Integrated Amp Reviews

Sidebar 2: System context

I auditioned the amplifiers in my new (and temporary) smaller listening room with two pair of loudspeakers: the Aerial 5 ($1295/pair) and Linn's $795/pair Tukan, both mounted on the Aerial stands. Loudspeaker cables were bi-wired MIT Terminator 2, or a bi-wired run of AudioQuest Midnight/Argent.

The analog source was a heavily modified Well Tempered Turntable and Lary Pederson–modified Well Tempered Arm fitted with an AudioQuest AQ7000nsx cartridge.

Digital front-end was a Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 CD player feeding the amplifiers through a 1m run of AudioQuest Quartz, Ruby, or MIT Terminator 2 interconnect. The system was plugged into an Audio Power Industries Power Pack II AC line conditioner.—Robert Harley