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Gryphon Apex Stereo power amplifier
Some time ago, an amplifier in for review caught fire when first powered up. I don't mean it smoked and sizzled and shut down—I mean that actual flames shot through the top grate. Fortunately, I was...
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LKV PWR-3 power amplifier
Reviewing LKV Research's Veros PWR+ power amplifier in the September 2020 issue, Senior Contributing Editor Herbert Reichert enthusiastically opined, "the class-D LKV amp played equally rich and...
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Simaudio Moon 860A v2 power amplifier
We've all been in similar situations. We approach an undertaking with the highest of expectations. Then reality intervenes, expectations change radically, and we have another story to tell, post on...
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Primare A35.8 8-channel power amplifier
Back in 1999, while reviewing the Wazoo integrated amplifier from Bow Technologies, I learned that its designer and company founder, Bo Christensen, had previously founded another audio company. That's...
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Schiit Audio Tyr monoblock power amplifier
It's a not untypical tale. Two veteran engineers, Jason Stoddard, who had extensive experience in product design, development, manufacturing, and marketing, and Mike Moffat, who had an impressive...
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Esoteric Grandioso M1X monoblock power amplifier
Of all the brand lines I've reviewed, none's sound has changed as much over time as Esoteric's top-tier Grandioso series. When I first encountered Grandioso setups at shows, they consistently sounded...
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Karan Acoustics Master Collection POWERa Mono power amplifier
It began with a bad outlet. Perhaps two weeks after my husband and visiting friend created several delightful holiday light displays in the living room, one of the living room outlets died. Every time...
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Dan D'Agostino Momentum M400 MxV monoblock power amplifier
The Momentum M400 MxV Mono amplifier ($79,500/pair; footnote 1) is the latest iteration of Dan D'Agostino Master Audio Systems' debut amplifier of 2011, the Momentum Mono amplifier. Weighing 95lb, it...
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Living Sounds Audio Discovery Warp-1 power amplifier
It takes a while for audio-related technologies to mature. Tubed amplifiers were invented by Lee de Forest in the nineteen-teens, but while there are still some adherents of early high-distortion...
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Infigo Method-3 monoblock power amplifier
I should have trusted my ears. When I first encountered Infigo (pronounced In-FEE'-go) electronics, paired with Alta Audio's Adam loudspeaker, at T.H.E. Show 2022 in Long Beach, California, I wrote,...
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Ayre Acoustics VX-8 power amplifier
Can an audio brand maintain a "house sound" if the original creator of that sound is no longer among the living? If the brand in question is Ayre Acoustics, the answer is a resounding Yes. When Ayre...
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Electrocompaniet AW 800 M stereo/monoblock power amplifier
The finest soup I ever tasted was served in Kamakura City, Japan, in 1992. After climbing a mountain to a shrine that held a lock of Buddha's hair, I descended to Kamakura and walked to its Great...
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Naim Classic 200 Series NAP 250 power amplifier
For this modular audio component set—a review of the matching NSC 222 streamer preamp with a matching NPX 300 power supply is forthcoming—we first cover the standalone NAP 250 100Wpc stereo power...
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Accuphase A-300 monoblock power amplifier
One of the finest chamber music performances I have ever attended took place this past August under far from ideal circumstances. The venue was one-month-old Field Hall in Port Angeles, Washington, a...
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Burmester 216 power amplifier
When I was offered the opportunity to review a Burmester product—the 216 stereo power amplifier—I accepted immediately, mainly out of curiosity. Berlin-based Burmester is an important hi-fi brand, but...
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Plinius Reference A-150 power amplifier
When Jim Austin offered the Plinius Reference A-150 stereo amplifier ($14,995) for review, it felt like a welcome blast from the past. Plinius has, lately, maintained a low profile in the US, likely...
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JMF HQS 7001 monoblock power amplifier
For some, it takes the likes of Scheherazade to seduce; for me, simple sound will suffice. But not just any sound. If I'm going to enter into a relationship with an audio component, I want it to last....
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Rogue Audio DragoN monoblock power amplifier
When Editor Jim Austin asked me to review the new Rogue Audio DragoN monoblock amplifier, my first thought was, "Isn't that Herb's beat?" A quick scan shows that Rogue Audio has been prominent in...
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Krell KMA-i800 monoblock power amplifier
Ever since I raved about Krell's K-300i integrated amplifier after it was released in early 2019, I've wanted to review other Krell products. After spending more than a year and a half (since its...
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EMM Labs MTRS power amplifier
Edmund (Ed) Manfred Meitner's name and reputation have long been synonymous with pioneering achievements in the fields of digital audio, especially DSD. In 1971, after designing the first fully...
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