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Review of New Audio Frontiers 845SE Special Edition Integrated amplifier
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Posted on January 26, 2010 at 15:28:34 | ||
Posts: 10
Location: Europe Joined: January 26, 2010 |
Review of New Audio Frontiers 845SE Special Edition Integrated amplifier First of all I would like to give you the rationale for writing this review. I’m no dealer, just a happy enthusiast like most of you. Thus, I have no ties whatsoever to New Audio Frontiers or their associates. The reason for typing down these words is because there was unfortunately so little information available regarding New Audio Frontiers, something I experienced when looking for information prior to purchasing the NAF 845. For those of you who are interested in the NAF 845 this review may hopefully serve as some kind of guidance. Since I’m not a professional reviewer I don’t have loads of amps lying around waiting for comparison so I have to put a little trust in my ears and memory (but I’m quite experienced in the highend audio domain). Before continuing, please bear in mind that this a user review where my personal view is expressed and like you all know our experiences and preferences may differ. Happy reading! INTRODUCTION New Audio Frontiers is an Italian tube amplifier and loudspeaker manufacturer. According to the NAF homepage (newaudiofrontiers.com) the company was established by a group of enthusiasts. New Audio Frontiers is distributed by USA Tube Audio in US and Definitive Audio in UK but for dealers in other countries you probably need to contact NAF. As the title states this review concerns the NAF 845SE Special Edition mk3 integrated amplifier (with a passive preamp stage). In addition my sample is the absolutely gorgeous Silver Version (silver face plates and black side panels) with remote control. The models and their naming are a bit confusing so let’s clear things up before moving on. There are two integrated 845 models available, the 845SE and 845SE Special Edition. The 845SE is a 20 watter and the 845SE Special Edition is a 25 watter. As far as I have understood it, only the latter (i.e., the SE Special Edition) has the silver-copper litz output transformer. So, the 845SE Special Edition is the top model. According to NAF the 845 was recently upgraded to mk3 status. The mk3 upgrades include new transformers and some component changes. The amps can be had in standard finish (wood panels and copper plates) or in the optional silver finish with black side panels (i.e., “Silver Version”). According to NAF the “silver version” option is just cosmetic. Hopefully, I didn’t get it wrong so please feel free to correct me because it is confusing. My amp came with a remote control (simple but functional). AESTATICS Aestatics is a tricky area since personal taste differ so much. My taste is quite “broad” and I can appreciate a well-executed design regardless if it is a tube or transistor amp. Personally I find the NAF 845 amp to be extraordinary Italian design and visually very seductive. No photos do this amp justice. Some may prefer the copper finish but I find the silver version more elegant and timeless. Again, it’s all about personal preferences. To me it is important that I find the amp attractive from a visual point of view. Of course sound is the most important aspect but the visual impression does play a role. I wouldn’t pay a great amount of money for an “ugly” painting I didn’t like no matter how famous the artist was. Remember you may have a family that has to look at this piece everyday, so yes I think aestatics matter. SOUND Now for the most important and hardest part: How does it sound? I will try to provide a balanced description. First, like noted elsewhere in this review taste differs a lot between individuals and as consequence you will not find the word “best” in this text. What does “best” mean in the context of music, I don’t know? Instead I will talk about satisfaction and other appropriate (and humble) terms. This amp takes pretty long time to burn in, so don’t make the final judgement based on the first weeks (even though its performance stellar from day 1). Some may find the burning in process a bit frustrating but I found it great fun and rewarding to hear how the amp evolved from being a superb to an amp that takes you for a sonic and emotional ride you weren’t prepared for. I guess most of us appreciate transparent amps. But it comes at a price - you will hear which part of the chain that’s not up to the standards. Meaning new speakers, cables or source components. On the other hand when all things are well-matched music just flows and nothing can stop it. This happens all the time to me when I listen to my NAF845 based system, I press play and all of sudden several hours are just gone. Based on my own experience I would say that this amp is fairly easy to get to sing well with other parts. This amp is highly transparent and revealing but not in that harsh way. Instead the band or orchestra comes alive and the instruments get the right tone and “bite”. When listening to the NAF845 two words comes to my mind again and again - dynamic and natural. In my system this holds for anything from big orchestras to jazz, from hard-hitting rock to electronic music. Subjectively the amp feels extended in the top but not as transparent in the top as an OTL like Atma-Sphere (…Oh those wonderful Atma-Spheres). On the other hand it had more body in the midrange. The bass was also very good and felt very well integrated with the rest of the frequency band. It wasn’t earthquake bass, instead it the bass sounded detailed and deep enough without being exaggerated. Contrabasses had tone not just boom (as so often with many amps). Some amps make every recording sound “big” and “beefy”. Although, impressive at first, I often find this to be artificial and insensitive to the recording in the long run. However, with the NAF845 I always have the impression that a recording sounds as “big” or “small” as it was recorded. In summary, from top to bottom the amp felt very coherent and clean. Never thin, sterile or boring. If you pay this amount of money I think you should demand this high level of sound quality, with the result of emotional arousal in the listener. As soon as I turn off this amp I long for turning it on again and listen to more music! LISTENING LEVELS One of the things I miss in most reviews is a discussion regarding listening levels. It’s often huge difference to listen to low vs high listening levels (in terms of SPL). At higher levels amps can usually show how capable (or incapable) they are. However, I live in a family home and the stereo is located to the living room and most of my listening is done during evenings. Thus, I can’t listen to music at high levels. How often haven’t we read review statements like “I was able to make the amp clip… when playing above 110dB” but no reference to how the amp sounded below 60dB. Also, my ears are a bit sensitive from too many concerts so I prefer “soothing” and “normal” levels. This means that in my home an amp must perform at its “quality peak” already from lower levels. In my opinion this may be one of the hardest test for an amp. Indeed, the NAF845 was completely satisfying from low levels but it also had reserves for higher levels. Altogether, I think this amp was coherent in its sound across listening levels. RELIABILITY So far the 845SE Special Edition has functioned perfectly and I hope the amp will prove as reliable in twenty years as it has done to the present day. PRICE/PERFORMANCE With a retail price of 14000USD in US and 9800 Euro in Europe this is definatly an expensive amp. Is it possible to justify spending this amount of money on any hobby? Well only you can decide. In my view this is a far better purchase than a car or boat. But again taste and priority differs. CONCLUSIONS This amp is my kind of flavour. It has the beautiful qualities of a SET mixed with “plenty” of power (for a SET). I would like to sum up it’s sound with the following highly subjective and elusive words: detailed, powerful, sublime, sophisticated, lifelike, and beautiful (both soundwise and visually). Don't run out and buy (or reject for that matter) this amp based on my or someone else’s opinion, please listen for your self and decide based on you own preferences and system. I hope you enjoyed reading this review and found it useful. Although hifi is great fun, no matter what gear you own or aspire to own, never forget that we’re here for the love of music. Cheers! /Jax |
RE: Review of New Audio Frontiers 845SE Special Edition Integrated amplifier, posted on January 30, 2010 at 11:02:41 | |
Posts: 56
Joined: March 4, 2009 |
nt
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RE: Technical information, posted on January 30, 2010 at 11:29:59 | |
Posts: 56
Joined: March 4, 2009 |
nt |
RE: Technical information, posted on January 31, 2010 at 01:39:54 | |
Posts: 56
Joined: March 4, 2009 |
nt |
RE: Review of New Audio Frontiers 845SE Special Edition Integrated amplifier, posted on January 31, 2010 at 02:05:19 | |
Posts: 56
Joined: March 4, 2009 |
nt |
RE: Review of New Audio Frontiers 845SE Special Edition Integrated amplifier, posted on February 1, 2010 at 00:57:46 | |
Posts: 56
Joined: March 4, 2009 |
nt |
Hummm. Tanks. I couldn't find a thing. Nt, posted on February 1, 2010 at 01:31:59 | |
Posts: 15703
Location: Copenhagen Joined: March 21, 2005 |
NTT |
RE: I just added it to illustrate the difference in the circuit boards, posted on February 1, 2010 at 02:18:01 | |
Posts: 56
Joined: March 4, 2009 |
nt |
Maybe I can't count !!!, posted on February 1, 2010 at 10:11:45 | |
Posts: 15703
Location: Copenhagen Joined: March 21, 2005 |
I agree with you. I do like to compare |
RE: Maybe I can't count !!!, posted on February 2, 2010 at 06:20:19 | |
Posts: 56
Joined: March 4, 2009 |
nt |
RE: Review of New Audio Frontiers 845SE Special Edition Integrated amplifier, posted on February 2, 2010 at 06:24:30 | |
Posts: 56
Joined: March 4, 2009 |
nt |
RE: Maybe I can't count !!!, posted on February 3, 2010 at 00:20:23 | |
Posts: 56
Joined: March 4, 2009 |
nt |
I mistook one of the chokes for another power tranny, posted on February 3, 2010 at 10:05:07 | |
Posts: 15703
Location: Copenhagen Joined: March 21, 2005 |
But that doesn't make sense, does it? |
I don't think the NAF is fully transformer coupled,, posted on February 3, 2010 at 10:08:05 | |
Posts: 15703
Location: Copenhagen Joined: March 21, 2005 |
as is the On-Gaku (and Jinro). |