Description (turntable): Three-speed, belt-drive turntable with 10" hybrid unipivot/gimbal carbon-fiber tonearm. Constrained layer MDF core with aluminum top plate within a solid wood frame. Speeds: 33 1/3, 45, and 78rpm with speed adjustment and four-digit LED readout. Motor: three-phase brushless AC. Bearing: bronze sleeve, steel shaft with precision steel ball and Teflon thrust pad. Platter: 1.75" thick, 14.35lb aluminum platter with integrated Delrin surface, round belt formed from a proprietary material. Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS) isolation feet.…
search
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: Thorens TD124 turntable with Korf TA-SF9R tonearm. Denon DL-103o, Hana Umami Blue, Luxman LMC-5, MoFi Electronics UltraGold MC phono cartridges.
Preamplifiers: Rogue Audio RP-7 (line); Tavish Audio Design Adagio, Manley Chinook (phono).
Integrated amplifier: Riviera Labs Levante.
Power amplifier: Rogue Audio Stereo 100.
Loudspeakers: Volti Audio Razz, Voxativ Ampeggio 2024.
Cables: Interconnects: Triode Wire Labs Spirit II, Argent Pur (all RCA). Speaker: Auditorium 23, Iconoclast. AC: AudioQuest NRG Z, Triode Wire Labs…
The dogma of separates has long reigned supreme among audiophiles: If you're serious about sound quality, you're supposed to need a dedicated preamp and power amp. The logic goes that separates reduce interference and offer maximum control over your sound. But there's an argument to be made that integrated amplifiers are more practical ... and potentially better-sounding.
The beauty of an integrated amp lies in its synergy. Audio engineers know exactly how the pre and power sections will interact; the two are literally designed to work together. On paper at least, that means optimized…
The most salient thing about the design of the FLS10 is something that Paul Miller describes better than I could, so I'll just quote him (he helped assess the amplifier for our UK sister publication Hi-Fi News). Quoth Paul: "Loudspeakers typically expect a voltage input (where this voltage is proportional to the music signal's amplitude), so an amplifier will be designed to boost a low voltage input to a higher voltage output. This voltage gain is a high 46dB in the case of Audia Flight's FLS10 (in its 0dB input mode setting), however it does not employ voltage amplification from end-to-…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Fully balanced, dual-mono, solid state integrated stereo amplifier. Inputs: 3 pairs unbalanced (RCA), 2 pairs balanced (XLR). Optional DAC board adds USB, AES3, coaxial S/PDIF inputs, and 2× TosLink. Outputs: 2 pairs of loudspeaker binding posts, 1 pair unbalanced (RCA), 1 pair balanced (XLR), 1 pair REC unbalanced (RCA). Built-in independent headphone amplifier. Output power: 200Wpc into 8 ohms (23dBW), 380Wpc into 4 ohms (22.8dBW), 700Wpc into 2 ohms (22.4dBW). Gain range: –90dB/+10dB. Frequency response: 0.3Hz–500kHz, –3dB. Input impedance: 47k…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Digital sources: Aurender A20 streaming D/A processor, Grimm Audio MU1 streamer, 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max running Roon 2.0, Roon ROCK (Lenovo ThinkCentre).
Preamplifier: Benchmark HPA4.
Integrated amplifier: Anthem STR.
Power amplifier: Krell FPB 200c (recapped).
Loudspeakers: Focal Utopia Scala EVO, Estelon X Diamond MkII, Diptyque Reference.
Cables: Loudspeaker: AudioQuest Thunderbird Zero and Bass. Power cables and interconnects: AudioQuest WEL Signature (AES3), AudioQuest Coffee (coaxial S/PDIF), AudioQuest Vodka (TosLink), Clarus…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Based on the company's earlier FLS4 power amplifier, the genes of Audia Flight's FLS10 can be traced right back to the inaugural Flight 100 model, launched in 1997. In this current model, eight pairs of power transistors are deployed in bridged mode (per channel) across substantial heatsinks, supported by a huge 2kVA toroidal transformer and 144,000µF of supply capacitance. Regulation is impressively stiff, so the FLS10 not only exceeds its 200W/8 ohm rating by delivering 245Wpc into 8 ohms (23.9dBW) but then offers a +2.5dB uplift to 440Wpc into 4 ohms (23.4dBW…
Photos: Paul Miller, except where noted
Since the original WATT/Puppy concept kicked off in the late 1980s, there has been a 40-year evolution leading to the latest version reviewed here. The loudspeaker's price in 2025 is around $40,000/pair compared to the original's $8000. While inflation alone would have lifted the price to $25,000/pair, the current price takes into account the many technological and design improvements. While remaining physically separable, the upper "WATT" (Wilson Audio Tiny Tot) component, namely the head unit of the latest design, can no longer be run as a small…
Drive units and crossovers
Wilson Audio has enjoyed much experience with European drivers chosen primarily for transparency and musicality. All those in the current WATT/Puppy are by ScanSpeak, which specializes in patented ultrahigh-performance designs. These drivers are renowned for low coloration deriving from inventive diaphragm mode-suppressing geometry and suspension configurations.
Looking first at the Puppy's low-frequency enclosure, this houses two 8" (203mm) "essentially pistonic" bass drivers fitted with homogenous cellulose-composite resin-bonded pulp cones. These…
Alignment and optimization
I asked Daryl Wilson about break-in: "We found playing any Wilson Audio loudspeaker for 25–50 hours gives 90%–95% of the 'break-in' time and the sound is very close to what it will be when fully settled. Further subtle and nuanced changes in the sound will be noticed after about 100 hours. A system is fully broken in after about 150 hours. The differences in sound between a system that has 50 hours break-in time and 150 hours break-in time is very small."
After delivery and a basic install, here to my usual arrangements, and then after some…