Products

This Italian manufacturer has been making high quality audio products for many years and have always offer a much better sound than the price would indicate. Their amplifiers are now in REV2.0 updated versions and the sound is of an even higher quality. The chassis and build quality have been improved considerably with a commensurate improvement in reliability. As the name would indicate, the sound from solid state circuits is less bright and forward than most competitors at these prices. A very modern sound, with a good dynamics and very able in delivering large soundstages. The Composer range offers excellent value for money with the latest technology resulting in high speed and low noise amplification. The Maestro series takes this up a few notches where no restriction is placed on the cost, size and type of components chosen for the circuit design.

NEW PRODUCT

We have heard the new Fortissimo amplifier from the Crescendo range which gives a suparb performance at an affordable price. Most importantly it has all the interfaces required to take any music file from computer stored sources via built in DAC. It also has aa digital out socket. Indicative price is around £1500 but to be confirmed. Avaialble from end November - black or csilver.

Products on Demonstration

Composers Line
Puccini Settanta REV2.0 integrated amplifier – 70wpc – black or silver £1399.00 (pictured top)

Maestro Line
Maestro Settanta REV2.0 integrated amplifier – 70wpc – silver £2499.00 (picture bottom)

Other products could be available. Please ring for details.

Audio Analogue website    Return to top of page

This Japanese manufacturer has a long history of making some of the most respected solid state amplifiers and CD players in the high-end business. Around the world, their equipment is used as references for others to be judged against. The sound for solid state design is very valve like in its presentation. A smooth tonal balance without any bloom, their products produce a very transparent and deep soundstage. Superb power supplies ensure superb dynamics and a realistic presentation of the rhythmic qualities of the music. The build quality is of a very high order which contributes to Accuphase's enviable reliability record.

The appearance is deliberately retro, with meters showing, and has a pale champagne anodised fascia panel. The amplifiers have tone controls and balance adjustment but all of these controls are eliminated from the audio circuit when not in use.

Products on Demonstration

E-350 integrated amplifier 100wpc/8ohms £6240 (pictured top)

E-450 integrated amplifier 180wpc/8ohms £8150 (pictured bottom)

Accuphase prices have been adjusted to reflect the current value of the pound. Please note that these prices may be subject to currency fluctuations.

Other products could be available. Please ring for details.

Accuphase website    Return to top of page

This Swiss company is synonymous with making the world’s best professional portable recording equipment, both for audio and visual. They also make some of the finest sounding high-end audio replay equipment. Their design philosophy is based on valves but they also have parallel products with solid state circuitry. The build quality is to military standards with the pre-amplifiers in jewel-like machined case work. Internal circuitry utilises the shortest path possible philosophy and ensures the high level of quality for the signal.

The company is well known for its philosophy of ignoring any compromise on quality.

Forget everything that you have read in the UK press about the Pyramid range of amplifiers. These are amongst the very best we have heard. Exceptionally transparent with a correct tonal balance. Partnered with the appropriate level of ancillary equipment these are a near bargain for the sound they offer.

Our first impressions of the new MSA power amplifier still stand. This has an absolutely tremendous sound by any audiophile criterion. Very transparent, very neutral in tone, ie not warm and not analytical. The most impressive thing that stikes you immediately is the very large and very holographic sound-stage. Nagra is one of the few manufactuers that can do this well and this amplifier excels even by their high standards. A very big sound from a very small component. It occupies the same footprint as their CD player, pre-amplifers and phono stage. Build quality is the usual high standard with a massive heat-sink on top that barely gets warm even after many hours of playing. It can be configured as a monoblock amplifier or bridged at the flick of a switch.

See Nagra MSA review featured in January's edition of Haute Fidélité.

The natural partner would be the Nagra PL-L or PL-P pre-amplifiers. We have had exceptional results with other pre-amplifiers of commensurate quality, notably the Spectral DMC-15 which has a similar philosophy of tonal balance and speed to the Nagra sound. It has an input sensitivity switch which allows for 1v or 2v allowing the best match with various pre-amplifiers.

An early audition is recommended.

Products on Demonstration

PL-L valve pre-amplifier £8295 (pictured top)

PL-P valve pre-malpifier with valve phono stage (to order only £10295

PSA Pyramid Stereo Amplifier 100wpc/8ohms £5250

PMA Pyramid Mono amplifiers (pair) 200wpc/8ohms £8750 (pictured middle)

MSA Stereo amplifer 60wpc/8 ohms; can be configured as mono or as bridged. £8500 (pictured bottom)

Vibration Free Support platforms inc. spike feet £1425

Spike feet kit £350

Nagra prices have been adjusted to reflect the current value of the pound. Please note that these prices may be subject to currency fluctuations.

Nagra website    Return to top of page

This electronics manufacturer has been around for many years and is respected in the industry for making audio equipment of the ultimate quality and that many others use as a reference. Once heard, their sound and presentation is not easily forgotten. Their combinations of pre-amplifier and power amplifiers present the most transparent, holographic soundstages we have experienced, at any price point. The high-speed, ultra-fast settling circuitry produces a level of dynamics and grip that the amplifier can have on any speaker of quality. With high quality recordings, and a commensurate level of ancillary components, it is the closest to a live experience as you can get from an audio system.

NEW.

There is currently no UK distribution of Spectral Audio. We are hoping this will be rectified sometime in the first quarter of 2012 when the new range of Spectral amplification should be available. We have heard briefly the new DMC-30SS Series 2 pre-amplifier and the DMA-260 power amplifier. They are certainly some differences to the sound of these new variants but a longer audition would be required before we can give a more informed opinion on the new sound. There is also to be a new range od Spectral cables developed for them by MIT and more information on these will be published when we have the detail.

Spectral Audio website    Return to top of page

We have reinstated this famous brand of valve amplifier manufacturer to our portfolio as their sound has now returned to that they built their reputation on. One of the most musical of valve amplifier sounds without being too euphonic and certainly without being bright and forward like some alternatives. Famous for being able to generate large and detailed holographic soundstages but with an extremely natural tonal balance, this is one of the finest brands in high-end audio, offering a wide range of electronics to suit most price points.

We have just received our SE version of the ET-3 pre-amplifer and have been astonished by how much better this is than the standard version. The level of transparency and depth of soundstage is exceptional at this price point. Very lucid with fine detail resolution of a high order but with no obvious tube colouration.

The ET3 was awarded Pre-amplifier of the Year (2010) by Hi-Fi Plus magazine.

"The ET3 gets a good way toward achieving the same performance as the GAT, but at a fraction of the price".

Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+ Issue 75.

Products on Demonstration

ET-3 vacuum tube line pre-amplifier with remote £2495 NEW PRODUCT (pictured top)

ET-3PH phono board option £850

ET-3SE (Special Edition superior version of ET-3) £3950

ET-3SE-PH phono board option £1490
LP-66S Series 2 vacuum tube stereo power amplifier - 60wpc £4450 (pictured bottom)

Other products could be available. Please ring for details.

conrad-johnson website    Return to top of page

We are now privileged to be able to present the new 300 series of amplifiers from Nagra based on the 300B valve. Using an unusually compact design and highly developed transformer and power supply, the sound is, as you would expect from Nagra, remarkable. It is much more neutral in tonal balance, less euphonic, than all other 300B designs we have heard and has a level of transparency that is of the highest order. This is achieved right across the frequency range in a very linear manner, not always the case with other 300B designs. Two JJ 300B tubes per channel result in 20 watts output; this will drive speakers of 88-90dB efficiency or higher. The multi-tapped transformer can accommodate speaker loads from 4 to 14 ohms. There are two versions available, the stereo amplifier, 300, and the integrated amplifier, 300i. The latter has the solid state pre-amplifier section used in their CDC version of their CD player. Being a true active design this pre-amplifier is of a level commensurate with the sound quality of the 300 amplifier.

300p stereo amplifier - 20wpc £12950.
300i integrated amplifier with full line stage pre-amplifier - 20wpc £15950 (pictured)

Nagra website   Return to top of page

This Japanese company makes some of the finest sounding valve amplifiers at most realistic prices. The level of transparency and the big open soundstage is not normally experienced at these prices. Beautifully built with retro styling and compact sizes. Although the amplifiers have fairly low power output, their sound is full bodied with robust, fast presentation. Even the lowest powered design will work with loudspeakers with sensitivities as low as 87dB.

Leben prices have been adjusted to reflect the current value of the pound. Please note that these prices may be subject to currency fluctuations.

Products on Demonstration

CS-300X(S) integrated valve amplifer 12-14wpc (improved circuitry on CS-300) £2788 (pictured top)

CS-300 integrated valve amplifier 12wpc £2195 (To order only)

RS-30 valve phono pre-amplifier (to order only) £2100

Other products could be available. Please ring for details.

Leben Hi-Fi website    Return to top of page