Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/primaluna-evo400-integrated-amplifier

When I asked California tube guru and PrimaLuna importer Kevin Deal about the duo of uncooperative 12AU7s, he said it could simply have been a break-in issue: “Sometimes a new tube that gets a little noisy just needs to be reinserted or moved.” He added that his company, Upscale Audio, has retubed about 75,000 components and that many tubes that people send in as faulty test fine. “A tube that’s noisy in a gain stage may be perfectly quiet as a driver or phase splitter.”

Everything else about the EVO 400 was hunky dory. No hum emanated from the speakers or directly from the amplifier, not even when the room was dead quiet and I placed my ear practically against the drivers of my Tekton Moab speakers, which have a specified sensitivity of 98dB.

https://www.analogplanet.com/content/rega-research-io-integrated-amp-built-phono-preamp%E2%80%94-cautionary-tale

Based on my experiences with the Rega io, it definitely makes for a superb headphone amplifier. Headphone listeners will adore the Rega io’s sonic characteristics alongside its small, sleek physical footprint. Those seeking low-level background music may also appreciate the piece’s potential. However, given its relatively low power output one must take great care in choosing loudspeakers. Neither the 85dB efficient KEF LS50 Metas nor the ELAC Uni-Fi 2.0 UB52s were well served by the io. Perhaps driving more efficient speakers the io might not produce the listening fatigue I experienced. Those crafting new systems must carefully pair their new Rega io with suitable and efficient loudspeakers. Those with a preexisting system including higher-output AV receivers likely haven’t thought as deeply about loudspeaker pairing. If you’re ditching your AV receiver for Rega’s io, please ensure your loudspeakers are either efficient or you’ve budgeted for new, more efficient loudspeakers. Pairing inefficient loudspeakers with the Rega io will only send beginner audiophiles back to their AV receivers where a recording’s detail, dynamics, and three-dimensionality often die. What’s certain is that dealers recommending the io to drive the KEF LS50 Metas are doing their customers and Rega Research for that matter a great disservice.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/marantz-model-40n-streaming-amplifier

The Marantz ’40n/DALI set-up turned out to be an able pairing for – don’t shoot me – TV viewing, especially content featuring a lot of music. Case in point: ‘Letter To You’ on Apple TV+, a poignant ‘making of’ documentary featuring the latest album from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

It’s not the portentous tone of the narrator or the black-and-white photography that makes this documentary worth watching, but the excellent fidelity of the songs, and it’s certainly a step up to hear them played through the refined Model 40n. The Boss’s vocal reminiscences are suitably gritty, and when the band breaks into its first tune the amp handles the sudden jump in dynamics without hesitation. There’s something here for everyone.

https://www.monoandstereo.com/2022/05/ubiqaudiolab-ubicube-power-amplifier.html

An uncompromising approach has also been implemented in the other supporting ancillary components such as the unique MCU control of all the amplifier’s vital protection functions, the special copper plates thermal management for the heat dissipating enclosure, the soft-start circuitry, the solid-state output switches with less than 1 milliohm, and so on. 

Special attention has been paid to the rear panel of the amplifier, which houses one of the best connection sockets available on the market, as well as a beautiful design and an easy-to-understand explanation of the correct connection use and functions of this unique ubicube amplifier. 

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1106-gryphon-audio-designs-apex-stereo-amplifier

Next, I moved on to something more delicate: Esther Abrami’s eponymous album (Esther Abrami, 24/48 MQA, Sony Classical/Tidal). The 25-year-old violinist has introduced classical music to thousands of new listeners through her TikTok and Instagram posts, and her first album on a major label, released in March of this year, is a wonderful listen. It was made even more so with the Gryphon Apex anchoring my system. The fourth track, “Tomorrow,” is one of my favorites, particularly for the interplay between violin and piano, which combined to pour rich sound into my room through the Apex. The piano that begins the track was weightier and more tonally saturated than I’ve heard it, and the French player’s violin was satisfyingly resonant—that word again—and textured, yet silky smooth and present in my room. I could not believe how much better this track sounded over my system with the Apex. It honestly made my old setup sound like the dreaded “hi-fi” by comparison: clean and precise, yet still lacking in realism.

The musicality pf this device is striking , even addictive. And you don’t need any technically sophisticated recording, because the Floyds have already sounded great. I did not expect, however, that the debut of the Led Zeppelin group would sound so well, rocking me with so much fire. I listened to the version remastered by Robert Plant and although it is not a particularly good version in terms of timbre, its resolution is excellent, much better than of all previous digital versions.

The sound had a weight and gravitated towards the lower midrange, there was also a lot of bass. The latter, however, was not exaggerated, and in its own special way it was actually an excellent basis for the sound, not overshadowing the midrange. In fact, the sound had great dynamics and scale, and was still warm at the same time. How was it achieved by Lithuanians and Qvortrup—I have no idea. But people from Leben achieved something similar. Again, the sound stage was wide and full, and the sounds placed by the recording engineer behind me, as in the “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” where they had a well-defined position, they were big-bodied, they didn’t seem fleeting.

I have used the word smooth more than a few times describing the sound of this amplifier. This is an honest observation. And yet inner detail and clarity are all there. Bass is deep and impactful. Soundstage depth and width are excellent. Tonal balance and clarity are effortless yet relaxed. It sounds smooth, but doesn’t mask bad recordings. All the audiophile performance traits are there. But did I feel at times transients could be a bit sharper. Yes, but I was having too much fun listening to the music to worry. Yet the best way I found to describe the sound of this integrated amplifier is that it sounds smooth, musical, and detailed. I have heard smooth and musical solid-state amplifiers before, but they usually come off as trying to replicate the sound of a tube amp. They are usually expensive, and end up sounding colored. I don’t know what kind of alchemy the engineers at Rotel are putting into the Michi line, but whatever it is it is working quite well. This integrated amplifier drew me into the music from the get-go, and never let me go. This integrated amplifier is the best I have ever heard at just making you forget what you are doing and draw you into the music for a long listen.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1106-gryphon-audio-designs-apex-stereo-amplifier

Next, I moved on to something more delicate: Esther Abrami’s eponymous album (Esther Abrami, 24/48 MQA, Sony Classical/Tidal). The 25-year-old violinist has introduced classical music to thousands of new listeners through her TikTok and Instagram posts, and her first album on a major label, released in March of this year, is a wonderful listen. It was made even more so with the Gryphon Apex anchoring my system. The fourth track, “Tomorrow,” is one of my favorites, particularly for the interplay between violin and piano, which combined to pour rich sound into my room through the Apex. The piano that begins the track was weightier and more tonally saturated than I’ve heard it, and the French player’s violin was satisfyingly resonant—that word again—and textured, yet silky smooth and present in my room. I could not believe how much better this track sounded over my system with the Apex. It honestly made my old setup sound like the dreaded “hi-fi” by comparison: clean and precise, yet still lacking in realism.

https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1106-gryphon-audio-designs-apex-stereo-amplifier#most-read-equipment-reviews

Next, I moved on to something more delicate: Esther Abrami’s eponymous album (Esther Abrami, 24/48 MQA, Sony Classical/Tidal). The 25-year-old violinist has introduced classical music to thousands of new listeners through her TikTok and Instagram posts, and her first album on a major label, released in March of this year, is a wonderful listen. It was made even more so with the Gryphon Apex anchoring my system. The fourth track, “Tomorrow,” is one of my favorites, particularly for the interplay between violin and piano, which combined to pour rich sound into my room through the Apex. The piano that begins the track was weightier and more tonally saturated than I’ve heard it, and the French player’s violin was satisfyingly resonant—that word again—and textured, yet silky smooth and present in my room. I could not believe how much better this track sounded over my system with the Apex. It honestly made my old setup sound like the dreaded “hi-fi” by comparison: clean and precise, yet still lacking in realism.

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/copland-csa70

We’re left with an amplifier that sounds impressively clean and precise; one that errs slightly to the cooler side of neutral but never enough to cause issues. Listening to Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, we’re aware of the pleasing sense of space in the presentation and the amplifier’s ability to layer the soundstage in a focussed and stable manner. It’s an expansive image with a fine sense of depth where the recording dictates.

Detail levels are good, and as with other Copland products we’ve heard, there is a definite feeling of a product that’s a little self-effacing. The CSA70 clearly prefers to let the recording take centre stage rather than deliberately add flavour to make things more exciting. It has a good sense of scale and can deliver the slowly building intensity of the Arvo Pärt piece well.