Because the escalating Israel war feels uncomfortably close to a Biblical Armageddon scenario, I'll now refer to our amp as Don for its last three letters. That has a happier ring. Dapper Don? As the opening collage suggested, this black full-size component is available in four different trim executions so with gold or silver highlights in either matte or gloss/chrome finish. That includes the fascia bolts, footers and mesh vents. As for Don Juan, the power ratings already showed insatiable appetites. As headphone kit this will drive anything without limits on stamina or loudness. RCA/XLR inputs embrace sources of either persuasion. As a single-ended circuit of course—'asymmetrical' on the faceplate—the XLR meet a lossless unbalancing op-amp. The twinned RCA bypass it for a shorter signal path. Greater chassis width accommodates a front-mounted power switch whose absence was my sole functional nit for narrower Hyperion Ge. That puts it on the back. If the brand name remains a riddle, it solves as Serbian Audio EQuipment. If in the absence of a regional dealer or importer you purchase factory direct, remember that Serbia isn't part of the EU. If you're in the Union, add your country's VAT to the $7.6K sell price. In Ireland where I live, that's a not inconsiderable 23% to become €9'348 at time of writing. We're in unapologetic deep flagship waters.

It's where multi-tasking speaker drive might offset drowning sticker shock? We're just short a remote for volume. Whilst that won't matter on a desktop, Don's 37x24x12cm dimensions could be prohibitive there. Where Hyperion Ge with its rear footer removed just makes it beneath my 34" computer monitor of non-adjustable height, Don would not. As a speaker amp in a classic setup, you could prefer a variable source with lossless volume and remote control like my Sonnet Pasithea or Cen.Grand DSDAC 1.0 Deluxe. Set Dragan's 24-click stepped attenuator where you get the most useful SPL range, trim the rest from the seat. Finally, my Hyperion Ge review showed how despite 300B SET power suggesting classic widebanders like Voxativ's above Hagen2 as dream mates, for this breed Dragan's low Z-out is all wrong by a factor of 100! A high-sensitivity broadband driver of excellent self damping wants high output impedance to not overdamp and suffer premature bass roll-off and transient exaggeration. A damping factor of 1 could be ideal. That's the polar opposite to multi-way speakers with complex xovers and high back-EMF woofers. On said score, Don's higher power rating broadens its speaker reach into more normal loads where low output Ω for high damping factor is the correct spec.

As always, rules hide exceptions. Despite its published 100dB/2.83V, Zu's Soul 6 large hard-hung widebander with coaxial super tweeter in its throat responds very well to high-power amps of low output impedance. That even includes class D. I pegged it my domestic load most suitable to compare Hyperion Ge and Don since circuit tuning not raw power would be the decider. Meanwhile switching to my usual Qualio IQ should give the bigger amp a current advantage for superior damping of the open-backed 6" Satori midrange. As far as my mental gymnastics ahead of arrival were concerned, this review's scenic tour was all mapped out. Then it happened. Umleitung. It's the dreaded German word for detour which especially on the Autobahn can really interrupt one's travel plans. A day before my Don was to ship, Dragan's customs agent advised him that if my Hyperion Ge sample didn't return to Serbia by month's end just a week away, SAEQ would be in violation of domestic customs. Apparently the allotted 120 days for a temporary export had expired. Because Don's departure had delayed, there was to be no A/B between it and Hyperion Ge after all. The latter would be gone once the End Times landed. In fact, they'd cross each other in the skies between Dublin and Belgrade; or perhaps on the ground at Roissy Charles de Gaulle. No matter, I had a plethora of resident amps to compare it to. Only fratricide was off the table.

Cen.Grand's remote on the sidetable replaces SAEQ's manual controller.

When the top cover's first gilded hex bolt kept turning without raising up, I put my trusty screwdriver away. I didn't wish to strip a fastener. Hence no inside shots for a change. We head straight for the sonic jugular. As previewed on the prior page, my sample came in matte gold trim. In my book that exudes understated elegance rather than glossy bling. Dragan had pegged my aesthetics perfectly. Back onto calling his circuit asymmetrical on the front plate. "I wanted to end up with a single word that indicates a single-ended input and a single power supply of +56V not ±28V. High gain is self-explanatory of course. The complete topology reflects the transition from tubes to transistors. As such it packs a lot of valve sonics which is most clearly heard on serious loudspeakers."