General Asylum: REVIEW: Ampzilla2000 Ampzilla2000 Amplifier (SS) by Brian Cheney

Model:	Ampzilla2000
Category:	Amplifier (SS)
Suggested Retail Price:	$5000pr
Description:	200W SS monoblocks
Manufacturer URL:	Ampzilla2000
Manufacturer URL:	Ampzilla2000

Review by Brian Cheney ( M ) on February 10, 2002 at 15:41:14
IP Address: 205.188.200.23

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It's strange writing about a product which won't be available to the general public until the end of March 2002, but I see no reason why I shouldn't talk about an amplifier which was a key part of our Best of CES-winning system and about its designer, James Bongiorno, the most colorful figure in audio and perhaps any other business.
I'm known Jim over 25 years and now, at age 59, he hasn't changed a bit: loud, opinionated, vehement, given to tailoring that would make Liberace blush. Some people in audio dislike Bongiorno intensely and he returns the favor by speaking ill of many (particularly journalists) he feels have treated him unfairly. And Jim has a lot of history with many people: one of his first jobs in high end audio was designing the Rectilinear 3, one of the seminal speakers of the late 1960's. His work for SAE, Dynaco, Ampzilla and Sumo are more than just well known, they approach near legends.
Ampzilla 2000, SS 200W monoblocks priced at $5000pr, are his latest creation. At CES we used his well-broken-in handbuilt prototypes. They are 52 lbs each, compact, wellmade with gorgeous blue acrylic front panels with Star-Trek-style gold logos. Driving a 4 Ohm speaker for 5 straight days they barely stayed warm to the touch. The design recycles the input and output stages of the Sumo Gold amp but adds a new second stage of innovative configuration, which contributes greatly to the amp's distinctive sound. Distortion is very, very low, with enough point zeros in front of the 1 to rival the national debt.
How does Ampzilla2000 sound? Absolutely superb. Depth, layering, detail, smoothness, treble and bass extension, dynamics, naturalness, all present in quantity. We couldn't clip the amp playing very loudly in a 12x18' room regardless of program material, including the 1812 Overture cannons.
This is as good a solid state amp as I've heard, and I've heard a lot of SS amps. At its low price it should be a runaway success.
I just posted a review of the CJ Premier 12 tube power amps so comparisons are in order. I won't say Ampzilla 2000 sounds the same as the CJ, because it doesn't. Bass and dynamics of the Ampzilla far surpass the CJ, the mids and trebles while more typically SS than the CJ tube sound, more than hold their own. I think if you listen to rock, jazz or big symphonic the Ampzilla will make you very happy. Or you could biamp with the CJ on top and the Ampzilla on the bottom in an all-out SOTA system. Everybody who heard our sound was dazzled (don't forget we used John Curl's CTC Blowtorch preamp to drive Ampzilla, so there may be some synergy there).

I think you will be too.
Big B

Product Weakness: Not available until end of march 2002; it's possible you have history with Jim B. and may want to boycott this product for personal reasons having nothing to do with its performance!!
Product Strengths: relatively low cost, high cosmetic, great sound quality

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Ampzilla 2000
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	CTC Blowtorch
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	KrellMD10/ART DIO (modded)
Speakers:	VMPS RM 40
Cables/Interconnects:	Analsyis plus silver
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	all types
Room Size (LxWxH):	18 x 12 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	full LEDE
Time Period/Length of Audition:	5 days
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Bybee, PS300
Type of Audition/Review:	Home Audition

Product Weakness:	Not available until end of march 2002; it's possible you have history with Jim B. and may want to boycott this product for personal reasons having nothing to do with its performance!!
Product Strengths:	relatively low cost, high cosmetic, great sound quality