If you’re truly into music, you can’t
beat a two-channel amplifier to do your justice. Each of these five winners
sets the example to follow…
Product of the year
Best stereo amp up to $600
Rotel RA-10: $525
What! No Marantz? You’d have been forgiven;
following the Award for its excellent PM6004 last year, for thinking that was
the precursor to a couple of years of dominance. The Rotel RA-10 has upset that
expectation.
Rotel
RA-10, the best stereo amp up to $600
Would we classify this as a major upset?
Yes and no. it’s not as if Rotel doesn’t have a history of making good budget
amps. We simply haven’t been able to attach the title ‘class-leading’ to one of
them for a while. By the same token, it still has well-established and talented
rivals to contend with, the PM6004 and Yamaha’s A-S500 to name but two. That it
has jumped to the top of the class is a sure sign of this amp’s special talent.
Nicely build, and well specified
The RA-10 feels solid, while the
streamlined design adds to the aesthetic draw. On the whole, it’s
well-specified too, with a headphone socket, moving magnet phono stage and twin
speaker outputs all included. The only thing missing is a remote control.
Getting up to adjust the volume manually is a small price to pay when an
amplifier sounds so good.
Performance is very much in the classic
Rotel mould but taken to a level we haven’t heard from the company at this
price. Dynamics are impressively punchy, with a level of control and poise
above and beyond what we expect at the money. It’s an engaging, entertaining
amp, bristling with excitement. Rhythms are firmly grasped and portrayed.
Emotion in vocals is beautifully expressed. Hook it up to speakers such as Q
Acoustics’ 2050is and they’ll thrive on the energy and authority oozing from
the RA-10.
Rotel has been a little overshadowed by
rival brands in recent years. Now it’s time for it to bask in the limelight ant
the glory of not only a Best Buy Award, but a Product of the Year gong as well.
Best stereo amp $600-$900
Rega Brio-R: $720
The Brio-R had its first taste of one of
our Awards in 2011. And now Rega’s talented stereo amp is back for seconds.
Simple
is best: the Brio-R is refreshingly old-school in its features. The nearest it
gets to a modern concession is a remote handset
Few amplifiers will impress straight out of
the box, but from the second you dial in the volume, the Brio-R garbs makes a
hugely impressive sonic statement. It’s one that similarly priced rivals
struggle to match.
This is a veritable musical maestro.
It majors on rhythm and agility, but is equally deft at communicating emotion
A small, stocky powerhouse
The amp takes the form of a compact
half-width unit, which uses an impressively robust casework.
Rega takes a simplicity-first approach to
hi-fi design, and this is reflected in the relatively basic feature set. You’ll
find just four line-level inputs and a remote control handset (which is where
the ‘R’ in the model name comes in) and that’s just about it. If you want a
headphone socket, tone control, built-in DAC, or other niceties, you’ll have to
look elsewhere.
The Brio-R does have a fantastic moving
magnet phono stage, however. That shouldn’t come as a surprise, given Rega’s
reputation for creating high-quality turntables. It sounds sensational and
we’ve found it to be the perfect medium through which to use Rega’s similarly
brilliant RP3/Elys 2.
Switch to the line-level inputs and the
Rega continues to impress. This is a veritable musical maestro, majoring on
rhythm and agility, but it’s also equally deft at communicating emotion and
subtleties hidden within a track. With a relatively modest 50W per channel into
8ohms, the Rega doesn’t produce the weightiest of sounds but it’s still good
enough to drive a huge range of speakers. We’d suggest partnering the Brio-R
with Tannoy’s DC6 Standmounters as a starting point. For a suitable CD spinner,
the Rega would work well with machines from Marantz’s budget CD6004 all the way
up to the lofty Roksan Caspian M2. Alternatively, you could even go for Rega’s
matching DAC ($750).
Safe to say, though, that whichever path
you tread, though, the Brio-R’s Award-winning talent will shine through.
Best stereo amp $900-$1,500
Cyrus 6a: $1,050
We’ve been surprised, yet delighted to see
Cyrus adopt an aggressive pricing policy for its latest generation amps: the
entry-level 6a delivers sensational value for money. It’s a considerable $300
cheaper than last year’s equivalent model, but still manages to retain the same
Cyrus hallmarks, one of which happens to include sound quality to die for. It’s
difficult to argue with this kind of value.
The
Cyrus upgrade path: Cyrus owners always have the option to upgrade, via the
addition of power units or off-board DACs
Cyrus half-width aluminum chassis will be
familiar to many. On the front panel are buttons for input selection, a
customizable setup menu and a volume dial.
Connections round the back amount to six
analogue inputs, twin speaker outputs for bi-wiring, and a headphone socket.
The amplifier delivers 40W per channel and shares core technology with the
$1800 8a.
Sonically, the 6a doesn’t stray from the
traditional Cyrus sound. This means there’s a speedy delivery, excellent levels
of detail, and a breathtaking level of clarity across a wide variety of musical
genres. Spin Paloma Faith’s 30 Minute Love Affair and her vocal sounds open and
expressive as the Cyrus presents it in a spacious soundstage. Dynamic bursts
are wonderfully controlled and the Cyrus can keep pace with even the most
frenzied and complicated of beats.
It’s a speedy delivery, with
excellent levels of detail and a breathtaking level of clarity across a wide
variety of music
An authoritative sound
Compared with previous Cyrus amps at this
level there’s more authority to low frequencies, which is an added bonus given
the reduced price. Another bonus is the Cyrus upgrade path. This includes the
possible addition of the standard DAC or the upgrade Qx and/or one of its power
amp solutions.
Rivals such as the Roksan Kandy K2 boast
more power and fuller sound, can’t match the Cyrus for precision and agility
unrivalled at this money.
