Audiophilepure

The PrimaLuna ProLogue One Integrated

When I got the ProLogue One back from my (now ex) niece a few years ago, I couldn’t have been more excited to be reunited with this old friend. And it cost me dearly – I had to trade she and her husband a new Simaudio NEO integrated ($3,400), along with some heavy convincing that having a tube amp around the house with a couple of toddlers was a really bad idea. The fatigued tubes were replaced with a new pair of PrimaLuna 12AU7s, a pair of EAT 12AX7s and a mint quad of NOS Siemens EL34 power tubes. Other than a slightly noisy volume control (with a little bit of contact cleaner took care of immediately) the PL One was back rocking with a pair of 1976 vintage Klipsch LaScalas. The sound was glorious, and with the coolio, upgraded tubes, even better than the day I unboxed it for the first time.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/hegel-h95-network-attached-amp

“And though one might expect this amp, with its comprehensive streaming capabilities, to have its competence slewed heavily in favour of music played in digitally, it’s as impressive when fed via its analogue inputs. Yes, there’s just the two of them, and as already mentioned the H95 forgoes the XLRs of its more upmarket brethren, but these analogue ins are no makeweight or a sop to ‘legacy sources’.

Connecting my usual Naim network player to the analogue ins – and here we’re talking a source playing through an amp less than a tenth of its price, the extra space, grunt and rhythmic acuity of the ND 555/555PS [HFN Apr ’19] was clearly evident via the H95 – but the amp’s onboard network facility wasn’t that far off, and delivered similar qualities, just to a lesser extent. And considering all else this amp offers, that’s pretty impressive.”

John Patitucci is another Jazz bass standout, who has mastered both upright and electric bass. In 1991 he released Heart Of The Bass. This album was a collaboration with the legendary Chick Corea, who’s masterful musical interpretation can be heard in John’s performance of the famous “Prelude in G Major” from J.S. Bach’s “Cello Suite.” I am not one for remakes. Especially when a talented artist of any given instrument embellishes a beautiful piece of music with an abundance of busy work.

However, this was not the case in John Patitucci’s performance. His performance is moving, and John knows how to linger on notes just long enough to bring deep meaning to them. The small audible details in his finger work brought out by The Audion provided a tangible reality to the performance. I am not talking about the loud, or over-emphasized clicks and string-drags that are so purposefully built into many solo bass performances. What I heard was a soul, behind an instrument, driving a lifetime of learning through extremely quick and subtle finger movements to bring a song to life. The Audion could

 “While I was writing this, I thought of the many reviews I have read that use descriptive language used to describe the sound of component both inexpensive and stratospherically costly that I have used in this review. Many of the same words can be used to describe the sound of a vast number of components. But none of them have the Satri circuit in them. This technology is the real deal and not just a company catch phrase. It proves it in the listening. In an email to me, Mr. Chae mentioned that this combination of amplifier and speakers are affectionately called Bonsai to them. Well little in stature and big on performance I say.”

https://www.stereophile.com/content/musical-fidelity-m8xi-integrated-amplifier

Once the M8xi had been hoisted, with assistance, onto my rack, I did some thinking about power conditioning. I’d already inquired about the use of a power conditioner and received an email that said that while Musical Fidelity had striven to build “a power supply with very low internal impedance in order to achieve maximum possible dynamics,” conditioners that didn’t limit current and squash dynamics could possibly improve things further. After listening and comparing, I opted for the same AudioQuest Niagara 5000 I use with the Progressions. I also used the same Ansuz Darkz T2^S support feet I use with the D’Agostino monos. I continued to use them because they enhanced the depiction of air, depth, and space—what stood out most was the clearer depiction of space between vocalists, instrumentalists, and the wall behind them—but I should note that the M8xi did quite well on its stock feet.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/eat-e-glo-i-integrated-tube-amp-page-2

‘She’s Leaving Home’ places Paul’s vocals in front of massed strings, with John Lennon prominent among the group harmonies, making it easy to assess this using LP and CD. Textures – not levels – changed from mode to mode. They are trade-offs, not mutual exclusion, simply differing in the way sound can vary subtly with moving-coil cartridge loading.

It was, however, the loopy ‘Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite’ which further exploited the dichotomy, a crowded recording which everyone knows is a masterclass in studio-created artifice. Calliope swirls, crisp cymbals, thumpingly hollow bass – rare are the occasions when I’ve heard such a glorious soundscape recreated from so compact a system. Remember: this amp only delivers between 18 and 35W per side, while the speakers are the same height as an LP sleeve. Yet it was monumental.

Naim Audio Nait XS 3 integrated amplifier

I began this review discussing selling a lot of Naits 30 years hence. The sound of Naim has changed since then. Those who want a time machine instead of an amplifier prefer that more characterful, chummy sound, but that sound may have been well suited to the loudspeakers and music of 30 or 40 years ago. The XS 3 is perfect for someone who might also want to listen to music recorded after 1986… and some of that music is really quite good too! 

The reason why I used to sell so many Naits 30 years ago was down to one big thing; it sounded damn good. Thirty years on, the core concepts have not changed: the Nait was a damn good amplifier then, and the Naim Audio Nait XS 3 is a damn good amplifier now. If we’ve come full circle, that seems like it’s a good thing… although sadly I’m not holding out for Nirvana reforming any time soon.