Giorgino:
I will give some impressions. I really have been trying to write a full review, but I haven't found the time, nor am I sure how I would review these amps without being able to compare them to other amps directly.
I have had the Nixon amps for about 2 months, and I am very pleased with them. I have the 40 watt monoblock version, and although they are ugly, they sound pretty darned good. The first time I heard them was when Scott comes over with a pair. This was a pair he built for someone else, and wanted just to hear them on some speakers that were harder to drive than his. So, we hefted the 50 pound power supply for the Aloia I had out of the way, and plugged in the mini beasts. . .
I was running the Aloia with a Harmonic tech power cord on a dedicated circuit. We hooked the Nixon amps up with the basic power cord, and on the regular circuit b/c I had no room for two amps on the dedicated. Even in that configuration, they KILLED the Aloia right off the bat. They not only sounded much better throughout the frequency range, but they controlled my speakers better!
I know the Aloia was only 30 watts, but the thing seriously has a 50 pound power supply!!! Why would the Nixon amps exert more control over them so easily? Who knows. Perhaps a result of a much shorter signal path, and amazing signal to noise ratio.
As far as sonic attributes, the Nixon sounded much more natural. The Aloia amp was great to listen to, and I didn't have any complaints. Until I put the Nixon amps in. when I did, I noticed that there were some strange nasties going on in the high frequencies. It was pleasing to listen to because it was typical smooth Italian gear, but it accomplished the smoothness in the highs by compressing them somewhat. Very strange, and something I hadn't heard before.
So Scott had to leave with his amps, and I was forced to listen to the Aloia until he could build me a pair.
Three weeks later, I got my pair. I will go ahead and tell you right now that for the first three to four weeks SOLID, they are hard to listen to. The break-in is very very audible b/c there are so few parts to get in the way of anything. You hear exactly what's going on. It's nasty for a while. Then. . . You go in one night to listen, and it still sucks. Next night you go in, and it is AMAZING! They just seem to transform overnight into a world-class amplifier! It is so mezmerising, you can't get out of your chair.
Then, the same thing happens about a week later, you go in one night, and HOLY COW! I could NOT believe what had happened when they broke in AGAIN. It was absolutely unreal! At that point, I was just awestruck at how an amplifier with so few parts, and for so little money could sound that danged good. . .
So, I have been living with them for a while, and they are the most realistic, transparent amps I have ever owned. Dynamics are spot on, and lightening fast, even before I got the AU24 cables. They are revealing as they can be, but at the same time, they have some sweetness when called for. They are very much like a tube amplifier without the drawbacks. Don't get me wrong, there is a little bitty part of the tube magic that they fall short on, but they do about everything right. They do so much right, and so much that my old Audio Note tube amp would NOT do, there is no way I would go back unless I heard tubes as transparent and extended, but with more magic. I haven't heard them yet.
BTW, these are the absolute QUIETEST amplifiers I have ever had in my system. I used to have a Bryston B-60 with a very high S/N, and this is much quieter. Very noticable. the silence is almost eerie at times. . .
The only comparison I have made is with my friend who is a McIntosh dealer. I wanted to buy a preamp from him, so I took the amps over. I mean, it's not like I had to crate them up, and get a handtruck. They're very portable . . .
So, we listened to his system for a while, and hehas one of the best systems I have heard, and certainly one of the most enjoyable to listen to. The McIntosh 602 is a beast of an amplifier. He and I almost passed out while carrying it up to the third floor listening room. .
It is a VERY powerful amp with LOADS of power, and more power to spare. And power after that! It is quite transparent, but has the very smooth "real-music" thing going on. It is an absolute joy to listen to!
I was so not looking forward to hearing Scott's amps in the same system back to back with the BEAST. But I hooked them up anyway. They drove a pair of Piega C10 Limiteds with a North Star 192 transport/DAC combo providing the source. all AU24 cabling, just like my system.
I have to say that when we first turned the music on, we were both quite in shock. We just couldn't believe what the amps did. First off, they drove the C10 Limiteds with ease. They didn't seem lacking in power at all. They missed a little bit of the bass that the 602 had, but you can do a lot with 560 EXTRA watts! That is the only area they were lacking over the 602. They had PLENTY of bass, but not that last little bit that the 602 provided. With the tone controls on the McIntosh, we boosted bass by 1 notch, and the bass was the same.
The surprising area was the overall sound. It was so much more transparent than the McIntosh amplifier. The McIntosh, as I said, is a joy to listen to. It is very smooth, and listenable for as long as you want. Nixon's amps were extremely revealing compared to the McIntosh, but not harsh. They still were smooth, but you could hear things that you missed through the McIntosh. Not because they weren't tere, but because they were buried in the entrancing smoothness, and didn't call attention to themselves.
Other than that, soundstaging was about the same honestly. Equal width, and depth, and instrument separaton was a bit better with the Nixon amps.
Overall, we were both very impressed. What my friend had been calling "those little amps" for a couple months, he now had great respect for. He now didn't doubt my sanity by changing from the big bad Aloia to these. He still thinks I am insane b/c I have amps with no POWER SWITCH. hahha He gets all stressed out over any extraneous noises when hooking gear up. I just unplug them when I need to make a change. Better than adding a few extra parts that would muck up the sound.
One caveat I will point out. These amplifiers ARE 40 watts. My speakers are 89db, so they aren't terribly hard to drive. These amplifiers will protect themselves when they need to. The chips are very intelligent, and they will shut off. I have only been able to do this one time. I was playing some Eric Clapton live, and I remember being at that show, so I was boosting it up, and trying to make it as loud as I remember at the show. I NEVER listen this loud, but I was just playing around, and it was so loud!! Well, during one of the loud transients, it did shut down for like 2 seconds. Came right back on though. . . And I wasn't brave enough to try it again for my ears' sake.
I haven't found an amplifier that gives this much for the money. In fact, I haven't had one in my system at all that betters it.
I would like to have a shootout with folks in NC sometime. That would be the only fair way to review this thing, and I am sure the results would be much more reliable from an amp shootout than a DAC shootout with non vs. oversampling. .
So, anyone wanna do it, let me know. I will take on all commers regardless what amp you have.
HTH,
B
