AMPLIFIER - VUMETRE (ENGLISH)

SOULNOTE A1

SOULNOTE, AMPLIFIER, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Priority to hearing is the motto of Japanese designer of high-end audiophile equipment SoulNote. Prioritising ‘feel’ and musicality over raw, indisputable but cold figures has always been its guiding principle. Its SoulNote A1 integrated amplifier, which caught our attention, is no exception to this rule and benefits from the years of research and development that SoulNote has devoted to developing systems capable of fully exploiting and expressing the liveliness of a sound source.

ACCUPHASE E5000 vs E800: An Impressive Pair

AMPLIFIER, ACCUPHASE, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Following our article on the brand’s new E4000 amplifier (VUmètre 46), some people asked us why choose a class A/B amplifier from this range when the famous Japanese brand has a pure class A E650 in its catalogue. So we came up with the idea of producing a comparison – to our knowledge unavailable in any other magazine at the moment – between the manufacturer’s two biggest integrated amplifiers, the Accuphase E5000, rated at 240W under 8 ohms in class A/B, and the Accuphase E800, capable of reaching 50W under 8 ohms in class A.

WAVAC PR-Z1 and WAVAC TA-805m: Precise and Outstanding

WAVAC, AMPLIFIER, MANUFACTURER, PHONO PREAMP, TESTS, TYPES

Created in 1995, the Wavac brand remains relatively discreet in Europe due to its niche positioning: that of very high-fidelity tube products. From its relatively extensive catalogue of amplifiers and preamplifiers, we now have the Wavac TA-805m pair of power...

ADVANCE PARIS A12

ADVANCE PARIS, AMPLIFIER, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

The latest addition to the brand’s amplifier range, the Advance Paris A12 Classic builds on the hybrid concept of the A10 Classic to bring even more power and finesse to the brand’s signature sound. With a tube preamplification stage and transistor amplification, the A12 delivers a very comfortable 190 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and above all offers a plethora of connections to integrate into all environments and possible uses.

ENGSTROM Arne: An Exceptional Amplifier

AMPLIFIER, ENGSTROM, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Engstrom has set itself the mission of rediscovering the softness and serenity of the best tube amplifiers. To achieve this, the small Swedish family business set up in 2008 drew its inspiration from radio cabinets and the electronics that went into them in the 1960s and 1970s. This specificity gives this tube amplifier a rather surprising and spectacular design, which immediately sets it apart from the competition – just like its behaviour. What’s more, the Engstrom Arne will delight fans of the famous 300B tube and the exceptional musicality for which it is renowned.

ACCUPHASE E4000

AMPLIFIER, ACCUPHASE, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Introduced a year after the E5000 amplifier, the Accuphase E4000 replaces the E480, taking what appears to be the new digital code for the brand’s class A/B integrated amplifiers. Modified using the latest technologies, including those of the recent P7500 stereo block, the E4000 sees its noise reduced still further and its damping factor considerably increased, for unfailingly quiet operation, supported by a still very comfortable power output of 2 x 180 W at 8 ohms, available to fill almost any loudspeaker on the market.

JADIS I300: Prestigious, Simple Tube Warmth

AMPLIFIER, JADIS, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

At the time of writing, the prestigious Jadis company will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. Like all the brand’s products, the Jadis I300 is aimed at audiophiles who love the warmth of tube sound ‘à la Jadis’, a unique taste in sound. In keeping with the convictions of the most purist of audiophiles, this amplifier represents a real return to our roots. It’s a choice that argues for simplicity in tube systems using one of the most iconic tubes, the famous 300B power triode. To equip its amplifier, Jadis chose the 300Bs produced by Electro Harmonix for the quality of the sound they produce and their reliability.

ATOLL SDA300 Signature: Ultimate All-In-One Hifi Device

AMPLIFIER, ATOLL, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

Previewed at High End 2022 in Munich, the brand’s all-in-one Atoll SDA300 Signature simply combines in a single device an integrated amplifier similar to the IN300 and a network player-converter based on the ST200 & ST300 Signature. Identical to the SDA200 Signature in terms of the front panel and rear panel connections, the newcomer really evolves on the inside, mainly in the amplifier section, with the aim of rediscovering the sound characteristics and vigour of the 300 series!

LUXMAN L507Z: Legendary Amplifier

AMPLIFIER, LUXMAN, MANUFACTURER, TESTS, TYPES

With the latest energy standards, the legendary Japanese brand Luxman was in danger of no longer seeing its Class A amplifiers pass the test benches. So it went ahead and redesigned the architecture of its Class AB products, to get as close as possible to the sound...