12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
A Wonderful Amp!
Date of Review: Dec 20, 2002
The Bottom Line: At its price, there simply is nothing else!
Over ten years ago amplifier companies like Adcom,Parasound and Audiosource set the audio industry on its ear by introducing low priced high performing amplifiers rated at around 60 watts/ch. The Audiosource Amp One was most noteworthy introducing the "toroidal power supply" which virtually eliminated unwanted amplifier hum.
The amp could be purchased in the early 90's for the very inexpensive price of $270. Now with the introduction of Amp Two not only does the price remain the same but the power is now rated at 80 watts/ch. into 8 ohms and is bridgeable for a socko 200 watts p/ch.! TIM distortion is an outstanding low .04 % while Signal-to-noise Ratio is an incredible 110 db! This amp is super quiet. The Owner's Manual is short and sweet but pretty good with basic details ... not as extensive as the Parasound's.
After hooking up the rear 5-way color coded binding posts with hd OFC speaker wire and Allison CD-6 Cubes, our auditioning was about to begin. It would turn out to be most memorable! The auditioning room itself was extremely large!
Armed with two Telarc CD's - Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" and Mussorgsky/Ravel's "Pictures At An Exhibition" with the spectacular finale "The Great Gate Of Kiev"! The Allison Cubes are 1 foot squared speakers featuring a top-mounted 8" woofer and a front firing "inverted tweeter". The Allisons are low efficiency acoustic suspension monitors noted for their absolutely neutral sound but they do require a bit of power to push them properly.
The Amp Two showed no signs of distress until the cannon shots on "The 1812 Overture". After backing off the output level control on our Sony CD player, the "clipping" disappeared. This gives separates a clearcut advantage over integrated amplifiers and receivers as said "cannon shots" will simply overload the preamp output stage. Keep in mind that the audition for this masterpiece took place in a noisy rather large room.
Cosmetically, Amp Two is a very slim attractive black amp with two analog output meters that I found to be most useful and more desirable over similar power amps that either lack the meters or use stepped LED types. Bravo, Audiosource!!
There are two level controls on the Amp Two front panel that I think would be better in some cases placed in the rear so little fingers would not be so tempted to play with one's settings. The Parasound HCA-750A has an advantage here.
The Amp Two powers up very nicely and quietly with the usual delay protection. There is an attenuating control that prevents amplifier clipping by simply putting a limiter on the output!
Throughout the auditioning, one fact remained very clear to me and my good friend Matthew. The Audiosource Amp Two is absolutely neutral producing every little audiophile subtlety one could ask for without accenting any part of the audible music spectrum whatsoever!! From the lowest of lows to the highest highs right on through the all important midrange this amp is flawless!!
There is an air about the woodwinds and definition to strings and basses that simply is quite seductive. On "The Great Gate Of Kiev" the Audiosource sounded absolutely majestic and magnificent!
Switching to the Bose 901-VI speakers only reinforced this attribute! The 901's were simply at their best even when our CD's were changed to some Phillip Glass or Jazz or Rock or whatever!
In conclusion, I would say that the main differences other than the location of the input level controls between the Audiosource Amp Two and the Parasound HCA-750A are:
1. The Audiosource puts out about 18 to 20 amps of high current whereas the Parasound puts out maybe slightly more. This means that the Parasound puts out a bit more power when dynamics call for it but I could be splitting hairs.
2. The Parasound has a "sweet" sound in the high frequencies whereas the Audiosource has a more neutral quality to its sound in that part of the spectrum.
3. The audiosource has two analog power meters whereas the Parasound uses small LED's to warn you about "amplifier clipping".
Of these three differences, it may very well be # 2 that is more noteworthy as the ideal amp would not boost any part of the musical spectrum. But then again, if one purchases speakers like my recently reviewed Advent AS-2's that have a slight but very noticeable dropoff in high frequenciies, then the Parasound is probably gonna sound better! You be the judge. Both amps are definite "best buys"!
Remember...Amplifiers need to be auditioned just as much as speakers as there are certainly noticeable sonic differences from one model to the next! Don't let anyone kid ya!
At any rate, the Audiosource Amp Two is an improvement over the already amazing Amp One at a price that is ridiculously low. Simply do not overlook this quality amp in your search for "sonic perfection" on a budget. I know that it will always hold a special place in my heart particularly because of its spinetingling performance! I'd love to read your comments on the amp and/or the review. Thanks again and God bless you! Your humble servant...Peter
