Audiophilepure

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“Michael Fremer concluded his review of the original Halo JC 1 by saying “There was nothing solid-state-sounding about the JC 1. . . . There was an honesty to the overall tonal and harmonic presentation that transcended technological stereotypes. Powerful, refined, smooth, organized, dynamic, transparent, and rhythmically supple, the JC 1 offered a combination of attributes that added up to many weeks of listening pleasure.”

After several weeks auditioning the Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks, I don’t really have anything to add to what Mikey wrote in 2003, other than to note that even with its significant increase in price, the improvement in its sound quality and the explosion in recent years in the prices of high-end, high-power amplifiers keep the JC 1+ competitive. This is a superb-sounding amplifier that will get the best from every loudspeaker with which it is partnered. Well done, Mr. Curl.’

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“Here’s what makes Simaudio’s Moon 700i v2 worthy of your consideration. First and foremost, it offers terrific clarity and transparency throughout the audioband, shortchanging or spotlighting nothing at all. If you want an integrated amp that comes admirably close to the ideal of a straight wire with gain, this model should be at the top of your shortlist. Add to that the best volume control I’ve ever used, and thoughtful functionality that lets the user tailor its inputs as that user sees fit, and the package becomes even more compelling. The Moon 700i v2 also has significant if not bottomless reserves of power, even into 2 ohms. Ally all of that to a beautifully built case and a ten-year warranty, and there’s little left to quibble about. In this second generation of their flagship integrated amplifier, Simaudio hasn’t messed with its winning formula. It’s easy to see — and hear — why.”

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“And the e1X exerted a level of control over the Maggies that I’d never before experienced. Magneplanars—especially the smaller ones—are notorious for exhibiting some degree of mid-bass panel flap: Magneplanar bass panels are riveted at a number of points to control excessive panel flexure, which also restricts the panel’s free movement when relatively strong bass content is present. Lesser amplifiers will allow enough panel movement to cause a relatively loud “thunk” around the rivet location; I’ve heard this countless times with almost every pair of Maggies I’ve ever owned—and it can be particularly obvious with plucked acoustic bass content. (Think: Jimmy Garrison’s powerful acoustic bass solo on “Lonnie’s Lament” from John Coltrane’s classic Crescent [16/44.1 FLAC, Impulse 1764902].) No matter how close to or beyond reference levels I pushed the e1X-driven LRSs, they responded with absolute authority and zero driver-induced distortion.

The Bel Canto e1X was undoubtedly also the quietest amplifier I’ve ever had in my system. With the LRS speakers being so very inefficient, you generally need to really crank the volume knob to get to SPLs approaching normal levels. Full-blown orchestral passages from sources with tremendous dynamic range require an even further twist; it’s not unusual for the volume on my PS Audio preamp to reach 80 or 85 on a scale that maxes at 100. With every other amp I’ve used in my system, I could always hear some residual noise in the background, even with the most well-engineered recordings. Not so with the e1X—nothing, not a peep: It was absolutely, perfectly, completely silent.”

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“Drawing on its well of power and coupling it with notable resolution proves to be a winning combination for the K-300i. It has even found favour with Naim Audio die-hards (no easy task), who view the K-300i as something akin to a ‘SuperDuperUniti’. So, purely as an integrated amplifier, the Krell-300i is a winner. The Krell has an excellent taut tonality that stays this side of ‘lean’, has power to burn and can deliver it into all sorts of speaker loads with speed and sure-footed dynamic stability. Like all good amps, it imposes itself on the music yet never gets in its way and the 150 watts into 8 ohms is going to be ample for all but the more extreme systems and locations. So far, so good, but the K-300i becomes a different proposition entirely with the addition of the digital board, and for the extra outlay, it is well worth it. Audiophile-grade streaming is a growing area of the market and incorporating all the electronics into a single component is going to be attractive to many people. If you’re one of them, you should certainly put the Krell K-300i on your audition shortlist. ”

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“Without question, the Aavik Acoustics U-380 integrated amplifier delivered the finest class-D sound that I’ve ever heard in my system. Beyond the strong and superbly controlled bass that I’ve come to expect from amplification of its class, it also exhibited an uncommon range of color, dynamics, and detail. While a slight dryness of timbre and lack of ultimate brilliance were evident, they manifested in a context so musical as to render their ultimate effect perfectly suited for extended listening. To put this in some sort of context, speaking from direct experience, the difference in timbre, color, liquidity, and brilliance of the San Francisco Symphony in SF’s Davies Symphony Hall and Seattle’s Benaroya Hall is far greater than the sonic differences between the Aavik U-380 and the other integrateds I’ve auditioned.”

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“So what we have here is an amplifier which uses considerable technical skill to interfere with the music signal as little as possible. Protection of phase relationships and almost obsessive preservation of fine detail pays enormous dividends when it comes to the rendering of the musical experience. Large-scale is more than adequately catered for: the LSO/Alwyn Tchaikovsky ‘Capriccio Italien’ [Decca] has some phenomenal dynamic swings and leans towards bombast in places, and there was no question the E-370 was up to the task at hand. My listening notes just read: ‘Bloody hell!’, which is shorthand for ‘a rollicking ride, which nevertheless preserved an excellent sense of the passing of thematic material around the orchestra – something often lost in translation’. It’s no one-trick pony, either. I’ve already praised the amp’s felicity with contemplative Scandy jazz, and now ‘When I am laid in earth’ from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas [Apex] was almost unbearably poignant. The phrasing, the way the searing melodic line plays against the implacable ground bass, and the precise spatial placement of solo, choir, and orchestra, all contributed to a deeply affecting performance.”

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“When you get right down to it, in so many different ways, the Naim NAIT 5si just isn’t the sort of integrated amp I would have gone out of my way to audition for my own two-channel listening room for so many of the reasons listed above, if not for the fact that I was tasked with reviewing it. Generally speaking, I wouldn’t put any integrated amp that lacks a USB input into my “to audition for personal purposes” pile.

But the NAIT 5si simply won me over with its price-to-performance ratio and its distinctive character. So if you’re looking for an all-analog integrated amp — whether you plan to use it with an all-analog hi-fi system or simply look elsewhere for D-to-A conversion — the NAIT 5si is absolutely a component that I think you should check out, assuming you can schedule an audition anytime soon.”

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“So the question becomes, do output transformers have a sound? I believe they do, and that bigger tends to be better and more transparent. This makes logical sense, bigger means more bandwidth before saturation, and the farther you are from saturation the more linear the output should be. Justin proved this to me with the Suolo Monos, which are mono block version of his famous Kenzie amplifier. The Suolo Monos use 10-watt output transformers where the Kenzie uses 5-watt output transformers. The result was that the Suolo Monos put out noticeably better bass, both in weight, quantity, and clarity when compared to the Kenzie. It is also important to note that the 5-watt transformer for the Kenzie was already significantly oversized (the Kenzie only outputs around 250 mWatts). By comparison, the Mogwai SE’s output transformers were only over spec’d by 25%, therefore, doubling the output transformers size for the Bigger Ben was much a larger update and easily explains the performance gains.”

https://www.stereophile.com/content/parasound-halo-21-power-amplifier

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Over a span of weeks, the A 21+ was a constant companion and a bringer of musical enjoyment; compared with other amps on hand and in spite of a few sonic differences, the new Parasound was impossible to fault. That shouldn’t be surprising at this point in time: Unless an amp designer imposes her will to suit a particular set of associated equipment or a particular acquired taste, the performance of modern amplifiers should and does converge.

The Parasound A 21+ is remarkably powerful, transparent and quiet. As such, it imposes no constraints on one’s desire to listen through it to the recorded performance or to experience the size, weight, and dynamics of the original event. It is large and heavy—probably of necessity, given its abilities—but it is also handsome and graced with useful connections and controls. Anyone in the market for a stereo power amp would be well advised to consider the Parasound A 21+, especially those who believe that they must spend more. With apologies to W.S. Gilbert, It is the very model of a modern power amplifier.”