Hi Tim,
Please excuse my tardy reply; I've been away in South Australia on family matters and returned only recently. While away I did read your review, however, and on return I reread it, marvelling at the attention to detail and the entirely believable way you composed it.
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
Many of the products you have in the States are not imported into Australia, as the market here, at 20 million souls, is just too small. I've not seen the MF TriVista DAC, but I have seen and heard the Gallo REference 3 and the DCM Timeframe. Both very good speakers, of very different genres, and thus offering some diversity. The transport looks pretty good, but I've not seen them close up. I can see you are, like me, something of a skeptic with cables!! But oddly, they do make a difference, dammit, I find this very irritating as I can't fully explain it. There's something going on with cables which is more art than science.....
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.
This is very interesting; I wonder what the imagined benefits are? It would seem to me that the back emf from the full-range connected voice coil, driven hard by the sub, would create intermodulation with the midrange - somewhat like having all the drivers in the same box. This seems flawed to me, but I guess they know what they are doing........
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.
Tim, this seems entirely congruent to me, and I applaud your approach. After all, this was an amplifier designed specifically for listening, NOT for measurement (although ironically it measures extremely well with 0.045% THD at full power into 8R resistive at 20KHz, all H2 and H3). Since we buy high fi gear to play music, (and hopefully to tickle our souls!) then the listening session has to be the definitive test. Measurements serve only to add that intellectual, marketing cachet that people 'know what they are getting', whatever that can mean. The fact that an Ongaku records about 2% THD at listening levels seems lost on most. Finally, that familiar music should be used for this test seems a tautology!!
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.
This is an astute observation, tactfully handled. I have had people say to me that the amplifier is too ruthless, and that it makes bad recordings sound bad. They wanted something which made bad recordings sound good, and yet permitted wonderful recordings to bloom....... What was that about 'They want it all..."? I see the analogy here with a Ferrari and a Cadillac - could it be that bad roads feel good with a Caddy? You just can't have it all.........
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.
Thank you, Tim. This redresses the balance, as some have criticised the AKSA for this very quality. What the AKSA really has is SLAM, quite the antithesis of a tube amp, and something I really had to work on. Slam is more than just power supply design.......
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.
Yes, I agree with this. The speaker/cable interaction will hugely influence the sound stage, and just like any high end installation, you have to get a good synergy here. This comes back to the reactive response of the loudspeaker, and the resulting phase alterations to the feedback loop on the amplifier. You can remove the speaker from the feedback loop, the Ayre does this, and Charles Altmann SPLIFF technology achieves it, but then there are other issues to deal with. While sound stage is often improved, some of the slam is gone, and immediacy and drive is affected. Once again, you can't have it all.......
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.
I cannot be quite sure of what happened here as I wasn't there, watching the performance on a CRO. However, I think you are right, and it is apparent that the AKSA was squabbling with the back EMF from the speaker driven by the Carver. The fact that it occured in only one channel tells me that phase shift on one channel reached the limit of stability. This is a highly unusual configuration, of course, not likely to be often found 'in the wild'. Naturally I'll record this, but it's not likely to recur.
The first album I listened to was Scheherazade / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fritz Reiner.
I have an original recording of this on vinyl, transferred thirty years ago to cassette. I do have another recording of Scheherazade (one of the sexiest pieces of all time!), not as good as Reiner, but I think you will agree this amp was designed first and foremost with orchestras in mind. Scheherazade, The Enigma Variations by Elgar, Bach's Double Violin Concerto and Symphonic Dances by Rachmaninoff are in fact my favorite all time Classical Pieces........
OTOH, I've always had a bit of trouble with Grusin, preferring Jan Garbarek in 'Twelve Moons', but I concede that Dave Grusin is a seminal jazz composer and performer and his music is superbly recorded.
However, it's interesting how our musical tastes compare. You have picked some of the artists I routinely use to 'listen' to an amplifier. Enya, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac - I've used them all. Enya is particularly useful for layering and intermodulation testing; it's very complex music, but so melodic you can easily pick dissonances due to the electronics. Eric Clapton - Old Love is my favourite - is extremely close miked and very realistic, can be intrusive if not reproduced properly. Fleetwood Mac is a useful test for teasing out the anguish in Nick's voice.......
You refer to sustain, separation of notes, and attack. I can chronicle each of these characteristics and where in the design they were addressed. There is a great deal of care in the feedback in the AKSA - apparent in the critical path lengths on the pcb. The feedback factor is crucial, and it affects literally everything.
You can thank Paul (aka Occam) for discovering the Tara Labs synergy. I've just bought some myself, though they are presently in transit. I'm very glad you found them to be so good. I believe they are a benchmark for all AKSA owners.
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…
Thank you, Tim!! This is a ringing endorsement, gratefully received. I have to be very careful with my claims, because firstly I have a relationship with almost all my customers, and need to tell the truth, and secondly, because the community is so open, which occasionally causes angst. However, if people see the product warts and all then the internet purchase experience is not so intimidating, and in any direct selling mode, that's very important.
In closing, Tim, and on behalf of both Paul and myself, our thanks to you for your comprehensive, no holds barred review. Superbly executed, beautifully written, musically outstanding. Much appreciated!! I will be emailing you later to expedite your order!
Cheers,
Hugh
