Integrated Amp Reviews

Sonic Frontiers makes much of their use of expensive, top-grade components in their products. Though the Integrated 1 doesn't have quite the parts pedigree of Sonic Frontiers' more expensive products, inside are found tweaky parts you wouldn't expect to see in a $1295 integrated amplifier: MIT and WIMA film- and metalized-polypropylene caps, Noble pots, Roderstein and Holco metal-film resistors, high-quality gold-plated RCA jacks, and Kimber internal wiring.

The Anthem Integrated 1 couldn't be more different from the similarly priced Linn Majik-I integrated amplifier that I review elsewhere in this issue. The all-tube Integrated 1 is a tweaky design with lots of high-quality parts and an emphasis on sound quality rather than convenience. By contrast, the Majik-I is based on an op-amp in the preamp stage and uses integrated output devices.

Listening
The Integrated 1's tubed design was apparent in the listening. The amplifier didn't control the loudspeakers' woofers as well as its solid-state competitors did; this led to a softish bass and reduced bottom-end extension. The Anthem had a warm and full midbass, which I found pleasant on the two pairs of minimonitors. Acoustic bass was well served by the Integrated 1; it had a nice roundness and realistic timbre. Stanley Clarke's fabulous playing on "Nevermind," from Airto Moreira and the Gods of Jazz (B&W Music BW041; also included on Stereophile's Test CD 3) highlighted the Integrated 1's wonderfully warm and rich bass. The Linn Majik-I and Rotel RA-970BX, by comparison, were leaner and didn't have quite the roundness or realistic timbre of the Anthem.

Nonetheless, the Integrated 1 lacked the bottom-end extension and power of the Linn Majik-1 and Rotel RB-970. The Integrated 1's midbass warmth was nice on some recordings, but the lack of tautness, extension, and bass dynamics was a liability on most music. The Anthem's bottom end just lacked the solidity and drive of the solid-state amps, diluting the music's pace and rhythm. The Anthem's sonic character tended to emphasis bass guitar and de-emphasize kickdrum. Despite the Integrated 1's more natural rendering of low-frequency timbre, I preferred the bass performance of the Linn and Rotel integrated amplifiers.

However, one area in which the Integrated 1 excelled was soundstaging. The Anthem threw a wonderfully spacious, open, and deep soundstage between and behind the loudspeakers. Instrumental images were surrounded by air, rather than being portrayed as "cardboard cutouts." Image focus was less sharp than that of the Majik-I, but considering the Anthem's expansive window on the music, I didn't care.

You'd expect that the all-tube Integrated 1 would have a liquid midrange and sense of ease, particularly in comparison with the Majik-I, which uses an op-amp and IC output devices. Surprisingly, the Integrated 1's mids were a little hard and edgy in comparison with the Linn. Herbie Hancock's piano on "Nevermind" had a bit of glare and hardness on the transient leading edges through the Integrated 1. I also heard this on Mighty Sam McClain's voice on his Give It Up to Love (AudioQuest AQ-CD1015). Acoustic guitar sounded more "metallic" through the Integrated 1 than through the Majik-I. I would have never expected this to be the case, but the impression was consistent throughout the single-presentation listening and the matched-level comparisons. [With their high output impedances, tube amplifiers do tend to have a forward low-treble with two-way minimonitors, because that is where these speakers have their highest impedance. See fig.1 in the measurements section.—Ed.]

The Anthem was the best of the three integrated amplifiers in presenting grain-free textures. Although midrange timbres were a touch hard, they weren't coarse." The Rotel RA-970BX, and to a lesser extent the Majik-I, overlaid instrumental and vocal textures with a bit of fine grit, although I didn't find this musically objectionable.

Similarly, the Integrated 1 had a more natural rendering of treble textures. Cymbals sounded less like chromium through the Anthem, although the tubed amplifier was a tad brighter than the Majik. The Linn had a trace of solid-state brittleness in the top end (though not in the mids) that put a hard sheen on cymbals and made sibilance a little more pronounced than in the tubed Anthem. The Integrated 1 also had a nice sense of openness and air around the treble that better conveyed the brasslike shimmer of decaying cymbals.

If you audition the Integrated 1 and like its sound, don't be deterred by the 25Wpc power rating; the Anthem drove the 85dB-sensitive, 4 ohm Aerial 5s to any satisfying listening level, and did even better with the more sensitive Linn Tukans. Nonetheless, loudspeaker matching will be a little more difficult with the Anthem that with the Rotel or Linn integrated amplifiers.

Conclusion
The Anthem Integrated 1 is a mixed bag musically. It clearly excels in soundstaging, throwing a spacious, three-dimensional presentation infused with air and bloom. It also has a sweet treble devoid of solid-state grain. But the price is a softish bass and a reduced sense of rhythm and pace compared to the solid-state Rotel and Linn integrated amplifiers. And although the Integrated 1 has a natural treble rendering, it does tend to make midrange textures sound a little hard and edgy.

I have a few other caveats. First, the Integrated 1 puts out a lot of heat. Second, the phono gain isn't selectable, as it is on the Majik-I. Third, it lacks the Linn's operational refinements such as remote control, headphone output, and volume ramp up and down when switching sources.

But when you hear the Integrated 1's wonderful soundstaging, you may be tempted to look beyond these shortcomings. The Anthem Integrated 1 brings some of the best qualities of tubed electronics to a popular price level.