Thanks for sharing this.
Cheers.
Just a couple of notes:
I confirmed today that my pair of amps did indeed come with the latest and greatest Gallium Nitride MOSFET based Power stage. Mr. AGD came out with his MK II “tube” around the first of the year.
Also, I packed up the amps in their handy-dandy, overbuilt carrying/shipping case at the office today and carted them home. Going swap them into the Big Rig this weekend in place of my Emotiva XPA-1 (Gen. 1) 500 wpm mono amps so I can hear them with more resolving/better quality source components. (My office system is a bit of work in progress up stream of the speakers and amplifiers.)
Thanks for reading and Happy Easter.
4 Likes
I wonder what filling those tubes with an inert fluid like oil would do.
1 Like
Update:
I uplugged the Emotiva XPA-1 (MK I) 500 wpc monos from my main system late last night and plugged in the diminutive AGD 'Audions (nominally rated at 85 wpm for my speakers - Anthony Gallo Acoustic Reference 3.1s).
I need more time with the new amplifiers and familiar music but here are some, “unofficial” initial impressions four hours in (all subject to change with some extended listening time and more varied musical experiences to follow):
+These little beauties hold their own on sound staging (depth, width and height)
+There is definitely some “holographic” capability associated with The Audion’s (they might just best the Emotiva’s in my system in this sense - more to come)
+Bass slam is very good (not quite sure yet whether they are/can be as energetic and detailed in the lower frequencies at normal listening levels as the Emotiva’s (more favorite, well recorded music with quality low frequency content is on the demo list)
+Have had to turn up the dial on the preamplifier and DS Sr. to extract some of the impact, details and dynamics I am used to on some music (have not dialed in the sweet spot b/t the DS Sr. and preamp level controls yet)
Some low (track volume) level information down in the layers of some familiar tracks have appeared to be harder to extract/hear. This may be a function of level matching or, just maybe, the Emotiva’s are a tad more revealing. Time will tell.
More listening and impressions to follow.
Also, I think after I have had a chance to put a significant amount of hours on this set up, I am going to spend some time listening to The Audions sans preamp/driven directly by the DS Sr., just for grins.
Regards.
3 Likes
Scott - Are you running a Gallo SA sub amp on the 2nd voicecoil, or just these Monoblocks?
The former…and I also have a 1000 watt BASH-amplified, down-firing subwoofer dialed in. It features dual, 12" drivers. All of the signal was (with the Emotiva’s) and is (with The Audion’s) integrated via the Anthem Room Correction (ARC) settings currently programmed into my Anthem AVM 50v 2 preamplifier.
By the way, I have not made any other changes to the set up thus far – just unplugged the Emotiva’s and plugged in the AGD’s.
1 Like
The ability of these amps to put the performers in the room is nothing like I have ever heard from an amp before. I did not know that an amp could make a system so holographic in it’s presentation.
1 Like
I listened to the AGD line at a dealer in Atlanta and to me these are some sweet sounding amps. A unique spin on class-d amplification. To me very nice sounding gear.
Very interesting design indeed. Besides looking and sounding awesome, I love the concept of the module design.
2 Likes
The AGD Audions are just spectacular! So sweet, so powerful and oh so resolved and transparent. My last amps, period! Combined with the BHK Signature preamp it is just a killer combo!
7 Likes
Very nice!
I am definitely keeping mine, recently purchased.
I bought a Hattor passive preamplifier second hand, which also has the option of engaging 3 different active gain levels.
This has proven to be a great combination. I’ll post some pictures of the current set up and further listening impressions soon.
2 Likes
Yeah these tiny little amps deliver 32 amps of current a piece… That’s crazy! They drive my 89dB Marten Design Bird speakers to ear-blasting levels without a hint of distortion😳… And that speed and attack… The GaNtube technology is a paradigmeshift! This is the future and I see no reason going back to class AB… The weird thing is that they have the soundsignature of insanely expensive Single ended triode-amps. Here with my previous speakers, the Focal Sopra No2
1 Like
What do you have under the amplifier’s feet?
TIA.
It is just some inexpensive dampening feet. Works though.
Not too mention, they also look really cool.
1 Like
Yeah and they work great… Bought them on Wish for about 20 USD for one package of 4 feet 
What are they, specifically?
I have various and sundry feet, footers, blocks and platforms, etc… All work fine, to varying degrees.
I am always interested in trying something out that might be really useful in terms of bang for the buck.
TIA.
Here is an update, now that The Audion’s have settled in a bit and the system is a bit more static – in terms of being done playing with the set up (for now).
First, some pictures of the system:
Components:
Anthony Gallo Acoustics Strada (MK I) Speakers
Anti-Cable Speaker Wires
The Audion mono amplifiers (85 wpc, Class D, “Chip in a bottle” design)
BSG Qol Signal Processor
Hattor Mini Preamplifier (passive preamplifier w/ optional, 3-level op/amp buffer/gain stage)
Emotiva and Better Cables XLR cables (connecting amps to Qol and Qol to Hattor preamp, respectively)
REL Acoustics T/5i Subwoofers (Stereo pair connected directly to The Audions – as is “the REL way”.)
Jolida tube DAC
Auris bluMe “True Hi-Fi Bluetooth Audio Receiver”
Denon DVD 2900 “Universal” Disc Player (primarily used as a transport with the DAC, and to spin SACDs directly now and then)
Beldin digital coax cable and Lifatec toslink cables to connect the DAC to the Denon and Auris, respectively.
Morrow Audio RCA interconnects to connect DAC to the Qol processor
Adcom ACE 515 power conditioner
PS Audio PowerBase (The Audions are plugged into the PowerBase)
Listening impressions:
Smooth presentation
Neutral to slightly warm overall
Holographic (great H x W x D capability)
Excellent realism with acoustic instruments, especially reed instruments
Not the last word in bass snap and low level resolution, but certainly no slouch*
Plenty of dynamics and they play with a real sense of ease no matter how busy, loud, quiet or simple the signal it is amplifying is.
*A word about the bass slam and ability to reveal low level information (i.e., subtle details that are more buried in the recording): My observations here are very subjective and relative in nature in that my impressions are as compared to my “reference” 500 wpc Emotiva XPA-1 (MK I) Class A/AB mono amplifiers. The Emotiva’s and their 500 watts proved to be a bit more dynamic and revealing in head to head comparisons made in my main, home system. Given the disparity in available power/head room I don’t think that should come as a surprise. One surprising outcome of my listening sessions was coming to realize just how good the budget minded, “world beater” Emotivas really are. I paid about $1,800 for the pair, new many moons ago. That said, the 85 wpc, large-brick-sized Audions are nearly the equal of the 75 pound, 500 watters in all characteristics and are better in throwing up a beyond-the-speakers sound stage.
I highly recommend these amplifies and I hope others with an interest in these amplifiers will continue to contribute to this thread.
Cheers.
2 Likes
Nice observations! What gets me with the AGD Audions is just how extremely neutral and reveling they are without ever sounding harsh or unforgiving… Amazing transient response and dynamics to boot as well! I find they perform excellent through the entire frequency-spectrum. Nothing sticks out, they just convey that realism and live feeling I am after… That includes amazing micro dynamics and resolution as well… I have extremely revealing speakers and they just tell it like it is when paired with the Audions.
1 Like
(Remind me?) What speakers are you pairing with The Audions?
Regards,
SEE