It took five years of research to bring Neodio’s only integrated amplifier from Bordeaux into evo mode. The changes mainly concern two points, which improve the Origine A2, already noted for its balance and purity, the hobbyhorses of a manufacturer whose specificity is to eliminate as much parasitic vibration from a system as possible. From its mixed chassis and tried and tested internal technologies, to the inevitable Neodio Origine B1 decouplers in place of feet, the Neodio Origine A2 evo wins the battle for stability against noise to deliver musical sound that’s balanced and clear across the entire spectrum.
The Neodio Origine A2 evo is, as its name suggests, a careful evolution of the previous model, Origine A2, which was presented in 2016 and has retained most of its technology in the new model. The aim of this 2022 version is simple: to challenge the existing integrated amplifier over the last five years in order to make improvements, two of which are substantial enough to justify adding the particle ‘evo’ to the original name.
Weighing in at just 30 kg, the Neodio Origine A2 evo seeks and finds rigidity in all its forms, starting with its mounts – three well-known Origine B1s, available separately from the manufacturer’s catalogue to be placed under any source or high-fidelity device. The chassis has an outer layer of anodised aluminium, flattering to the eye, reinforced on the inside by a second layer of aluminium, separated from the first by a viscoelastic, while methacrylate resin, renowned for its rigidity and resistance to high temperatures, is used on the rear panel. Only available in black, the device is raised by a thin median strip of polished copper for a design that is almost identical to that of the Origine S2 CD player, except for the 700 white LED screen, which is now positioned in the middle rather than on the left, while the five buttons now serve as input and volume selectors, in addition to the first, slightly detached, still dedicated to standby.
At the rear, a switch placed just next to the mains socket allows the amplifier to be completely switched off, while a rectangle divided into four offers the possibility of integrating two unbalanced RCA and two balanced XLR sources, with one of its inputs able to be switched to home cinema programming so that the Neodio Origine A2 evo can be used as a simple power amplifier if so requested when the order is placed.
Further to the right, and obviously located on a completely separate printed circuit board inside, two pairs of Nextgen WBT terminals allow a pair of speakers to be connected via banana or fork plugs. All these connectors are integrated into the methacrylate plate, while anodised aluminium reclaims its rightful place on the far right of the rear panel, on the side of the unit devoted to a large heatsink, also made of aluminium.
The in-house technology does not seek to reinvent the way amplifiers are made, but combines the best known processes, including the use of a high-power toroidal transformer (1,000 VA) for the power supply, and the use of an operational amplifier to regulate the voltage. These are combined with sixteen ultra-long-life Vishay 105°C aluminium electrolytic capacitors (4700 µF), mounted on a support made of Delrin®, an acetal homopolymer created by DuPont, whose properties are once again rigidity and resistance to wide temperature variations. Among the main improvements to the evo version, new non-magnetic resistors with thin nickel-chromium layers or agglomerated carbon have been added upstream of the potentiometer, while the output stage has been redesigned around four very high-capacity (16 A) push-pull Mosfet transistors, driven by a set of bipolar transistors, with the result of better stabilising the feedback loops and therefore gaining in damping, in order to clean up the signal.
To connect the four-layer printed circuit boards, non-stretched filaments and single-strand copper cables are used, again with the constant aim of achieving Neodio’s ultimate goal: zero vibration. The amplifier comes with a remote control as standard, the same as the CD player’s, slim and well designed to allow remote control of basic functions, volume and inputs, or even CD playback for lucky owners of an Origine S1 or S2.
What’s more, perturbed by the fact that we couldn’t find certain information, such as frequency response or distortion rate, we contacted the device’s creator, Stéphane Even. He was able to completely erase our doubts that these data would not have been included because they were unfavourable: in reality, they are not indicated because this type of specification is of little interest to the engineer, who is concentrating on musical quality. Without a filter circuit, the bandwidth here could peak at 2 MHz, but it is limited to around 200 kHz, a level that is already well above the capacity of the human ear, while the THD is announced as less than 0.01%.
The set up
Just as the Origine S2 is primarily a CD player, the Neodio Origine A2 evo is primarily a stereo integrated amplifier. You can therefore ask for an option to output it via its power block only, but overall, it is used to integrate quality analogue sources to bring out the music on speakers that can be demanding, since it delivers up to 2 x 150 W at 8 ohms. Installing the amplifier is extremely simple, provided you know where to place its 30 kg mass, which is already well protected from vibration by its B1 feet.
Our loan model didn’t have a home cinema output, so we tested it exclusively on its analogue inputs, RCA and XLR, for a different sound result that’s worth mentioning. Several digital and analogue sources were added, as well as various types of cables and speakers. These studies highlighted the product’s versatility with our multiple analogue and digital sources, as well as highlighting the sound channels sought by Neodio and its creator.
The sound of the Neodio Origine A2 Evo
Initially connected to XLR, because we were listening to a competitor’s device whose superiority is obvious when used on its balanced inputs, the Origine A2 evo immediately brought out Neodio’s sonic identity: a neutral and pure sound. The listening experience is always supple, reflecting an amplifier that seeks above all to step back and allow information to pass as naturally as possible from the source to the loudspeakers. Obviously, the prerequisites for a product in this price range dictate an already highly detailed image, and this is what we find with the Origine A2 evo, which is never really at fault whatever the source used or the range of the spectrum to be processed. On the other hand, the amplifier makes no attempt to over-define or over-spread the information: it immediately offers a soundstage that is ample in both depth and width, always integrated into a global plan.
Connected asymmetrically, the result is surprising: although the soundstage closes up a little and initially gives the impression of a slight loss of depth, it quickly becomes clear that it is also more coherent and even more balanced than with a symmetrical connection. Several trials of cables (from €300 to €5,000) enabled us to verify this impression, and in the end we finished all the tests with sources integrated via the RCA connectors, because the more concentrated image benefited the naturalness of the timbres and above all the balance and directness of the attacks, which were even clearer. When listening to rock music, vocals came through with great clarity, especially when they were in the lower midrange like Nick Cave’s, while the amplifier was even more coherent when listening to jazz, blues or classical music. Obviously, the brand’s quest for purity and integrity benefits instrumental music more than electro. So it’s with a small band like Getz and Gilberto, or a Schubert trio, that you get the full benefit of the Origine A2 evo’s quality of tone and colour.
Tested on much more complex tracks, such as Verdi’s Otello in the reference Tullio Serafin version, or Mahler’s 8th Symphony by Gustavo Dudamel, magnificently recorded in Los Angeles (cf. VUmètre no. 36), the Origine A2 evo succeeded in maintaining perfect coherence, both in terms of the staging and the mix of timbres, with the line of undervoltage in the double basses at the introduction to Verdi’s opera standing out perfectly to create a permanent rumble beneath the singers and choir. On Mahler’s symphony, as later on with other symphonies without choir, or even on rock tracks from the 1960s and 1970s (The Doors, Pink Floyd), the always very airy rendering makes for supple, luminous listening. On the other hand, it doesn’t offer any extra realism, as with Melody Gardot, where the sounds of breathing or lips can be heard more distinctly with other amplifiers, whereas with the Neodio you remain exclusively attentive to the musical message.
Our conclusion
Priced at €19,900, the Neodio Origine A evo is part of an already unaffordable range for many enthusiasts, but its price makes it a rarity, and is explained by the musical qualities and quest for the absolute of the creator of the Bordeaux brand and this integrated amplifier, Stéphane Even. In the full sonority of the brand, it can be combined with a wide range of electronics to always deliver a sound full of purity, capable of making the stage bright and airy and the timbres natural. With a comfortable power output of 150 W per channel at 8 ohms, the Origine A2 evo is capable of driving a wide range of loudspeakers with fluidity and flexibility. With limited distribution, this product can be heard directly in Bordeaux or at a small selection of retailers in France.
Author: Vincent Guillemin
Technical sheet: NEODIO Origine A2 Evo
- Origin: France
- Price : €19,900
- Dimensions : 60 x 150 x 407 mm
- Weight : 30 kg
- Amplification type : Class A/B
- Power rating: 2 x 150 W at 8 ohms
- Sensitivity: 570 mV