Coincident with this anchoring sensation comes a feeling of scale. It gives the illusion that the Signature 30.2 stages bigger. It doesn't, really - but it's a quick conclusion to draw. The Spaniard meanwhile creates stronger contours or image lock in the vocal range where the American's signature warmish voicing is softer. The related effect here is that solo vocals over the PSi15 seem more present in front of the background musicians which creates a sense of greater front/back distance. Contributing to the stronger midrange focus of the wooden amp is subjectively more extension on top. It's a minor advance but adds to the impression.

If you're a soundstage guy, you'd first hone in on the apparent shifts in staging when comparing these amps. If you're a timbre gal, you'd spot the different contours in the tonal balance between 'em. You might share notes believing to hear different things until you agree that's they're two faces of the same coin. Or not. That's the fun part of audio perceptions.

Important to note is that in the end, these amps sound far more alike than not. Icon excepted -- it's been voiced softer and warmer than its brethren -- these T amps champion a different sound than NuForce. They don't focus on intense apparent detail with a super-sharp pen. They don't tighten the screws on bass transients until they're about to pop. They're more relaxed and rounder. More easy-going, less hifi flashy.

Now - don't get involved with a preamp of the Trafomatic's caliber unless you're prepared to keep it around. Nothing will have really seemed amiss with the sound before until you thread one into the signal path to notice how suddenly, there's pressure from below that supports everything on a powerful surge to sound bigger, stronger, more expansive and fuller. Going back then loses color and intensity to be comparably stale and less dimensional. Which it wasn't before you went astray. Why bring it up then?


Simply because those who diss class D amps have no idea of the real potential unless there's a premium active preamplification gain stage involved. Many D amps go after ultra value (the chips are cheap) to get packaged with passive attenuators. That's fine as far as it goes. But make no mistake, you can go a lot farther still. Naturally, there's a potential noise issue to confront since these Tripath chips have high gain. On the flip side, you can pad down these integrateds with their own pots, especially if you precede them with a hi-gain preamp. As an aside, the latest convert to D class is Haruhiko Teramoto of Feastrex who, besides manufacturing ultra-esoteric widebanders and now also tube amplifiers, has a prototype analog switching amp to prove that his drivers don't need equally esoteric amplification to sing. If you connect the dots -- widebanders, SETs, class D amps -- you might get the message: Some D class amps are far closer to a valve sound aesthetic than the snobs would like to admit.


Note how I said 'closer', not the same. And guess what? Trafomatic's Experience One 2A3 integrated also sounds better still with an active preamp ahead of it. The purity theorists would call such additional gain stages redundant, the guts & gore freaks (those who want more body, dynamics and density) will believe their own ears. Now for the real treat:

The PSi15/PS3 combo makes for an outrageously good desktop system. In the nearfield, speaker bases solidly planted on an immovable surface, toe-in commensurate with listening distance, you'll feel as though listening to headphones outside your head. That's exactly how rich, colorful and finely nuanced the resultant sound is. Here an active preamp seems redundant. Which segues neatly into the conclusion. The ideal habitat of this system is the credenza. The speakers are deep enough and front-ported to image well even if close to the wall and have plenty of bass power and extension to work splendidly in free space as my office desk put 'em into for this part of the audition.