Audiophilepure

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0900/md811.htm

One of the joys of life is to experience a soundstage through the fish-eye lens of a superb SE triode amp. The MD-811 certainly didn’t disappoint in this regard. Space expanded to fill the front of the listening room. It felt just like cinemascope did when I first experienced it at the movies as a small child. The Gestalt of being there is greatly enhanced by a solidly constructed soundstage, as it takes less imagination to make out the recording’s acoustic and in a real sense allows you to participate more intimately in the original event. Image outlines were palpably fleshed out with a satisfying 3-D perspective. No cardboard cutouts here. This was indeed imaging at its best.

The fit and finish of the WAVAC product lineup are superlative, as their designs simply qualify as beautiful artistic creations – a blend of modern and retro styling. In the case of the MD-811 you clearly have an integrated amplifier that I can confidently recommend: an absolutely gorgeous package that not only looks and feels divine, but also sounds great.

https://www.enjoythemusic.com/diy/0415/Bottlehead_Quicksand_Battery_Powered_Amplifier_Kit.htm

This has been a tough review to write and I’ve taken my time doing so. Bottlehead’s Quicksand is a unique product, superior to the low-end pre-manufactured Class D amplifiers I’ve worked with, but not competitive with (much more expensive) amplifiers that it was compared to. For a beginning DIYer, it’s a great amp, with good clarity, dynamics, and smooth sound, and an easy build. This amp is perfect for a higher-end portable setup, or for use with desktop speakers, or any time when low power requirements are needed and portability is important. There is plenty of room for modification, and I could see some users bringing up the quality level with tweaks to the headphone output configuration, power supply, and possible swapping out the input caps (though the compact size of the stock caps is helpful to keep noise down, on a Class D board). At the price point, the Quicksand is a good value, and is a very stylish way to run a portable or other system. The ratings below are on an absolute scale, so please remember that they are in the context of a very inexpensive amplifier as compared to cost-no-object designs.

A truly exceptional client installation in Hong Kong—one of the few systems of its kind worldwide! This reference system is built around four Dan D’Agostino | Master Audio Systems Relentless Epic 1600 Monoblock Amplifiers and the Relentless Preamplifier paired with Magico M9 loudspeakers, delivering scale, precision, and control at the highest level.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/ch-precision-l10m10-prepower-amplifiers

Such granular control is impressive, especially as the M10’s level of feedback (compensation) may be adjusted ‘on-the-fly’ using the app. And while it’s true that most listeners will find a preferred setting and stick to it, CH Precision’s global feedback control will be useful should there be a change in the partnering loudspeakers or listening room. Additionally, in bi-amped set-ups you have the option of establishing different settings for a speaker’s low- and high-pass arms. Or maybe you just love to tweak…

The manufacturer’s in-a-nutshell description of the M10 is ‘twice the size of the M1.1, 50% more power’. Helping achieve this [see PM’s Lab Report]is the new multi-stage PSU, which brings a doubling in capacity through its dual 1.8kVA transformers and four large, proprietary electrolytics. Further PSU conditioning is facilitated by local reservoir caps and regulation in the M10’s main chassis. Finally, the dual-mono design of the amplifier is carried all the way to twin mains sockets on the (soft-start) PSU so as to ensure complete separation.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/onkyo-icon-series-50-streaming-integrated-amplifier

According to Ueda, “The A-50 offers a high level of functionality at an affordable price because it shares circuitry for streaming services and room calibration with other Onkyo products such as AV receivers, allowing for cost savings. However, there are no compromises in the audio circuitry. This product embodies Onkyo’s technology and dedication, featuring a dedicated amplifier circuit and a DAC circuit employing our proprietary DIDRC technology.” According to Onkyo’s website, DIDRC stands for “Dynamic Intermodulation Distortion Reduction Circuitry,” which “reduces beats generated in the ultra-high frequency band by DIDRC’s High Slew Rate Circuit to improve the sound of analog recordings and stabilizes audio signals with positive and negative signal symmetry to reproduce minute signals such as those of MC cartridges even when amplified.”