No 71 July/August 2019 A FLIGHT OF FANCY VƧðŗǍͣƛǠŢěƛƧðŠƐŗŁǠěƓƧěƛƧěē̶ ƓědžŁěLJěēðŢēƓðƧěē̻̻̻ ON TEST AUDIA FLIGHT FLS10 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER talian high-end hi-fi manufactur- The phono module is $1,900; the line-level As for the circuitry itself, I have already er Audia Flight has in recent years modules are $900 each; and the DAC module said that the output stage is basically the worked very hard to not only increase is $3,500. The price for the Streamer module FLS4’s, but the overall topology is actual- the number of products in its range, was not available at the time of going to ly based on Audia Flight’s original Flight but also increase the diversity of press. 100 power amplifier, which was launched its range, this last a project that is According to Audia Flight, the FLS10 uses ‘way back in 1970. Basically, after the first Ienhanced because most of the company’s exactly the same output stage as its FLS4 input stage, which uses voltage amplifica- products are able to be customised by adding power amplifier, which is fine by me, because tion, a transconductance stage switches the modules so that audiophiles can option in I truly believe in the truth of the two sayings amplification type to current-mode, which only those features and facilities they want ‘there’s no point in re-inventing the wheel’ is converted back into voltage by the output included, and don’t have pay for added-cost and ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. The Italian stages. It all seems unnecessarily complicat- features they didn’t really want in the first company spent a great deal of money on ed and inevitably adds noise and distortion place. research and development designing and because this approach effectively doubles the The Audia Flight FLS10 is a perfect case building the FLS4’s output stage, so it makes number of components in the signal path, in point, because although in its most basic good sense to re-use the same tech in the but presumably Audia Flight’s design team form (which is hardly ‘basic’, by the way!) it FLS10. That output stage, by the way, is rated had its reasons. has five analogue inputs (three of which are at 200-watts per channel into 8Ω, 380-watts unbalanced and two of which are balanced) per channel into 4Ω and 700-watts per chan- THE EQUIPMENT and also both balanced and unbalanced nel into 2Ω. The output stage is a fully-bal- It’s easy to see this is an Audia Flight compo- line-level outputs, you can additionally fit it anced design using 16 output transistors per nent, even from a thousand paces, because with up to two additional plug-in modules channel and, because it is fully balanced, the ‘family’ design is so distinctive. That solid to extend its capabilities. Currently there are the ‘negative’ terminal is not referenced to slab of aluminium alloy that comprises the four modules available: an MM/MC Phono ground so you should never connect any front panel is bisected by a blue-ish coloured module; a Streamer module; two line-level product to them whose negative terminal ‘Madonna smile’ OLED display. Below the modules that add either two unbalanced might be referenced to ground: this would display is a sloping shelf that means the inputs or two balanced inputs, and a DAC include many (but not all) powered subwoof- lower part of the front panel housing the module that has an asynchronous USB input ers, but might possible include some types of controls stands a little proud of the upper (up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and up to DSD5.6) electrostatic speakers. section. The controls are tiny, feather-touch and five coaxial digital inputs (one optical, The Audia Flight FLS10’s power supply pushbuttons, except that they’re not really one AES/EBU, two SPDIF, and one specifically comprises a 2000VA toroidal transformer that ‘feather touch’ because you need to press dedicated to the output from an Audia Flight feeds 12 different voltage rails, with the high- them very firmly and then hold for a fraction SACD transport). The five coaxial inputs ac- est-voltage rail feeding the output stage being of a second to ensure correct operation. A cept up to 32-bit/192kHz and can upsample smoothed by 288,000µF-worth of low-imped- quick ‘push’ just doesn’t do it. Presumably to 32-bit/768kHz. ance capacitors. this is a fail-safe against accidental operation. 58 Australian HiFi ˹˹˹ƖŘˁʊǒǔǞƖƋɁȧ AUDIA FLIGHT FLS10 INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER ON TEST All the buttons are recessed into the front fra-red command codes, are interfering with panel inside shallow circular depressions; the correct operation of the FLS10. Despite having the only control that stands proud of the One feature I did like a whole lot was the my total approval, front panel is the large rotary control on the fact that you can adjust the ‘depth’ of the right-hand side of the front panel. This is an muting circuit (which can be operated using I have heard on the optical encoder that is used to control volume a front-panel control or a button on the (in absolutely tiny 0.5dB steps, from –90dB remote) between maximum muting (–90dB) forums that some to +10dB, about which more later) as well and –30dB, which gives quite a bit of flexibil- audiophiles don’t as input selection, channel balance, display ity. Whichever mode you use, the muting is brightness and other of the menu options… ‘ramped’ rather than instantaneous, meaning like fades and those ‘menu options’ are extensive, as we that if you press the mute button, the sound will discover. doesn’t disappear immediately, but instead For example, you can set the gain of each the volume fades out slowly (it takes around input over a 12dB (±6dB) range to ensure that five seconds) until it reaches your chosen You can view the particular software release when you switch from one input to another, mute level. Then, when you ‘de-mute’ the fitted to your particular amplifier by invoking the speaker (and headphone) volume remains amplifier, the sound level ramps back up the ‘Software Release’ mode, which is the last the same. This is called ‘Set Gain Input’. to the original volume. I like this feature, item in the ‘SET’ menu. You can also give each input a name possibly because I think it’s rather ‘cool’ and What features haven’t I covered? Phase is of your own choosing, so that instead of professional… radio stations always use fades, one. The Audia Flight FLS10 allows you to showing ‘Analog 1’ for example (which is the after all. adjust the absolute phase of each input indi- default) it could instead show ‘CDplayer’… However, despite having my total approv- vidually. So if you have a CD or SACD player which is obviously far more user-friendly, es- al, I have heard on the forums that some connected that inverts phase (and many do) pecially if you’ve optioned in the board with audiophiles don’t like fades. They instead you can ‘uninvert’ it to ensure the phase is additional analog inputs. Names can be up to want an instantaneous mute so they can cut matched with, say, your turntable. There’s eight characters (and/or numerals) long. the sound instantly to hear a voice, for exam- also a button on the front panel identified as In the event that you haven’t optioned ple. Because of this, might I suggest to Audia ‘SPK’ which enables you to disconnect your in any boards, and you don’t even need the Flight that it consider adding yet another loudspeakers, so you can have ‘silent’ head- number of inputs already fitted to the Audia option to the FLS10’s menu, one that allows phone listening. Obviously, this means that Flight FLS10, you can deactivate inputs so users to choose between a fade or an instanta- the speakers do not automatically de-activate that they don’t appear in the menu. This neous mute. They might also consider also when you plug your headphones into the feature is rather confusingly called ‘Set Active offering additional attenuation options so front panel jack. This means that if you use Input’. Although you’ll quickly work out how instead of just –30dB or –90dB, you might ‘open’ headphones, you can wear them while this feature works, the instructions in the instead get to choose between –10dB, –20dB, also having your speakers playing. If you manual aren’t exactly helpful, saying, in part: –30dB, –40dB etc, all the way in 10dB steps haven’t tried this, it really is an experience ‘By pressing the volume button <<+>> or <= => down to –90dB. you really need to try out. Many people can’t or operate the volume knob display becomes NO, These changes would be fairly easy to im- try this out because on their amplifier, plug- blinking, and the selected input is then deactivate plement, because Audia Flight uses program- ging headphones in automatically mutes the after sunset for validation and return to normal mable software to control all the features speakers. Luckily, this doesn’t happen with display.’ I quite understand that the English on the FLS10. This enables you to load the the FLS10. But since I am mentioning the manual provided with my review sample was default configuration to undo any and all headphone socket, I do think it would look a translation from the original Italian, but configurations you may have made, effec- better if it was gold or rhodium-plated, rather it reads rather like Audia Flight used Google tively restoring the original factory settings.