A sense of purpose
Operation of the VA880 is simplicity itself - once switched
on at the rear, the front standby switch is pressed and its associated LED
lights up. The unit enters its warm-up phase and, when the LED in the volume
control comes on a minute or so later, the amplifier - as the manual puts it -
‘will be ready for your listening enjoyment'.
With the KR Audio VA880 thoroughly warmed up and run in over
a period of a week or so, I commenced my listening enjoyment using the
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra's recording of Ravel's Bolero [TACET L207]
conducted by Carlo Rizzi. This LP is cut in reverse so that it plays from the
inside to the outside of the disc and, as a result, the dynamics at the end are
better accommodated.
Casework is nished
in matte black while fascia features a central volume knob and four unlabelled
source selection switches corresponding to the inputs on the rear panel
The VA880 absolutely lapped this up and its abilities with
regard to instrument tonality and placement within the soundstage were really
first-class. Each orchestral element had real form and a sense of purpose to
its performance, with the trombone in particular an absolute delight. The KR
Audio's fine insights combined with the one or two extra ‘cheeky' notes added
by the player meant that the whole spectacle raised a virtually continuous
smile.
The piece was rounded off by the impressively dynamic
timpani ringing out through my listening room with weight and solidity, albeit
slightly lacking the last ounce of impact and tautness that I am used to with
my resident Naim Supernait.
Where the VA880 really does score, however, is when it comes
to the whole combination of midband delicacy, insight and expansiveness. All
too often, with some of the cheaper and less capable valve amplifiers that sit
below the KR Audio, there is usually a trade-off between these.
Four line-level
inputs are offered, three unbalanced and one balanced. The cover between the
speaker terminals hides loudspeaker impedance adjustments
Yes, you can have that lovely sense of spaciousness but
maybe you have to forgo insight: not so with the VA880. It has a thoroughly
captivating way of pushing the main detail elements of a piece of music right
to the fore, but at the same time making sure that everything else around it is
just where it should be. It has an inherent ‘rightness' to its presentation.
The good feeling with regard to detail led me to load up my
CD player with Vanessa Rubin's New Horizons CD [RCA 07863 67445-2]. Ms Rubin
has an absolutely glorious voice: soulful and passionate with copious emotional
depth. The VA880 showcased this perfectly on the track ‘If My Heart Could
Speak'. Not only were the vocals sublime but the backing acoustic bass seemed
to be coming right from the corner of my room, so lifelike was the rendition.
More heartening was that its less frenetic performance gave the KR Audio time
to really pick up on its inherent sonic character, and present it superbly
without any bloat or uncertainty.
No fluff up top
At the top end, the VA880 is taut and detailed but with a
consistent underlying sense of creamy smoothness. A common misconception
regarding valve amplifiers is that they're a bit mushy and fluffy in the treble
department but the KR Audio amplifier dispels this notion in a heartbeat.
It has a clarity that would shame many supposedly ‘crisp'
transistor designs but without any of the associated hardness and spit that
some can suffer. This was showcased perfectly by London Grammar's If You Wait
album [Metal and Dust MADART1LP] where Hannah Reid's glorious vocals positively
soared, yet the backing drum machine effects on tracks such as ‘Strong' were
vivid and well positioned within the mix.
KR Audio VA880
side view
The more I played the VA880, the word that simply would not
leave my mind as I listened was ‘sophisticated'. It is more than possible to
enjoy cheaper valve amplifiers for the things they do well but, occasionally, a
piece of music comes along and spotlights their shortcomings rather blatantly.
This never came even close to happening with the VA880, which has an inherent
sense of competence and assuredness that meant it virtually never put a foot
wrong. Instead, it approached music-making with a quiet confidence and endowed
everything I fed it with poise, emotion and breathtaking clarity.
Of course, delicacy and mellifuousness are all very well,
but sometimes fare that's a little grittier is called for. For me, it was the
12in single of Killing Joke's ‘Love Like Blood' [EG Records EGOX 20] and there
were no obvious issues here either. Geordie Walker's chunky guitar chords that
underpin the song were thick and menacing, and the backing drums offered
genuine impact and punch.
I did occasionally feel that the VA880 was tripping over
itself ever so slightly in order to keep up with the bass line, but my PMC
loudspeakers are particularly ruthless in this respect - which may not have
helped. Importantly, the performance of this amplifier was always pithy and
always engaging.
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Specifications
·
Power output (<1% THD, 8/4ohm): 50W / 35W
·
Dynamic power (<2% THD, 8/4/2/1ohm): 52W / 75W / 90W / 80W
·
Output impedance (20Hz–20kHz): 1.94–2.35ohm
·
Freq. response (20Hz–20kHz/100kHz): –0.18dB to –0.35dB/–12dB
·
Input sensitivity (for 0dBW/50W): 113mV / 800mV (balanced)
·
A-wtd S/N ratio (re. 0dBW/50W): 82.1dB / 99.1dB
·
Distortion (20Hz-20kHz re. 10W/8ohm): 0.10–0.66%
·
Power consumption (I dl e/Max. o/p): 206W / 300W
·
Dimensions (WHD) / Weight: 385x245x415mm / 20kg
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