Audiophilepure

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“Few audiophiles—perhaps none—will buy the A-S3200 for its amp section alone. But because they may use it by itself if they subsequently purchase a separate preamp, I checked it out. Switching briefly from balanced to single-ended interconnects, I used the integrated’s “Main In” jacks to bypass the preamp section and let the Rossini control the volume. On went the “Chicago, 2012″ movement from Mason Bates’s Alternative Energy, performed by the San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas on the Jack Vad–engineered hybrid SACD, Mason Bates: Works for Orchestra (SFS Media 0065). This music is more than a bit facile—Bates has written much better—but its multiple sound effects, including far-left–to–far-right, back-and-forth zooms of particles in a Fermi accelerator, zingy computer effects, deep bass, groovy orchestral rhythms, and percussive snap make for a challenging listening test.”

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When I later moved the i·V 7 into my music-listening room and connected it to the JBL tower speakers, the amp proved whisper-quiet once I powered everything up for playback. Listening to “Alexandra,” (16/44.1 FLAC, Tidal) a track by British singer-songwriter Laura Marling with an early 1970s-era Joni Mitchell vibe, I was struck by the intimate, warm, and completely unstressed quality of the sound. Vocals were full and rich, and the acoustic guitar, electric bass, and drums all came through distinctly in the mix.

Playing something more challenging such as the track “Hudson” by jazz supergroup Hudson from its self-titled album (24/44.1 FLAC, Qobuz), the interplay between Larry Grenadier’s standup bass and Jack DeJohnette’s drums was thoroughly dynamic, with the slapped strings of the close-miked bass cleanly delineated from the hi-hat cymbal and snare hits. In listening comparisons with the 2 x 150-watt Hegel integrated amp, the i·V 7 delivered firmer control over the low end, fleshing out the individual bass notes while maintaining a strong foundation. Meanwhile, John Scofield’s electric guitar floated above everything, coming across as clean without being overly crisp.”

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“The next day, between music tracks, in the midst of pandemic-shutdown silence, I noticed a faint Lutron-dimmer– type buzz that seemed to be emanating from the LKV’s chassis. Checking first for hum, I put my ears to the speaker panels and heard only silence. When I examined the chassis with my stethoscope, I realized the sound was originating from behind the front panel, where the 1kVA transformer is bolted. I presumed the buzz was caused by the natural magnetostriction of the transformer coils being amplified by the amp’s chassis and the diaphragm of my 1920s wood floor.

Seeking a quick cure, I placed the Veros PWR+ on a Harmonic Resolution Systems M3X-1719-AMG GR LF isolation platform, whereupon the buzz was reduced to a point of serene inaudibility. With the LKV amp on the HRS platform, the sound of music recordings became noticeably purer, with sharper focus. A few days later, on a whim, I switched from the LKV-supplied generic power cord to an AudioQuest Tornado cord, which added bass punch, presence, sharper focus, and more silent silence.”

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“The Prisma preamplifier and Ferios power amplifiers are among the best electronics I’ve heard. They combine a startling immediacy and transparency with a tonal beauty that simultaneously engages the head and the heart. Their resolution of individual instruments within complex arrangements was sensational. I was particularly impressed by the Prisma preamplifier with its sophisticated volume control and unique integration of the phonostage that greatly shortens the signal path. If you thought that the phonostage inside a full-function preamp was compromised compared with outboard units, you haven’t heard the Prisma.

These two products from Tidal aren’t inexpensive, but they represent a good value when compared with other top-flight electronics. Although just about every electronics company claims to “reproduce the artist’s intent,” the Tidal Prisma and Ferios actually deliver on that promise. ”

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“In the bass, the MP amplifier is less than tight and tends to slightly blur bass lines. If you’re a rock music fan, you may never even notice these issues (after all, I’m comparing this modestly priced amplifier against a reference system where cost was of little concern). But if you listen to classical or jazz music, the bass may be more troublesome for you. Because of its output transformer, the MP has a relatively low damping factor (meaning that it may not control the woofer cones as tightly as would a solid-state amplifier that lacks the output coupling transformer).

Now if I’ve given the impression that I don’t like the sound of the Monoprice Pure Tube Stereo Amplifier, I apologize. Despite its sonic shortcomings detailed above, the sound can be captivating, entrancing, and exciting. This will be more so with some program materials than others, but at its best, the MP sounds like a FAR more expensive amplifier! The MP can sound like real music where many (most?) other (solid-state) amplifiers in its price range fall far, far short. This amp will easily trounce many AV receivers that I’ve heard.”

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“The handsome front panel’s two output meters can be set to display either “Peak” or “VU”; the latter, says the manual, “shows an effective audio output value that represents the way sound is perceived by human ears.” If you want to, you can dim the meters or turn them off entirely. On the chance that meter operation and illumination could negatively affect sound, I turned both off during serious listening.

Input can be selected by either the large input knob—there’s another large knob to control volume—or the lightweight plastic remote that controls those functions and more. According to the manual, the “Audio Mute” toggle “reduce[s] the current volume level by approximately 20dB and lights up when activated.” Add in a balance control and another toggle for choosing the type of phono cartridge in use (MM or MC), and you’ve got everything on the A-S3200’s exterior deserving of attention.”

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“I borrowed Purist Audio Design Neptune speaker cables ($2905/2 meter pair) from Dave Clark. They sounded quite good for the short time I used them. They were massive and resistant to staying fixed in place. They quickly slipped out of my speaker terminals a few times til I got bold enough to really exert pressure on the binding posts. So I thought. Within a day the Netptunes slipped out of the binding posts again. I swapped in a pair of Audioquest Castle Rock bi-wired cables. ($1799). These surrendered to the will of my five way binding posts, but were slightly harder to work with due to more mechanical stiffness, a new but resolvable problem. They both sounded better than my twisted pair of Romex, so… one does what one must. I have trouble believing that the costs of making speaker cables is anywhere equivalent to the cost of building an amplifier, and so I am bothered that I had to resort to such expensive cables. But, I’ll also acknowledge that they did sound superior.”