THE HOME OF REAL HI-FI

AUGUST 2016
WWW.HIFINEWS.CO.UK
THE HOME OF REAL HI-FI
Exclusive
Sonus faber’s Il Cremonese
– its finest Homage yet?
AKG N90Q
‘A milestone in
headphone design’
Audio Alchemy
Magical DPA-1M
monoblock amps
Copland DA215
Headphone amp/DAC, with tubes!
Pro-Ject ‘The Classic’
The vinyl revival’s powerhouse
celebrates 25 years
NEW SERIES
Computer Audio
Our guide to getting you started, p22
‘Sounds out of this world’
Joe Meek – maverick producer, p84
The
hih-OfWi
• PLUS 18 pages of music • VINYL RE-RELEASE The Modern Lovers debut on 180g
• OPINION 12 pages of comment • VINtAgE Nakamichi TX-1000 direct-drive deck
S
r
e
b
to
c
O
• SHOW BLOg UK’s Audio Jumble • READERS’ CLASSIFIEDS Hi-Fi bargains galore
29-30th
See p17
UK £4.99 US $13.00 Aus $12.99
Monoblock Class D power amplifier. Rated at 325W/8ohm
Made by: Audio Alchemy, California, USA
Supplied by: Symmetry Systems, Herts
Telephone: 01727 865488
Web: www.audioalchemy.com; www.symmetry-systems.co.uk
Price: £1695 (each)
POWER AMPLIFIER
Audio Alchemy DPA-1M
Audio Alchemy is back and not with a little fanfare. So having built a reputation with
DACs, can it work the same magic with its compact, lightweight power amps?
Review: Andrew Everard Lab: Paul Miller
Y
ou know you’ve been involved in
hi-fi for a long time when you hear
of the revival of a brand, and you
can remember the stir it created
the first time round. That’s just how I
greeted the news that Audio Alchemy was
back: it revived memories of the company’s
little DDE v1.0 Digital Decoding Engine
from 1992, and the excitement of first
connecting the little black device between
CD player and amplifier and hearing a
transformed sound.
Now, as visitors to the Hi-Fi Show Live
last October will have seen [www.hifinews.
co.uk/editorial/page.asp?p=1323], there’s
a new Audio Alchemy range headed by
its DDP-1 DAC/preamp with optional PS-5
add-on power supply [HFN Jan ’16]. As we
mentioned in that exclusive review, the
DDP-1 not only heralds the arrival of a
complete new system but, to complement
it, the company also has two versions of
its DPA-1 power amplifier, each selling for
£1695 through UK distributor Symmetry.
The DPA-1 itself is the stereo power
amplifier, rated at 2x125W/8ohm and
rising to 200W/4ohm. What we have
here is the monoblock version, the DPA1M, said to be good for 325W/8ohm, or
400W/4ohm [see PM’s lab report, p45].
That’s a pretty hefty power output
for what is a very compact box – just
under 27cm wide, weighing a (relatively)
featherweight 7.3kg and small enough to
hide away behind your speakers should you
adopt the US-favoured ‘long interconnects,
short speaker cables’ method of working.
Clearly Audio Alchemy either didn’t get the
‘powerful monoblocks are big and backbreakingly heavy’ memo, or is setting out
to make a point, much as it did with its
original products back in the early 1990s.
Those thoughts were very much in my
mind while unboxing and setting up the
DPA-1M power amplifiers, and the DDP-1/
PS-5 preamp re-supplied for the purposes of
this review. After the heavy lifting involved
in reviewing the PS Audio BHK Signature
300 monoblocks [HFN Jul ’16], setting up
the Audio Alchemy system was almost like
a rest cure but, as we shall see, there’s
no compromise in performance here. The
amplifiers are built around what Audio
Alchemy calls a ‘hybrid digital’ design,
using a Class A input stage using discrete
components and powered by a ‘semitoroidal’ transformer.
cLAss d, buT nOT dIGITAL
As our ‘top-off’ picture below shows, it’s
physically separated from the power stage,
which uses the now-familiar Hypex Class D
output module to give the twin benefits of
energy efficiency and cool operation. But
it’s not ‘digital’.
Two sets of decent combination speaker
terminals are fitted, albeit in a slightly
unusual (if convenient) layout. So rather
RIGHT: Switchmode power supplies and
surface mount components make for a compact
amp that marries a bespoke Class A input stage
with a Hypex UcD250LP Class D output module
REPRODUCED FROM HI-FI NEWS | www.hifinews.co.uk
than having two positive/negative pairs,
the DPA-1M places the two ‘reds’ together,
and the same with the two ‘blacks’, thus
presumably shortening signal paths,
although to a minimal extent.
Input to the amp is via either RCA phono
or balanced XLRs, with a front-panel pushbutton to select between them and telltale
LEDs to show which is in use. Indeed, for
a relatively simple power amplifier, the
front panel is somewhat busy, with the
central power button flanked by those two
inputs selectors to the left, and gain and
mute switches to the right, again with LED
indicators. The gain button offers a choice
of 6dB of extra ‘oomph’, from a notional
+20dB to +26dB, and may come in handy
if you’re using a preamp, or other source,
with a particularly low output.
Used with the DDP-1, however, you’re
unlikely to need that extra gain and
neither are you likely to find the clipping
LEFT: Casework is highquality, with fascia having
buttons and indicators for
input, muting and gain
selection. Outer LEDs warn
of amplifier clipping
LEDs lighting too frequently unless you’re
pushing the levels very hard. The DPA-1M
has two of these LEDs, one at each end of
the front panel, revealing its origins in the
stereo DPA-1 version. Here, the two lamps
operate in tandem, occasionally flickering
with extreme musical
peaks at high levels, but
there’s nothing much to
worry about.
It’s also worth noting
that both the preamp and
the power amps have 12V
trigger sockets, allowing
the former to switch the
latter on and off in tandem, though with
only one socket on each device, some form
of 3.5mm cable splitter will be needed in
the connection between the pre and a pair
of powers. Or then again, you could just
leave the power amps on – thanks to the
Class D design the power consumption is a
relatively low 20W at idle.
Talking of power, the fire-up sequence
here is entirely without drama, at least for
those of us used to a surge of mechanical
noise from transformers and then a
substantial ‘thunk’ of relay switching.
With all the connections in place – I used
balanced cables between
pre- and powers – a press
of the power button on
each power amp starts
a 15sec warm-up mode,
in which the output is
muted and the power
LED flashes. When the
lamp is steady, the
muting is lifted and you’re good to go.
‘These amps
major on clarity,
impact and
rhythmic drive’
THRILLInG cOnTROL
And simple as the set-up and operation
of the Audio Alchemy amps may be, the
sound is even simpler, for these amps major
on clarity, impact and rhythmic drive,
making everything they play both instantly
OLd MAGIc, nEW TRIcks
Back at the beginning of the 1990s, the little Audio Alchemy DDE v1.0 Bitstream
DAC raised eyebrows: not only was it half the price of the next most affordable
rivals – at under £200, if memory serves – but also due to its tiny dimensions,
and simple plugtop supply. Surely no-one could take this toy-like, black box too
seriously? And then they heard it… Other successes followed, including the
DAC-in-the-Box, and a range of CD transports, jitter reducers, power supplies
and amplification. The company folded in the late ’90s following a takeover by
Audiosphere, briefly re-emerged as Alchemy2, but was re-established early in
2015 after an appearance of designer Peter Madnick at the 2014 Windsor Hi-Fi
Show Live with early samples of some of the products. So while the new Audio
Alchemy is connected to the old in name alone, the design team is very much
intact and the models are manufactured in Madnick’s own facility in California.
attention-grabbing, and
involving over the long
haul. Just as we noted in
our review of the DDP-1
preamp, the DPA-1M
monoblocks deliver music
in a manner that’s both
beautifully detailed and
at the same time entirely
‘non-mechanical’ –
there’s an organic feel
to the sound here that’s
entirely at odds with a
common misconception
of Class D as being rather
gritty and hard-edged [see
PM’s Opinion, HFN Jul ’16].
By the way, I used the digitally-equipped
DPP-1 as an analogue preamplifier, fed
from the line-outs of my usual streamer,
purely to avoid clouding the issue of
this review with the need to ‘learn’ an
unknown DAC.
I also tried the monoblocks on the end
of other ‘known’ DACs and preamps, mainly
fed using the RCA inputs, and even direct
from a computer’s headphone output (as
suggested in AA’s literature), and while
this last connection undeniably works, I’d
suggest something more capable upstream
of the power amps if they’re to be heard at
their best.
What’s very quickly apparent is that the
considerable muscle of these little amps
is well up to the task of driving speakers
both with absolute control and to thrilling
effect. Playing some early Peter Gabriel,
they delivered both room-shaking bass
and remarkable percussive impact on ‘The
Rhythm Of The Heat’, the opening track
of Security [in DSD64 from Real World
SAPGCD 4], building from the gentle
murmurings to solid, slamming rhythms,
and presenting Gabriel’s voice with a
wonderfully open-mouthed character.
They pull off the same trick of
combining detail and rhythmic acuity with
the 2011 remaster of Paul Simon’s There
Goes Rhymin’ Simon [Acoustic Sounds
96kHz/24-bit download], delivering an
intimate view of the singer’s voice, with
its characteristic smoothness and slight
fragility. Its clarity of diction in the simple
acoustic demo of ‘Take Me To The Mardi
Gras’ was impressive, as was its ability to
drive the more ‘produced’ tracks such
www.hifinews.co.uk | REPRODUCED FROM HI-FI NEWS
LAb
REPORT
AudIO ALcHEMY dPA-1M
AbOVE: The choice of balanced XLR or single-ended RCA input is selected on the
front panel [see p43] and joined here by parallel sets of 4mm speaker connections
as ‘Kodachrome’ with real pace and
purity. And with the introspective
‘American Tune’ the Bach/Hassler
origins of the melody are made all
the more explicit by the DPA-1Ms’
crisp insight, while the demo version
also on this remastering brings the
listener closer to the piece with its
simple, atmospheric presence.
This combination of power and
clean delivery might be expected to
make the Audio Alchemy amps a fine
choice for classical music, and that
proves to be entirely the case. From
minimalist solo recordings all the
way through large-scale orchestral
pieces to operatic and choral works,
the ability of these amps to present
music with realistic scale and bags of
atmosphere is a winning formula.
cRAsHInG sPLEndOuR
Playing the wonderful Barenboim/
Staatskapelle Berlin recording
of Elgar’s First Symphony [Decca
478 9353; 96kHz/24-bit], I was
captivated immediately by the
muted timps before the majestic
theme starts its stately progress,
and then held spellbound by the
way the DPA-1Ms simply allow the
scale of the music to swell before
the ears, without ever suggesting
they’re running out of steam or on
the verge of compression.
This is truly a demonstrationquality recording, not to mention
a magnificent performance by
an orchestra not suffused with
the British tradition (but under a
conductor with a lifelong passion
for Elgar). The weight and speed of
the amplification brings out all its
light and shade, from the charging
allegros to the sweeping, lyrical
string sections, with a freshness and
vivacity that’s hard not to love.
I have to admit that when the
recording finished, I failed to resist
the temptation to hit ‘play’ again
– only this time, more than a little
louder, and with hardly a peep from
those clipping lights!
Switch to another exemplary
recording – this time Takemitsu’s
poignant ‘Funeral Music’ for Shohei
Imamura’s 1989 film Black Rain,
from the Scottish Ensemble’s new
disc on Linn [CKD512, 192kHz/24-bit
download] – and the liquid handling
of strings, plus the ever-present
acoustic around the music, adds
to the haunting sense of the piece,
beautifully realised by the Audio
Alchemy combination.
I even tried the amps with some
thundering dance music, courtesy of
some vintage Paul Oakenfold [from
The Goa Mix, New State Records
NEWCD9078], and they proved
more than capable of crashing out
those driving beats in all their mid’90s phasey splendour, while also
making the smallest vinyl crackle on
the DJ’s discs sound very obvious.
And yes, I was playing at levels to
get the warning lights flickering
from time to time, if not actually
flashing along with the music.
The DPA-1M’s lower +24.7dB (balanced) gain setting is typical
for a modern power amp and ideal for most systems while the
higher +30.4dB setting, with its fractionally poorer noise and
distortion, should only be used with very low output sources
(87mV will yield 1W/8ohm here). The A-wtd S/N ratio is a fine
90dB (re. 0dBW) in the lower gain setting. In either mode, the
DPA-1M delivers a mighty 440W/8ohm – far higher than its
rated 325W/8ohm and also the 405W achieved into 4ohm. By
their very nature, Class D amplifiers will necessarily offer little
extra headroom under dynamic conditions and the DPA-1M
is no exception, offering a declining 455W, 400W, 230W and
135W into 8, 4, 2 and 1ohm loads [see Graph 1, below].
While the DPA-1M may not have the reserve to bludgeon
the lowest impedance loudspeakers at least AA’s choice
of Hypex Class D modules ensures its system response is
unaffected by variations in speaker load with frequency. So
the amp’s gently declining treble trend of –0.45dB/20kHz
to –7.7dB/100kHz into 8ohm holds true all the way down
to –0.6dB/20kHz to –9.0dB/100kHz into 2ohm loads. This
consistency is mirrored by its output impedance which sits at
0.025ohm from 20Hz-10kHz before rising gently to 0.053ohm/
20kHz and 0.6ohm/100kHz. Distortion, meanwhile, holds to
0.0015-0.005% from bass through midrange over the first
100W of its range, increasing to 0.02%/200W, 0.1%/300W and
0.4%/400W. Interestingly, THD peaks at 0.03% at 7-8kHz/10W
rather than at 20kHz+ [see Graph 2]. Readers may view a
comprehensive QC Suite test report for Audio Alchemy’s DPA1M mono power amp, when available, by navigating to www.
hifinews.com and clicking on the red ‘download’ button. PM
ABOVE: Dynamic power output versus distortion into
8ohm (black trace), 4ohm (red), 2ohm (blue) and
1ohm (green) loads. Maximum current is 11.6A
HI-FI nEWs VERdIcT
Good things, small packages and
all that stuff: the Audio Alchemy
monoblocks may be compact and
well-mannered when it comes to
power consumption and heat, but
they pack a mighty punch, and do
so with considerable grace. They
have the delicacy to reveal the
smallest detail in a recording, but
are just as comfortable when you
want to shake the room. The ideal
partner for the DDP-1 preamp,
but they also have wider appeal.
Sound Quality: 84%
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 100
ABOVE: Distortion versus extended frequency from
5Hz-40kHz at 10W/8ohm
HI-FI nEWs sPEcIFIcATIOns
Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm)
440W / 405W
Dynamic power (<1% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm)
455W / 400W / 230W / 135W
Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz)
0.018-0.055ohm
Frequency response (20Hz–100kHz)
+0.0dB to –7.65dB
Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/325W)
168mV / 2978mV (balanced)
A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/325W)
81.0dB / 106.1dB
Distortion (20Hz-20kHz, 10W/8ohm)
0.0015-0.033%
Power consumption (Idle/Rated o/p)
18W / 400W (each)
Dimensions (WHD) / Weight
267x76x295mm / 7.3kg (each)
www.hifinews.co.uk | REPRODUCED FROM HI-FI NEWS