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The Signature 15 is vintage RWA in appearance and build - yeoman, tidy and pretty much unbreakable. The thin face plate bolted straight to the undercarriage is the only obvious concession to cost shavings. The remote lacks mute and only does +/- volume.
The battery is fully encased as is the output stage. No 'look ma!' here but gleaming red silence as to specifics. Which leaves the familiar motorized Alps pot; single JJ twin-triode buffer board; and clean wire routing.
Here's a closer look at the tube buffer...
... before getting close up and personal with the E88CC.
The S.M.A.R.T. board betwixt battery canister and rear panel handles the charging logic...
... whilst this motor turns the volume crank. The white ribbon cable connects IR eye to the board to pass on your commands.
And that's all she said. That mondo maxi macho amps at the bleeding edge need to get lots busier and complexer to keep the deep pockets happy with their investment goes without saying. But is such busy-ness really the necessary business? If as simple a circuit as the Signature 15 can deliver the goods—within its obvious power limit—what's the true rationale for Joe Sixpack to even aspire going complicated à la Soulution for example?
That question is far juicier left open-ended. As such it's also better for high-end audio. We'll deal with a more relevant nag of the flying fig sort. What to really mate and compare the Signature 15 with if you're a reviewer with a limited hardware inventory but want to make sense?
