AUDION SILVER NIGHT SPECIAL EDITION AUDION SILVER NIGHT SPECIAL EDITION EXOTICA INTEGRATED VALVE £4,150 INTEGRATED £4,150 EXOTICA

The Silver Night warmth somehow feels more natural to mean-spiritedness and is overcome Special Edition and is accompanied with masses of by using better and thicker silver has attractive airy detail that is highly extended wiring – as I suspect is the case here. designer lines yet very sweet and free from grain, My appetite is whetted so I play the all placed in a wonderfully inky black Bass With Chorus Aria – Eilt, Ihr and silent backdrop. Angefochtnen Seelen from JS Bach’s St Playing Lorde’s Royals on vinyl via my John Passion conducted by Karl Richter Timestep T-01 MC phono stage (HFC on HDCD. 371) is surprising. This track has really I am now better prepared for my deep bass and I’m expecting the Special expectations to be exceeded. Large Edition Silver Night to stumble, but I’m flowing introductory sweeps of the actually the one that’s wrong-footed. orchestra have excellent breadth Bass is deep and far faster than this and tone and the bass vocal rises design has any right to deliver. A single- majestically with real authority and ended 300B amplifier should, by rights luscious body and weight. The struggle here, but this performance has orchestra doesn’t have massive weight, rasp and plenty of taut bass front-to-back depth, but this criticism detail that doesn’t slouch behind the seems churlish, as this rendition is way higher octaves. Of course, bass quantity and particularly grip would be This is an artisan surpassed by lots of solid-state amps and some alternative valve designs, but product that feels this performance is genuinely strong. Lower frequencies are supposed to be like a life-long this kind of amp’s lesser strengths, but investment in quality here it’s like a sweet voiced soprano has just stood up and performed a beyond most single-ended rather good version of the baritone and designs. The vocal chorus is handled bass parts, leaving the conductor with real delicacy and a silky lightness scratching his head. of touch that only valves can deliver. This amplifier’s is Both lead and support vocals sound obviously rather special and it has utterly convincing and the scale and clearly been superbly optimised to dynamism of the orchestra is conveyed maximise the 300B’s potential. with real verve. If I were listening blind Furthermore, this bass ability in turn I would assume this was either a far seems to reduce the need for the amp larger, more expensive and meatier to resort to an overly creamy sound valve power amplifier, or a bizarre hi-fi created by less thorough designs. experiment using triode valves for all DETAILS attention to detail around keeping the Setup is simple. As with all 300B The stronger bass and lack of excess vocals supported by a solid-state wiring perfectly flowing for low noise valves, care is needed with orientation creaminess has also been partly amplifier powering the orchestra. PRODUCT Audion Silver Night and the cleanest possible signal path, so that the two larger pins locate with achieved through Audion’s extensive Special Edition or “air wiring” as Audion likes to the larger holes. The smaller 6H23N and generous use of silver in the signal Conclusion Silver service ORIGIN driver tubes have coloured stickers, path. People sometimes stereotypically describe it. And that signal path is now If you love hearing greater France claimed to be pure silver all the way ensuring each valve is fitted correctly. associate silver wiring with a leaner transparency and more emotional TYPE through the amplifier. Any more of this Running in takes quite a while, sound, but in my experience any content from your music you should Chris Ward looks for the hallmarks of Integrated valve amplifier with precious metal and the amp will need however. But patience pays off with the thinness to a silver sound is simply due experience what a single-ended triode quality in a Special Edition of a classic single input to have a hallmark. sound filling out more and more as the WEIGHT Its claimed power output of just 8W soundstage expands and deepens. CONNECTIONS single-ended valve amplifier 14kg may sound puny to the uninitiated, DIMENSIONS but rest assured that eight quality Sound quality 1 1 JJ 300B valve alve appear to be completely revamped. Gone is the (WxHxD) triode watts with plenty of current I start with Passenger’s stripped-out 235 x 280 x 430mm 2 Analogue input delivery through suitably sensitive enjoying something of a slightly utilitarian and austere styling FEATURES version of Romeo & Juliet on CD renaissance of late. While to be replaced by a chic and shiny look. l Quoted power: speakers will not leave you wanting and am instantly greeted with the 3 Gold-plated V 2x 8W into 8ohm binding posts some may be drawn to Many key components have been more volume. Going further, a few transparent midband clarity for which l 2x 6H23N; 2x JJ 4 Ground lift their wonderful retro looks, for many upgraded for sonic benefit as well as 300B valves seriously transparent, single-ended the 300B valve is renowned. Michael it’s the sonic qualities that cannot be long-term reliability, from the silky l 1x RCA input valve watts could well reveal qualities Rosenberg’s voice has a natural tone achieved from modern solid-state Alps Blue Velvet volume DISTRIBUTOR in your music that no other power that is beautifully portrayed, creating . And if you’re ever going and HT power supplies to the Deco Audio source can. Yet, for this virtue there a really solid and realistic presence, to be impressed by a valve amplifier, over-specification of humble power TELEPHONE is always a price to pay, and limited with a clear sonic image focused chances are that single-ended . Importantly, the already 01296 422224 triode watts generally struggle to between and in front of the speakers. implementation of 300B output triode high-quality output transformer of WEBSITE create convincingly deep, tight bass or Well-recorded vocals in stripped-back audion.co.uk tubes with zero will be the the standard Silver Night has been deal with the large soundstages and acoustic tracks are food and drink for one that turns your head. Audion has upgraded to compliment the qualities huge dynamic swings required for valve amplifiers and here the Audion a reputation for making fine-sounding (and perceived weaknesses) of 300B orchestral works. I opt to put the sets the bar much higher than I would valve amplifiers since 1987, with the valves. Heavily gold-plated, high Audion through its paces driving my have expected. Sometimes single- 2 Silver Night a long-established amperage binding posts ensure quality Cadence Arca hybrid electrostatic ended 300B amplifiers err on the side favourite. This Special Edition not only speaker connections and much internal speakers, which are particularly of a slightly warm and creamy quality 4 3 boasts extensively improved internals, point-to-point wiring has been sensitive at 91dB and 8ohm that sounds lovely, but can mask vital but the amp’s bodywork has been upgraded to solid silver with massive impedance, so a good sonic match. micro-dynamic details. Here any

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The traditional Q&A weakness of has Graeme Holland been avoided Owner, Audion

CW: Why is the quality of the components so important? GH: We believe in over rating key components so they’ll last a lifetime without problems or fluctuations, so they sound as good as they can. Where some would use a 0.6W we might use a 3W-rated to run at over 500V. We listen to and test many components and don’t skimp where it matters and prefer the quality of UK, US and European sourced components.

What’s ‘air wiring’? It is a methodology of how we hard our amps. We keep AC close to the aluminium chassis and keep ground wires and HT wires away from sensitive noise pick-up areas. When wires cross we try and cross at 90° to avoid noise pick-up. In this amp the entire audio path is quality silver.

How has the transformer been improved with this amplifier? In this amp we’ve raised already very amplifier is really capable of. And if on skilled design, quality engineering, high standards. We do all transformer you’re considering investing in a high expense components and winding inhouse in a continuous form quality valve amplifier with 21st materials, and highly skilled with no joints. We use very high- HOW IT century looks and reliability, and hand-crafted manufacturing. This is quality British steel laminations COMPARES can pair it with reasonably sensitive an artisan product that feels like a and British winding wire, double speakers, the Audion Silver Night life-long investment in quality. insulated. We also use a rigorous The Ming Da Dynasty Special Edition deserves to be placed Audion’s basic Silver Night 300B Duet MC300 and testing procedure that puts every Unison Research’s pretty high up on your audition list. mk1 amp is around £2,600, and the transformer through its paces to Preludio (using KT88 Triode qualities of a luscious, well-regarded ‘Anniversary’ version ensure the highest standards, valves) appear similar transparent midband combined with with many upgrades is around £3,150, including testing our on paper for less a sweet treble have been enhanced by so you need to pay a significant to 5,000V, even though our amps money, but the Special excellent use of choice components, premium over these models for this will only deliver 1/10th of that Edition is more refined. Special Edition. And that is exactly Unison Research’s solid silver point-to-point wiring, ultra voltage to them. But it’s not all about clean power supplies and superb what I suggest you should do. specifications. We’ve learnt that a test Sinfonia Anniversary uses a very different matching of a high-quality Thoroughly recommended l setup can measure perfectly, but can design to achieve a transformer, wound inhouse. The sound dull and lifeless. Subtle tweaks good balance of power traditional weakness of triodes has to a transformer gives ‘heart’ or ‘soul’ and finesse, but been transformed, and in particular, to an amplifier. arguably trades some transparency against strong bass abilities are genuinely very impressive. You’ll certainly OUR VERDICT What can single-ended, zero the SE. AudioNote’s SOUND QUALITY LIKE: Luscious feedback triodes do that other Meishu is a quality require reasonably sensitive speakers midband; high designs can’t? single-ended 300B (89dB+) ideally with friendly transparency; surprising bass ability Supreme clarity, purity and simplicity. amplifier worthy of an impedance to get the most from VALUE FOR MONEY audition at a slightly this amplifier, but I’m impressed DISLIKE: Cost Use reasonably efficient speakers higher cost, but the difference from Silver BUILD QUALITY (over 89dB) on this design and you strongest comparison just how tolerant and potent it is. Night Anniversary will hear things from your record is surely Audion’s Silver Experimenting with less sensitive WE SAY: All the qualities of single- collection you have never heard Night ‘Anniversary’, speakers, the sound quality is still FEATURES ended triodes, with before. Power isn’t everything, but which offers lots for a excellent and the Silver Night Special few of the downsides dynamics are! All our amps offer chunk less money, but Edition is punching way beyond its with less bass magic superb dynamics, very low noise and 8W ‘flyweight’ category. OVERALL good headroom, which are essential and without the new designer lines. Features may look rather limited for music enjoyment. on paper, but here the money is spent

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