General Asylum: REVIEW: Clayton Audio Clayton S 40 Amplifier (SS) by Stephen General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

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Because it had been some months since the tubed Conrad Johnson 11a replaced my solid-state Sunfire, I was eager to evaluate the Clayton S-40, to find out about the current state-of-the-solid-state-art in the $3,000 range.

Ergonomics
For starters, the S-40 looks different; it's about nine inches wide and tall, 20 inches deep, with cooling fins running the length of the top, and narrow aluminum feet on the bottom. Another set of identical feet can be found in each corner on the rear plate-ostensibly to prevent damage to interconnects and cables when the back of the unit towards a wall or cabinet; nice idea, but given the size and unwieldy nature of many connectors these days, my guess is that the wires would do a better job of protecting the feet. Recessed into the center of the thick faceplate, a rocker switch activates a well-controlled and soft-as-silk power-on sequence. A small LED is above the switch and between the gold-plated WBT RCA inputs at the back of the unit, alerting the user when the unit is powered up - a nice touch for reviewers and for the absent-minded fond of swapping cables and the like.

It is a handsome and refined, if unusual looking, amplifier. According to the marketing literature, the Clayton S-40 Stereo Power Amplifier is “conservatively rated at 40 watts continuous rms into 8 ohms” and 80 watts into 4 ohms. The S-40 is a “high current amplifier using class A design in both the driver and output stages ...all gain transistors are operated in their linear region....” “The power supply contains a 900 VA toroidal transformer with up to 100,000 microfarads of capacitance. The S-40 makes use of separate power sources for the driver and output stages ... and there are “no capacitors in the signal path..” The owner’s manual indicates “The S-40’s are handmade in the USA after years of careful design and testing. and, because it weighs in at 42 pounds, the company does “encourage reasonable caution to avoid injury.”

The Sound
Right out of the box, this amplifier showed promise. My first impression was that the Clayton played fairly loudly with little change in tonal character. Though somewhat forward in its presentation, it seemed smooth and well- detailed. Mated with the Dunlavy SC-IIIs, its character was rather crystalline-especially in the mids and highs. It presented a wide and stable soundstage. The modest power rating was belied by the amp's real-world performance. Overall dynamic contrasts were good, with the best dynamic gradients exhibited in the mid- to low-bass range.

Bass
Though the Dunlavys won't allow for comment on the extreme bottom performance of the S-40, the amp acquitted itself well in the low and mid-bass regions. On Weinberger's Polka and Fugue [RR-58CD] and all other orchestral works, bass drums sounded whacked (as they should), timpani revealed the nuances of their limited range, cellos murmured and bloomed, and the lower register of the piano was clear and well-weighted. Loud and complex passages unraveled admirably and occasionally I caught myself tapping along (I've got - oops! sorry - it's got rhythm. That is to say, of course, it reproduces transient information quite well.)

Curiously, on small group recordings such as Holly Cole's Temptation [Metro Blue 31653-2] or Ray Obiedo's Iguana [WD-0128-2], acoustic bass and electric bass, while punchy and well-defined in pitch, would sometimes sound overblown (as in a bit too much bloom) and out of scale with the rest of the instruments. Too much of a good thing. While dynamic, rhythmic, and initially captivating, this quality generally led to listening fatigue. There were exceptions, tending to occur on vinyl. Peter Case's The Man with the Blue Postmodern Fragmented Neo-traditionalist Guitar [GHS 24238-1] is a great example. On "Entella Hotel," Ry Cooder's stereo electric guitar goes low and remains balanced while Dave Miner's upright bass is palpable, but never dominating the mix.

My favorite aspect of the bass performance was the unit's ability to distinguish the timbre of various drums in a kit or percussion ensemble. Whether listening to Dead Can Dance's Into the Labyrinth [4AD 9-45384-2] or the excellent analog recording of Oregon's Ecotopia [ECM-833120-1], the Clayton offered excellent control: life-like attack, articulation, and punch. With the bottom end faithfully rendered, timing and pace of all types of music were excellently presented.

Treble
On the other end of the sonic spectrum, cymbals floated solidly in the soundstage on orchestral, big band, and small-group recordings. Little grain was evident. The handbells, tambourines, and metal castanets on Calamus' The Splendor of Al-Andalus [M-A Recordings M026A] were detailed, smooth, and life- like, if a touch thin. The high Japanese bells in "Sagrada Familia" from Robert Rich's Gaudi [HS11028-2] were easy to identify. I detected no trace of harshness or etchy-ness; however—especially in the Calamus recording—there seemed to be a slightly reduced volume of air; while no one need worry about suffocating, and the reording venue was still well-defined, I have experienced a better sense of ambience with my reference amp.

Midrange
First of all, the lower midrange was the best of the bunch. The timbres of the lower guitar, baritones, tenors were fluid and relatively warm; the presentation offered a moderate, though not fully-fleshed-out, sense of palpability. Focus remained stable over the entire range. Moving up in the midrange, these qualities carried through, for the most part. The only distraction was a repeated encounter with a trace of hardness that I can only describe as thinning of timbre, or small change in tonal color; the bloom in fullness compared to octaves on each end of it simply was diminished. On Temptation, Holly Cole’s voice sounded “breathy,”as usual, but for some reason, it lacked the palpability and “growl”generally provided by her body’s support. I had the same experience with female vocalists on other recordings and even from a male back-up singer on the Indigo Girls’ self-entitled album [EPIC FE-45044-1]. The lower harmonies were distinct and fairly-rounded, but I found myself surprised by an admittedly subtle, but perceptible shift at the upper third of the alto range. This effectwas limited to a small segment of the midrange and impacted voices more than instruments; it did not extend to the range of upper sopranos, violins, flutes, and the like. One exception: it exhibited itself as a slight bleaching of the lower range of the flute on I Ching's Of the Marsh and the Moon [Chesky WO-0144-2], causing it to sound a bit horn-like.

Did I mention that this bantam-weight amp hangs in there nicely on reggae, rock, and blues recordings? Check out Terry Evans' excellent bayou-born-blues on Puttin' It Down [AudioQuest AQ-CD13038]. Some of the tracks are thick with horns, bass, drums, and Evans' wide-ranging, distinct, at times seemingly-possessed, voice. Not only did this amp offer an honest portrayal of his voice, it displayed significant capacity and composure. For its humble power rating, the Clayton did a good job of representing the dynamics of the real thing. Microdynamics were very good (though not exemplary) and offered many clues to most of the subtle (and addictive) shadings found on many of the recordings I know so well.

Low- level resolution was surprisingly good at low volumes. I loved listening with the amp late at night; I could hear deeply into recordings without having to crank the volume up. Ring's Soul to the Pleasure [COTCD-010] offers an excellent accounting of the harp. Though it does not give us the last word in the retrieval of inner detail, even at low volumes, the S-40 reveals information smoothly.

I also listened to numerous recordings at volumes I found uncomfortable. This revealed some compression (but no loss of image specificity). Images were very well focused; precisely placed and unwavering performers were the norm. Dimensionality was not as strong (though this improved with analog sources). The soundstage was wide and the amp communicates the space between instruments nicely. From where I sit, however, image width was a bit of an issue; more of that space between performers should be occupied by the "roundness" or "body" that instruments (and voices) project in life. With a modestly deep soundstage, the overall presentation was not as finely layered (fewer planes, if you will) as I am used to; this was accentuated by the overall forward nature of this amp in my system. While I generally appreciate a sense of immediacy-especially on recordings that call for it-I found that the S-40 occasionally forayed into my personal space.

Ambience retrieval was generally very good. Some loss of information at the extreme highs was generally made up for by a better performance in the middle, and bass regions.

Transient attacks could be viewed as exceptional, or intense, depending on your sonic preferences. Some-who may describe this characteristic as lively, dynamic, and full of impact-like to watch their music; I prefer just listening and found the leading edges of the guitars on the M-A recording of Vlatko Stefanovski and Miroslav Tadic, Krushevo [MA44A], a bit too ardent to be life- like. While the bloom following leading edges and the finely detailed finger- work throughout the recording were relatively natural, they seemed to lose some impact, probably owing to this perceived overemphasis of the leading edges. This may tie into another perception: on other recordings, while the images were always stable and well-defined and, even though the nature of the presentation was relatively forward, performers often sounded slightly veiled. Pehaps this, too, was the result of some masking from the relatively adamant transient attack referenced above.

Most of these latter particulars are quibbles and nit-picks, and likely reveal my recently acquired partiality for tubed amplification. Of the half-dozen solid-state amps I've paired with the Dunlavys, none have drawn me deeply into the music for very long (although the Clayton did succeed at low volumes). For the sake of comparison, I hauled the baby Vandersteens from the downstairs home theater set-up and leashed them to the Clayton. The trace of squawky-ness in the midrange and slightly prominent transient attacks were moderately rectified.

It was still a quick-paced and dynamic presentation, but with less of the incisiveness that can make things sound slightly more mechanical than musical. If you are considering this amp, try it with a wide range of speakers. Depending on your priorities, speakers that are more laid-back than the Dunlavys and those that lean toward the warm side of neutral could make this amp a winner in your system.

In my current system, the Clayton S-40 got my attention and engaged my inquisitive side, though I found myself unable to relax and connect to the music with consistent ease. Depending on your system and preferences, it could nevertheless be your cup of tea.

Associated Equipment
VPI HW-19 Jr./PT-6 tonearm/AT OC-9 cartridge
CAL Delta Transport driving CAL Alpha DAC (with 96/24 upgrade and GE 5751
tubes) via Illuminati D-60
Audible Illusions M3A preamp (with MC gold phono board and Sylvania 7308 NOS
JAN tubes)
Dunlavy SC-III speakers
C-J Premier 11a
Tara Labs RSC Reference Gen 2 interconnects
Tara Labs RSC Prime 1000 cables (discrete bi-wire)
Nakamichi RX-202 deck
Tice Elite Power Conditioner
Belden 17504 power cords on CD front end and preamp

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