savoy014

Introduction The Taranis is Merrill Audio's most affordable amplifier. I seldom mention price at the very beginning of a review, but I'll make an exception for this one. The Taranis retails for USD 2,500. It is based on a Hypex Ncore NC500 module, and puts out 400 watts of power into 8 ohms, and 600 watts into 4 ohms. Oh, and it is built in a chassis that does not look flimsy, cheap nor home made. Taranis is the Celtic god of thunder. It didn't bring loud fearsome noises into my system, so the thunder is probably Merrill Audio striking fear into hearts of competitors. At this level of performance for the silly budget money that Merrill Audio is asking for, they had better be running scared. Description The Taranis is rather striking in appearance. The black steel chassis used contrasts nicely with the mirror polished silver front panel. No, it's not some laser cut or massive aluminum panel with decorative finish fit for a master craftsmen from horology's finest in S...

Introduction The Sony TA-A1ES (I will refer to this as the "A1ES") integrated amplifier arrived at my doorstep together with the HAP-Z1ES. There has not been much news or reviews of the A1ES which in my opinion, is a great pity - this is really something quite special. A trickle of products in recent years suggests that Sony is quite serious about re-entering the high end audio arena, and judging from the quality of products I've evaluated (the A1ES included), they are certainly on-track. Description The A1ES is a compact unit, measuring 430 mm x 130 mm x 420 mm (W x H x D). The dimensions are quite deceptive, and lifting it out of the box required a fair amount of effort - I found out later that the unit weighs 17 kg. This is a wide bandwith design (10 Hz to 100 KHz), with 60 watts per channel on tap. Some noteworthy design features include a discrete component preamp circuit, a smart bias system, and a separate headamp circuit also utilising discrete components. To main...

Introduction Pop Pulse is a small Hong Kong based company that offers a small but interesting offering of audio products. The T-AMP180 ("T-180") is a nicely sized integrated amplifier. Based on Tripath chips, the T-180 joins a plethora of similarly equipped electronics available in the market. Bearing in mind that many of such examples are available very cheaply off the internet, the T-180 would need to distinguish itself to stand out to attract audiophile attention. Features and Specifications The T-180 is neatly packaged, measuring just 41.2 cm wide, 34 cm in depth and 17.7 cm in depth, and weighing in at 8 kgs. The black aluminium face plate sports two identical knobs, one for selecting input (via a spring loaded knob), and the other for controlling the volume. A small plastic remote control is provided. Turning to the rear panel reveals 3 pairs of line level inputs (one of which is 3 pin XLR balanced inputs), WBT style binding posts, an IEC mains i...

Introduction I've just got a new Job. A Job 225 that is. After looking at all the positive information on audio forums out there, I placed an order last week. For those unfamiliar with Job Electronics Inc, it is an affiliated company of Goldmund and shares technology used in Goldmund products. Without sounding too condescending and dismissive, you could consider Job products as Goldmund derived products on the cheap for the average man in the street. The Job 225 can be ordered directly online at www.jobsys.com. I previously failed to secure a unit when the batch sold out and I jumped on the opportunity last month when it was available again. Ordering the Job was a simple process, and 4 days later, the Job was sitting on my living room floor - delivered from Switzerland to Singapore within record time. What makes the Job 225 compelling ? It is a high quality, powerful, compact and affordable amplifier. Description According to Job, the 225 delivers 125 watts per channel into 8 ...

The Calyx Femti is a dimunitive power amplifier that is a visual match for the 24/192 DAC. It's aluminium unibody chassis is finished in black with an artistic rendition of a G and F clef engraved on the top cover. The rear panel is quite cramped and includes two pairs of high quality binding posts, a set of single ended inputs and a rotary selector switch to operate the Femti as a normal stereo power amplifier, a dual output mono amplifier (for a biwired speaker), and a bridged mode mono amplifier. Very much like the Femto DAC, the power switch for the Femti is discreetly located on the side (right hand side vs. left hand side for the Femto). An IEC outlet permits use of after-market power cords. The Femti delivers 125 watts per channel into 4 ohm loads (and presumably half of that into 8 ohm loads), and 500 watts in bridged mode operation. A tricolour LED indicates normal operation, short circuit, and overload conditions. Not much information is provided about the technology used...

Do excuse me for the grainy picture that was taken after a late night session. As can be seen from the picture, the Devialet D-Premier is a beautiful piece of art designed specifically to weigh yourself and your hi-fi toys. Well, at least that is the first thought that comes to mind. The D-Premier could probably charm alone on looks, with its beautiful top located display, and subtle amber operation light - the industrial designers deserve a pat on the back here. Watch out for the rear panel though - connections here are quite tight. Truth be told, the D-Premier is an incredibly versatile amplifier that combines an integrated amplifier, Wi-Fi streamer, DAC and Phono Stage - all in a compact chassis that is light enough to be carried under one arm. 240 watts per channel enables the D-Premier to drive most speaker loads on the market. The unit on test is an older version without Ethernet and USB plug in capability, although the RCA jacks can be configured to accept SPDIF digital signals ...

I am quite familiar with the original Usher BE-718 which uses a Beryllium alloy tweeter. The BE-718 and the X-718 that preceded it stirred up quite a lot of controversy, from its close resemblance to a certain other renowned manufacturer, to the Beryllium content (or lack thereof) of its tweeter dome. Controversy notwithstanding, the BE-718 sounded great and I would have walked home with a pair if my amplifier had the power to drive it. Audio Basic had no issues driving it with their solid state amplifiers, but a quick hook up to a 30 watt per channel EL-34 push pull amplifier proved that these speakers really thrive on power. Fast forwarding to the BE-718 DMD, I believe that the speaker is internally identical to the BE-718, with identical crossover points etc. Worldwide, dealers are offering the DMD tweeters to BE-718 owners as a drop-in upgrade. Local users should be aware that the domestic version is not the same as the U.S. version which sports a tweaked crossover with upgraded ca...

Photo Essay Beautiful and classic workmanship. 18 watts of single ended power. Tube complement - 6SL7, 6SN7, 6C33C. 8 Ohm and 4 Ohm speaker taps, 3 inputs and an IEC inlet with user accessible fuse holder. Russian 6C33C double triode. From Soviet era missile and Mig Foxbat service to consumer audio. How the world has changed ! Volume control.  Carved logo on the front panel. Input selector. There are 3 inputs. The first indent is mute. RCA 6SN7 GTB and Sylvania JAN VT-229 tubes Power transformer is inside the chassis. The exposed center "transformer" in the first photo is in fact a power supply choke. Russian K42-Y2 coupling caps. A surprise, quite uncommon in commercial gear. Mini-Review The Almarro A-318B is quite an unusual beast. Single-ended triode and assembled by hand in Japan, the A-318B is affordable, beautiful and powerful - typically these words are not seen together in the same sentence. Being an integrated amplifier, you save quite a bit of useful money. Total up...

Virtue Audio is the new kid on the block in terms of manufacturers offering ICEpower based products. ICEpower is by now quite established and there are many companies out there offering amplifiers based on their modules such as Bel Canto Design, Wyred4sound etc. I normally do not write detailed reviews but was suitably motivated by the M5001 which avoids being a “me too” product by virtue (no pun intended) of its tube buffer supplied by Dodd Audio. The M5001 is based on the ICEpower ASP500 module, which delivers 250 watts per channel into 8 Ohms and double the power into a 4 Ohm load. The ASP500 module includes a built in switching power supply and accordingly runs cool and efficiently. The stock module input impedance is raised from 8 kohm to 100 kohm due to the tube buffer. This presents a much easier load for preamplifiers to drive, in particular tube based designs. Appearance wise, the M5001 is quite handsome with a well finished case and lovely real wood veneer top. A variety of f...

Cary Audio's SLI-80 Signature Special Edition amp is now in the house ! Jaguar blue finish. Output tubes - KT88, 6550/KT88, EL34, 6CA7. Choose your favourite poison. Rear socket and trim pots are for bias adjustment WBT Binding Posts Also functions as a headamp. The headamp runs through the tube circuit and is not the usual separate opamp circuit Initial impressions were that of a very powerful sounding amp with good grip on the bass (not always a given with tube amps), but a slightly coarse midrange and moderate resolution. Thankfully, the sound opened up and the coarseness disappeared after a few hours of play time. It runs even hotter than my Cayin A-88T which tells you something !  Don't even think of placing this in an enclosed cabinet. Like the Cayin, the SLI-80 is based on a pair of KT-88 power tubes per channel in push pull configuration, with 6DJ8/6922 (the Cayin uses 6SL7 tubes here) input tubes and a 6SN7 phase splitter. The SLI-80 may also use K...