I know there’s already been several reviews of the XR45 on this and other audio forums, and there have been several posts regarding Wayne’s modded version of the XR45, but as probably the only person in the UK to have a Bolder modified XR45 I thought I’d post my thoughts anyway.
I should probably start by listing the rest of my equipment. I currently use a PC, which has all my CD’s stored on hard drive as uncompressed .wav files, which feeds a digital spdif signal out via a RME DSP9632 sound card and Stereovox HDXV cable directly into the digital coax input of the XR45. I then have Green Mountain Audio Europa’s as my 2 main stereo speakers and Kef KHT speakers for the remainder of the channels (used for movies only)
Initial impressions of the stock XR45 were very good, and certainly similar to the many posts that have gone before me. Here was a very cheap amp that clearly had a lot of promise, and could certainly embarrass more expensive amps straight out of the box. The detail was amazing, the bass punch and clarity was superb, however the main drawbacks for me were that the top end was certainly a little harsh and difficult to listen too, and sometimes the mid-band could get a little confused on complex pieces of music.
Therefore the amp went off to Wayne for the full HT mod plus Bybees for the front 2 channels.
When I finally received the amp back my first impression was just how impressed I was with the quality of the work Wayne had performed. There are pictures elsewhere on this forum of the modified unit, so by all means take a look, but it was still great to see it first hand!
On first listen, and I should say that I also bought a Bolder Nitro power cable and speaker cables to go with the amp, I was a little less than impressed. To be honest I actually thought the amp sounded worse than before I sent it off. However, knowing how much burn-in can change the sound of a component, and knowing Wayne’s recommendation that the unit be burned in for at least a week before critical listening, I didn’t panic. I therefore left the unit on 24/7 for a week, mostly playing the burn-in track from the XLO Test and Reference CD.
It has to be said that even after just a couple of days the difference was absolutely astounding! All the traits that I loved about the XR45 were still present, except possibly even a little better, but most noticeable to me was just how smooth the amp now sounded. Suddenly here was an amp that had all the bass and speed of a transistor amp, with a lot of the smoothness that people associate with tubes. For me I truly do now have an amp that would rival much more expensive opposition. Detail and clarity are utterly superb, speed is excellent, bass sounds terrific and it all sounds deliciously smooth. Oh, and the XR45 now has now problem at all resolving complex pieces of music.
The question is, have I heard better, and to that I have to answer yes, however at a much greater price. My previous system consisted of Lavardin pre-power amps feeding into B&W Nautilus 805 speakers via Nordost SPM Reference speaker cable (front end the same). That system had the edge in detail, punch and speed, although was possibly a little too analytical, but the total cost of the system came to about $18,000 whereas what I have now is more like about $4,000. Therefore for me the benefits are obvious, and I probably enjoy my music more than ever.
So hats off to Panasonic for making a wonderful little amp for the money, and hats off to Wayne for taking something with a lot of promise and bringing out all of it’s potential.
