sugden a21a amp review collection

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Page 1: Sugden A21a amp review collection

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Page 2: Sugden A21a amp review collection

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Page 4: Sugden A21a amp review collection

A jewel of an amp The Sugden A21a has been in production, handbuilt in Yorkshire, for more than 30 years, with just evolutionary changes to its basic design of a low-power (25Wpc), class-A-biased solid-state integrated amplifier. Although I'd read about them over the years in British hi-fi magazines, this was my first experience with a Sugden product (footnote 4).

The A21a is a jewel of an amp, a real sweetheart. What it may lack in mod cons (modern conveniences), such as a remote control or headphone jack, it more than makes up for in musical purity, and in throwing dynamic punches far above its weight class.

The A21a is a conventional black (also available in silver) horizontal box, reminiscent of Creek designs of a decade ago, with the exception that the Sugden has cooling fins running horizontally along the sides front to back, which seems to make a lot more sense than vertically. The A21a measures 17" wide by 3" high by 12" deep and weighs about 20 lbs.

The front panel has a source-selector knob (phono card is optional), pushbuttons for tape loop and mono, knobs for balance and volume, and a power pushbutton and indicator light. The indicator light is amber, and the script for the function designations is pale gold. Each knob has a small hole drilled a short distance into its faces to indicate its position, or the source selected. The balance knob is detented; the volume knob is not.

The rear panel has conventional RCA inputs and speaker binding posts. These items are not exactly overwhelming as works of applied engineering, and are spaced a bit closely, but, given the A21a's price—well under $2000—and excellent sound, one should not complain.

What the A21a succeeds marvelously at doing is presenting a crisp, lively, but very continuous and quite nonfatiguing musical experience. I attribute the lack of fatigue to class-A's avoidance of switching distortion. I never had the sense that I was listening to a 25Wpc amp, or that it ever was in danger of running out of power. Dynamics were crisp. The A21a seemed to work very well with the Reynaud Arpeggiones, and was just as happy driving Shahinian's Compasses.

I think that, at its probable $1500 price (footnote 5), the A21a would be an ideal step up from a receiver or an integrated amp in the $500-$800 price range.

My favorite all-things-considered integrated amp, the Plinius 8200, is being replaced by a new model I have not yet heard, the 9200, for $3500 (a $500 increase over the 8200). But, based on memory, the A21a has little to apologize for—only incremental shortcomings in midrange palpability, treble refinement, and ultimate oomph into difficult loads. Indeed, like the Plinius, the Sugden uses only NPN transistors in its output stage. Fancy that!

The only characteristics the A21a has that I can envision as being negatives in certain situations are, first: it runs hot, even at idle. The metal knobs themselves grow quite warm to the touch, and this was in a rack that is open on all four sides. Second, it is not a "forgiving" or "analog-like" amplifier. Like FedEx, it just delivers the goods.

Page 5: Sugden A21a amp review collection

Despite its comparatively low price, the Sugden A21a made quite apparent the sonic differences between a $299 DVD player and a $6000 upconverting CD player. And that is a good thing. Highly recommended.

Page 6: Sugden A21a amp review collection

2

by KEN KESSLER

Certain manufacturers have promoted Class-A operation as if they invented the technology, so it's easy to forget that nearly-forgotten British brands went to market with Class-A designs 30

years ago. As this isn't our Classic Hi-Fi supplement and I'm not at present in a position to determine exactly which brand was the first in the world to issue a shop-ready Class-A amplifier, it's enough to point out that the Sugden (or, more precisely, Richard Allan) nameplate graced a commercially-available product nearly a decade-and-a-half before any of the current practitioners.

This very magazine published James E Sugden's seminal articles as far back as November 1967, and his 10W/ch Richard Allan A21 appeared that year, at £52. By 1969, for a princely £56 (about £630 in today's money), one could purchase an updated, renamed version called the Sugden A21 Series Two, one of which the current Sugden firm loaned me for the purpose of putting the latest version into context. Rated at l0W/ch and running as hot as you'd expect, the A21 Series Two provided a prescient taste of high-end audio in the 1980s and 1990s.

While the Forces of Darkness preferred Class-B or Class-AB, Sugden defended Class-A operation and its total avoidance of switching distortion. As we now know, after a decade-plus of high-end pure Class-A solid-state amplifiers from the USA and elsewhere, Class-A costs more, is less efficient and generates copious amounts of heat, but sounds a helluva lot better.

As it was succinctly described by Gordon King in the now-defunct Hi-Fi Sound, 'Class-A working is achieved by biasing the push-pull output transistors to the middle of their working characteristics, so that the collector current remains virtually the same whether signal is being handled or not.' King points out that the development of the A21 was made possible because germanium transistors, which couldn't handle the heat, were being replaced by far more suitable silicon types.

If the anachrophilic tone of this piece is starting to grate, note that it is appropriate. What I have before me is a made-in-1998 J E Sugden A2la integrated amplifier, a direct descendant of the A21 Series Two, still manufactured in West Yorkshire and still as unrelentingly British as you

Page 7: Sugden A21a amp review collection

would want it to be. Better yet, I just learned that this amplifier has been around virtually unchanged for nine years. Which just might be (1) the longest we've waited between launch and review (although fellow HFN/RR contributor Eric Braithwaite reviewed it seven or eight years ago for another magazine), and (2) it's enough to mark the A21a as probably the 'oldest' integrated amplifier in continuous production. But it sure doesn't sound that way.

Unlike its large, funky, trad predecessor, the A2la is a svelte 430x72x360mm (whd), including knobs, terminals and substantial heat-sinkety. Those dimensions are what you'd allow for a conventional, cool-running, minimalist solid-state integrated, and yet the A2la lacks no functions; it offers four line inputs and a proper phono stage. Across its front are a rotary source selector, buttons for tape monitoring and mono operation (yippee!), and a pair of rotaries for balance and volume. At the far right are a yellow LED and power-on button. My only ergonomic grumble? No centre detent for the balance setting. At the back are an IEC mains inlet, multi-way binding posts for a single pair of speakers, gold-plated phono sockets and an earthing post.

Inside, it's dual-mono for the amp sections, each channel residing on a vertically-mounted PCB fixed directly to the heat-sinks. The preamp stage has its own PCB running the depth of the cabinet, with the optional phono section consisting of a daughter-board factory- firted at the rear of the main PCB. And smack in the middle, accounting for the units substantial weight of 9kg, is the heart of the power supply, a massive toroidal with separate windings for each channel. Parts quality is top-rate, the A2la filled with capacitors, resistors and switches I've seen in far-costlier designs, and the finish and build are confidence-inspiring.

A word of caution: an ostensibly clean and handsome design, the A21a is available in silver black, but J E Sugden will finish it in other colours if your taste is of the non- existent variety. Whatever your own proclivities, try to resist the temptation to opt for what the company calls 'gold', the finish as seen on the review sample and one conceived for shops, hi-fl shows and, as Sugden's Tony Miller put it, 'Christmas.' Gold? I think not. Rather, it calls to mind the words'vial' and 'specimen'.

Rated at a modest 25Wich, the A2la acts like a 75-watter - hardly what I expected of an amplifier with the built-in power restrictions caused by opting for Class-A circuitry. Any experience with other 'baby' Class-A amps will not prepare you for the sheer driving force the A21a possess... within reason, that is. But the A21a is merely reflecting a couple of decades' worth of transistor evolution since the A21 Series Two, which it substantially outperforms as far as sheer grunt is concerned. Sugden has employed what it describes as 'the latest multi-emitter bi-polar devices with low internal resistance, high gain and speed characteristics.' Other changes from old to new include gain stages in cascode configuration, increasing the bandwidth and minimising phase shift. And as much as the antique collector in me wants to play Luddite and claim that the old A21 is the one to own, the A21a is faster, more detailed, smoother and much more transparent. Hell, the only arguments I can still produce in favour of the oldie are almost entirely based on the look of the faceplate.

With the two Sugdens sandwiched in turns in-between a pair of New

Audio Frontiers Reference speakers and sources including the Krell KAV-3OOcd and a Basis 2000 turntable with Rega arm and Grado Prestige cartridge, I set about assessing old-vs-new before attempting to position the A2la in the current market. Anachrophiles will be both pleased and dismayed, the latter response being elicited by the aforementioned list of gains. But pleasure comes when you discover just how commanding the oldster remains, even surrounded by modern ancillaries and digital sources. Yes, the

A2la's extra headroom, courtesy of another 15W/ch is substantial, but the oldie still drives some ornery speakers like Quad ESLs and LS3/5As with ease; the New Audio Frontiers speakers are so sensitive that the elder amp's volume control never strayed past 11 o'clock. So 'loud' just ain't an issue. But what the Sugden A21 Series Two had, which will keep lucky owners from ever letting go of this thirtysomething is a sort of gentility, a breeding, a type of politesse which isn't just a part of

Page 8: Sugden A21a amp review collection

the original 1967 design; it's redolent of the era.

Not to say that the A21a could ever be brash or rude or vulgar. Quite simply, it's modern. Which is a couple of characters too long to be a four-letter word. In this sense it means 'analytical', 'matter-of-fact' - almost cold-blooded. And that's as it should be, if we're true to the goals of accuracy, low-coloration and an absence of distortion. The A2la, nostalgia and valve prejudices and high-end leanings be damned, is absolutely faithful to its cause celebre. At the risk of incurring a wave of wrath from across the pond from which I might never recover, I have to say that the A21a made me think continually of... Krell.

It possesses, on a far smaller scale, of course, the kind of virtues which make Krells the choice for a large number of high-end customers of the solid-state persuasion. The Sugden's sound is detailed, coherent, top-to-bottom consistent and cut into the air with a precision that suggests keyhole surgery. Even with bass-heavy recordings, and while driving massive towers like the References, the bass never flubbed, never exhibited a teensy trace of overhang. Treble attack was ideal for listening to flurries of fast trumpet and guitar work, especially if coming from a system which made it impossible to separate the notes. And the A2la understands three-dimensional soundstages.

Of course, the Sugden lacks the slam of a £3000-plus powerhouse. It will not crack plaster, though it will produce levels to earn you a place on Neighbours From Hell if you own high-sensitivity speakers. Sorry, but serious headbanging costs loadsamoney. The Sugden is like Goldilocks' preferred porridge. Oops, there's that subliminal gold message...

Sonically, then, there's no downside unless you swear by single-ended triodes or push- pull EL34s, in which case any Class-A solid state amp would prove to be ananathema Rather, the A21a is a delightful stepping-stone toward Krell and the like, for those wa-a-ay short of the requisite dosh. At

£749 in line level form, its adjusted-for-1998 pricing means that inflation has touched Sugden only a bit; the company says that working backwards, £749 is the equivalent of £72.50 circa 1967.

Then there's the m-m/m-c phono stage for another £70. Alas, I preferred the smoother, quieter NAD PP-l at £39.95, but that lacks moving-coil suitability. A Sugden dealer, however, should allow you to hear a phono-equipped A21a against an A2la with an outboard phono section of your own choice.

But don't let the question of the phono stage distract you. The Sugden A21a is the only choice if you want affordable Class-A. Phrased that way, you might think I'm describing a victoty by default. Not so: the Sugden has few rivals at or near its price; my personal shortlist adds only Audio Analogue's Puccini SE and the Musical Fidelity X-A1.

Remember: we're talking about an amp made by salt-of-the-earth Yorkshiremen who can't be bothered with the nonsense attached to 'specialty audio'. They'll never shout about the A21a, any more than they boasted about their own pioneering efforts in making Class-A technology available to the masses. And this is behaviour which makes the Sugden A21a amplifier the best-kept secret in British hi-fl.

July 1998 HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW

Page 9: Sugden A21a amp review collection

There are plenty of easy waysto blow scads of cash in thehigh end. Believe me—Iknow. But there are ways toeconomize as well, without

feeling or “hearing” the pinch.Integrated amplifiers are prime exam-ples. Sure, separates are cool and a neces-sity for certain applications, but inrecent years the “one-box” solution hasproven itself fully competitive. Andthese integrated amplifiers fromScandinavia’s Primare and England’sSugden are perfect proof.

Sugden A21aL

Sugden—an electronics companyfounded by J. E. Sugden, formerly a

manufacturer of scientific instruments,

and based in West Yorkshire,England—began pioneering and refin-ing pure Class A solid-state amplifiersover 30 years ago.1 Its first product, theoriginal 10Wpc A21, debuted in 1969.Thanks to improved parts quality, theA21 has evolved into the current25Wpc A21a, with fifteen more watts tobetter serve today’s loudspeakers

All of you must remember the storyof the ugly duckling. If not, just look atthe Sugden A21a.With its retro profileit certainly won’t win any beauty con-tests. A large volume and balance knoband mono and tape buttons dominatethe front panel, available in black or sil-ver. Four line-level inputs (plus optionalphono stage), a preamp out and tapeloop, and a single set of loudspeaker out-puts fill in the back panel. Deep alu-minum heat sinks along the sides of the

heavy steel case help dissipate the sub-stantial heat build-up typical of Class Aoperation. The power cord is removable.

Once warmed up—and I meanwarmed!—the A21a was tube-like in itsacross-the-band sweetness. Its rounded,relaxed character and grain-free treblemight translate to “dark” and “attenuat-ed” at first listen, but the A21 is, in fact,highly extended. It merely lacks bristleor edginess. It has an almost Zen-liketranquility, though it doesn’t sound tran-quilized. It’s also a very quiet amplifierwith no perceivable hum at any level.

To a small degree the A21a lays backon the beat. Its polished, polite charactermoderates the aggressive attack anddrive of rock/pop sources and seemsmore at ease in the refined world of clas-sical and jazz. Here, the A21a navigatesthe extended harmonic and dynamic

complexities of these predominantlyacoustic genres with fluidity andfinesse. It reproduced the piano solofrom Mary Stallings’ “Sunday Kind ofLove” [Live at the Village Vanguard;MaxxJazz] with almost preternaturalease—suggesting a great deal of airmovement in and around the solopiano. The delicate brushwork on thesnare, the bloom of the cymbals, andthe ripple of Stallings’ vibrato werealso highly persuasive.

The Sugden excels with femalevocalists, the presence of whom itreproduces with an almost butterysmoothness. The on-stage dimension-ality of a singer like Norah Jones [ComeAway With Me; Bluenote] was palpa-ble. When Laurel Massé sings“Mountainy Singer” [Feather And Bone;

A Duet of Integrated Amplifiers: Sugden A21aL and Primare I20

Neil Gader

S P E C I A L F E A T U R E

1 Class A means that the output devices, transistors in this case, are always conducting current even when the signal level is zero. It’s a full-throttle approach that’s highly inefficientbut sonically desirable. Class B uses a complementary pair of transistors to split the waveform into negative and positive parts. Since each device conducts only half the current atany one moment, Class B is vastly more efficient, producing less heat, although it is also subject to crossover distortions at lower levels. Class AB splits the difference, operating likea Class A amp at low levels and like Class B at higher levels. [Glenn White, The Audio Dictionary, p. 257; Robert Harley, The Complete Guide to High End Audio, pp. 406–407.]

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Premonition Records], accompaniedonly by violin, the vocalist and instru-mentalist seemed to exist together with-in a wider soundspace and yet were eachfully fixed within their own acousticenvelopes. Both players seemed toemerge from exceptionally dark and vel-vety backgrounds. The Sugden demon-strated a credible sense of any venue witha front-to-back dimensionality that evenbettered its lateral soundstaging by aslight margin. Even at higher levelsmusic remained unfatiguing, withoutthe sting of elevated sibilance.

Transient information possessed therequisite snap but missed that initialflick of immediacy. The flatpick off thesteel strings of an acoustic guitar or thecrackle off a snare had a softer characterand a little less intensity than they do inlife. Electric bass and kick drum combi-nations were smooth and relativelytight, but at moments also suggested awooly thickness. This will strike some asoptimal, while others might consider ita little too bloomy.

At a mere 25Wpc the Sugden doeshave its power limits. It performed effec-tively in a smaller room with a medium-high-efficiency (91dB) loudspeaker likethe Focal-JMlab Cobalt S 816. In fact, atlower volumes it sounded awfully sweetwith the 83dB-sensitive ATC SCM20SL.But the Sugden will thin out and losebass definition and dynamic snap if notmated with a sufficiently sensitive loud-speaker. Despite this proviso, theSugden A21a is a prime example of theold adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fixit”—or perhaps, just as appropriately,“Life begins at 30.”

Primare I20

The modern understated elegance ofcurrent Primare products dates back

to the late 1980s, with the eye-popping900 Series and 200 Series products ofDanish industrial designer BoChristensen. Later, Primare began anassociation with Zena Audio of Sweden,known for its Copeland and QLNbrands. More recently, former Threshold

and Pass Labs engineer Mike Bladeliushas been orchestrating a new series ofPrimare analog and digital designs forthe audio and video market.

The I20 outputs a healthy 70Wpcfrom a Class AB circuit. It’s a dual-monoconfiguration, incorporating independ-ent transformers for each channel. Thelow-profile front panel is dominated bymicroprocessor input buttons, a brushedaluminum volume knob (a marvelouslyprecise and finely graduated one), and afluorescent display that reads out inputsources and volume and balance incre-ments. The remote control allows on-the-fly adjustments of these parameters,as well as control of other Primare prod-ucts. The I20 has four line-level inputsand a preamp output. It includes aremovable power cord.

If the Sugden A21a leaned to thewarmer, more romantic side of neutrali-ty, the Primare tilted slightly the otherway. It’s a dryer, cooler and more intel-lectual performer, vivid and highlyfocused. Instrumental and vocal imageswere not only stable in and of them-selves but in their relationship with oth-ers instruments on the soundstage. Thisanalytic character could be observedduring Iberia [Telarc] where the I20reproduced low-level details like thecomplex rattle of maracas with consum-mate ease, yet made the vibrant violinsection sound slightly wiry and forward.Male and female vocals were clean,defined, and free from over-accentedsibilance, though deep baritones likeMark Knopfler’s didn’t quite have therumbling chestiness I associate with hisrecordings (but this was a subtle flaw).During Laurel Massé’s “Mountainy

Singer,” the I20 was better at reproduc-ing the immediacy of violin and vocalthan at developing the fully formedambience of the famed Troy SavingsBank Hall. This same trait, however,gave the Primare a more outgoing,dynamic personality that energized rock’n’ roll recordings.

The Primare was superb at resolvingcomplicated bass passages like StewartCopeland’s triplet kick drum grooveduring the last verse of the Police’s“King of Pain” [Synchronicity; A&M

i n t e g r a t e d a m p l i f i e r s

SPECIF ICAT IONS

Sugden A21a

Power Output: 25Wpc into 8 ohms, 10Hz–20kHz

Frequency Response: 6Hz–200kHz ±3dB

Signal to noise: -90dB

Weight: 18 lbs.

Dimensions: 3.15" x 16.93" x 13.78"

Price: $1495 (A21aI; $1695 with mm/mc

phono section)

Primare I20

Power Output: 70Wpc into 8 ohms

Frequency response: <10Hz–100kHz ±3dB

Signal to noise: -98dB

Weight: 24 lbs.

Dimensions 4" x 17" x 12"

Price: $1250

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT

Sota Cosmos Series III turntable; SME V

pick-up arm; Shure V15VxMR cartridge; Sony

C222ES SACD Multi-Channel, Sony DVP-

9000ES; Plinius 8200 Mk2 integrated amp;

Placette Volume Control preamp; Nordost

Valhalla & Blue Heaven cabling; Kimber

Kable BiFocal XL, Wireworld Equinox III,

Wireworld Silver Electra power cords; Richard

Gray line conditioners

54 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2003

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WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 55

SACD]. Unlike the woollier Sugden, theI20’s bottom end was tight and con-trolled. Similarly the opening Fenderpulse during “Wrapped Around YourFinger” and the clarity of the exchangebetween electric bass and kick drumduring “Every Breath You Take” werepristine. What was lacking to a degreewas extension, the final shudder of deepbass at the close of “Sands of Nevada”[Sailing to Philadelphia; Warner Bros.].Mark Knopfler typically pours on lowbass like so much hot fudge, but the fulleffect in this instance was a ladle short.

The Primare like the Sugden cameclose but couldn’t quite take completecontrol of Frank Foster’s Big Bandblowfest “Go On And Git It” [LoudMinority Big Band; MapleshadeRecords]—a recording that has probablyalready torched its fair share of amplifiers.These game little integrateds grew short

of breath as amplitude and dynamicsneared their peaks, glossing over some ofthe finer inner details and growing a lit-tle sinewy when faced with the blazingtreble energy of a hard-charging brass andpercussion section. Unlike a true refer-ence integrated like the Plinius 8200,neither amp could fully reveal the com-plex textures of soundfields or paint thesoundstage as a single continuous canvas.

Conclusion

Identifying key differences betweenthese components was no slam-dunk.Tonally, they straddle the fence of neu-trality, leaning subtly in contrastingdirections. In a practical sense, any asso-ciated loudspeaker will have more col-orations than either of these amplifiers.That said, the Primare I20 is a balanced

combination of power and features.Beautifully constructed, it’s a goodmatch for a large number of systems.The Sugden A21a is a more restrictedperformer; careful system matching is amust rather than an option. Both ampsembody honest value, and I enjoyedthem enormously. &

i n t e g r a t e d a m p l i f i e r s

M A N U FA C T U R E R I N F O R M A T I O N

Stanalog Audio Imports

P.O. Box 671Hagaman, New York 12086(518) 843-3070www.stanalogaudio.com

SUMIKO, INC.

P.O. Box 5046Berkeley, CA 94705510-843-4500www.sumikoaudio.net

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WWW.THEABSOLUTESOUND.COM 115

Aesthetix Io and CallistoEditor,

I wish to express my sincere grati-tude to Mr. Valin for his incredibly thor-ough review. His consideration of the Ioand Callisto as “landmark designs” likethe ARC SP10 MkII or SP3A-1 was themost poignant for me, as I have longbeen a fan of those legendary designs.

The Io and Callisto were originallydesigned in 1994. The circuit designremains identical to this day, althoughhuge sonic improvements have beenattained in the Signature versionsthrough carefully selected capacitor,resistor, and wire upgrades. The earlierversions have been reviewed in TAS, andreceived awards and recommendations;the Signature versions reviewed are trulyimproved. Upgrades to earlier versionsare available, with no difference betweena newly manufactured one and one thathas been upgraded. We can also add asecond power supply to any version ofthe Io or Callisto.

The Io and Callisto are not for everyconsumer, because of their size andprice. We have endeavored to bring theirperformance to a more accessible levelwith our new Saturn Series. Consistingof the Rhea phono, Calypso line andJanus all-in-one preamps, these are sin-gle chassis components that are directdescendents of the Io and Callisto. Theyuse fewer tubes, solid-state discrete reg-ulation, full remote control (even phonogain and loading), consume less power,and produce less heat. Their cost isroughly half of the Io and Callisto.

Mr. Valin’s comment about “havingto get off one’s fat ass” to adjust theCallisto is true. I have been working ona motorized remote control system forthe Callisto that will adjust volume, bal-ance, phase and allow direct muting. Itshould be available by fall. Lastly, whileMr. Valin preferred single-ended con-nections in his system, it should beunderstood that a preference for either ishighly system dependent.

Jim White, Aesthetix

Plinius SA102 Integrated AmplifierEditor,

Further to our investigations of theSA102 reviewed by Wayne Garcia wehave found that some incorrect resistorvalues were inserted into pre-driver sec-tion in both channels of the amplifier.

Under certain circumstances thiswould cause a small burst of high-fre-quency oscillation that may have beenthe smearing that Wayne reported.Although this is of a very low level it isconceivable that this could be detectedin a high-resolution system. Our facto-ry records showed that five SA102smanufactured on that day were affectedand all were delivered to the U.S. OurU.S. Distributor, Advanced Audio, haslocated and modified these amplifiersand our factory test routine has beenupdated to prevent this happening inthe future.

We sincerely apologize for theinconvenience and hope that anotherlook at the SA102 by TAS will show itstrue capabilities. Peter Thomson

Spendor S3/5se LoudspeakerDear Editor:

There was always something magi-cal about the sound of the SpendorS3/5 mini-monitor and its predecessor,the legendary LS3/5a. When wedesigned the new S3/5se, we weredetermined not to lose the captivatingsound that has always characterizedthese ‘BBC inspired’ reference classloudspeakers. We also wanted todemonstrate that under its new owner-ship Spendor is in safe and caringhands. So we were very pleased to readyour accurate review of the SpendorS3/5se loudspeaker in which PaulSeydor has examined its full capabili-ties with amplifiers ranging from nor-mal to exotic. We were delighted thatPaul felt able to assure your readersthat “Spendor is still Spendor.”

Philip Swift

Managing Director, Spendor Audio Systems Ltd

Sugden A21a Integrated AmplifierEditor:

We’d like to focus on three ele-ments we found particularly noteworthyin Neil Gader’s thoughtful review.

1.Temptation. Neil experienced aphenomenon common among listenersof the Sugden A21a—the temptationto turn up the volume to hear evenmore of the natural presentation ourClass A “full-throttle approach” canoffer, until the amp runs out of steam asall amps eventually do. Other types ofdesigns of higher power rating canexhibit more audible distortion wellbefore the onset of clipping. The moresubtle dimensionality and ambienceNeil notes also reflect the absence ofdistortion and noise in the A21a. Forthese reasons you may just end up lis-tening to it more comfortably forlonger sessions. One thing the A21awill not sustain is head-banging at arave. As much as we’d like it to happen,it can’t be done. Sorry, mate!

2. Caveat. “Careful system-match-ing is a must rather than an option.”However, this may be as much a mat-ter of the inherent quality of the speak-er design itself as its efficiency. NGwrites “at lower volumes it soundedawfully sweet [by implication micro-dynamic] on the [inefficient] ATCSCM20SL.” This is largely due to ourClass A design which offers splendidlate-night/apartment listening—rare among amp designs with lowercurrent.

3. Philosophy. J. E. Sugden andCo. indeed follows the adage NGinvokes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”A pioneering and classic design hand-made in West Yorkshire by a family-owned company still speaks strongvalue and validity 30 years on—even ifthe A21a profile is retro and the sirencall of its bells and whistles is inaudi-ble. What better hi-fi investment andexperience can one offer?

George Stanwick

Stanalog Audio Imports

M A N U F A C T U R E R C O M M E N T S

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116 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2003

Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy System 7Editor:

Our thanks to Robert Harley for hisconcise, yet insightful assessment of theWilson Audio WATT/Puppy System 7.We especially appreciated Mr. Harley’scomplete understanding of the perform-ance capabilities of the system in spite ofhis relative lack of prior in-depth experi-ence with our products. In somerespects, this is the situation experiencedby many new purchasers of our products,so Mr. Harley’s comments are quite rel-evant to the prospective consumer. Twoaspects of the review were particularlygratifying to me, personally.

The first is the clean, unambiguous,and efficient language of the text. Thereview lucidly presented the merits ofthe WP-7 and the reviewer’s response tothem. Refreshingly absent were anyhints of self-aggrandizing elitism (whichis offensive to the target party and bor-ing to everyone else) or sophomoric spe-cious conjecture. Every detail was wellresearched and accurately portrayed.

The second satisfying aspect was the

realization that when you are investingin any high-end work of industrial art,you are acquiring more than the hard-ware. Parts of the “product” include ele-ments as practical as customer serviceand as profound as the depth of the qual-ity of execution of the concepts embodiedin the hardware. Those elements shouldbe part of every high-end product assess-ment as they were so clearly in this finereview of our Wilson AudioWATT/Puppy System 7!

David Wilson

Wilson Audio Specialties

PliniusEditor: