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I still owe you 6.3mm. To compare headphone sockets I had Lehman's Rhinelander and the socket of my Zodiac+ with its dedicated headfi circuit plus my trusty beyerdynamic DT700 Pro. To jump right to the conclusion, the Prepino acquitted itself very well, doubtlessly was most dynamic whilst the Antelope played it a bit more subtle and busy over detail and tone color where the Lehman most aced the bass. But the Ampino played it on their level. Hats off!

Conclusion. For pre/power combos, the Abacus Prepino/Ampino seems to be one of the most cost effective presently available. Laboratory measurement kit optics are quite explicit about sonic expectations which the proprietary Abacus-Rieder circuits deliver. Solo source users don't need more than Ampino, those with active speakers or dearly loved amps won't need more than Prepino whose special line driver eats long interconnects for spaghetti breakfast and adds a decidedly quality headphone socket into the deal. When I consider separates, the price/performance ratio here is phenomenal. For shy of €600 you'll be hard pressed to come up with serious competition for either. Ditto for a €1.200 pre/power combo. That changes a bit when €1.200 integrated amps enter the picture. Here Abacus still plays at the very front but depending on taste and feature needs there now are valid alternatives.

Psych profile for the Abacus Prepino 13 RC and Ampino 13:
• Tonally the combo suffers no predisposition and plays it extremely neutral.
• Bass is controlled and extended. LF transients are sudden and if not bone dry then clearly not blurred. I don't think I exaggerate stating that for the price nothing better exists, period.
• The midband continues the theme of tight control but adds beyond average resolution. If memory can be trusted, I think the latter is the key advance of the Ampino mods. Devoted vocal aficionados will have to first check whether the slight restraint on voices has their approval.

• A positively non-showy but finely resolved treble completes the well-balanced sonic presentation but once again control and exactitude dominate. There's no excess air but no overdamping either.
• Timing and dynamics occur at a high level. Whilst this price class does contain even more dynamic amps, few walk the balance between control and dynamics this carefully. There's sufficient calm to tease out nuances, enough drive to not get lost in detail. I thought it a keen address of both head and gut.
• Even on soundstaging the first term to mind is control, with high image localization and body plus a very deep if less broad perspective. Voices meanwhile seem to take a step backwards.
redaktion @ fairaudio.de

Abacus Prepino 13
• Category: Preamp
• Options: €69 MM phono board
• Dimensions and weight: 25 x 15.4 x 5cm WxDxH, 1.5kg
• Trim: Silver
• Inputs: 6 x RCA
• Outputs: 1 x RCA, 1 x 6.3mm headphone
• Power consumption standby/idle: ca. 0.5/7 watts
• Other: Remote control
• Warranty: 3 years


Abacus Ampino 13
• Category: Power amp with volume control
• Dimensions and weight: 25 x 15.4 x 5cm WxDxH, 2,1kg
• Inputs: 1 x RCA
• Output: Single-wire terminals
• Output power: 50wpc
• Power consumption at idle: ca. 4 watts
• Warranty: 3 years
Abacus website