This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below |
 |
 |
Conclusion. Journalists reviewing audio are an exhausted lot and often bored. Everything happens over and over in a cycle of endless repetition (if we care about consistency in our auditions) year after year often spilling into decades. Whilst it may not always be apparent, the sheer repetitiveness of auditioning, describing the sound and product design, placing it inside a broader context, covering a manufacturer’s history, introducing the owner or designer, taking and processing the pictures... sooner or later some kind of cynicism sets in. We feel beyond surprise even with something like the most excusive Siltech cable set I recently had at home for a few days which demands a meager $200.000! Maintaining an open innocent mind becomes really difficult in the face of growing jadedness. The kind of excitement each beginner feels over about exposed to increasingly better product goes up in smoke. It has to. What remains is a personal discipline where each reviewer works out the specifics for himself or herself.
|
|
 |
One of the best ways to rekindle what I do is to attend live music at concerts, recitals, in the studio or at other occasions. It means going out two or three times a month, more often during the warmer seasons. But it all makes sense only when music, audiophilia and everything associated are embedded in a broader context of family, good food and a simple life. Then music is more than just organized sounds, audiophilia more than mere striving for better sound. We come to realize that it is a way of life which can be exciting even years past taking our first steps in this profession; provided we meet the right people, manufacturers and products along the way.
|
 |
Today's amplifier is one of those rare devices which appeal to all our senses in a consistent coherent way to reflect a corresponding vision with its designers. Its sound is exquisite, its design stunning and we actually get two machines in one: an integrated amplifier and a headphone amplifier. The Bakoon breaks out of any formal stale reviewer protocol and thus is beneficial in a broader sense by not just offering a nice musical presentation but bringing a kind of balance to our life. I rarely have similar feelings about equipment. When I do it's mostly with Japanese products.
|
 |
It’s worth specifying the context in which the AMP-11R should ideally be used. Pair it with speakers of even impedance and preferably higher sensitivity even though the first is more important. All Harbeth except perhaps for their smallest model whose sensitivity is quite low are an obvious choice. The M40.1 and M30.1 will sound fantastic, especially the latter. Similarly less expensive speakers like the Sonus faber Minima Vintage are a good choice. Another manufacturer that can be recommended en masse is Spendor. Lastly there are all those speakers designed specifically for low-power amplifiers like the J.A.F. Bombard. When it comes to headphones, I haven’t heard everything and would be curious to hear the Bakoon paired with top Grado and Beyerdynamic cans. From what I've tried the HE-6 as the most expensive HiFiMan planar is a supremely worthy partner. This was the first time I heard those highly inefficient planars sound this good. That pairing became a personal alternative for my reference Leben CS-300 X custom version and Sennheiser HD800 - a different sound but in the same league. In short, award material.
|
|
|
Review methodology. The amplifier was tested in an A/B comparison with both A and B known. In addition to the reference Soulution 710 amplifier and Ayon Audio Polaris III preamp I also used the Accuphase A-200 power amplifier and Leben CS-300 X integrated. The Bakoon sat on the dedicated RCK-1 stand and that in turn not on the accompanying set of cones but finite elemente Ceraball feet. That lot was placed on the Acoustic Revive RAF-48H anti-vibration platform. For cables I used the top Royal Signature Double Crown Siltech cables - a power cord, a power strip with its own cable, an interconnect and speaker cables. Apart from my Ancient Audio reference CD player I also used the Human Audio Libretto HD battery-powered deck. I performed several rounds with the Bakoon EQA-11R phono preamp connected via the Satri current links and a Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable. The AMP-11R sounded best when fully warm so give it an hour to stabilize before starting serious listening.
|
 |
Design. The AMP-11R is an integrated amplifier with an outboard power supply. Both units are the same size, their enclosures nearly identical and thus both milled from solid aluminum billet with CNC'd chambers for certain parts. These core blocks are closed from the bottom with another aluminium lid which forms a slight lip in the rear to carry silkscreen for the i/o ports. Incidentally orange is the company color hence that's also the color for the logo.The faceplate is small—it’s a tiny amp after all—and the only visible elements apart from the logo are an orange LED peeking through the gap behind top and bottom cover and the horizontally placed visually integrated volume knob. Its only indicator is a small dot to indicate setting. Something more visible would make it easier to see. Knurling its edge might also make it easier to turn but apart from these minor nits, the unit looks simply stunning!
|
 |
Finish options are black and silver. The machine is powered up and down with a small toggle on the left cheek just below the 6.3mm headphone jack. Signal to this headfi output goes through just a pair of resistors straight from the speaker terminals. Headphone gain can be set in three steps with a small internal jumper. On the rear panel we have solid gold-plated Canary terminals and Canary BNC and RCA inputs, the former the Satri current links. One selects between those with another toggle.
|
|
|
The external power supply connects to the amplifier via a short umbilical. The PSU remains powered up indefinitely unless the cord to the wall is pulled. The whole audio circuit is mounted on one large PCB with piggybacked smaller boards for the Satri circuit which comes from Japan. The class A/B push/pull output stage is based on Exicon 10P25R+1-N20R Mosfets next to which one sees Linear Technology LT1963A ultra-fast high-current voltage stabilizers. These parts couple directly to the casing. The circuit sports the best passive parts imaginable. Think Dale, Mills and Caddock resistors; Sanyo OC-CON and Wima polypropylene capacitors; Alps potentiometer; and many other top-quality expensive bits. The power supply is built on a large toroidal transformer and four sizeable filtering chokes. The capacitive system consists of 22 modestly sized high-quality caps, with 6 in the power supply and 16 on the main PCB right next to the gain transistors.
|
 |
|
|
The amplifier sells with the visually and mechanically matching RCK-11 anti-vibration platforms. They are as attractive and solid as the gear. Each unit has its own platform consisting of two thick aluminium plates. The upper smaller plate which supports the amp or power supply rests on a few ceramic balls which decouple it from the base. Four bolts keep the upper plate in place to allow for some roller-ball displacement but not enough to come apart. The bottom plate sits on four screw-on metal cones which I replaced with Ceraball feet from finite elemente. It is possible to join two or three platforms to form a rack with aluminium side rails. What a truly marvelous execution. Very rarely do I come across products of such mature refinement in each and every detail!
|
 |
|
opinia @ highfidelity.pl |
Technical specification according to the manufacturer
Maximum output power: 15 W (8Ω, 1kHz)
Gain: 20dB max
Frequency response: 10 Hz - 1MHz (gain at +10dB)
Inputs: 1 x Satri link (BNC, current input) + 1 x RCA (voltage input)
Input impedance: 3.68Ω on Satri link | 100kΩ on RCA
Outputs: speaker connectors from Cardas | 6.35mm headphone socket
Signal to noise ratio: < 50 microvolts (gain at + 0dB)
DC offset: < 1mV
Power consumption: 20W idle, 50W max
Dimensions: 195mm (W) x 195mm (D) x 40.5mm (H)
Weight: 6.4kg
|
 |
 |
|
 |
