https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/equipment-menu/1002-vinnie-rossi-l2i-signature-edition-integrated-amplifier-dac

Finding a suitable point of comparison for the L2i Signature Edition was difficult, given its uniqueness. No one will be cross-shopping the far-more-boutique Vinnie Rossi against my reference integrated amp-DAC, Hegel’s H590, with its whopping 301Wpc (8 ohms) output and its Scandinavian minimalism. The same goes for other high-priced integrateds I’ve recently reviewed, such as Simaudio’s Moon 700i V2 and Constellation Audio’s Inspiration Integrated 1.0. As good as those amps are, they’re not, well, special.

Gryphon Audio Designs’ Diablo 300 ($15,990), by contrast, is special. Like the Vinnie Rossi, this massive integrated can be ordered with an optional DAC ($5990) or phono ($2250) stage—but unlike the L2i-SE, not with both. The powerful Diablo boasts 300/600/900Wpc into 8/4/2 ohms, and is nominally class-AB but biased into class-A for the first 10W. It’s been several years since I’ve had the Gryphon in my listening room, but it made a strong impression on me. Its obvious power advantage means that it can be paired with any speakers in any room. It was a current monster, with staggering control of the bass, and its sound through its optional digital inputs was similar to the L2i-SE’s. But the Diablo’s appearance, best described as gothic noir, is the opposite of classy or elegant—it looks like an amp that demands respect, speaking more to the owner’s fight-or-flight response than does the Vinnie Rossi’s greater décor-friendliness.

“I found the Strata to be quite robust operationally. In digital playback, it never failed to swiftly lock-in and play the digital signals fed through it. Using its USB input, high-resolution PCM signals up to 384 kHz and DSD signals up to 5.6 MHz (DSD128) were processed reliably. Even in streaming mode (Bridge), I found that the Strata worked well, although a bit sluggish in buffering tracks in comparison to a specialty streaming device like the Auralic Aries G1. This might be attributed to the smaller buffer capacity of the Strata’s Bridge as compared to the Aries G1. The PS Audio Connect streaming app was quite easy to use and it had an appealing interface. It had only basic streaming control functions, but it was quite sufficient for streaming control of the Strata”

https://www.stereophile.com/content/mcintosh-mac7200-stereo-receiver

I was shocked by the sudden crashing transients that open “2049” from Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch’s score for Blade Runner 2049 (CD, Epic 19075800852), followed by eerie reverberant echoes and sustained new-age synth chords. The MAC7200 delivered the same explosive dynamics, beginning with a faint, staticky whine followed by crashing heavy-metal chords on another Hans Zimmer soundtrack, The Dark Knight (CD, Warner Sunset 511103-2)—specifically the track “Why So Serious?”

I enjoyed the line stage and amplifier’s tubelike warmth and highly detailed imaging in the title track “Going Home” from a CD reissue of The L.A. Four: Going Home (CD, East Wind 32-JD-10043), which placed Laurindo Almeida’s guitar to the left, Ray Brown’s standing bass just left of center, Shelly Manne’s drums slightly to the right of center, and Bud Shank’s alto flute and saxophone far right.

The Ref160 gives off a lot of heat, but that comes with powerful tube-amp territory. ARC uses cooling fans to keep operating temperatures within optimal range and extend tube life. Since I placed the Ref160S in front of my equipment rack to make connecting it to and from my system easier, I did hear the fan during very quiet music passages, even with the fan speed set to low. I believe most users would place the amp in a more room-friendly position, and that would, no doubt, be farther away from the listening position. Let me add, the Ref160M/S aesthetics are a welcome change for ARC whose typical look has tended to be more industrial and functional. I liked the see-through faceplate, but I turned off the lighted VU meters, as I found them to be a little distracting. A friend thought they looked really cool and wanted to see them with their light level all the way up.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/marantz-model-30-integrated-amplifier

I “get” this amp. The Marantz Model 30 integrated suits my taste for simple sophistication. Its phono stage is so versatile and musically effective that I see this moderately priced integrated as being an especially good choice for young people getting into LP collecting for the first time or older audiophiles who want to start over with analog after having sold their LPs in the ’90s.

Best of all, this stylish new Marantz is a well-tuned, supertransparent, superdetailed class-D amplifier that powered diverse loudspeakers with a captivating élan worthy of its “Model 30” heritage.

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/superioraudio/equipment/0121/Dynamic_Sounds_Associates_Amp_I_Review.htm

With rock masterpieces, like the cut “Hotel California,” from the Eagles remarkable 1994 reunion tour, Hell Freezes Over [Geffen GEFD-24725], while the kick drum is located solidly deep into the stage and left of center, is created with enough impact to move your pant leg cuffs. Queuing up choice cuts like “Under the Boardwalk,” from Ricki Lee Jones’ 1983 Girl at her Volcano 10-inch EP [Warner 1-23805], or with the Poco Adagio from the sublimely powerful Symphony No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns [RCA LSC-2341], the bass is not only deeply yet accurately extended, with no bloat or overhang, it is presented with a palpable sense of weight and pressure that is uncannily like that experienced live. Granted, considerable credit for this illustrious accomplishment must be attributed to the abilities of my remarkable VSA ULTRA 9 loudspeakers, but I have heard amplifiers, some considerably more costly than the Amp I, that suffer an obvious roll off as they descend into the nether regions, giving up both pitch definition and slam.

And as such, spatial cues were recreated almost as well as I have ever experienced, with realistically sized instruments regenerated with a sense of bloom or body that was unmistakably correct, recording dependent, of course… as not all recordings can deliver to the same degree on these attributes. Listening to recordings like the Cisco Records release of Steely Dan’s Aja [Cisco Music CLP-1006], the London Solti / CSO’s Beethoven’s Ninth [Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MFSL 2-516], or even some QSound spectaculars like Sting’s The Soul Cages [A&M Records 75021 6405 2] or Roger Waters magnum opus, Amused to Death [Netherlands CBS/Sony (2) 468761 0], and I quickly realized that the Amp I could wrangle staging and imaging queues just about as well as can be accomplished.