The ability of a component to mimic the closeness of a live event are standards we use to judge. Our perception of this ability varies dependent on our experiences with different components and our exposure to live events. Defining what makes something more real is subjective at best and very difficult to do. Objectivity is a more precise measurement but fails to describe emotional appeal. All to often when reading reviews, I see the same verbage used to describe sound. It seems at times that everything sounds the same. The truth lies wrapped inside a mixed bag of emotions. How dependable are the expressions these emotions induce? I don't think we can adequately acertain the validity of emotional expressions. Credibility of past expressions becomes a more important tool for deciding whether or not an impression is a good one.
All of this leads to my attempt to share my emotional attachment to the Dussun V8i Integrated Amplifier. I will skip the objectivity. Pictures and specs can be found on the previous post. I will say this much, the V8i is a handsome piece of equipment with exceptional build quality. The type of build quality and craftmanship you expect to see in components 3-4 times its $1600 price point.
Certain things about a component's sound grabs you and suprises you. That something with the V8i was its midrange expression. Open, wide, detailed, airy, with excellent image texture and density. Now comes the hard part. How does this midrange differ? The degree of difference between the V8i's midrange and say the Odyssey Khartago Mono Extremes, or the Belles Ref. 350A, or any other good solid-state amplifier. That depends on whether the reader has heard the other amplifiers. There is no guarantee that the reader has. So I must rely more on describing the V8i as it compares to the live event. Since no component to my knowledge can reproduce the exact replica of a live event, the V8i falls short too in this regard. Can a component protray the kind of musicality that evokes the senses into believing that the experience is like a live event? Definately! Is the V8i that kind of component? It certainly is! The V8i's midrange is transparent, it reaches into the soundstage and cleans around performers on stage. Revealing subtle textures and image density with a natural tonality. The background is thus devoid of nasties and silent. Its attempt at the real is successful in its midrange. Its degree of success on my scale is an 8.
The next attribute of the V8i's performance that surprised me was its seemingly limitless control of the lower regions of sound. The V8i cruises with a firm grip on the woofers. The ride is smooth, but when the music taps the gas, it takes off in control. Not wildly. As the volume increases, it opens up full throttle, joltting you back against your listening chair. The exhaust sounds sweet. The depth of stage is full and wide with great presence. The presence of being there. Lower bass has good attack, solidity, and tonal correctness. No bloating or losseness. Impact is chest felt. It speeds up the heart. The V8i model would fit the model of a car. A 8 cylinder power horse from the likes of BMW. Its degree of success in the lower region of sound is a solid 9 on my scale.
The last attribute of V8i's performance that also is very good is its high frequency extension. I personally feel that this is one of the hardest areas for a component to portray the live event. High frequency sounds in a live event extend high into the air and carry notes to the height of rise and the fall of natrual decay. In my experience most components can't reach the height of a live event, and those that do, don't release the high notes through the process of natural decay. The V8i reaches very well with its height, not all the way out, but very good nonetheless. It offers very good natural decay. It follows notes as they decay and releases naturally. It doesn't quite have the rise and airy, natural decay you find with the best tube and solid-state designs. The key here is that it is expressive extension with a natural decay. A 7 on my scale in its degree compared to the natural event.
I've experienced some excellent products within the last year and I have liked most of them. They all offered a different flavor compared to the live event. The Dussun V8i is at the top of my list for amplifiers under $5000 thus far. A remarkable product at an unbievable price!
Part two of the review I will be using the New SAS Audio Labs 11A preamplifer with the V8i. The above was using the V8i integrated as an integrated only.
