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As indicated, it was difficult to detect a preference for a certain music type even though electronics and rock worked best. The latter was represented by Kings of Leon and Diorama while electronics were handled by Jean Michel Jarré and Savage. And how! Granted there was no talk of macrodynamics where even the smallest transistor will be better. Yet greater dynamics and bigger bass of inexpensive amps won’t translate into as good a sound on a whole. Interestingly enough the range below 100Hz was quite strong. It was only the first impression listening to Jazz by way of the Art Blakey Quartet and then Diana Dors vocals that suspected bass was insufficient. The double bass simply descended into a range where the amp began to roll off. With electronica however and the brilliant Laurie Anderson Homeland disc it was clear how this tiny amp actually had surprisingly good bass. But that you must hear yourself to believe. I hadn’t heard anything like it before.
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Synergy Hifi 6F3 with MiniWatt headphone adaptor as seen in Portland's 32Ohm Audio store |
The 6F3 sounds very good. Its general tendency is rather light but it can still surprise you with a low passage. There is no trace of emphasis or sharpness and decays are very rich. Clearly the addition of a subwoofer is a good idea. Different to the usual recommendations, it would be best to filter the signal with the subwoofer’s high-pass if possible. Even so small loudspeakers already will display all the core virtues.
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That said, this is a budget solution. Despite my great sympathy for this phenomenon—and Synergy HiFi is a phenom—I cannot pretend away the weaker sides. Macrodynamics are very limited, the soundstage is not very deep and we cannot talk about the kind of distinction and separation more expensive amplifiers afford. Yet voices were clear and firmly localized. While their shapes weren’t crisply rendered, the overall effect was still acceptable. Brilliant on the other hand was sonic coherence. No comparably priced transistor amp comes even close. Their makers try to clone this effect with warmth to cover up flaws but that’s a half measure only. In small systems as used around computers, the 6F3 should truly be extraordinary. It should also be a splendid shocker for visiting acquaintances.
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With an impedance matching box, the 6F3 can also drive headphones |
Description: The 6F3 is a tiny stereo tube amp working in single-ended mode. Its construction quality is worthy of a full-size high-level amplifier. The chassis uses a nicely curved aluminium extrusion and alu top cover around steel insides. The skin is nicely sanded and anodized in one of five colors. The review sample’s red was closer to a dark pink. The front panel sports a single silver control for volume. The back has one pair of RCA inputs and banana-only inset speaker terminal sleeves. Finally there is a full-size IEC power inlet with a mechanical mains switch and fuse (the latter is a custom Create Audio version).
The tubes mount to ceramic sockets with silver-plated contacts. The Chinese NOS 6F3 is two tubes in one glass envelope, one triode and one pentode. This construction is similar to a ECL85/6GV8.
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The amplifier circuit splits into two PCBs stacked one atop the other. The top board is part of the amplifying circuit with two small output coupling caps, various quality Rifa units and Japanese Nichicon electrolytics. The potentiometer is a miniature Alps. The bottom PCB is shielded from the upper board and dedicated to the power supply. This is a universal switch-mode variant developed by APPJ and it accepts voltages from 100 to 240V AC. I didn’t appreciate just how many parts can be crammed into such a tiny space and with what style.
Technical data (according to manufacturer):
• Tubes: triode/pentode 6F3
• Output power: 2.5W+2.5W/8Ω
• Frequency response: 30-40kHz (+/-1dB)
• Input sensitivity: 800mV
• Noise: < 0.6mV AC
• Power voltage: 100-240V AC
• Power consumption: 33W
• Input impedance: 10kΩ
• Output impedance: 16/8/6/4Ω (Japanese output transformers Z11-Ei48*24)
• Dimensions: 132 x 96 x 100+70mm WxDxH
• Weight: 1.7kg
• Input: 1 x stereo RCA |
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opinia @ highfidelity.pl
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