Constellation Virgo/Centaur: High-End Audio Superstars (Part 1)

Constellation is a new range of electronics designed by, er, high-end audio superstars. We assess the Virgo preamplifier and Centaur monoblock power amplifiers.

Few manufacturers have followed the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young route to superstardom, though it makes sense. You assemble a ‘super-group' to create your products, headed — hopefully — by one whose ego personality quirks or other debilitating characteristics don’t get in the way. In this case, the “Graham Nash’ of the group is one Peter Madnick.

Although he looks exactly like what Hollywood would cast for a mad scientist - his surname is no accident! - Peter is so level-headed and clear-thinking that constantly astonishes with laterally- conceived answers to gnawing questions. His sheer intelligence was enough to power the creation of one of hi-fi's most consumer-friendly range ever: the bargain digital products of Audio Alchemy

FETs throughout - a J-FEI' voltage stage [inset square] and two single-ended N-channel MOSFEI' power amp modules on each of the huge internal heatsinks the flank the Centaur

A whole ’Nuther thing

Constellation, though, is a whole 'nuther thing, despite Madnick stating that he was told to design the best and then cut the prices. Like everything, prices are relative: the Virgo preamplifier and Centaur monoblocks reviewed here are the models from the ‘economy’ Performance range, yet total $10,475. As for Reference prices, I shudder to think...

While the companies are completely separate, the owners of Constellation are also behind the Continuum turntable, so clearly their idea of worth is not far-removed from, say, estate agents in Mayfair. Equally, they understand the need for a ‘no compromise' attitude and some form of provenance to justify such costs, so they told Peter to assemble his “fantasy football team', or, more appropriately, given that this is about music, the aforementioned super-group.

A 432x230-pixel screen on the Virgo preamp's fascia is flanked by rotaries for balance and volume. The preamp is fed by an outboard power supply in matching grey

And Madnick has created a team so overwhelmingly heroic that anyone with even an inkling of the high-end’s history will be dazzled recalling the ill-fated Lineage line- level – coincidentally conceived by one of the Constellation stars. ‘For low-level analogue design,’ says Madnick, ‘we engaged the services of John Curl- the master of low-noise complementary- differential JFET design. Join and I had worked together numerous times over the years. Who better to turn to for our phono preamplifiers and as ta contributor to our line-stage design?

‘For power, Bascom King was the obvious choice. Expert in extracting the best from tube designs, he’s now charged with perfecting the sound of a unique all-MOSFET design. When it came to the new world of media players, my old partner at Monster Cable, Demian Martin, had proven himself at the forefront of the industry.’

Madnick also knew that the stuff had to look as good as the Reference line, even if costs meant that it would be nowhere near as radically styled. The exterior design was created by Alex Rasmussen and Brad Babineaux at Neal Feay Industries in Goleta, California. (Did I forget to mention that this brand is as Left Cost as CSNY? Curl, it should be remembered, helped create the Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound.)

Taking up real estate

While a pretty-enough design, the Virgo is rather anodyne, its greyness john Major-like. A plain-Jan outboard power supply feeds it via two umbilical cables, connecting at the back where you find rows of both XLRs and phono sockets for every input and output: four sources, two sets of outputs and RS232 and USB inputs for networks and firmware upgrades.

At the front, the central panel’s 432 x 230-pixel screen is flanked by rotaries for balance and volume, while other operations are accessed through menus activated by a row of five buttons underneath the slightly protruding display panel. These include muting, power on from standby, ‘home’ to return to the basic screen, display intensity, input selection and the setting of input levels. The nicely-made aluminium remote control offers standby, mute, volume up/down, sources election, and balance and phase inversion.

Pressing the bar on the front of the Centaur monoblock for three seconds initiates a series of self-diagnosis checks. Once completed, the light turns from red to blue and the amp is ready for use

Let's get the whinge out of the way: the fascia volume control is irritating. There is no other word for it. Nothing about it is intuitive — even the display all but hides the minus sign next to the digits showing the level setting. As for the speed of raising and lowering the volume, I never got used to it, but almost wet myself watching the normally unflappable importer cursing its recalcitrance. Instead, I reverted to the remote control whenever possible.

As for the Centaur monoblocks — all you need to know before you even approach the lorry delivering them is that each weighs 98lb in old money. They’re huge, and — as does the preamp — they like free space around them, though nothing ever grew hot to the touch.

These are seriously powerful amplifiers at a factory-rated 500W apiece into 8ohm,with a switch-on regimen to ensure than nothing nasty happens. You hold down the bar across the front for three seconds, it turns red, and then goes through a sequence of self—assessment before the light turns blue for operational mode

A Critical Choice 

Now the conundrum: at the back, you have a choice of single-ended options for the latter: ‘Balanced' for use with the perception of on-Constellation mass and power. With preamps and 'Direct’ for use with a Virgo or one of its siblings. We tried both, and got different results, so I am

(1) At a loss to state which is ‘better', but

(2) Overjoyed to note that in both cases, the changes were audible enough to leave no doubt as to which was better

“Eleanor McEvoy was in the room with a ghostly, eerie authenticity’

Here’s what happened: in one system, using Magico S5s, ‘Direct’ was preferred. In PM's system, with 88W 801s, ‘Balanced’ was superior. This is crucial if you have any intention of shopping for Centaurs: you must try both.

Most impressive was the drumming, crisp and solid, with weight and scale, behind those soaring vocals.

What was evident in both cases had nothing to do with actual wattage, power, call it what you will, but with the perception of mass and power. With one setting, the system sounded ‘OK’: clearly high—end, but not particularly dynamic or open. In the other position, it was like it had mainlined Viagra.

We are not talking about subtle changes, like going from nickel banana plugs to gold-plated, or lifting your cables off the floor, or other mumbo-jumbo. This is the real deal, as important as correct VTA or speakers being in phase. One track was enough to convince us of the importance of getting this right for room or system. As some of you know, I am so in love with Eleanor McEvoy's version of ‘God Only Knows’ on If You Leave... [MoscodiscMOSCD40l 0] that it could be the co-respondent in a divorce (I remain happily married, by the way). Paul Miller had thought the sound of the CD was only so-so, distinctly underwhelming when you consider that she's an audiophile deity. But he'd been listening to it with the Constellations in the direct setting. We switched to Balanced, I put the disc on — just voice and piano — and Paul just grinned from ear to ear. PM is not a man prone to error, but he quickly recanted his opinion of the disc. The Centaurs' settings were enough to transform a CD from good-to-bad and back to, well, incredible.

McEvoy was in the room, with ghostly, eerie authenticity. The palpability was almost disturbing; simply because the realism was of an order rarely achieved in sound reproduction. I smiled heavenward to the late J Gordon Holt who succinctly identified those rare moments when a sound system lulls you into thinking that the music really is in your listening space – almost a dream state where one’s senses are well and truly fooled.

Another exquisite female voice followed that sparse, unplugged session, Eva Cassidy’s achingly gorgeous ‘People Get Ready‘, from the new Best Of Eva Cassidy[Blix 62-10206]. Now I have no idea what techniques were used for Cassidy, who was a virtual unknown at the time of her death, and whose exposure to major labels was minimal. Perhaps what we’re getting is all posthumous. Suffice it to say, this live recording oozed atmosphere.

Most impressive was the drumming, crisp and solid, with weight and scale, behind those soaring vocals. I had the sensation of a full-scale drum kit, not an Airfix-like ‘/24th scale facsimile. A fragile guitar stage-left created a gossamer-light melody, perfectly complementing the wispiness of the cymbals. The cohesion was remarkable for a live recording, so clean that the next track, ‘Anniversary Song’, did not jar with its extra, heightened, studio-derived clarity.