Stereophile: Plinius SA-Reference power amplifier - Jason Diffusion

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Stereophile: Plinius SA-Reference power amplifierhttp://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Ste...Tube amplifiers are renowned for their ability to capture the sense of space thatthe best recordings provide, but the solid-state Plinius is far more than merelyrespectable in this sense. Julius Katchen's recording of Rachmaninoff'sRhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (with Sir Adrian Boult and the LondonPhilharmonic, UK LP, London CS 6153) sounds rather dark and distant, but theSA-Reference showed the deeply quiet background necessary to resolve thelow-level details that establish the shape and size of the soundstage. Theresolution of woodwind details deep in the orchestra was also notable.Image scaling is another area where the Plinius offered performance comparablewith the best of the best. When not pumping out lots of watts, a high-poweredamp can sometimes blow up the size of an image or seem to flatten it a bit. TheSA-Ref was capable of captivating intimacy on solo material such as BertJansch's "Needle of Death" and "Anji," from Bert Jansch/It Don't Bother Me (2albums on one UK CD, Transatlantic ESM CD407), or small-group recordings suchas Bill Evans' Waltz for Debby (SACD/CD, Riverside/Analogue Productions CART9399 SA). Given expansive productions such as "Keep an Eye on Summer" and"Dream Angel," from Brian Wilson's Imagination (CD, Giant 24703-2), or Eiji Oueand the Minnesota Orchestra's traversal of Copland's Appalachian Spring (CD,Reference RR-93 HDCD), the SA-Ref readily conjured up in my room suitably largespaces populated with precisely located images.Bringing +300W to the dance should mean that the SA-Reference had a broaddynamic envelope, and it did. The most powerful moments of the VaughanWilliams, in particular the tuttis with organ in the third movement, had real majestyand grandiosity through the Plinius. Led Zeppelin IV's stomping Zen raga, "Whenthe Levee Breaks" (UK LP, Atlantic K50008), was just as potent and energizing.Softer but no less demanding dynamic contrasts were also managedexceptionally well. Bert Jansch's rasgueados in "Anji" had the snap and suddenloudness they should have but sometimes don't.Perhaps most important, the Plinius can run with the toppermost of thepoppermost megabucks amps in a crucial regard: It expended its efforts ongetting out of the way of music and letting the music speak for itself. For years,I've loved the wonderful Argo LP of Neville Marriner's performance of VaughanWilliams' Five Variants on Dives and Lazarus. Because Marriner wrings everydrop of drama and pathos from the piece, I've always tended to shortchangeLeonard Slatkin's performance of it with the Philharmonia Orchestra (CD, RCA61195-2). The Plinius' self-effacing qualities let me appreciate Slatkin's versionfor his taut and clear-eyed vision. Slatkin directs the listener's attention more tothe clarity of line and structure of Vaughan Williams' sound as architecture andsculpture, rather than to its capacity for tugging at the heartstrings. The Plinius(and its quite wonderful sibling, Plinius' CD-101 CD player) revealed Slatkin's4 sur 11 21/09/06 14:11
Stereophile: Plinius SA-Reference power amplifierhttp://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Ste...version as different but anything but inferior.Good on ya, PliniusI spend a lot of time reviewing cost-no-object gear—the really expensive stuff.Which makes a component like the Plinius SA-Reference all the more refreshingwhen I run into one. The SA-Ref may not have the last, endlessly minute degreeof palpability or treble resolution that vastly more expensive amplifiers such asthe Chord SPM 14000, Halcro dm58, or VTL Siegfried may have, but unless youconsistently listen with the finest of speakers in a superbly synergized andoptimized system, the difference is meaningless.The SA-Reference's most winning quality is that it is so acutely close to thosemulti-megabuck amps in all of the ways that are most meaningful to musicalcommunication. I readily admit that, in terms of the normal world, the SA-Ref isstill expensive. But in the modern world of the High End, it is moderately pricedfor a statement-level product.When I reviewed the SA-250 Mk.IV in 2000, I discovered in Plinius a companythat consistently provided performance to challenge all comers, price be damned.I concluded that to buy a competing product only incrementally better wouldrequire shelling out a lot more money than you would for the Plinius.That observation is as true now as it was then. Combining as it does brute-forcepower, world-class finesse, superb build quality, and a genuine and engagingmusicality, the Plinius SA-Reference is one hell of an amplifier. It does manythings superbly, and nothing less than very, very well. To get what more sonicquality is available—and it's not very much—you'll have to spend multiples more.I recommend the SA-Reference with unabashed enthusiasm.Article Continues:SpecificationsPlinius Audio Ltd.Web SiteUS distributor: Elite Audio VideoDistribution1027 N. Orange DriveLos Angeles, CA 90038Page 1> Page 2SpecificationsAssociated EquipmentMeasurements(800) 457-2577Sidebar 1: SpecificationsDescription: Solid-state two-channel power amplifier. Output power (bothchannels driven, 20Hz–20kHz): 300Wpc RMS into 8 ohms (24.8dBW), 450WpcRMS into 4 ohms (23.5dBW); 1000Wpc RMS into 8 ohms (30dBW) in bridged andtrue balanced mono modes. Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0.2dB, 0dB at0Hz, –3dB at 70kHz. Distortion: typically
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