Blast from my past – In 2013, the Clones Audio 25i integrated [€629] from Hong Kong put the world on notice that the overpriced 47lab Gaincard wasn't the only game in amp-on-a-chip town. At the time I didn't know that Jeff Rowland had worked with opamp outputs in some of his models, albeit in diamond-buffer formation with transformer-coupled inputs. Moonriver Audio hadn't yet launched to revisit the 'gainclone' concept in full-size amps. To this day it remains a cost-effective way to make a very simple gain circuit that sounds good. In this photo we see my bygone desktop on Mont Le Pèlérin in Switzerland with Gallo's Strada on Mapleshade plinths and an iPod on a digital dock, black Clones integrated in the middle. Should the whole gainclone/card thing still read a riddle to you, it all began when the 47labs designer needed a quick amplifier for R&D of other products. He rolled certain op-amps off their application notes into a miniature speaker amp with outboard power supply never intended to be commercialized. Others heard it and the rest is history. His pricey yet ultra minimalist Gaincard birthed a plethora of DIY clones, even commercial inspired-by versions. This 25i was one of the best and most approachable of those turnkey offers. An evolved version remains available to this day.
