Integrated Amp Reviews

I stalk a few audio forums because the chatter shows me what different varieties of audiophiles are thinking about, what's pleasing them, what's making them angry, and—potentially—what issues reviewers like me are failing to address.

Similarly, I watch a lot of DIY and audio review videos on YouTube. I especially love watching my friend Steve Guttenberg's Audiophiliac "Viewer System of the Day" videos (footnote 1), which provide a global view of the gear choices real people in normal houses have made. I am especially fascinated by how these diverse audiophiles place their components in normal rooms. A few have the heavy stuff sitting on low platforms close to the floor. The majority use audiophile-approved component racks. But more and more often, I'm seeing prized components crowning family-approved bureaus, credenzas, buffets, and sideboards. This pleases me.

In my view, bureau-top music systems are more family/home/group–listening friendly than systems with chrome skyscrapers surveying sprawling amplifier farms covering acres of floor, with power-conversion facilities and 1000W monoblocks roosting on industrial-grade platforms, connected by thick wires perched on cute cable lifters.

So I appreciate components that are bureau friendly. By "bureau friendly," I mean real-world audio gear designed to look attractive on top of a nice cabinet in a domestic setting. In our Stereophile world, that usually means a sexy-looking integrated amplifier accompanied by a matching DAC-streamer and a smart-looking turntable. Systems like this succeed fully when they make records sound enticing in a "Shush! I want to listen!" way. Danish brand Bang & Olufsen has flourished catering to this aesthetic, and the Europeans have embraced it, but most American audiophiles have been reluctant to endorse any system that does not look serious and tech-savvy.

I know from experience that the manner in which a sound system occupies its environment affects every listening session, its feel and its quality. Which is what first attracted my attention to Fern & Roby products: This is serious, quality audio gear that looks elegant and unpretentious. The component I'm about to describe, Fern & Roby's new, $8500 Amp No. 2 integrated amplifier, is bureau friendly. It looks more stylish than tech-savvy, and it is not big or heavy, but its sound quality would put the sound of many amp farms to shame. A system consisting of an Amp No. 2, a pair of Raven speakers, and a Montrose turntable exemplifies owner-founder Christopher Hildebrand's materials-based, simple-is-better, form-follows-function design ethic.

Describing the Amp No. 2, F&R's website says "Our goal for this project was to produce something that will turn your living room into the best listening room possible."

The Amp No. 2 story
Christopher Hildebrand is the creative force behind Tektonics Design Group (footnote 2) and Fern & Roby Audio, which began operations in 2010. He is perhaps best known for his serious but elegant-looking turntables made from Richlite (footnote 3) and brass, and as the affable, talented industrial and mechanical designer behind Linear Tube Audio's line of preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and integrated amplifiers.

In an email, Hildebrand wrote that Fern & Roby's Amp No. 2 is the product of a collaboration between himself and analog audio designer Michael Bettinger, and Luke Smith, another regular F&R collaborator, who helped with the No. 2's digital controls. It's Fern & Roby's second collaboration with Bettinger, who has been designing and building solid state amplifiers for 45 years, starting with G.A.S. Audio in 1981, after fashion-forward engineering savant James Bongiorno's Great American Sound (G.A.S.) amplifier company went out of business. Since '81, Bettinger has built a loyal following for the work he has done keeping the mad-cool Ampzilla amplifier and its legendary cohorts alive. More recently, Michael's company, Bettinger Audio Design, has developed a range of original designs including F&R's Amp. No. 2.

Fern & Roby's integrated Amp No. 2 was launched at the 2023 Capital Audiofest. It is manufactured in Richmond, Virginia, by Tektonics Design Group and described as a "JFET input based 25 watt power amplifier, biased as 5 watts class-A, transitioning to class-AB at higher signal levels." (footnote 4) In an email, Bettinger wrote, "The quality of the circuitry in Amp No. 2 lies in its combination of established circuit topologies and careful selection of high-quality component parts, refined over time for musicality and simplicity."

The No. 2's back panel features three line-level inputs: one balanced (XLR) and two single-ended (RCA) plus a phono input (RCA) that's switchable inside the chassis for use with moving magnet or moving coil cartridges. There is also a subwoofer output, on RCA, and of course, two pairs of loudspeaker binding posts of fancy, gold-plated copper.

The No. 2's asymmetrical front panel is made of solid ¾"-thick walnut and reads like a primer for Fern & Roby's relaxed, materials-centered design aesthetic. The amplifier's name and Fern & Roby's discrete logo are subtly engraved in the faceplate's lower-right corner. The face- plate features six buttons in patinated brass and a volume control knob sporting the company's trademarked arrow symbol. Christopher told me in an email, "The arrow in our logo became our symbol for adventure as we launched Fern & Roby, setting our sights on a distant goal and developing the quality of product necessary to hit the mark."

Standing alone to the right of the No. 2's volume knob is a Mute button. To the right of that is the receiver eye for the remote control; the remote provided is a standard Apple remote. Farther right, a row of four buttons allows input selection: Phono, and the three line-level inputs. The No. 2 comes with a three-year limited warranty.

Readers please note: The Amp No. 2 is made in Richmond, Virginia, in-house, from raw materials. Fern & Roby provides real, local full-time jobs with benefits such as health insurance and paid time off for all employees. Hildebrand says, "These commitments encourage great people to join our firm and make lifelong careers with us." If that's how they treat their staff, it's a good bet they treat their customers with the same respect.

Setup
I auditioned the Fern & Roby Amp No. 2 with my best digital sources—the dCS Lina DAC and Master Clock, Denafrips Terminator Plus DAC—and a Dr. Feickert Analogue Blackbird turntable feeding MoFi's MasterPhono phono stage. All connections, including tonearm and speakers, were made with Cardas Clear Beyond cabling. For an alternative perspective, I used a full loom of Triode Wire Lab Spirit II interconnects and American speaker cables. Auditioning the Fern & Roby with two brands of wire helped me separate out the cable sound from the amplifier's sound.

When the time came to audition the No. 2's phono stage, I started with the EMT JSD 6 moving coil cartridge, which I reviewed in Gramophone Dreams #78—so I removed the No. 2's cover and flipped two toggle switches (one for each channel) from the MM to the MC position. The insides of the No. 2 looked more expensive and luxurious than its modestly conceived exterior. Its quality parts, smart layout, and bright, machined heatsink were treats for the eye.

Listening with the Falcon LS3/5a
I can't imagine anyone not enjoying "Bonaparte's Retreat" (AFS 1568), performed by W. H. Stepp on a Library of Congress anthology entitled American Fiddle Tunes (Rounder CD 18964 1518-2). I am betting this famous American fiddle tune will march and dance you to a higher form of consciousness, just as it was intended to do. I've heard this infectious song a hundred times, performed by a score of different artists, but this high-speed W. H. Stepp version is borderline transcendent. Wikipedia says "Stepp's version of this song was used as a major component of Aaron Copland's orchestral composition 'Hoe-Down' from the ballet Rodeo. Copland most likely learned it from the transcription found in the Lomaxes' book Our Singing Country."

"Bonaparte's Retreat" was recorded by Alan Lomax and his new bride Elizabeth in 1937, according to the 72-page fact- and photo-filled booklet that came with the CD. The track's extreme high sound quality suggests that it was recorded electrically, direct-to-disc (one microphone, one cable, and a Presto instantaneous disc recorder; footnote 5). More traditional renditions of "Bonaparte's Retreat" move slower, like Irish airs, and celebrate how happy residents of the British Isles were when Napoleon was repelled from Russia in 1815. Stepp's 1937 version modernizes and Americanizes the tune, revving its speed up for Paganini-level thrills bathed in Irish-poet soulfulness and pure Stradivarius tone. Yep, Maestro Stepp played a real Stradivarius. He talks about it on this recording.

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Footnote 1: See youtube.com/watch?v=IstWDWAaoFM&t=367s.

Footnote 2: See Julie Mullins's April 2023 Re-Tales column. Tektonics Design Group also manufactures the bronze metalwork for DeVore Fidelity's O/Reference speaker system and the metal parts for the Komuro Amplifier Company.

Footnote 3: See richlite.com/whatisrichlite.

Footnote 4: The best way to describe such an amplifier, I'm thinking, is that it is a class-AB design that is biased up to 5W in class-A.

Footnote 5: See preservationsound.com/2011/09/presto-recording-corp-pioneers-of-instant-analog-disc-recording.