[rustydoglim]

We will do better on the manual.
By the way, the loudness settings are so incorrectly named, they should be called "SP1, 2, 3" for speaker matching settings.
They are custom tuned, freq specific curve to create warmth and compensation for speakers.  They should never have been called "loudness".

[PBN94F]

Thanks, Rusty,

it would be good to develop the documentation, you are very competent in your choices and what seems natural to you is not necessarily for amateurs.

I've been looking at the AMG STA for a long time because I was looking for a solution to combine HiFi and HC ...

I didn't think I could fit it between my HC preamp and my STA ! It works great ! So I rediscover my flacks (thanks also to the WR-1)


specifically about SP1, SP2, SP3...

Did you define "targets" at the design stage?
SP1 compact speakers
SP2 medium speaker
SP3 large bowls

I thought I saw curves somewhere, but I can't get my hands on them again...

I think it already sounds very good in flat and for the moment I haven't understood the 3 choices yet ...

I have to say that this is a special time, we are 4, confined at home and I don't have my usual quiet periods for my listening ...

[Etiven]

Rusty, Warm greetings from Korea. I'm very delighted with Onmia WR-1 as a streamer on my music system, Rega int. and Dyne Audio x38 tallboy.
Now I'm so impressed with your stuff, and planning to change my Rega analog int. to AMG PRE&STA combination...
But as you may know that Dyne x38 is 4ohm driving and very difficult to find out well-matched amps. Do you think AMG would be the enough good match with x38?
Thanks in advance for your suggestions~

[rustydoglim]

AMG has a lot of current and voltage power, so should be no problem driving almost any speakers.

Regarding the "Loudness" (speaker matching) settings, I think users should listen to the standard (ie no setting) for a while, get use to the sound, and then try different settings with your speaker. Speaker's response is dynamic, so you should try all three settings.
We have to strike a balance in keeping some secrets. 

[PBN94F]

We have to strike a balance in keeping some secrets.

Thanks Rusty,

Your time is precious, but your knowledge are really appreciated when shared 

Ok for the secrets !
We want just optimize your products and our listening 

have a nice day.

[glitchesbrew]

About the gain switch in the AMG PRA. What's its intended usage?
Is it for when you have already maxed out you volume knob to 99 and want some extra volume?
Are the low and high gain setting supposed to sound the same? If volume is not an issue shall I prefer one over the other?
Is the high gain more noisy? Is it more dynamic? Does it male the speaker matching (left knob) behave differently?

I have a volume knob on my dac as well and I'm trying to experiment with different settings and hear what I like the most, but some engineering insights might be helpful to guide my experiments.

[rustydoglim]

I discussed with R&D and decided to keep the naming convention for the "Loudness".
It is an "exotic" concept where old and expensive high-end preamp had this feature to boost the bottom end without changing the sound characteristic (ie not making it boomy) and also make it warmer.
So we came up with our own "Loudness" concept. Normally EQ simply boost a certain freq but our loudness design boost the bass in a way that sounded fuller and warmer.  It does it in the analog domain, not through DSP.

If it sounds better to you, perhaps for certain type of music, then use it, otherwise stick to the standard setting.

[whodiini]

Hi Everyone,

I've just got the new AMG PRA's in and have one set up in a nice little all analogue system. We'll be doing a full write up over the next few weeks, but for the moment feel free to ask any questions. We've posted some initial pics on our insta page. Soundwise it's silky smooth straight out of the box and is warming up nicely - very transparent, relaxed and detailed. I've sussed out the front panel controls (the manual needs some additions) and the remote is almost a component in itself. Build quality is excellent. There's something pretty special going on with the power supply that NuPrime aren't saying anything about as yet - I've been inside and had a look and it's unusual to say the least. More soon.

John at www.totallywired.nz

This review in totallywired is very intriguing. It reflects my own experience with nuprime products.  So I am thinking about the AMG preamp and amp, and have a few questions;

1) Why is the AMA preamp only have 1 balanced input?  I have been thinking about purchasing a preamp, since I have gotten back into records.  So I need 2 balanced inputs, one for my DAC and one for phono.  I just about decided on getting the Schiit Freya +, but then started reading about this preamp.  The only thing holding me back right now is the single balanced input,  It seems shortsighted.  Will the next version have 2 balanced inputs?  You can always combine a balanced input into single ended, but not vice versa.

2) Having gone thru the amp circle (IDA-8, ST10, STA9, and finally MCX-2), I found the MCX-2 having the sound of the IDA-8 but much more dynamic because of the power reserves, and not the edginess of the ST10 on rock and hot recorded pop. When I think of how to improve the MCX-2, I could only think that more transparency without the ST10 edginess.  Note that the ST10 is not really edgy, its more faithful to the recording than the others, but that isnt always what is needed, since I dont only want to listen to perfectly recorded music. The MCX-2 takes a sandpaper and smooths out the edges.  So my question about the AMA amp - does it still sound like the MCX-2 but more transparent? Is it as dynamic as the ST10? Or is it a different sound more like the STA9, which to me was too candy coated.

[rustydoglim]

1) Why is the AMA preamp only have 1 balanced input?  I have been thinking about purchasing a preamp, since I have gotten back into records.  So I need 2 balanced inputs, one for my DAC and one for phono.  I just about decided on getting the Schiit Freya +, but then started reading about this preamp.  The only thing holding me back right now is the single balanced input,  It seems shortsighted.  Will the next version have 2 balanced inputs?  You can always combine a balanced input into single ended, but not vice versa.

Take a look at the back of AMG PRA, it has limited space.  For short distance, and due to the 1M Ohm input impedance of AMG PRA, we don't think there will be any audible difference in performance.

2) Having gone thru the amp circle (IDA-8, ST10, STA9, and finally MCX-2), I found the MCX-2 having the sound of the IDA-8 but much more dynamic because of the power reserves, and not the edginess of the ST10 on rock and hot recorded pop. When I think of how to improve the MCX-2, I could only think that more transparency without the ST10 edginess.  Note that the ST10 is not really edgy, its more faithful to the recording than the others, but that isnt always what is needed, since I dont only want to listen to perfectly recorded music. The MCX-2 takes a sandpaper and smooths out the edges.  So my question about the AMA amp - does it still sound like the MCX-2 but more transparent? Is it as dynamic as the ST10? Or is it a different sound more like the STA9, which to me was too candy coated.

The AMG is not like ST-10 or STA-9 or any other amps in the family with some changes. Read the listening impression on AMG product page, I repeat below.  I think between ST-10, STA-9, MCX-2, Evo One we have covered just about all the sound characteristics, except one.  Some people fell in love with old analog sound, and until AMG, it was impossible to create the kind of sound with Class D technology.  With AMG, it is has an old soul, yet in a young man's body.  But if you are into rock & roll music, you should not get the AMG, it won't work.

Listening Impression

The AMG STA has a flavor of its own, so it is hard to compare it with the Evolution One, which derives some of its design from or the similarly priced ST-10. AMG STA sounded smooth and relaxing. Detail, resolution, dynamics, and speed are in the ST-10 ballpark, yet the sound is quite different.

Drawing comparison with the Evolution One, they shared a trait of ease in reproducing the details of the recording comes afore. However, AMG STA does things differently. While the Evolution One has that inviting warmth, the AMG STA wants to allure the listener. Hence, instead of glitz and glamor, which pulls you in quickly into the performance, the AMG STA has a demeanor that slowly brings you into the music.

Tonal qualities of the AMG STA leans toward being full and rich, so instruments and vocals seem to gain extra body, weight, and harmonic richness. It may not be the most accurate reproduction but does make Jazz and Vocal pieces highly addictive. It may take away the raw edge of Rock and Electronic music and sounds less exciting for some.

The sound stage has an attractive characteristic. A linear presentation is like having floodlights shining on all the performers such that everyone can be seen equally well. The AMG STA, however, has more of a spotlighting effect, where performers are focused on getting your attention.

It is tough to put the sound of the AMG STA into measurable attributes as the presentation is quite different from the other series. You’ll need to try it and hear for yourself.

[John Ransley]

Hi everyone - I've got to chip in here. As someone who is massively into rock 'n roll and a lot of the harder genres including metal, I've found the new AMG series awesome in this context. The AMG PRA preamp gives a whole lot of depth and drive. it's almost and extension of the 'live sound' that I like so much with the MCX series. I'm still writing up the AMG STA power amps but my feelings about these are very much the same. You should hear what a bridged pair can do.

I don't think you should tie a particular NuPrime component to a specific genre of music - speakers have far more variability and the AMG PRA deals with this, with the ability to improve bass extension on both stand-mount and smaller floor-standers, especially if the matched power amp is more focused on detail and accuracy.
Likewise don't get hung up on the analogue/digital debate - The AMG PRA deals with inputs from both sources in a completely evenhanded way. What it will show you is just how good your phono stage or DAC actually is and in both cases allow you to properly drive your power amp/s.

We've started to get used to having DACs that double as preamps but I haven't found any that come close to the real world performance of the AMG PRA - the cool thing is that you can simply insert the PRA into any such system, often with a considerably more costly DAC such as the Evolution or Chord products and it will delivery an immediate and compelling improvement.  I've got cables that cost more and as much as I think they really do work, the PRA is at a whole different level. Like just about every preamp that NuForce and NuPrime have produced it sounds far better that it has a right to for the price and given what I see on the inside more has gone into this design than just about any other component they have produced. Call me biased but I do get a kick out of what I'm hearing from this new series... John Ransley