Audiophilepure

Having owned the original Ragnarok for a number of years, I remember rather well what it sounds like; I’m not sure that the differences between the two generations are enormous in that regard but I did think that the Ragnarok 2 delivered plenty of punch when called for but with good dynamics so quiet passages remained so.

I know that EIC Ian White disagrees with my assessment that the Ragnarok 2 is like a straight wire with gain; offering very little sound of its own. We’re both using rather transparent sounding loudspeakers so I doubt that we’re hearing the Ragnarok 2 on very different playing fields.

He finds the Ragnarok 2 to be slightly darker sounding and softer in the bass with his Magnepan LRS; he’s also comparing it to the $6,499 Cambridge Audio Edge A which is a lot more powerful than the Ragnarok 2 and far better at controlling the panels of the LRS with much less effort.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/technics-su-g700m2-integrated-amplifier

At the beginning of this review, I was determined to find the similarities and differences between the Technics SU-G700M2 Grand Class integrated amplifier and its powerhouse kin, the Technics SU-R1000 Reference Class Stereo Integrated Amplifier. I took note of its similar components, similar specs, and the like. But midway through the review process, I forgot the past and got caught up in the present—in listening to music.

I enjoyed the Technics’s digital playback—even more its rendering of vinyl records via its authoritative phono stage. The G700M2 is a warm-blooded, even-keeled, dynamic, capable amplifier. Offering ample power, robust build, and good value, the Technics SU-G700M2 Grand Class integrated amplifier sounded great in my reference system. If $2699 is in your comfort zone, the G700M2 offers exceptional bang for your hard-earned bucks.

I enjoyed my time with the NAD C 700. It has a great deal of flexibility and a wonderful control interface. It was able to pull off the trick of stepping aside and letting the music take center stage. It’s just that this was less common than with much more expensive amplifiers.

I found that it was at its best when streaming high-resolution files, but it can also serve as the main nerve center for a more complex system, including vinyl. This little amp surprised me at times with the performances I heard and it excelled in staging, detail retrieval, and micro-dynamic shadings.

It was most comfortable driving the friendlier load of a pair of stand-mount speakers as opposed to the large, complex speakers I started with. So, if you have the right speakers and a mid-sized room, then the NAD C 700 may be just what you need to get your music fix on.

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/rega-elicit-mk5

Such an upfront nature means that this isn’t the most relaxed-sounding amplifier around. But, there’s enough in the way of finesse to stop this being an issue, as a music switch to Beethoven’s beautiful Moonlight Sonata shows. Here, the Elicit sounds nicely delicate and surefooted. Dynamic shifts are rendered with fluidity and there’s a pleasing sense of space in the presentation. As is Rega’s way, the presentation is slightly forward and brightly lit, but mostly this just serves to highlight the detail and clarity on offer. You do need to partner the Elicit with care though, as a bright or aggressive source or pair of partnering speakers may take things too far.

We’re pleased to report that the built-in phono stage continues the good work. It’s only compatible with moving magnet cartridges, but that’s likely to be fine in most of the systems the Elicit will be used in. The circuit is relatively quiet and retains the clarity and drive we like so much from the line inputs. We listen to a range of records, from Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run through to Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis, and never does the Elicit deliver results that are anything less than enjoyable. This is a fine all-rounder that sounds at home with just about every genre of music.

My impression is that the Empress is the best all-round amplifier, giving you much of what is desirable about the Paladin, Vindicator and Quest while also bringing the verve and drive of more powerful solid state amplifiers. When I was auditioning the amplifiers, the note I made to myself was that if I could only have one, based on the music I listen to — which does include rock and pop —then the Empress Silver made the most sense to me. It sounds more neutral and offers the tight, fast bass response for modern electronic music that I enjoy. But as I noted, you do give up some of the beauty and richness of some of the other AN amplifiers; you may feel that the whole point of buying an SET amplifier is to get as much of that beauty and richness as humanly possible. Indeed, you might consider a Vindicator at about half the price of the Empress if cost is an issue.

The Pascal UMAC power amp module was easy to spot and I was pleased to see such a neatly laid-out preamplifier board. There’s an XMOS input receiver and a PCM1792 DAC chip. Mounted on the power amp module’s heatsink are three full-width PCBs full of Tesla coils that together take up roughly a third of the U-580’s internal volume, and as we will see, not without reason. What I could not find, at first glance, was the preamp’s power supply. I assumed that it could be powered from the Pascal module’s integrated power supply but that was not the case. Then, I noticed that the incoming mains power cable led to the preamp/DAC PCB where it was split off to the power amp module. And then I saw it: underneath a wide flex cable was a positively tiny switched power supply brick. It’s common practice to use either a linear power supply or a custom-built switched supply for analog sections but Aavik does not tend to do things in a conventional manner.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/primare-a358-multichannel-power-amp

The million dollar question – okay, the £4500 question – is how much of the A35.8’s output is really ‘usable’. With the aforementioned speakers, I never got the chance to find out. I was listening happily at room-filling levels, worrying only about my neighbours and not distortion. ‘My Demons’, from Tears For Fears’ The Tipping Point [Concord Records; 44.1kHz/24-bit],

was delivered as fully energetic electropop, all clean lines and pure fidelity, even while the rhythmic drums and percussion pounded away. On this evidence, any speaker that benefits from a kick up the proverbial will find Primare’s latest power-pusher an able partner.

The ergonomic beauty of the Boulder 866 is that with one chassis you can accomplish everything required (except transducers, a turntable system, and a couple of cables) to assemble a complete high-performance audio system. You can have a fully functional state-of-the-art audio system that does not entail large metal boxes on the floor tethered via cables to a phalanx of chassis on racks. For audiophiles with smaller rooms and space restrictions, the Boulder 866 has the capability to produce superb sonics in limited spaces at a level that can equal that of a multiplicity of separate boxes in a larger dedicated room.

If you’ve been a fan of Boulder’s sonics and build-quality but have been unable to field the space for their generously sized components, the new 866 could be the component of your dreams made into reality.