Stealth and nuance

GRAMOPHONE DREAMS

- HERB REICHERT

From my writing chair, I can see about a dozen moderately priced tubes and solid-state audio amplifiers.

The five stacked next to my desk are First Watt or Pass Labs models designed by Nelson Pass. Across the room is a hybrid tube/class-D Rogue Sphinx V3 integrated. That black Sphinx is standing on its side behind one of the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/93 speakers. Next to the Orangutan is a Schiit Aegir. The most conspicuous amp in the room is my BFF, the Line Magnetic LM-518 IA, 1 which breaks the night’s darkness with its tall, bright-emitter 845 triodes. Next to that is Ampsandsound’s Bigger Ben KT88/6L6 single-ended speaker and headphone amp.

Behind the Ben is the made-in-Japan Elekit TU-8600S single-ended 300B kit-amp. In the shadow of the Elekit sits the stunning (but humble) 2.3W Decware 25th Anniversary Zen Triode amp.

Stage center is my reference high power solid-state amp: the Parasound Halo A 21+. The black, monolith-like Parasound is installed on a Harmonic Resolution Systems M3X-1719-AMG GR LF isolation platform and is connected directly to the wall outlet by a thick, stiff, 1m length of AudioQuest Tornado power cable.

Next to the A 21+ sits the new, made-in-Poland, $6499 Feliks Audio Arioso, the stereo, single-ended 300B amp that I am about to describe in some detail.

But, before I do that, I am impelled to tell this brief warmup story.