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REVIEW: nOhr Le Amp Amplifier (SS)

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Model: Le Amp
Category: Amplifier (SS)
Suggested Retail Price: $500pr
Description: 100W/ch monoblocks
Manufacturer URL: Not Available
Manufacturer URL: Not Available

Review by Brian Cheney on October 13, 2001 at 21:19:53
IP Address: 64.12.102.52
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for the Le Amp


This review will be unusual for AA in that it contains both measurements and listening impressions from more than one inmate, although I oversaw and moderated the proceedings. Also I must note that I manufacture speaker systems and am a competition of the nOhr company in that regard. However, we are dealing here with an electronic product of a kind I do not manufacture. I decided to do a formal review for these pages after becoming embroiled in a pointless controversy with Michael Barnes of nOhr concerning the design of this amplifier, which I had not seen or heard when I was commenting on it. Foolish of me, and I apologized to Mr. Barnes publically and privately.

The review will be in several sections since AOL has a habit of logging me off without warning, losing all my text. So if this review stops suddenly, please continue to the next part.

DESCRIPTION: Le Amp is two small monoblocks weighing about 24 lbs each. Pictures and specs are available from the manufacturer's website. Construction quality is solid and the unit is nicely finished. There are gold RCA inputs and gold binding posts of a kind I don't like, since they do not accept standard spade lugs. An 18 gauge power cord (supplied) was used in the tests.

MEASUREMENTS: I asked my colleague John Curl to bench test one of the Le Amp monoblocks in the presence of the amp's owner Vishal M and another AA inmate John R. Measurements were made on the Sound Technology meter assisted by a very expensive Hewlett Packard Spectrum Analyzer and dual channel scope.
Le Amp has a tendency to heat up rapidly on the test bench. Power output at clipping from was 75W at 5 kHz, 78W at 1 kHz and 74W at 20 Hz into 8 Ohms. The amplifier clipped at 108W into a 4 Ohm load over a broad frequency range. Linearity was outstanding, less than .3dB droop at 10Hz and 50 kHz. The distortion waveform showed considerable crossover distortion indicating the unit operates in Class C. Most remarkably the harmonic distortion series continued undiminished out to 50kHz and was rising at that frequency. It was truly remarkable to see the 49th and 50th harmonics of 1 kHz rise clearly above the noise floor. Neither John Curl nor I have ever seen an amplifier act this way, and it is not indicative of good performance. John described it alternatively as "sweet and sour tube" or "fuzzbox". However, the crossover distortion was at a low level, a constant 0.05% broadband.
I asked John after 30 minutes of testing to return to a 4 Ohm load and remeasure output and distortion at clipping. By this time the amp was hot enough to trigger thermal protection, and the output into 4 Ohms clamped at 25 W, so the distortion measurement at full power into 4 Ohms could not be performed.

Go to part 2


Product Weakness: see below
Product Strengths: see below


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Le Amp
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Jadis JPL
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Krell MD10/BC modified ART DIO
Speakers: VMPS RM 40
Cables/Interconnects: Kimber Select
Music Used (Genre/Selections): rock, percussion, orchestra, voice
Room Size (LxWxH): 31 x 14 x 9
Room Comments/Treatments: full LEDE
Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 hrs
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Bybee, PS300
Type of Audition/Review: Home Audition
Your System (if other than home audition): na




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Topic - REVIEW: nOhr Le Amp Amplifier (SS) - Brian Cheney 21:19:53 10/13/01 ( 74)