Amplifier Reviews

Just got back from C.E.S. 2003. Spent a couple of days days at the High End Audio Show. Listened to dozens upon dozens of stratopherically priced systems, then heard this little integrated amp with the Spirit speakers. Wow! This little system produced more emotion, with greater clarity, than almost anything else I heard. It is extremely important that you suspend all your preconceived notions about price = performance.
In the right room, a fairly small one, this system will provide uncolored, superb sound. Needless to say I have ordered the amp and the speakers, in French sycamore, no less....can't wait.

Seems like Mark Levinson's storied past as a high priest of high end sparks some green-eyed problems for customers who haven't heard the more modestly priced Red Rose boxes, but enjoy leaping to conclusions. No, these four-figure units won't blow away the branded Levinson systems that fetch four and five times as much from no-holds-barred audiophiles with big stock portfolios, but the price-performance ratio is terrific. The Spirit amp matches the specs and sound of their original Rosette amp, but carries a slightly redesigned front panel, and foregoes some tweaks (like a remote) that are being made to the Rosette. At this price, the trade-off is still in the listener's favor. I auditioned a number of familiar CDs (no, NOT the SACDs that Levinson himself would prefer we embrace) on the Spirit system, and both amp and speakers sounded stunning, tackling everything from deep-dish chamber jazz to the Berlin Philharmonic to pipe organ with aplomb, and meeting or beating anything I've heard anywhere near this price.

To the skeptics weighing in against the designs because of Levinson's involvement (ironic, in light of his rep among high end merchants and consumers), a little research (ever heard of Google?) offers food for thought. The underlying design work reflects the innovations of a Swedish speaker designer, Bo Bengtssen, and an American electronics engineer, Victor Tiscareno; Levinson's primary contribution, beyond his name and investment, was pairing Bengtssen's ribbon-tweeter speaker strategy with Tiscareno's purist approach to amplifier design, and encouraging these collaborators to shoot for great sound at modest prices. (Red Rose can and does offer more exalted performance at substantially higher price points, via the higher end units they sell at their own boutique in NYC.)

You don't get this level of sound at these prices without sacrifices, but those I could detect were essentially issues of scale and convenience. The Spirit speakers won't fill a ballroom or a two-storey living room in a McMansion, and the ribbons are highly directional, but sampled in the sort of modest living rooms that real world occupants inhabit, on-axis, they reproduce music beautifully. The amp's minimalist input scheme won't support a wide number of sources, and vinyl loyalists will probably need to spend as much on a separate phono pre-amp as they did on the amp if they want to use a turntable; in other words, the Spirit resembles most of the high-end separates that pointy-headed alpha audiophiles applaud and willingly underwrite with even bigger checks. You got a problem with that?

I'm using this amp between my audigy 2 sound card and my axiom m22ti bookshelf speakers. It's a very nice amp - looks cool and the sound is great, no hiss even with everything turned up, just delivers the power, no muss, no fuss. I'm no audiophile but for playing my mp3s and playing games and dvds, this thing performs admirably and my speakers seem quite happy with it too.

I just bought this thing from Amazon and all I can say

is WOW!!!!

This is probably the best purchase I have ever made.

This thing is everything I ever expected and more!! It's

very easy to use as well!

I have bought other brands before, and this one just

blows everything else out of the water! I have to say,

everyone out there who is thinking of buying this, stop

thinking. I bought it and I am extremely happy with it

the moment I powered this thing on. YOU ABSOLUTELY

POSITIVELY CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS PURCHASE! I

GUARANTEE IT!!!

AudioSource is well known for providing good value for the price and they don't dissapoint with their 5-series amps. There's nothing in its price-range that has similar quality.

The output isn't quite as rich a Bruce Moore 70, but at 1/20th the price, it's a great deal.

I pulled this from a review I wrote on audioreview.com. "Do not listen to this sub unless you want to lose your hearing. I write this as a former Velodyne owner. I had the VA1012 (~$700) for about 3 months. It did fine for movies but was just too sloppy for audio. I wanted something more accurate and more punch. I A-B'd the Velodyne F series 12" servo sub (~$1200). It was definately tight but didn't have the volume for movies. The F series 15 (~$1700) was out of my price range and I wouldn't have been married the next day had I brought that one home. I was getting ready to walk out and be content with my Velo 1012 (that was in the back of Jeep ready to be traded in) when the salesman said, "wait a minute, what about this B&W, we just got it in and I haven't had a chance to listen to it." He turned it on and I noticed my pant legs moving from the air pressure. It turned out to be a B&W ASW 2000 ($1000 retail). Definately in my price range. I traded in my sub and took the ASW home. It's got a 175W amp made by Rotel and weighs ~80lbs. It's big and bad. I took it home and hooked up my Marantz 780, B&W 600 series speakers and Air Force One on DVD. It moves a lot of air and is loud. That was four days ago and my left ear is still sore. I'm going to start listening w/ ear plugs in just so I can have the air movement that I like. :) My coworkers are still talking about the experience. One said they actually felt like they were getting shot in the initial machine gun scene because of all the air pressure. I know that B&W's previous sub attempt at the AS6 was an abysmal failure, but they have pulled themselves out of the mire with this new series. Compared to similar priced Velo subs, I got more volume, precision and air movement for the money. Check it out. I hope my hearing comes back."

I bought this at an airport kiosk after my kids and I got tired of straining to hear our DVDs and other portable electronic devices over the engine roar. Just 2 AAs needed (which last a long time), 3 people can plug into it at once. Fits in your pocket easily. Very nice little gadget.

I picked up one of these from Circuit City a few weeks ago. The first time I tested it I had the gain on a mere 3/5 of the way, and it wasn't a full 2 minutes before I had my neighbors coming outside and asking me to turn it down. This amp provides nice controls for the crossover, a good manual, LOTS of good clean power, and quality construction because after 6 hours of cruising around town at FULL gain it didn't overheat! I absolutely LOVE this amp, and I will recommend it to ALL my friends!

If you're looking for a nice, compact, retro, simplistic 'throwback' table radio - this is the one. Perfect for a kitchen or bedroom - simple enough for mom to use and enjoy. The sound- while not Bose quality - is very clean and crisp. FM sensitivity for a tabletop is excellent. Add in the AUX input and headphone input - and they have a WINNER. The only drawback is the AM sensitivity - which isn't nearly as good as the FM. Buy one !

This amp brought life to my pioneer 12's. they have never sounded so good this amp stays cool and pounds with the tunes.

I had the basslink x installed less than a week ago and I've got to tell you, it's awesome. It beats my expectations. I didn't expect that much bass from this unit. PERFECT for the average music listener. If you want to thump with some rap then don't go this route. If you want to add a lot of bass to your car without ripping it apart this is the way to go. The unit is small, and looks cool in my trunk. The bass is tight too. There is a solid punch, not the rumble of the bazookas. I am not dissapointed in the least. With 200 watts of power, there is more than enough bass for the non-rap music listener.