Amp/Preamp Asylum: REVIEW: Sugden A21a Integrated Amplifier (SS) by arj

Model:	A21a
Category:	Integrated Amplifier (SS)
Suggested Retail Price:	$1600.00
Description:	Pure class A - 25 Watts per channel
Manufacturer URL:	Sugden
Manufacturer URL:	Sugden

Review by arj ( A ) on April 03, 2004 at 10:29:26
IP Address: 202.156.2.146

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for the A21a

have owned this amp for around 2 months now and felt this is a good time for a mini review.

Equipment Used
My ears. Definitely not Golden as many details which others seem to catch are missed by me. But thankfully not tin eared as well � as I can catch slightly obvious changes !

*Source : NAD521BEE (Modded) cdp sittting on 3 DH cones & Squares on the floor.
(Modding done by a friend on: Power supply & Output Design modification as well as Upgraded Caps, Resistors & Op Amps)

*I/C � � : � Eccosse Composer
*Int Amp: Sugden A21a on three solid Brass cones.
*Speaker Cables : 2.5 m Goertz Mi2 Veracity
*Speakers : Klipsch RF-3II

Room 3mX4M . speakers 2.5 M apart with around 15deg toe in and listening couch 2 m away. moderately damped due to wooden closet, soft furniture, curtains and Parquet flooring.

Introduction:
I had a budget setup earlier with a NAD 320BEE Amp driving the speakers. It had a nice warm and smooth sound. The Bass was good and deep. The upper end was � sibilant hence I had � a small square of 2ply tissue paper on the Horn Tweeter
I had heard a Klipsch Rf7 with a Jolida Amp once and I knew that there was someting missing in my sound...which the 320 was somehow unable to deliver. I hoped for the Tube sound from SS .

I remembered that the Sugden had been suggested by DIYer, Jerms & mb before hence started with that.

After couple of auditions the Sugden won me over..Was able to do a rather extensive A/B with my NAD at Electrades

Due to the difference in prices would be very unfair to compare the Sugden to the NAD..but i will be using the NAD sound as a reference point as that is all I have to compare it to !

Enter the Sugden.

Build and Looks : This a Class A design which Sugden and has changed very little in the last 25 years. It is Heavy and with a Very solid and reliable feel to it.
You can read more about it here � as it is much better described.
http://www.1388.com/articles/sugden/index.html

Was pleasantly surprised to hear that this is still handmade in England in Yorkshire. Apparently Sugden spends money on products rather than advertising and packaging. Infact the only users manual was a 3 page Photostat copy ! ...initially this had me worried a bit, although now i find it rather quaint

The Music: I felt that this amp synergised with my slightly bright Horn Tweeters really well. although rated only 25 watts, i still need to turn the volume knob only till 9:00 am to get really loud (And very clear) sound...which was around the same as the the 50W NAD. but this is surprisingly unfatiguing and needed my wife to tell me that i was playing it too loud.(My speakers are 98dB)

The most noticeable characteristics the moment this was broken in (30+ hours of play) and connected were

1. Control at low volumes. On playing Pink floyd, The Wall (Another Brick in the wall) even at low volumes the drums had a good "Feel" to it without being ovepowering. In the NAD volume needed to be cranked up for the "feel " and the Bass was, on hindsight, a bit loose ..though I would have never known it before

2. Soundstaging: I am not a great fan of the soundstage and do not really look out for that much when i listen, but the difference between the entry level NAD and the mid range sugden was reallly striking as it had more depth to the sounstage. Drums really sounded as though they were behind in the Stage in Peter Gabriels "Passions". �
In the Ray Brown Trio's " Blue Monk " you can very clearly hear the vibrations of the strings as well as feel the tautness and the tension in the Double Bass string !
I could not make this difference in the NAD, and the tone of the Bass strings in the NAD had a "Banjoish" feel to it.

Once I reduced the toe in to around 15deg, for the first time the soundstage went beyond speaker boundries in my setup.

In Eric Claptons "Unplugged: the sound of strings being plucked in his guitar is really uncanny to me .Had not heard it that way before

Finally..this is the first time I could clearly make out the dialogue right at the beginning of Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon Album!

3. Involvement :the music really flows through and somehow you feel that the entire web of music is all around you. I am unable to put it to words but the feeling of involvement with the music was really great. especially so during Simon and Garfunkels' Bridge over troubled waters and Brothers in Arms by Dire straits.
Both of these are songs I love but had not enoyed to this level before. And this is perhaps the Most important change for me.

Funnily the sugden has a "mono" pushbutton which makes the outputs in Mono..sounded good with old mono recordings !

Additionally. Have really lost the urge to upgrade these days...am still tweaking but have finally started buying CD's instead of looking for components !!

This amp has given me great joy ..in the future even if I do upgrade I very well intend to keep this with me perhaps as a second system � I guess it has too much of "Heritage Value" ! also does an excellen job at warming up small rooms !

Product Weakness: 1. Can run pretty hot...I meant really *Hot* in spite of it fins. it needs to have enough space around it to keep cool. Also need to remember to switch it off before sleeping.
2. No remote !!!. would suggest a CDP with volume control if possible. It can be quite a pain to move � ones butt and change the vol. I really mean this !
3. No "power amp in ".hence this cannot be used as a Power Amp.
4. Other functions : No Phono In, No Headphone out. although this does not matter to me.
Product Strengths: Control & Musicality

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Sugden A21A
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Above
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Heavily Modded NAD521BEE
Speakers:	klipsch rf3II
Cables/Interconnects:	Ecosse Composer/Goertz MI2
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Rock/Fusion/Jazz
Room Size (LxWxH):	4 x 3 x 3
Time Period/Length of Audition:	2 months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner