Audio Analogue Maestro Anniversary

1 beoordeling voor Audio Analogue Maestro Anniversary

1. 

   Waardering 5 uit 5

   Arend_Jan Adriaanse – 19 juni 2020

   Evaluation Audio Analogue Meastro Anniversary versus Accuphase E470

   Set up:
   Naim CDX2 + CD555PS DR + Atlas Mavros Grun interlink
   Naim NDX + Atlas Mavros interlink
   Proac D48R
   Atlas EOS 4.0 dd powercords

   Owning the E470 for about 2 years I made a switch toward the AA Maestro. How I came to it is a long story, so I will not bother you with it.
   The Accuphase is an incredible unit. Powerful and packed with detail on all frequency levels. The volume scales up beautifully not favoring a frequency range. The imaging is fantastic. Performers are very well localized and compact. There is never a hard edge to anything. All sounds smooth.
   The AA Maestro Anniversary was hooked up and switched on. Immediately I noticed more air around instruments and performers but for sure I had to give it a break-in/burn-in time so I did (about 8 days 24hrs a day and medium or low level; cannot play loud with kids around). But I really noticed a change out of the box. The AAMA definitively delivers more detail. The additional detail results in more realistically represented performers and instruments. Incredible. The Accuphase was already so good, did not expect this to be so evident. I did hear parts of music that were unclear or never there before but now they are. Singers were focused very sharp with the Accuphase which seems to be less good at the moment with the AAMA but as mentioned the unit is only 8 days in operation. What is different as well is the openness of the sound. The Accuphase connects/glues/honeys all up where detail gets lost and the AAMA every single performer is really on hers/his own with all the air and detail around and coherent put on stage. The AAMA gives an open soundstage with a lot of individual detail. Were singers were very localized the voices broaden up with an incredible detail.
   The mid and high frequencies are very good as well. Voices from Gianmaria Testa, Diana Krall or Melody Gardot are very realistic. Life recordings from e.g. Fleetwood Mac are very convincing, great detail and dynamics with an almost absolute control. The highs are a little sharper but NOT harsh or edgy. For sure the Accuphase has this warmer sound in all frequency layers. The rise of a note is faster in the AAMA and it decays faster as well all resulting in a higher resolution, separation, of the recorded sound. The sound from the CD is almost a live performance at home, more than with the Accuphase. The sound for the AAMA is very clean, packed with detail, realistic. Resonances in acoustic guitars, highhats etc can be heard much clearer now. Any musical vibration is noted.

   What struck me as well, to my big surprise, is the control in the lower frequencies. On paper I would say that the Accuphase would or should be a lot better in bass performance but to my opinion it is not. Despite the much higher damping factor of the Accuphase (500 vs 50) the control of the AAMA is better. Less humming will be observed. Bass is tight and powerful. Maybe the warmer tuning of the Accuphase causes the humming in my system/speakers (maybe too much of the low frequencies present). The absence of this warmer tone in the AAMA compared with the Accuphase result maybe also in the fact that is seems the volume can be turned up more without causing the resonances/humming to appear.

   Some side comments:
   Nicer shipping carton box equaling the high standards of the actual unit.
   Nylon screws for remote control as the iron one’s damage surfaces you put the remote on as they stick out. Other option make them sink into the metal casing.
   Volume control at linear but need to get used to it. The Accuphase was very delicate to adjust. This one (AAMA) is rougher more corse. In the linear more I have to turn up the volume to 2/3 of the maximum (10-11 leds burning). With the Accuphase I never went higher than maybe 1/3, which gave me -40/-36 db. On paper the AAMA should be more powerful at 4 Ω, 300W (but I saw paper stating 394W) vs 260W for the Accuphase. Maybe I have to use another volume setting with the AAMA.

   Conclusion:
   The AAMA is a more open, more detailed, cleaner amplifier than the E470 from Accuphase. Mid and highs are very transparent and informative. The bass control is also phenomenal. For sure personal taste plays a role as well but here with the AAMA articulation of words, dynamics around instruments, air or space around performers, is simply better according to my opinion than the E470. It is like with an OLED TV compared to 4k LED. Back is blacker and white is whiter, resolution is better so all in all it gives you a better insight in the picture, in this case the soundstage and the musicians. The AAMA is therefore highly recommended.

   Records listened to:
   Trentemoller – The last resort
   Diana Krall – Turn up the Quiet
   Melody Gardot – Worrisome heart & The Absence
   Gianmaria Testa – Solo dal vivo & Lampo
   Fleetwood Mac – The Dance
   Phil Collins – Face Value

   Now, 10/06/2020, with a few more listening hours, even the quite dark CD Lambshop-is a woman, opens up completely. Previously it was a darker stage, now all musicians are much clearer positioned and the soundstage opened and can be interpreted. As all the music was damped in the past but it is now cleaner, clearer, better, as it should be.