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Sound: What I liked immediately was the neutrality. RW Audio definitely did not author an “audiophile” product in the sense of adding more weight to the music than called for nor pleasant but artificial tonality edits. In a certain way, the LME49720HA upgrade delivers a warmer sound and better bandwidth than the stock op-amps but the core message remains unchanged. To my ears, the sound has the right balance between profusion of detail and fluidity. I used the Amp1 in two main setups - receiving the signal from a Trends Audio UD-10.1 USB DAC via mini-to-mini cable connected directly to my Apple iMAc with a doubled-up USB cable to improve the quality of the power supply; and receiving the signal from a CD player (Audio Analogue Grand Maestro and Luxman D-06) or Zhaolu D-3.5 DAC.



In the first configuration, the Amp1 delivered great results for the money and I felt no particular lack using iTunes WAV files while sitting at my desk where I tend to spend way too much time at night.  With the stock op amps, I would advise headphones without undue HF emphasis. The upgraded op-amps are more versatile and should easily associate with all manner of headphones. The combo with the Trends UD-10.1 USB created a very competitive and versatile system given the total cash outlay.

I compared this combo to Chinese challenger, the Zhaolu DAC 3.5 which by itself costs nearly the price of those separates. Even though the conversion stage of the Zhaolu will be more sophisticated than the Trends’, the latter definitely offered more versatility and the RW Amp1 to my ears produced far better results than the optional headphone output of the Chinese which was a bit less accurate and of insufficient gain to use my high-impedance headphones. If I had to choose between these pieces to set up my desktop station, I should undoubtedly keep the Sino/Canadian couple over  the Zhaolu.


The RW Amp1 has sufficient bandwidth and detail with liquid in the LME49720HA configuration and a very neutral sound (the standard op amps are drier).  I also connected my headphones directly into the Trends UD-10.1 USB DAC and noticed no tonal balance offsets to show that the Amp1 inserted no significant colorations. Switching from the AKG 701 to the Nuforce UD-30 headphones, the sonic identity of the two headphones remained clearly preserved.



The Amp1 delivered attractive listening results for a desktop proposition. There was sufficient weight and extension to enjoy classical, jazz or rock without suffering audiophile concerns. AKG’s K240 obviously asked for the higher-gain setting in which instance its sonic identity also parlayed distinctly.


Listening to Pat Metheny’s Quartet album, the dimensional silence and great expansiveness of one of PMG’s most ambitious recordings were fairly reproduced. In particular, the “Mojave” track attested to the amps’ good handling of both frequencies extremes against an absence of treble acidity. Equally convincing were the string subtleties of "Dismantling Utopia", the ambient textures and drums. Switching to classical and Viktoria Mullova with Il Giardino Armonico in the Vivaldi Violin Concertos, the change of climate was easily perceptible, the balance between soloist and the orchestra under Giovanni Antonini mostly respected. The energy and vivacity present in this recording remained stimulating and string attacks were persuasively delivered by a device of this price.

Used as a pure headphone station for late-night listening and connected to the Luxman D-06 via the Mogami stereo-to-mini cable, the results went beyond all expectations. The transparency of the Amp1 helped me to appreciate the enormous potential of the Luxman player. Compared to the headphone output of the Luxman L-590 AII integrated amplifier however, I preferred the RW Audio for its greater transparency and accuracy.



It is obviously possible to exceed this cheap amplifier with others which are able to deliver a wider and deeper soundstage. But the accuracy whereby the RW reproduces the music really represents a very attractive proposal for its sticker. The versatility of this product is a true achievement and the Amp1 improves its otherwise still very enjoyable performance when leashed up to a truly high-end CD-SACD player.
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