[audiojerry]

Ok, I was feeling guilty, so I'm going to provide impressions of the Nirvana + now.  

Before I forget, I want to comment on the Tara speaker cable. I believe it provided an excellent mate with the amp. The Tara was leaner sounding than my own speaker wire, which helped balance the warm character of the AKSA.

Warm is definitely one of the characteristics I would apply to the AKSA, which was quite surprising to me coming from an SS design. It was warm in a most pleasing manner making every type of music more engaging and enjoyable. It seems to me that the amp was designed to serve the music and not try to impress super tight bass or high frequency emphasis.The amp was all about smoothness and not at all about forwardness or agressiveness.

The soundstage was broad and deep. Imaging was concise. Bass was deep and powerful, but not overly damped and unnatural like so many SS amps. Listening to music with the AKSA was fun, and I found myself not thinking analytically about the amp at all. I was just enjoying my music. I'd have to say it was the most enjoyable SS amp I've had in my home.

Other amps may sound more impressive or exciting, initially, but they may not be conducive to long listening sessions. The AKSA just invites you to take your shoes off, get comfortable, and unwind with some great tunes.
 
If I didn't already have a $10K Audio Research tube amp, I'd be quite happy with the Nirvana +. I fully understand why AKSA owners are so loyal and content.

I also want to point out that the AKSA ran very cool and quiet without any trouble.

[AKSA]

Hi Audiojerry,

Many thanks!  Your review is very thorough, much appreciated.  

The amp was designed as SS with tube sound.  The warm sound you hear was deliberately engineered into it.  The Tara cables, and my thanks to Paul for discovering this, balance this beautifully.  The emphasis is on smooth, grainless delivery with outstanding imaging and 'fun factor'.  Of course, we listen to music because it tickles our souls....   The last thing we need is an electronic machine slavishly delivering a surgical, dry, unappealing sound.  You hit upon the ethos of the AKSA perfectly!

I have heard the expensive ARC amplifiers.  They are indeed superb, but very costly both to buy and to maintain.  They run their tubes very hard, and this costs life, so a tube change is required at least every two years.  In Australia, with our 50Hz 240Vac mains, the ARC power transformers run very hot, and power caps fail regularly.  This has affected their reputation here, and many audiophiles are not as enamoured of tubes as they might be.  I have seen a few of these expensive, lovely amps lying unused because of power supply failures, and owners 'making do' with cheap SS amps, and this set me thinking to find something which had most of the advantages but none of the cost.  When you consider the cost differential, the AKSA is inexpensive - but not cheap, as you found when you went to lift it!  

My thanks again!

NEXT PLEASE!!!    

Cheers,

Hugh

[jonwb]

   
NEXT PLEASE!!!

Hi guys!

I'm "working" on it (its not hard work ).  Audiojerry has been kind enough to lend me a real preamp (his Eastern Electric Minimax, with his favorite tubes) and some superb Ridge Street Audio cables.  The source is my stock Denon DVD-2900.  

The system sounded surprisingly good with my Yamaha reciever as the pre and some REALLY poor $1 IC's .  But... when we put into the equation some decent gear, the amp was really able to stretch its legs.   I'll type more on this later when its all gone and I'm deep in the throws of depresion.  

Here are a couple pics:

[Alan C]

I just sent the amp on its way to the next stop on the tour...

The bottom line is that this tour is one great marketing technique, after listening to the amp for a week how could you not want to own one ??

For comparison, I currently have a Nakamichi Integrated Pre-Amp/Amp.  The AKSA was able to show nice improvements in imaging and soundstage.  After cycling between the amps and trying to discern differences settled on just listening to the AKSA amp.  It was easy to listen to for long periods of time switching between Rock and Jazz.  

Many thanks to Occam and AKSA for investing the time in this audition tour.  I am planning a future kit purchase.

[mgalusha]

Hello Hugh,

I am remiss in my duty to report. I've been insanely busy the past week and haven't had much time to do a proper write up. The short version is that the amp sounded very good driving both my old Vandy 2Ci's in my home theater system and a pair of Monitor Audio 5i's that I keep in my shop. Both of these were with the Tara cables.

I also re-arranged the cables in my main system per an idea that Paul had and reduced the overall capacitance to about 212Pf for the entire run. Unfortunately the 100N+ was still not a good match. I don't know if this is an interaction between the amp and the Vandy 3A Sigs or is caused by the long but seemingly benign cable load. The RLC for the cable was R = .1 ohm (near as I can measure), L = .011mH, C = 212pF.  The original RLC was R = .1, L = .006mH, C = 660pF.

I wanted to set up my gear in between the speakers in the main system to allow the use of the Tara Labs cable but I have been working very long hours and just didn't have time to do this.

Last Sunday I did bring the CDP, preamp, interconnect and power cables downstairs and set it up using the Tara Labs speaker cables and both of the aforementioned speakers. Driving the 2Ci's with the AKSA proved an excellent match and they sounded perhaps as good as I've ever heard them. Very detailed and clean with outstanding imaging. The placement of instruments and voices were very distinct and there was a very nice depth to the sound stage. Bass was not quite as tight as with the Outlaw 750 that normally runs that system but was still very articulate and tuneful. The old Outlaw has been a good amp for home theater use but never very satisfactory for music listening. Not horrible but not anything special either. The AKSA really made this apparent as the system sounded exceptional in the configuration.

The excellent sound in the basement also removed the possibility of a mismatch between the preamp and 100N+. I used the same components in both systems except for the speakers and speaker cables.

Again, I thank you for the opportunity to audition your product in my home. I have shipped it off to the next recipient and look forward to reading of his experience.

Mike

[AKSA]

Hi Mike,

Many thanks for your review;  it was a pleasure to get the AKSA to you, courtesy Occam (Paul), and I'm glad you were able to get it to perform in your basement.  Just why it behaved as it did in the main system has me baffled, but it certainly reinforces the use of the Tara Labs cable, which seems to really bring out the qualities of the amp beautifully.

Mike, did you post it on to OBF?  Do you know if he has it now, or did it go straight up to Jeff in Boise?  

A very Happy New Year to you, your family, and the Denver Audio Mafia!  

Cheers,

Hugh

[OBF]

I had it and just sent it to Jeff this afternoon.  Will provide comments in the near future.  Everything was favorable.  

[AKSA]

Thanks OBF,

Much appreciated passing it on to Jeff!  He will be thrilled - he was an early reviewer of the GK1 hybrid preamp two years back and is especially interested in the power amplifier!

Happy New Year to you and your family;  we really look forward to your review when you are ready!

Cheers,

Hugh

[OBF]

Ok, here goes.....

I don't normally write reviews as I don't have many good shops in my area and I haven't heard a broad array of equipment, not to mention I don't trust my audio memory over long periods of time and would never try to compare something that I heard months or years ago.

That said, I'm glad I got in on this tour and had a chance to hear the AKSA.  I was very impressed with what I heard, and I already have a very good amp, a digital A.R. eAR2.  The rest of my system is a Sony S7000, modded DIO, Bent NOH, and Ellis 1801Bs.  I found the AKSA to be a little more forward sounding with vocals more prominent.  But not at all harsh.  Gain seemed very similar to my 250 watt amp, with the AKSA actually driving just a bit more SPLs at the same volume setting.

I didn't do much swapping back and forth as it was a pain because the eAR cannot take spade connectors.  But both times I put my amp back in I thought maybe a bit was missing in the midrange.  Not sure if I'd notice in a blind test, but it's what I thought at the time.  I preferred the presentation with the AKSA and I thought some live recording from the Grateful Dead sounded more "live".  I suppose someone could blame the "lesser" speaker cables on my amp compared to the AKSA demo cables, but that's not something I could control.  The AKSA could also present a more benign impedance with the passive TVC.  Lots of factors.

I don't know what it means, but I found it interesting that I (I think) bottomed out one of my woofers at the end of the 3rd track of the Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions where there is some low bass info.  I had it up loud and got 3-4 clacks from my right speaker before I jumped on the remote and that has never happened before even with the speakers playing at equally high SPLs.  Does that mean the AKSA had better control over the woofers or did it run out of gas?  I would guess better control, but the eAR is supposed to be able to output a huge amount of current, like 70-80 amps and it's never done that so I don't know.

Bottom line:  If I could trade straight up I would, but (based on the value of my amp) if I had to throw in an extra grand, it wouldn't be worth it.  I wouldn't be able to build one myself and wouldn't really want to have to source all the extra parts and work the case, etc....  If the amp was produced commercially for $2k I think it would be a reasonable price and would surely outperform more expensive amps, but for a DIYer it's a no brainer.  I would definitely consider buying a used amp with a decent case, but I'm certainly not holding my breath.

Regards,
--Mark.

[AKSA]

Thanks Mark,

Your excellent review is entirely reasonable from where you stand.  The issue with the AKSA has always been the DIY angle;  not everyone can, or wants, to build their own amp.  In this increasingly complicated world less and less people are prepared to take on such a project.  However, DIY is my roots, it seemed a great place to start, and certainly required less capital to start out, permitting my business to be self-funding, an important consideration for my family and my health.  I have been delighted by the DIY market;  it is quite strong, the people are smart, personable and friendly, and I have eeked a modest living for a couple of years now.  It is certainly clear to me that I'd have to go retail with finished product to break through the next sales barrier, but the problems with complete build are also considerable.

You place a value of $US2K on a fully built AKSA.  By the time you fielded such a product to market, you'd need to make it closer to $4K because of the margins, advertising, and compliance costs.  Chinese assembly looks good, but initial runs would be around 100 - a considerable investment.  Margins in high end are typically 50-80%, and advertising in Stereophile would be around $10K per half page.  At these esteemed levels any amp has lots of competition, though I feel the AKSA would do well as it has great warmth, startling clarity and huge current drive.  But you get the picture!

I'm pleased you compared the AKSA with your digital amp.  You mentioned you felt there was something missing from the midrange on the eAR.  I too have noticed this when comparing the Bel Canto EvoII;  there is an almost surgical cleanliness about these amps but they are not 'vocal' friendly.  In time they will improve;  already there is a plethora of digital amps out there and some of them are quite good.  I watch their development with interest - they are extremely efficient and require little heatsinking.  This is very appealing and something I cannot ignore.

Once again, thanks for passing on the AKSA to Jeff.  You have done Aspen proud!  

Cheers,

Hugh

[OBF]

Hugh,

As to DIY, I've done a small amount and might consider an easier project, but the AKSA doesn't seem too easy to me as it's only a partial kit and I believe requires metal work too.  But it seems to be a large community and I'm not surprised you're doing all right with such a nice product and customer service.

$4k would be a TOUGH market to compete in as an amp like mine is more like $2k.  It would be a huge risk and why mess with a good thing?  But have you considered direct sales?  You'd either need to go the route you suggested, or keep your margins down and sell direct.  It seems to be a very workable business model for some people.  Heck, if you even had cases made in China and assembled boards someone like me might take on the much easier project of putting it together.  I could be wrong, but I think you might sell more amps direct for $2k+ than through dealers at $4k.

Also, I like my eAR (IcePower based) and wouldn't say it's vocal or midrange deficient.  I had high hopes for a Plinius integrated that at retail would cost almost the same as my pre/power combo, and while impressive, especially at used prices, I prefer the digital.  It's only compared to your amp that I found something missing.  That's why I'm so impressed.  I think Bel Canto may have a reputation for coolness beyond the IcePower amps, but I'm no expert and have not heard one.

--Mark.

[U4EA]

AKSA 100N+: Solid(ly) State(d) Tubes

My impressions of the AKSA 100N+ follow.  The opinions are mine and mine alone.  

I ran the AKSA in the following configuration:

Supplied Tara Labs cables
Tannoy Studio 800 monitors
ACI Titan powered sub

I warmed up my ears and the AKSA by listening to a wide variety of music. My intent was to kick the tires or just take her around the block.  The first thing to impress me was the super wide image presented to the listener.  But, not only is the image wide, it is also tall and deep (front to back).  Definitely an improvement over my old faithful Carver TFM-24.

Next on to seek the 100N+’s negative.  About the only negative I have read against the AKSA line is lack of bass.  With a powered sub and 42 year old ears I never have this problem.  The Titan sub is extremely musical and transparent.  It proved to integrate well with the 100n.  

Next I turned the sub off.  My speakers only go down to 40 Hz but the 100N+ pushed out a nice bottom end.  The bottom end is not like a 17 year olds car loaded with 4 subs and would not be my first choice for hip hop.  But it does its job providing a nice rounded bottom end.  I find the bass on the 100N+ to be quite adequate.  Since I never listen to hip hop the 100N+ is fine.

With that out of the way I went to bed.

The next few days included critical listening.  I will describe my musical choices and impressions below.

CSN – CSN

Noted during playback of this CD are the smooth and tube like delivery of the instruments.  Each instrument is clearly defined and imaged well.   Low (deep) drums such as tom toms and bass drums are delivered separately and distinctly.  No muddy blending here as is the case with other amplifiers.

The voices are also delivered separately and distinctly.  During the many harmonies you can actually listen and here each distinct voice.  I have never been able to hear this differential before.  It was quite a delight.

Noteworthy also is the sustain of the piano and the clarity of the notes to the end.  Again I have never heard the piano on this CD quite like this.

The amp ramps up quickly too.  Going from a piano passage to a low bass note or drum with ease and without sacrificing clarity.

The track entitled Cathedral is worth noting.  All voices are present in a clear and distinctive manner.   During the track entitled Dark Star the drummer is riding the high hat cymbal.  This is also delivered in a uniquely satisfying way.  The bass lines can be muddled on this tune by other amplifiers.  This is not the case here as the bass is completely clear and distinctly delivered, note by note.

Traci Chapman – New Beginning

Give Me One Reason – The 100N+ will put Traci in the room with you.  Noted are the guitar subtleties.  You can hear her fingers move and strum the strings.  Detail is superb.  

Imaging is also fantastic considering the track is predominantly one voice and one guitar.  Front to back separation as well as side to side is nicely spread.  The vocal is three feet in the air which makes for a nice effect.

Noted also are the subtle organ riffs.  A detail often excluded by other amps.

Paul McCartney – Give My Regards to Broad Street

The 100N+ makes nice work of this CD.  Highlights are the separation of string instruments.  Each is delivered in its own space and perspective.  The imaging is so good here it was like listening to this CD for the first time.

This CD also illustrates the 100N+’s quickness.  Going from soft string passages to pop like tunes is effortless for the 100n.

Steely Dan – Aja

A classic CD.  The entire CD is delivered in a tube like fashion.  Noted is the loss of fatigue.  This album can be very fatiguing given the wrong amp or speakers.

The percussion is noticeable as each drum is given space and equal delivery.

Comparison

I had intended to compare the 100N+ to a variety of Krell amps.  The sound was so different I feel it to be an apples and oranges comparison.  To my ears the 100N+ is lush and warm compared to Krell.  I like the tube like sound so it makes me biased from the beginning.  Unfortunately I had no tube amps to compare the 100N+ to.  A VTL design would have been interesting.  All of the other equipment at my disposal was not even in the same league as the 100N+.


Back to the original….

I really noticed how good the 100N+ was when I hooked my original amplifier back up.  Gone was the spacious delivery of music and tube like delivery of sound.  Front to back imaging was absent as was the extraordinary (100N+) level of detail.  I hated to send it on its way……..

During my review I listened to about 70 hours of music.  I would consider this amp a bargain as compared to other amps costing as much as $3,000.

Summary

It amazes me to ponder what this amp excels at and how well it does what it does.  I really believe that Hugh Dean designs equipment based on “HOW IT SOUNDS” and “WHAT IT CAN DO FOR THE LISTENER”.  The Psychoacoustic aspect really shines when listening to this amp.  Webster defines psychoacoustics as “a branch of science dealing with hearing, the sensations produced by sounds, and the problems of communication.”  To me it seems this is this is AKSA amplifiers mantra.

The 100N+ and GK-1 both make listening to music an emotion based experience.  This is something I have NEVER experienced before.  I believe this to be rooted in Hugh’s approach to design.  I consider this to be unique to the industry.  Once again Hugh, my hats off to ya’.

[Al Garay]

Great job on the review especially the point on how noticeable the loss is once it is taken away.

Al

[AKSA]

Hi U4EA,

Many thanks for your timely review.  You have applied great rigor to your testing, and particularly to your cleanly written assessment.  I appreciate the time you took with this;  it's very clear this was no first impression review!!    

I won't comment on the review detail except to say I support your comments unconditionally.  I'm even a Traci Chapman fan!!  I'm coming from the same direction as you;  audio is a technology, but being an audiophile is essentially about the enjoyment of music.  There are parallels with almost all techologies, but it's worth saying that technologies should actually be completely transparent;  high end should not stand in the way of enjoying music.  In my youth I learned piano and pipe organ, but was always concerned to keep the instrument at bay - the performer must shine through.  You were on the money when you stated the AKSA 100N+ was designed with only the music in mind.  

That said, there are always issues with the technology.  You can't drive an auto without expecting a flat occasionally, and anything connected to the mains will always have some issues of a technical nature.  For decades now the audio amplifier has been designed with math and measure in mind, but this approach has often failed spectacularly to deliver a product which actually sounded good!  The AKSA was indeed designed with emotional engagement uppermost, and the GK1 preamp was designed to further improve that aspect again.

Once again, I thank all involved in the tour, particularly Occam, for their efforts.  I am bowled over by the honesty and team spirit in all this;  it's just amazing to me from downunder to see so much genuine interest and cooperation, and everyone who has heard the AKSA has palpably contributed.    

When the tour is over I would like to send the AKSA to a review house.  Has anyone any ideas on whom to choose?

Thank you, Jeff, much appreciated!!  

Cheers,

Hugh

[vsr123]

Hugh
       I have spoken with Srajan of 6moons recently and have mentioned the AKSA in passing and writen to him regarding reviewing one...does anyone know Srajan or any other reviewer? perhaps at least collectively, we can get someone to take this in for review?

cheers
Sridhar

[AKSA]

Sridhar,

I'm more than interested........  thank you for the suggestion and the contact you have made already!

The tour amp is now in California (I hope!);  do you know where Srajan resides?

Cheers,

Hugh

[DARTH AUDIO]

New Mexico..

[lonewolfny42]

Hugh,

You might also check with

Chip Stern... , he writes for 6moons and is working on his own site. He's in NYC. Grew up on L.I.....where this tour started. [/list:u]

Chris[/list:u]

[AKSA]

Hi Chris,

Muchos gracias, will contact one or both!

Cheers,

Hugh

[tl1000sv]

Before I get started on my experience, here’s an outline of the equipment used, why I have been interested in the AKSA, and my objectives for the audition.

Source: Panasonic XR50 CD/DVD transport, Musical Fidelity TriVista 21 DAC
Line-level: Musical Fidelity A3cr, dbx 223 active crossover
Amplification: Carver PM-175, AKSA 100N+
Speakers: Anthony Gallo Reference 3, DCM Timeframe TF400
Interconnects: DIY Cardas/Belden 89207, misc Monster coaxials
Speaker cables: DIY Jon Risch CC89259, 14AWG stranded zip cord, DIY Cat 5

I have auditioned the Gallos with the Acurus A250 and the Simaudio i5 integrated, but they were not available for direct comparison with the AKSA.

All the critical listening recounted herein is via the XR50/TriVista combination, but I often use an HTPC with ASIO (bit-perfect) output via S/PDIF into the DAC.

I have never been a tube amp owner, although I do appreciate the sonics of tube designs WAY beyond financial consideration.  I want to be able to sit down and just listen to quality music, watch TV or play a DVD without worrying about the time on the tubes, etc.  The marketed qualities of the AKSA appeal to me here.

My objectives for the audition were to: evaluate the musical performance of the AKSA amplifier, and experiment with the Gallos’ pseudo-biamping features.  These speakers have a dual voice coil woofer, with one coil connected to the full-range speaker inputs, and the second to a dedicated sub input.  There is no way to split off the first voice coil from the rest of the speaker without modifying it. Thus, the AKSA always was asked to provide power to the woofer’s primary voice coil.

My review methodology was to simply listen to recordings which I have heard tens, if not hundreds of times, and write down anything that truly struck me as exceptional, remarkable or different than previous experiences.

First, some general observations:

It was interesting (and disconcerting) to discover how many recordings have serious mixing and production flaws, that I thought were flawless.  The AKSA ruthlessly revealed any anomalies, and faithfully rendered recorded hiss to a very noticeable level, where it had been forgotten or ignored before.

The Gallos have been reported to be slightly soft in the lower midrange, which I have validated with several amplifiers, most obvious in male vocal recordings.  I think that this may be partially a break-in issue, partially a speaker placement/phasing issue, and that people are used to popular speakers that have a characteristic bulge in their midranges.  In any case, the AKSA immediately erased my historical impressions of the Gallo lower-midrange.  Perhaps it is just a fortuitous combination of amp and speaker, but the male vocals were full and vibrant, and I honestly didn’t think about it again after that minor revelation.  Hugh, should you be able to convince Srajan Ebaen to audition the AKSA, his feedback will be an interesting read.  He is a Gallo owner and has postulated on the configuration options and challenges of the speakers.

Someone commented on the AKSA throwing a wide, but not deep soundstage.  IMHO, the soundstage is uniquely dependent upon the combination of amp, speaker and speaker/room configuration.  Therefore, the likelihood of different system combinations offering divergent results is high.  My result?  The AKSA’s soundstage width was not dramatically different than the Carver.  Depth, however, was palpably increased, especially at higher volume levels, and the amp’s ability to create the ambience of recording venues was excellent.  I imagine that the AKSA is offering much higher resolution than the Carver, and remaining undistorted at a much higher output level.

Now to the specifics:

First, a minor hitch. I wanted to see how much feedback occurred via mechanical manipulation of the Gallos’ voice coils, so I initially configured the Carver to drive the speakers’ bass inputs only, with the full-range inputs disconnected.  Sure enough, the bass driver generated current through its idle voice coil, which flowed back through the crossover and audibly into the midrange drivers.  I replaced the Carver with the AKSA to note any differences.  During a particularly spirited bass guitar solo, the amp appeared to oscillate on the left channel.  I quickly brought down the gain and it stopped, and I could not get it to do it again.  I am no EE, but at risk of inserting ubiquitous quotations around the word oscillate, that was my impression.  The sound was not musical, and was a much higher frequency than the source material.  Hugh, if it is helpful, the amp was receiving the low-pass signal crossed over at 70Hz with a steep fourth-order slope, the speaker impedance was probably dipping well below 4 ohms, and the amp was subjectively at about 75% power output, based on later preamp settings where it clipped.

Onward to better things.  I switched the AKSA to the Gallos’ full-range inputs. The 100 wpc AKSA’s power/gain ratio was slightly greater than the 175 watt Carver.  Others have commented that the tour AKSA’s system interaction is similar to an amp with about twice the RMS power, and I concur.  Connected to the strong A3cr preamp, the AKSA typically pushed the 88dB Gallos to a spirited volume level at about 5.5/10. A few CDs with very dynamic amplitude required an 8/10 volume.  Recordings saturating the audio spectrum caused the AKSA to clip at that level.

The first album I listened to was Scheherazade / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fritz Reiner.  It is remarkably mastered, recorded in the excellent (and very large) Chicago Orchestra Hall, and in my opinion, is a reference recording for full-range speakers.  The Gallo bass was adequate (unbiamped), but tight.  Strings were rendered sweetly and brass was clean and pure, and I could hear their piercing echoes fading into the auditorium.  Cymbals were full and clear, with excellent sustain.  I know this recording well, and I heard harpstrings, soft percussion and triangle hits during full orchestral passages that had never been there before.  When listening to classical, I often move into the nearfield, and the AKSA’s detail just made this a pleasure.  Overall my impression was, “Wow, this is up a notch across the board.”

Then I pulled out Dave Grusin’s GRP All-Star Big Band LIVE! to play a rendition of “Sing, Sing, Sing.”  While the stereo mix of the percussion is a bit aggressive, this track was the first one to bowl me over.  The vibraphone and clarinet were just spectacular. Each strike of the vibraphone hung in the middle of the soundstage and echoed in my head.  This track really featured the AKSA’s soundstage depth, and I repeated it several times to solidify my impressions.

I put on Trilok Gurtu / The Glimpse.  This is might be described as “International Jazz,” and is one of my favorite albums for demoing my system, as it never fails to astonish people with a never-ending stream of interesting and complex sound.  But it was my turn to be floored, because I realized I had never really heard it before.  I don’t even know where to start – timbres of woodblocks, musically rushing air, Trilok’s signature rapid-fire percussion, weird phase-shifting guitar play, sparkling-clear bells, aggressive bass licks, the unusual Indian vocals – each moment revealed sounds with subtlety, intricacy and clarity, lovely clarity.  During this play, the CD was elevated from demo to critical reference recording.

On to Diana Krall / Stepping Out.  True or not, my mind’s eye sees that “Body and Soul” was recorded in a small auditorium with no acoustic treatments, and a hard floor.  The reverb of the piano and vocals combine to create this ambiance.  The AKSA’s spatial interpretation was convincing, Diana’s vocal was lush and full (well, it always is), and imaging was excellent.  I was surprised by a squeaking sound that occurred at various points in the song.  At this point, I think it is the piano pedal. The AKSA clearly revealed moments when the mixing engineer cut the vocal mike, consequently the piano’s crosstalk into it, and destroyed that sense of ambiance.

Fleetwood Mac / Rumours (on DVD-A).  Overall, this disc was excellent.  The band’s syncopated, shuffling rhythms, and leading snare/bass combos were a great match for the AKSA’s speed.  “Never Going Back Again,” is really a front for a twin acoustic guitar performance, with the artists placed at extreme left and right of the soundstage.  The performances are with picks, and the AKSA’s detail and transient ability really were obvious here.  I should point out that the DVD-A mix of this song is quite different than the CD release.  I have yet to listen to it with any solid-state amplifier where the guitars did not sound etched, and the AKSA was no exception.  I have heard it on a McIntosh tube amp, and they were absolutely lifelike, but the vocal was very muted and diffused.

Enya / Shepherd Moons.  This disc really complements the AKSA character.  On the title track, the melody line is doubled by guitar and synthesizer.  With many sound systems, the attack and timbre of the guitar plucks are lost into the synth and ambient harmonies.  The AKSA/Gallo combo really pulled the two sounds apart and created depth in the performance.  With this track, it was very easy to explain and demonstrate the concepts of layering and soundstage depth to a friend who had never critically listened to audio before.

Tori Amos / Little Earthquakes.  I played the title track on a whim, and discovered something startling. On the lead-in to the chorus, Tori’s center stage vocal is suddenly split into two separately recorded vocals, presented at either side of the soundstage.  I had formerly thought that this was just a studio effect diffusing her voice across the soundstage, but with the AKSA I was able to easily discern when the shift occurred, and that it was two individual vocal recordings.  Neat!

James Taylor / Greatest Hits.  I have never been a James Taylor fan, and bought his greatest hits album just to round out my musical collection.  But the AKSA brought out a palpability of the artist’s voice that was just truly pleasurable to listen to.  On “How Sweet It Is,” the wood blocks easily extended the soundstage several feet past the edges of the speakers.  I was very surprised by “Shower the People.”  This song’s signature sound is the xylophone, and apparently I never knew it.  The AKSA connected me to the performance in a new way, despite having heard it so many times through the years.

B.B. King & Eric Clapton / Riding With the King.  If you don’t have this CD, buy it.  My favorite track is the last, “Come Rain, or Come Shine.”  Eric sits at the extreme left of the stage, and B.B. is on the right.  The whole song, recorded live, puts the two golden voices and their signature guitars (Gibson Lucille vs. Fender Stratocaster) in direct contrast and interplay.  Everything is heavily miked.  The solos are strong, slow and deliberate, with heavy blooming.  Have I built this up enough?  Well, the AKSA/Gallo combo sat me down in the first row.  I could have reached out and touched the artists, they sounded so close.  Another one in the “chills” column.

Next was Dave Brubeck Quartet / Time Out.  This timeless album devotes distinct soundstage space to each of the artists, and is a good test of soundstage size, spatial imaging and ambiance.  A favorite is “Kathy Waltz,” which opens with piano on the right and snare brushes on the left, and a loping bass in the center.  Later the sax drops in between the drums and the bass.  The AKSA pinpointed these perfectly, and I was even able to determine which way the piano was facing!  The reproduction of the brushes was utterly convincing.  In the last few measures, the brush mike is cut and the performance finishes with the piano.  Again, the spatial picture collapsed as the AKSA exposed this mixing flaw.  A colleague who was visiting at the time thought that the channel had failed.  Good with the bad, I guess!

Finally, I listened to a number of rock selections, and while it was more difficult to pull out vignettes of sonic excellence from this genre, the notables that kept leaping off the CDs were incredibly complex renderings of guitar feedback.  The AKSA’s ability to sustain those subtle (tube!) harmonics, in the middle of a saturated audio spectrum, was very reminiscent of its performances with cymbals, triangles and xylophones.  So much of the rock genre is mastered so badly, and the AKSA is so revealing, that much of my catalog was frustrating to listen to.  But it was also thrilling to hear CD’s owned for 20 years as I never had before.  Standouts included Pink Floyd / The Wall, Steely Dan / Aja, The Police / Ghost in the Machine, and Eric Johnson / Ah Via Musicom.

To summarize the suitability of the AKSA/Carver combo for the Gallo application: The AKSA performed beautifully as a full-range amplifier with the 88dB Gallos.  It did clip at higher than comfortable volume levels.  I do wonder exactly how much headroom, with very dynamic recordings, is left in this particular system.  Hugh, count me in on the list of folks eagerly awaiting development of the AKSA 200 Nirvana Plus!

Lest you get the wrong impression about the Carver, it was totally unacceptable for the supplemental bass application, both in terms of power available and impedance compatibility with the 4 ohm voice coil.  I had to use the crossover’s input gain and low output gain in order to get the Carver anywhere near balanced with the AKSA’s full range output.  Needless to say, it clipped early and often set up that way.  After about 15 minutes of critical listening, I resolved to look for an inexpensive high-powered amplifier for bass-duty (the Gallo SA amp is looking better all the time!)  Any idea of synergy or matching between Carver and AKSA for that application was right out.  While I didn’t try it outside of that first feedback test, I doubt that the AKSA would do any better.  It’d be a waste of high fidelity anyway!

In deference to the “explore all possible connection permutations” audio rule (a.k.a plug everything into everything), I wired up the AKSA and the DCM Timeframe 400s.  These are 2.5-way designs, with a pair of 6.5” drivers and a tweeter mounted coaxially with one of the drivers.  Bass is handled via transmission line cabinet and a rear port.  Their strengths are imaging, clean midrange and efficiency.  The AKSA’s imaging performance with these speakers was absolutely spectacular, at least as good as the AKSA/Gallo combination.  But the 100’s power easily overwhelmed the 92dB DCM’s – as the website states, the 55 would have been a better fit.  If one was just starting out, buying a pair of TF400’s for $175 and building an AKSA 55 would be an attractive price/performance option.

A note on speaker cables:  I tend to build my own out of high-quality wire and connectors.  As requested, I dutifully auditioned the AKSA using the supplied Tara Labs Phase Return cables, but later switched in DIY Cat 5 braided, stranded zip cord, and DIY Jon Risch cross-connected 89259s.  I fully expected the CC89259 to outperform all others, but my order of preference was:

Tara Labs (hands down the best – not a nuanced, subjectively tiny bit best)
CC89259 (sounded warm and soft after the Taras)
16AWG stranded zip cord (my reference cable)
Cat 5 (yuk. as advertised, high capacitance cables do not make AKSA happy)

I have always felt that the CC89259 and zip cord were roughly comparable in sound, so I built and used the CC89259 for its noise-rejection features.  I never had the impression that they were coloring the sound, but the Tara Labs / AKSA combo demonstrated otherwise.  At a price hardly more than good quality wire/terminating hardware and labor, the Taras are hardly a difficult decision.

I found it interesting that while double checking facts, I realized that Hugh’s (and others’) various assertions of the AKSA mirror most of the impressions I had already scribbled down for posterity.  He’s on the level, folks, and I would guess he pretty much has to be with the open nature of the AKSA community…

For me, the AKSA’s central listening themes included a strong appreciation for the reproduction of the music, open presentation, clarity and detail in spades, and often a totally unexpected surprise worth writing down.  The AKSA has its own sound, neither tube-ey nor solid-state-ey.  As stated before, brushes, cymbals, bells, triangles and vibes were reproduced as I have never heard before.  It was clear that there was some of that elusive audio synergy happening among the AKSA, Gallos and the source components.  My personal audiophile benchmarks (a.k.a. Gear In House) are officially elevated. Thanks, Hugh.

For me, the products that might compete with the AKSA 100N+ in price/performance are the McCormack DNA-225, DNA-125 Platinum, and the Odyssey Khartago monos.  I’ve heard each of these amps, which also attempt to avoid “solid-state sound”, but I haven’t tried them with the Gallos.  I will admit that the draw toward these amps is the desire for just a bit more power, and were I to go that route, am worried about being satisfied after having witnessed the sonic performance of the AKSA.

Hugh and Paul, thank you very much for the audition opportunity.  I very much enjoyed the AKSA 100N+ amplifier, and like U4EA, hate to send it on.

Tim