Audiophilepure

https://www.stereophile.com/content/fern-roby-amp-no-2-integrated-amplifier

One night, as I was listening to my system with the Amp No. 2, I found myself thinking, Omg! This amp is really lighting up those DeVores! I wondered how F&R managed to get this much vivid, high-energy excitement out of an amp that looks laid-back and tasteful. Then I remembered that the Amp No. 2’s designer, Michael Bettinger, and his company G.A.S. have carried on a 40-year relationship with the designs of one of my heroes, James Bongiorno, chief designer at SAE, G.A.S., and Sumo.

As I remember it, Bongiorno’s wild-style Ampzilla was the opposite of tasteful and domestic. It had an industrial look and a type-A personality, and it was the first solid state amp I felt I could marry and settle down with. During these auditions, Fern & Roby’s Amp No. 2 performed like a silk-suited version of that renowned monster. And that is extremely high praise.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/linn-klimax-solo- Review800-monoblock-power-amplifier

The amp’s support feet, derived from those on Linn’s flagship Klimax DSM network music player, are machined stainless steel with an impressed silicone O-ring to aid isolation. Their height ensures that Linn’s natural convection cooling process functions as intended. Nonetheless, Rodger gave me the okay to try aftermarket feet, noting that during the design process, Linn listened with its own feet and “very standard interconnects and speaker cable.”

More on this topic follows. Linn doesn’t think the Klimax Solo 800’s Utopik power supply requires external power conditioning, and Rodger doesn’t think the monoblock will feed back noise into the line. “That said, if an end user wants to employ a high-end [power] conditioner, and they like what it does to the sound of the whole system, we have a saying in Scotland: ‘Fill your boots,’ which means ‘that’s your prerogative, so go for it.'”

Upon receiving the Linns, I was advised to leave them on 24/7. Standby kicks in after 20 minutes of silence; when it happens, what Rodger called “a jaunty little animation” appears on the tastefully illumined LED roundel in the center of the front panel.

https://www.hifinews.com/content/hifi-rose-ra280-integrated-amplifier

There’s no power or agility lacking here, so the RA280 typically communicates dynamics and excitement without edging into extreme warmth or betraying an undue focus on high treble detail. However, what might be described as a pleasantly ‘organic’ sound can have its balance tipped by the speaker. Its coupling with the DALI Rubicon 2s appeared a little lighter-sounding than usual, for example.

If it wasn’t for Damon Albarn standing in as producer, Bobby Womack’s The Bravest Man In The Universe [XLCD561] wouldn’t have sounded like the album it does. Or even existed, as the soul crooner seemed to be fin de carrière until he met with Albarn on the Gorillaz project. Fortunately, the record came to be, and contains some fabulous tracks, including ‘Dayglo Reflection’ featuring the backing vocals of Lana Del Rey. Here, the RA280 floated her typically languid voice above the electronic beat and grittier lines sung by Womack.