Artisan Audio

We like many amplifiers however we believe that the better-known brands are over-promoted and don't offer the best value.

Our criteria in selecting a good amplifier are:

● it should convey life, energy and dynamics

● voices and instruments should sound life-like - as if you are in the same room

● the attack and decay of notes should sound natural

● as you listen to the performance, all the parts should be clear and distinct, and it should sound like the musicians are playing together

We are proud to offer amplifiers from four companies that meet our criteria. We have a preference for valve amplifiers and believe that the Quicksilver Audio range (see dedicated Quicksilver pages) offer an unbeatable combination of high end sonic performance, build quality, reliability and value for money.

Valvet




Valvet is a small German company (actually all audio companies are small) that produces elegantly designed and built amplifiers that deserve to be auditioned. Their room at the Heathrow audio show 2006 was one of the best sounding at the show.

They have evolved a distinctive architecture of class A modules using high quality parts in minimal designs that run hot. Featuring a hybrid valve/solid-state pre-amplifier with separate power supply and monoblock power amplifiers.

There is a choice between the E1 single-ended transistor power amp producing 10 watts per channel or the A1, push pull design which puts out 20 watts per channel. The outputs may appear low however they play with such punch, authority and dexterity that modern inefficient speaker designs present no problems.

We like these amps a lot - they make listening fun! We used ours recently to trial our new CD player range and the latter's designer admitted that he had never heard the track we used replayed with such drama. The notes stop and start with real precision - we strongly recommend an audition.

Available in a choice of silver or black cases with either silver or black knobs.

Prices

L1 Valve Preamplifier, 4 Line inputs, Valve Power Supply £1095

E1 Single-Ended Class-A Monoamps, 10 Watts £1095/pair

A1 Push-Pull Class-A Monoamps, 20 Watts £1095/pair



Click here to visit Valvet's website.

Flying Mole


Flying Mole is a Japanese company specialising in class D amplifiers. We are excited about developments in this relatively new field. A good class D amp has the dynamics and speed of the best solid state designs allied to the openness and palpability of a good valve design. Distortion is very low which means it's possible to drive these amps at relatively high levels without fatigue.

The CA-S3 is a remarkable piece - with a footprint the size of a CD case, this single-input integrated amplifier was designed for near-field monitoring. However when we tried it with a pair of 89 dB/W floor standers we were impressed with how well it performed. It majors on clarity, detail with fast transients and tight bass control. At 20 W/channel into 8 ohms, it is an ideal component for a second system or for use with high efficiency speakers.




We have found the Flying Mole MA-S160 (100 w/channel into 8 ohms) to be a great performer with its open, detailed sound, punchy dynamics and tight bass control It surpasses our previous solid state reference amp from a UK manufacturer with a famous name.



The matching PA-S1 line stage preamplifier is also available.

CA-S3 20 W/channel (8 ohms) amplifier £499.95
CA-S10 100W/channel (8 ohms) integrated amplifier £999.95
PA-S1 preamplifier £999.95
MA-S160 100W/channel (8 ohms) power amplifier £999.95

Click here to visit Flying Mole's website.

ASTINtrew

A relatively new British company that is fast building a reputation for its fine electronics. This hybrid (valve/solid state) pre/power amp combination straddles the line between hi fi attributes (detail and imaging) and dynamics (transients and timing). They convey the emotion and drama of recordings very effectively and have deservedly picked up recommendations in audio magazine reviews.



We find this to be a very enjoyable, coherent amplifier that delights over an extended listening session - unlike other manufacturers' designs that have high initial impact but fatigue over extended listening. At their price point they are stunning value for money.

AT 1000 preamplifier + remote £535
AT 5000 power amplifier £697

Click here to visit ASTINtrew's website