"there is no spoon"this panasonic xr57 reciever really has me curious but my mind cant stop thinking that thee is no way a 280 dollar reciever that weighs 9 lbs is going to out perform a 700 dllar reciever.....ahhh im confuseeeeddddd
Digital amps. Sonic Impact T-Amp for example, its 30$ and by mostly all accounts sounds wonderful.
I can't speak up on the Panasonics really since I haven't even heard it... But from what I read/heard, it does look like a very good performer, offering as good performance as those 700$ analog amps... Thing is the T-Amp is like 10 watts... But then again, the Panasonics are like 100 watts. Cheaper, cooler, wastes less energy... Way of the future?Well, it turns out there is more - to talk about. It might seem more than a little unfair to put the $39 T-amp into a $30K+ high-performance audio system to see what it can do.
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Now, here's the deal: If I blindfolded you and had you listen to the amps in my collection right now -- the Almarro EL84 SEP stereo integrated with its punchy pace & rhythm and slightly dark & warm but naturally detailed soundstage; the emotive and musical Fi 2A3 SET monoblocks with their open, relaxed, dynamic and detailed sound; and the Yamamoto 45 SET stereo amplifier with its clean, clear, spacious, über-detailed and artfully musical sound -- and if after that, I slipped the T-amp into the mix and asked you to comment on its sound... what do you think you'd say? I guess it'd be close to what Bill said: "Its sonic signature reminds me most of the Yamamoto 45. It is clean-sounding with lots of detail and decent rhythm and pace. Not quite as smooth and musical but very good." When I told Bill and Pete that the T-amp cost a mere $39, they were flabbergasted. After I placed the T-amp into Bill's hands so he could "look" at it, he burst out in a marvelous laughter over its combination of light weight, small size and heavyweight performance.
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The Bottom Line
I'd say Srajan nailed the Tripath signature sound when he described the eVo 2i: "Crystalline transparency; a tube-like midrange purity, naturalness of timbre and monster soundstaging without the bloom of valves; wonderful bass; and very extended yet silky treble that's never grating or dull but just right." Srajan was describing a $3200 integrated but the amazing thing is that those same words also pretty much describe the sound of the Sonic Impact T-amp integrated.
You were the one who brought up bang for the buck... If you go thru the 100 page thread I'm sure you'll find some who compare it to Yamaha and other stuff...
There's even a new T-Amp: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/sonicimpact2/t2.html
YMMV. But it doesn't look like you can really go wrong with the XR55/57 (or other digital amplifiers) if you're really after bang for the buck!In comparisons to some very expensive state-of-art valve amplifiers like the Fi 2A3 monos, the Tom Evans Linear A, the Yamamoto A-08 and the Art Audio PX-25, the SoT acquitted itself quite well. It is not as good as those amplifiers either in sound quality or ability to play music but it is not so far off the pace as to be completely embarrassed by the comparison. Heck, golden-eared Pete actually liked it better than the Yamamoto 45 in his system, which I think is a brilliant amplifier! I think the new T-Amp is best paired with ancillary equipment a touch to the warm and forgiving side but there is no doubt about it - the new Sonic Impact is a breakthrough product that brings high performance to the unimaginably low price point of $139. This is the least expensive high performance amplifier ever made available to audio hobbyists and the easiest recommendation imaginable. I suspect it will be an absolute success for Big Rich. If you want one, you better hurry. My bet is Big Rich will sell out of the new T-Amps quick. A Blue Moon award winner if I've ever seen one!
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Originally Posted by KojiroTakenashi
