Tubes Asylum: REVIEW: Wright Sound Company WPA 3.5 Amplifier (Tube) by Rafael

Arrived on Monday, by Thursday night (72 hrs) I could not believe how much better they got. Not one to look for stage imaging, I as attonished at how not just the precise location of the musicians was reproduced, but how the acoustics of the room came through in the music. I was there in front of the Duke Ellington Orchestra listening to the different players in the brass section weave their magic back and forth in space. The hornns, trombones + saxes had pitch and throaght, one could hear the strike before the cymbals... I guess the quickness of the signal gives the music an extremely realistic and engaging presence. Latin music's lust for rythm never sounded so good. The percussion sizzled and popped all around the pianist in an orgy of syncopated rythm accentuated by crisp tight brass. Bass sounds like bass, you can hear the notes. I had seen footage of Jimy Hendrix in action messing with his volume control. Now I can hear what he was doing. For some reason I could tell that the music of Marin Marais was sublime but it was fatiguing. Not anymore -the ease and delight in 16th century violas + cellos was gripping. I guess I am writing about music not electronics, but that is the point, these little amps are a window into the music latent within what too often is an electronic solid state prison. I found them to be more natural and quick and precise than Cary, and almost as good but more powerful than the Fi X. Push pull pentodes like CJ and VAC did not come even close in musical quality yet cost tons more.

Detail is what is supposed to be -a mere part of the sound being reproduced naturally flowing along with the music, part of the attack and decay. Each instument discernible in its tonal range and place but not artificially delineated. This is a very neutral honest set up I could not recognize any coloration. Even with my Sony ES changer (greatly aided by Kimber slver streak)and the too curvaceous impedeance (90 dbs/m, but 8 ohms dropping to 4.5) of the B+W's these amps went loud enough without clipping.

REVIEW: Wright Sound Company WPA 3.5 Amplifier (Tube) Review by Rafael at Audio Asylum