[humming_bird]

On Aspen web site, they quote:
"In auditioning with the AKSA we have ranked with Leak tube amp?s, Marantz PM66 Signature Series, Sugden A21 Class A amp?s, and Audiom Silver Knight SE 300B amps."

Has anybody know the members of the auditioning panel and their qualifications who rank AKSA amplifier to be on par with the above well-known amplifiers? I also like to know are there any publications (other than user forums) that support AKSA rating?

[andyr]

I suspect you won't find much in the way of "other" publications than the AKSA Forum who comment on the goodness or otherwise of AKSA amps.  However, Hugh Dean, the designer may be able to advise (there was a review planned, I believe, by TNT Audio).

However, you need to ask yourself why you believe a "HiFi publication" will give you less biased advice than reading through various posts on the AKSA Forum by owners who have taken the plunge, built an amp and then rejoiced in how good it was.  Reviewers for HiFi publications tend a) not to review kits and b) not to deal with people who won't give them a component "on extended loan".

I myself had Naim amplifiers - old, admittedly - but when I took one of my 250s round to Hugh's place and compared it to his AKSA, it just blew my Naim away.  Yes, I could've bought a new Naim 250 which would also have been much better ... but this would've cost 8 or 10 times as much. And I suspect would not have been better!

Other AKSA owners have posted how, when they took the plunge and built an AKSA, it was so much better than what they had ... and there are some reputable amps mentioned.

Have faith, dude, and the force will be with you! (to coin a phrase!).

Regards,

Andy

[lonewolfny42]

humming_bird,

I've found that the best review is...one's own ears. Try to give the AKSA a listen. It will surprize you. If you live in the US, there is a demo tour going on. Might try to jump on board. Hearing the amp in your own system is much better than reading a review written by some audio mag. And there are plenty of fine AKSA owners on this site to answer any questions you may have. Good luck !!! [/list:u]

[andyr]

humming_bird,

I've found that the best review is...one's own ears. Try to give the AKSA a listen. It will surprize you. If you live in the US, there is a demo tour going on. Might try to jump on board. Hearing the amp in your own system is much better than reading a review written by some audio mag. And there are plenty of fine AKSA owners on this site to answer any questions you may have. Good luck !!! [/list:u]

Yes but remember, Lonewolf ... we're all "biased" on this site!  

Regards,

Andy

[lonewolfny42]

humming_bird,

I've found that the best review is...one's own ears. Try to give the AKSA a listen. It will surprize you. If you live in the US, there is a demo tour going on. Might try to jump on board. Hearing the amp in your own system is much better than reading a review written by some audio mag. And there are plenty of fine AKSA owners on this site to answer any questions you may have. Good luck !!! [/list:u]

Yes but remember, Lonewolf ... we're all "biased" on this site!  

Regards,

Andy

Thanks why I said ..."plenty of fine AKSA owners"......

I'm not one yet...but very happy I got to hear it !!!! [/list:u]

[AKSA]

Hi Humming_Bird,

Thank you for your post.  Are you a manufacturer or seller of the amplifiers mentioned?  If so, then your interest in this statement is vested, as was Aspen's original claim when making it.  Please state your position in the face of what is a fairly confronting, almost accusatory statement.  Otherwise, let us continue.....

The comparisons were made by buyers and pre-production reviewers of the AKSA who compared it with their original amplifiers.  All are audiophile consumers, the very guys Aspen tries to address when it sells audio products.

Qualifications.  What would you like?  PhDs in EE?  Acoustics?  Reviewers in Stereophile?  Musicology?  Once you know who and what they are, how will this affect the legitimacy or relevance of this position?  Are these experts, some of whom have brought us 0.0005% amplifiers which appear to have few sonic merits, and others of whom have delivered magazine reviews which appear to serve the manufacturer rather more than the truth, worthy of basing a purchase on?

Now, you need to understand the semantics of the statement in some detail.  Aspen did not say 'on a par with' these products;  you said this.  I was obliged to amend the comment by a Marketing Manager from Sugden, who took offence at the comment and threatened/insulted Aspen.  So I changed it to 'ranked' with, which means it is in the same street, but not the same as.  This mollified him completely (after he made a very nasty comment about Australians, which reminded me of my beginnings back in the old country a couple of hundred years back!).  

Comparing two products and saying one bests the other is not exactly correct.  The sounds are different, and since people have preferences with their sound - testimony is the huge number of speakers in the marketplace - they are in a position to make a preference, a 'sonic' choice.  Many take the AKSA choice because to them it sounds 'right'.  This is not to say better, although in unguarded moments one might agree with this.  It is a preference, as one might choose a German automobile over an Italian automobile.

If you are still confused, read my design philosophy paper on the website;  this will give you some idea of where Aspen is coming from.  I am not gilding the lily or attempting to double-speak;  but you are not in a strong position to argue the points raised until you hear the AKSA and understand fully the implications of sounding 'different', not somehow 'better'.

Lastly, I again ask you to reveal your position.

Cheers,

Hugh

[DSK]

On Aspen web site, they quote:
"In auditioning with the AKSA we have ranked with Leak tube amp?s, Marantz PM66 Signature Series, Sugden A21 Class A amp?s, and Audiom Silver Knight SE 300B amps."

Has anybody know the members of the auditioning panel and their qualifications who rank AKSA amplifier to be on par with the above well-known amplifiers? I also like to know are there any publications (other than user forums) that support AKSA rating?

Hi Humming_Bird and welcome to the forum. I can certainly understand that it is difficult to believe or accept that a relatively inexpensive kitset amp can match or exceed far more expensive amps from 'big name' manufacturers. For this reason, were I not able to audition the AKSA amps and pre-amps for myself, I certainly would not have taken that leap of faith.

As others have said, the only way for you to truly know whether the AKSA amps match or exceed your current amps, is to hear them for yourself. Although everyone is 'supposedly' chasing the same goal of 'the closest thing to real music', people have different subjective preferences often without even realising it. Some people are turned on by tonality, others by slam, others ....etc etc. If everyone heard music in the exact same way, there would only be one successful amplifier in each price bracket. Clearly this is not the case. You could put 5 audiophiles in the same room with the same system and music, play 5 different amps, and get 5 different opinions as to which amp is best.

In my early days I read all the reviews on equipment that I could find. I mean, these reviewers are pros right? How could they get a review wrong? Well, like many of us here, I began to realise that what sounded right to ME was far more important than what sounded right to some guy on the other side of the world with a different system, different room, different preferences, and quite possibly non-music related incentives.

Reviews, by pro reviewers or audiophiles on forums, are useful but should not be considered as containing any absolutes. They are often useful to help you generate your 'short list' for audition, but should never be used to make your decision for you. When you come across a component that is receiving a large number of (almost) unanymously positive comments, then it usually indicates that it is either 'very good for the price' or 'very good' full stop. I almost didn't audition the AKSA amps as I figured that they must simply be very good 'for the price', after all they were relatively cheap. I'm quite happy to admit I was wrong. These amps are very good period. Over the years I've listened to a number of well regarded amps from the likes of Audio Research, Plinius, Electrocompaniet, Arcam, Musical Fidelity, Audio Aero, ME, RedGum, etc etc. However, there are none that I have heard that I would go running out to buy over the AKSA Nirvana Plus amps. I am not saying that the AKSA trashed them all, I am saying that the differences between the better ones and the AKSA were relatively small and further very careful auditioning would be required to decide which was best overall for me. Some of these amps were ten times the price of the AKSA.

Interestingly, over the last few years, the $ value of my system has dropped significantly, but the sound quality and emotional engagement factor have increased significantly. This is due to my good fortune in coming across brands like AKSA that equal and better most of the much more expensive gear out there, for far less cost. You lose big name bragging rights, but enjoy your music collection far more.  

Also keep in mind that if AKSA gear was sold in hifi salons, it would cost way more than it does now direct from Hugh, and the R&D time that has gone into the AKSA amps is immense.

Mine is just one man's opinion and you must make your own decisions. The best advice I can give you is to open your mind to brands that may not be familiar to you, trust your own ears, and don't be brainwashed by 'pro' reviews. There are a myriad of audio fans on the various forums with ears as good as the 'pro' reviewers, and no financial biases.

Good luck in your search!

[SuperMart]

Hi DSK,

 I totally agree with every point in your excellent post. As the Supremes used to sing "I Second That Emotion".

Cheers,
Martin.

[Seano]

If it is any help to anyone (particularily those who take this shit seriously) I'd never heard of any of those amps before I bought my AKSA.

Wouldn't know what they look like, sound like, cost like. And still don't.

All I was interested in was the fact that I could build what a bunch of nutters was a great amp for half the money I thought I'd need to make me happy.

The nutters were right and the budget was halved. Problem solved.

And other people say it sounds pretty good too.

[Rocket]

Hi Humming Bird,

TNT Audio did a review of the stock aksa 55 a couple of years ago.  I actually think the review was a bit understated but it will give you an idea and some confidence in the product.

I did take a leap of faith and bought an aksa 100 18 monhths ago.  I initially started with the stock version, nirvana and now i have upgraded to  the nirvana plus status.

The stock amplifier is very good but the nirvana upgrade adds much more refinement to the top end and most areas are improved.  The nirvana plus is different beast altogether and sounds very good.

I have an n.e.w. dc-66 amplifier which originally sold for $3000us/$6000au and think that even the nirvana version of the amplifier sounds better.

Best wishes

rocket

[humming_bird]

We all know that it is very subjective to review your own project. That is why I don't rely on the comments from user forums. I would say it doesn't mean anything to anybody but the owners themselves. I'm not a seller or manufacturer of any sort. After I read some user reviews on AKSA forum and web site, I feel like there is a lot of "praising" without supporting facts. I happened to have a chance to listen to AKSA at one of my friend's home. I would say it sounds different. I haven't read anything about AKSA before hand. My personal "subjective" opinion about AKSA is that it emphasises on the reproduction of treble and midband but it leaves a very thin and lack of authority bass. To be honest, I haven't heard anything so unbalance like that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging the performance of AKSA. It is merely my personal "subjective" opinion, just like other subjective opinions on this forum.

As for andyr's Naim 250, you may need to re-cap it. It is 25 years old amp after all. Naim  recommends to re-cap their amplifiers every 7-10 years. Comparing your 25 years old Naim with AKSA is like comparing a 30 years old BMW with a modern car. Old BMW is still good but it needs some works.

[PT914]

I remember re-capping my Naim monoblocks driving Keltiks(sp?) about 5 years ago and was disappointed that it didn't make much of a difference.  The caps were about 7 years old.
I started building the Aksa amps to replace all the monoblocks, not all finished but am very impressed with the sound, wow, especially the 25W N+.

Philip

[jules]

ah, mysterious humming bird. Perhaps you only managed to hear one of the notorious fake Aksa's.

Did you get a chance to look very closely at the name plate? Next time you visit your friend I suggest you try sticking a sharply pointed object into the nameplate on the amp. Genuine Aksas have a resilient feel where the fake ones are rather soft.

Jules

[Lost81]

After I read some user reviews on AKSA forum and web site, I feel like there is a lot of "praising" without supporting facts. I happened to have a chance to listen to AKSA at one of my friend's home.  
                                            .   .   .  
My personal "subjective" opinion about AKSA is that it emphasises on the reproduction of treble and midband but it leaves a very thin and lack of authority bass. To be honest, I haven't heard anything so unbalance like that...

Hi huming_bird,

Thank you for your opinions.

I'm curious though: can you furnish your gentle readers with more supporting facts regarding your singular encounter with the AKSA. E.g. model, source used, analogue or digital (DAC and transport used), speakers used, room size, type of room treatment / furnishings, etc.

This request for more information is not made with the intent of disparaging or undermining the validity of your experience in anyway. After all, the listening experience, from which the performance of the amplifier is extrapolated from, is ultimately the sum of all the components in a chain working together in a specific acoustic environment. (To be flippant, a michievous reviewer could employ a 92kbps MP3 as a source, a pair of Bose Cube speakers as the load, and a pair of Mark Levinson No. 33 Monoblocks as the amplifiers, and then review the amplifiers as inadequate and over-priced    ). Furnishing your readers with more details will enable us to place a higher value on your review.


In my (limited) personal experience, I have not found my AKSA 100 N lacking in the bass department. In fact, I had to resort to other methods of securing pictures and cork notice boards on my walls because the bass keeps rattling them loose. (And, no, I do not listen to rap).


Other amplifiers I have tried with my set-up so far include (but is not limited to):
Pass Aleph 3 (bears most similiarities with the AKSA, but try leaving them on for a month and check out your utility bill   ); Carver Lightstar 2.0 (more powerful bass, but bloated. Mid-range & treble were harsh); too many HK amplifiers to list - including the Signature Series 1.5 and 2.1 (somewhat "warm" (roll-ed off highs?), but there is a "haze" in the top end compared to the AKSA 100 N); Sunfire 300~2 (not impressed. Ho hum IMHO. Nothing notable, with the exception that it is balanced in its mediocrity); Marantz MA-700 Monoblocks (harsh, strident and gritty).

Of course, YMMV, depending on your (or your friend's) set-up...


If there is any criticism with regard to the AKSAs, I must reserve it for the TLP Nirvana. I found it intolerant of bad or "compressed" recordings--so much so that I can't bear to listen to "bad recordings" anymore on this system    --but Hugh had already warned me of this fact ahead of time   It is a trade-off I gladly make.


Best of luck in your quest for audio nirvana!



-Lost81
---
Transport: stock CAL Delta
DAC: Bolder Mensa DIO w/ Bybee Slipstream & custom toroidal transformer
Pre-amplifer: TLP Nirvana + extended mods (i.e. non-magnetic tantalum resistors, Riken Ohm resistors & BlackGate capacitors)
Amplifiers: AKSA 100 Nirvana Monoblocks x Qty 4
Speakers: Mission 754 Freedom 5 upgraded with WBT binding posts
Wires:
Outlet: Hubbell Hospital-Grade 20A
Power Cords: Belden 83803 (amplifiers); Belden 19364 (others)
Interconnects: Bolder Cable Digital (Transport-to-DAC); Monster Cable Sigma Retro Gold (DAC-to-Pre-Amp); Monster Cable Sigma 2 (Pre-Amp-to-Monoblocks).
Speaker Cables: 2 pairs of Monster Cable Sigma 2000
Room size: 3.3m (W) x 4m (L) x 2.4m (H)
Acoustic Environment: Left Wall covered with a mix of diffusers & absorbers; Right wall dominated by a large sliding picture window (with Venetian Blinds), 4' x 6' 1" thick wool Gabbeh Rug hung 1" from the wall between speakers, Michael Green Room Tunes Acoustic Treatment, an assortment of 4" Wedge-type acoustic foam.

[Greg Erskine]

humming_bird wrote:
My personal "subjective" opinion about AKSA is that it emphasises on the reproduction of treble and midband but it leaves a very thin and lack of authority bass. To be honest, I haven't heard anything so unbalance like that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging the performance of AKSA. It is merely my personal "subjective" opinion, just like other subjective opinions on this forum.

We must respect humming_bird's personal opinion. Just because we love our AKSAs doesn't mean they are everyones cup of tea. He has expressed his opinion in a very non confronting manner IMHO.

I have to admit, during the AKSAfest 12 or 18 months ago, I was astonished at the difference between the AKSAs being demonstrated. The combination of different speakers, amps and listening area made a huge difference.

I'm sure with time, effort and money, a suitably configured AKSA could be found that would meet humming_bird's requirements, but why would you do that when a Naim all ready fits the bill.

I believe the bass issue is a matter of personal preference. I personally don't belive my AKSA 55 lacks control of the bass and is ideally suited to my tastes.

Thanks
Greg

[kyrill]

The sound of AKSA or any other amplifier pur sang is a theoretical exercise if the designer aims for the "perfect amp"

If AKSA would be this perfect amp it would not have any coloration of its own, it would just be an infinite transparent input amplicifation apparatus. SO what would you hear? Perfect music? Perfect sound?

Not at all. It would let you hear perfectly the quality of the chain befor the AKSA's input and the quality of the speakers, but you will NOT hear the AKSA.

High end amplifier design, and I am replacing my 10.000 US dollar plus preamp poweramp combination for the AKSA's and GK-1, tries to reach this transparent neutral perfect amp. And the ASPEN amps do belong to this neutral and  transparent but above all musical family, if placed in the right system.
So I am afraid that the not expensive AKSA will do a lot of harm in some not so expensive non- DIY systems by ruthlessly revealing the "quality" of the rest of the audio chain.

[AKSA]

Humming_bird,

Many thanks for putting your point so well.  A few comments.

First, reviews on the AKSA are very rare because I do not have a strong marketing machine in place, something I'm addressing but which sadly will inevitably jack up the price.  You might know that reviews often come with a price tag;  it is perceived as advertising right or wrong so a cost is associated with it.  Getting reviews in the States is tricky because of the shipping involved and because most reviewers are not interested in kit amplifiers.

Second, the AKSA is part sensitive (which I control by supplying all parts) and to some extent load sensitive.  A difficult load will unsettle the 55W AKSA, and this has been demonstrated to me quite recently in Melbourne with a large floor standing speaker which dipped below 2R.  The reviewer found the bass to be uncontrolled and bloated;  never mind that the amp was driving a 1.8R load, and dismissed it out of hand as an inadequate amplifier.  The 100W AKSA would have been exceptional in this situation.  It is often difficult to know the sort of load to which the amp will be coupled;  but broadly if there is any doubt at all I always suggest the 100W.  OTOH, the 55W is a wonderful amplifier with a benign load, and in this sense it is like most 50W amplifiers in the marketplace which struggle with low impedance loads.

Thirdly, you are probably right about any disinclination of owners to criticise the bass response of their newly built AKSA.  Among the 500 or so that have been sold I have never heard criticism of the bass performance, even from the 55W, but tastes vary and it is difficult to satisfy every audiophile although it is my fervent desire to try.  It is worth noting that all other things being equal, 90% of listeners will prefer a speaker with a 2 or 3 dB peak below 80Hz;  this is not natural, but it is widely perceived as such and the flat speaker will be pronounced 'lacking in bass'.

Lastly, let us talk cost.  The AKSA is inexpensive, almost unbelievably so, and comes with quality components and, I believe,  service which is exceptional in this industry.  In terms of price/performance there are few kits which can compete, and with the right speakers the AKSA can rank with amps costing five times as much - even more!  Recently I compared a 55W N+ to a Musical Fidelity A370 Class A 105W microwave oven sized amplifier, and I have to say that the A370 had no more detail or clarity and only a little more authority in the lower registers.  Even the owner said that bang for the buck the AKSA topped it, but it must be said the A370 was very large, beautifully made, very expensive and very inefficient.  One must be realistic, however, and say that people seeking to spend less than $US1K all up to build a quality amplifier are hardly in the same buyer category to those buying amps costing three or four times more, so in the sense that the AKSA is even compared to these amplifiers, mission accomplished.

Again, thank you for your input.  You may be right in your quest for qualified reviews, but in truth I'm looking for customers who have their own perceptions about what is good and bad and who realize, after careful thought, that reviews and the conventional high end press is all too often flawed.  In this, Aspen has been blessed with a wonderful customer base, and a large number of these good people have become good friends over time with a high proportion of repeat business.  It is easy to offer good service to a customer base like this, and I am resolved to remain in this business up to and beyond retirement.  My own Father continues to play an active role at 82 in his business;  the key throughout is good service and a love of the technology.

Cheers,

Hugh

[srclose]

This past week I had the chance to briefly audition a 55W Nirvana.  One of the most obvious differences between the AKSA and my current BAT VK60 was better bass control and a more solid floor to the music provided by the AKSA.  At least in this particular situation, clean, controlled low frequency output seemed to be a strength.

[Martin]

Hi Stephen
Just for the record, It was the 100watt nirvana that I brought over.
 I agree with Gregg, the amp does sound different depending on all
variables. The Aksa did not sound the same at Stephens house as it
does at mine, but I liked what I heard and I'm fairly sure Stephen did too.
 Humming bird, if you are a US resident I encourage you to get on the "Aksa
Audition Tour". You too could become a believer...what have you got to lose?
Martin

[humming_bird]

I didn't pay much attention to what other components my friend has in his setup. The obvious one is a pair of triangular shaped loudspeakers box (I later found out that it is also from AKSA on AKSA online web site). The preamp also looks like a DIY project but I don't know the source (I apologise for being disinterest in his system after listening to a few tracks of my favourite artist). In fact, I didn't go there just to listen to his system. It was just a normal visit and he told me he built an audio system completely DIY (except the CD player It was a japanese made CD player as I can recall). He played a few tracks in one of my favourite album. I found it was very unbearable to listen to. The percussion sounds like the drummer hitting on a table instead of a drum. It has the power to drive the speakers but it lacks of focus. Not long ago I also have a chance of listening to another friend of mine who built a DIY amplifier (He later told me it is modified version of Nelson Pass Aleph-5 circuit). I was very impressed when the very first music score reaches my ears. It put a concert right in front of me with her band performing just for myself. That was sensational and involving experience. It doesn't need any Hi-Fi hypes, just music. I'm not a qualified audio reviewer nor I'm claiming that status. I just like my favourite artist's performance being reproduced the way it should have been. As for the cost of the setup, he said it costs slightly over $1k. He said it might not sound as good as the original due to his budget for the quality components.

Please don't crucify me. I don’t mean to disturb the ritual of the Hi-Fi ceremony in this forum ;-).