that makes the 216 damn near perfect!

https://www.stereophile.com/content/mastersound-845-compact-integrated-amplifier

The Mastersound Compact 845 hits all my sonic sweet spots: gorgeous, burnished tube tone, palpable instrumental texture, unerring naturalism, lush, rich, transparent midrange, solid bass, open treble, black background, precise layering of instruments and vocals—and the deepest, punchiest soundstage I’ve heard. It was also eerily quiet. Like the Audio Note Meishu Tonmeister integrated amplifier, I would be happy to live with this amplifier for the rest of my days. With the Compact 845, Mastersound moves to the front row in the hallowed hall of master tube-amplifier manufacturers, alongside Shindo, Audio Note, Air Tight, Line Magnetic, Luxman, and PrimaLuna.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0423/Dan_DAgostino_Progression_S350_Amplifier_Review.htm

As an audio reviewer, I feel as if I should have some negative criticisms, as no audio component is “perfect. I do not want to paint myself into a corner and say this is the best power amplifier on the market. At this level, there are going to be nuances between amplifiers that some audiophiles will prefer over others. And to be honest, I’ve auditioned nowhere near every solid-state power amplifier on the market. It would be interesting to compare the D’Agostino Progression S350 to an amplifier that costs double or triple its price. But one of those might not match my system as well as the D’Agostino Progression S350. One would be correct if they argued that I liked this amplifier so much only because it was such a good fit with the rest of my system. So be it.

My review sample of the Progression integrated amplifier included the DAC module only—not the phono stage module. I compared the Progression DAC module to my standalone dCS Bartok DAC for streaming and my collection of both high resolution and ripped CD files. The source for both was provided by my Aurender N-10 music server. I also compared these configurations to a direct Ethernet network connection to the Progression and its DAC module while streaming, and when using the Progression iOC App. Qobuz was my primary streaming service for all of these evaluations