Audiophilepure

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1528-nad-c298-stereo-mono-amplifier

With the C 298’s balanced and single-ended inputs, auto-on sensing, fixed and variable gain, enough power output for most applications, the ability to be used as a far more powerful monoblock, and the serviceable but nonextravagant build quality and visual design long typical of this company, NAD has done a wonderful job of implementing Purifi Audio’s Eigentakt amplifier technology into a commercial product that is, at least in features and looks, distinctly their own. The C 298 is also a conventional-looking amplifier that will visually fit nicely into any traditional audio system.

Of all the power amplifiers that I have reviewed after the CH A1.5, the Delta Stereo power amplifier has honestly impressed me most. Possessing of a solid and full but natural and even-handed sound with a hint of smoothness, the amp is never cool or sterile. Its articulate directness and positively huge dynamic impact make that is always engaging and lively. In certain areas, such as bass solidity and slam, it outperforms even my Swiss reference! I much enjoyed my time with it and the match with the Magico S1 mk2’s was absolutely perfect. The Classé clearly has a very well-thought-out design and it is one of the best transistor amplifiers that I have heard.

http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/baudio-bdpr-one-preamplifier-and-bamp-one-power-amplifier/

By this point I had moved onto Bowers & Wilkins 802 D3 speakers which have a brighter balance than the PMCs, the combination with the B.audio delivering a more detailed result that worked better at low and medium levels than at full chat. These amps are themselves highly detailed and the combo can sound a bit forward if you turn it up. That said another track from Mingus, ‘Dry Cleaner from Des Moines’ really bounced with energy and finesse, if you are looking for an in-the-room result this is a pairing that delivers.

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1528-nad-c298-stereo-amplifier

I let the rest of the album play out, enjoying all the layers of detail presented to me by the C 298 with such apparent ease. In each track, voices and synths are added over electric bass and those drums, layer upon layer. Random Access Memories highlighted some of the NAD’s strengths—the C 298 delivered huge amounts of detail across the entire audioband. The album’s high energy came through in spades, the amp always providing quick-sounding bass, mids, and highs. Its reproduction of the treble was excellent—I heard no faults whatsoever. I soon began to prefer its ever-so-slightly more “polite” sound over the slightly splashier highs I’m used to from my Bryston, whose sound can, at higher volume levels, be a little too hot for my taste.

https://www.hifichoice.com/content/anthem-str-integrated-amplifier

Anthem’s STR Integrated Amplifier is generous yet refreshingly understated. It does exactly what you want, combining plenty of power and connectivity with a completely even-handed and neutral performance. Phono inputs are excellent and the DAC is extremely natural. Straight out of the box it sounds like a pedigree performer, but dive into the advanced Anthem Room Correction measurement and adjustment and you can fine tune the sound qualities to exactly fit your listening space. Anthem’s deft touch on improving real-world listening is seriously impressive and although I thoroughly enjoy playing with the DSP sophistication, make no mistake, the beating heart of this amp is its superb analogue signal handling.

Nonetheless, the linearity of the Boulder and its prowess in the bass region should not be underestimated. This came home to me in listening to the 45-rpm reissue of the South African musician Hugh Masekela’s “Stimela,” which is probably one of the most overplayed cuts at audio shows, but, heck, I like it. And it reveals a lot. What it revealed to me in this instance was the profound bass definition that the 508 delivers. The drum crescendos in “Stimela” were cleanly defined and propulsively powerful. I also noticed how clearly the 508 captured not only the huskiness of Masekela’s voice, but also how beautifully it rendered his enunciation of the song’s lyrics. It was as though they were etched in stone. Ditto for his playing on the flugelhorn. The way Masekela soared into the treble region, then issued plaintive wails was profoundly moving to listen to on my system. Boulder often gets knocked for delivering a sterile sound, but it’s a bum rap. This went right to the emotional essence of the music. Ditto for a Sackville label recording that I recently acquired called Three Is Company that features the jazz soprano saxophonist Jim Galloway, a remarkable musician who teamed up with the pianist Dick Wellstood for this album. This is traditional straight-ahead jazz and on lively numbers like “Minor Drag,” the 508 viscerally delivered the fast-paced excitement of the music. The 508 nailed the sometimes nasally and keening quality of Galloway’s soprano sax, while Pete Magadini serenely mans the drums, gently accompanying his peers.

To sum up, I am very impressed with the performance of the Legacy i∙V7 Class D seven-channel power amplifier. Its efficiency allows the amplifier to output very high wattage in several channels at the same time without blowing a wall socket fuse. You would not be outputting 600 watts in all seven channels for more than a fraction of a second during dynamic peaks. Distortion is well controlled.

I think this technology is the future for surround sound amplifiers. If I were setting up a new home theater surround sound system, I would get this amplifier without hesitation. I would use it for the center channel and all the surround channels, including two height channels in the front. I would use a Class A or Class A/B amplifier for the front left and right channels since I would be using those channels for listening to stereo music.

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As usual I let the amps run in the back ground for a week to let them gel with my system. I do this with every single piece of gear to make sure it is well burned in, has at least a reasonable symbiosis with the rest of my gear, and to decide which of my speakers is best to utilize during the serious listening and critical reviewing period.

After a week or so everything seemed to gel in just fine, and I stayed with the VR4s for the review. I did run the Sonists a bit just for thrills, and overall it was a good match, but since they only plumb down to 40Hz, those hours were not logged for the review, but the AGD Audions would do well in a system with 95dB sensitivity if my experience was anything to go by.