Richard Austen has already reviewed the flagship Rita 880 in a previous issue of Dagogo and gave it very high marks, that left me with very high expectations of the A534B. So I guess the next logical question is, “will the A534B work just as well in my system; does Grant have those bragging rights?” Well in the short of it all, the answer is yes and then some! The sound is pure magic! Of course, 300Bs are known to sound magical, that is the allure of them and in the Grant Fidelity A534B there was no disappointment.
The stated power output is 10 watts per channel minimum in pure class A. No surprise there, 300Bs are not known for high output. The amp has outputs for 4 and 8 ohm loads and the stated frequency response is 5Hz to 50kHz (-2dB) at less than 1.5% distortion at 6.5 watts. The tube compliment is comprised of 2 x 300B, 2 x EL34B, 2 x 12AX7 and 1 5UG4. There is nothing out of the ordinary or overly impressive about the specs, you can find similar specs on many 300 B amps. What you will not find is this level of build quality, this array of tubes and the “magic” of 10 watts per side of EL34-driven 300B sound at $1966!
I utilized this integrated amp with my own Cary CD player, 3 pairs of speakers, two turntables and an iPod via the Wadia 170 iTransport to see just how it would sound in different formats. Suffice it to say that it sounded gorgeous within the operating restraints of 300Bs. What that actually means is that if you do not understand the strengths and weakness of 300B tubes putting out 10 watts per channel, then you might find yourself a bit disappointed. In essence, this amp will not give you the slam and scale of a compliment of KT88 tubes or 211 tubes. What it will provide you with is some of the most lush and easy to listen to musical reproduction, and when it comes to vocals or anything else in the midrange area, nothing and I mean nothing can quite beat it.
On the other hand, while Grant Fidelity claims that it will drive most any speaker, I do take a bit of exception to that. While it will no doubt drive any speaker, the question is will it drive that speaker to satisfying levels? This has always been the chink in the armor of flea weight amps. This is not a criticism by any stretch but rather a straight forward statement of fact. No matter how you slice it 10 watts is still 10 watts. An 86-88db sensitive speaker will certainly be driven but not with the same authority that 50-100 watts per side would drive the same speaker any more than 50-100 watts would deliver the same performance as, say 200 watts per side will give you. At the end of the day, careful mating of speakers is still essential and the A534 certainly performs more satisfyingly driving 90 plus dB speakers. Mated with a pair of Usher 6311 speakers at 87 dB sensitivity, the sound was great but there was not enough drive from it to get any satisfying level in my large room, amidst cranking it up past three quarters and still finding the sound level wanting.
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However, when mated to the Audio Electronic Q5s which are a transmission line speaker at 92dB sensitivity, things began to absolutely sing at a much more satisfying sound setting! In using Keb Mo’s “More Than One Way Home” off the Just Like You CD (OKeb/epic – EK67316), the A534B mated to the Ushers provided very smooth vocals but little in the way of authoritative bass, which the song has much of. Mated to the Q5s the bass suddenly appeared and it did so with slam. If you have a small room, a less efficient speaker may work but I would definitely try the amp with speakers above 90dB to get the most satisfaction for the buck.
One thing Ian had suggested was for me to listen to the A534B as a headphone amp. When you look at what is out there in the way of headphone amps and the cost, it actually makes sense to look at the A534B for anyone who wants serious sonic quality from their headphone amp. I can think of a couple of headphone amps in the $1000 range that do not employ 300B tubes. If I were a serious headphone user (I am not, but I think I could be persuaded) this unit would be high on my list to audition for that purpose. I had long since lost my last pair of Sennhieser headphones and found myself shopping for a new pair just for this review. After a great deal of comparing I settled on a $200 Grado 225. Not the best headphone on the market but it is hard to fault them and they are relatively affordable especially if you don’t listen to headphones very much (I don’t, but that may change). They came with a 1/8 inch adapter so that they can be used with portable devices such as an iPod. So, if you listen to an iPod now, which I do, more than I should, then they are actually a killer bargain for that application.
As for the A534B as a headphone amp I found myself listening more and more in this way after my 225s arrived. Paula (my wife) really appreciated this and now I could listen deep into the night, when it is the quietest and when I can really relax. The A534B turned out to be so gracious and inviting that I really hate to see it go; perhaps I will add myself to the list of those who use it as a headphone amp. If you have a small space and are in need of a great little amp and you have relatively efficient speakers, this is a great solution and an amp you could listen to for years without ever feeling the slightest bit of desire to have something more powerful.
Overall, the A534B provided a superb level of articulation and soundstage, even at low levels. The highs were very smooth without any sudden or sharp roll off but with a totally natural sound totally lacking in any grain or edginess. The midrange is to die for and is smooth in a way that defies description. The naturalness of the human voice is astonishing. One of my favorite songs of all time is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and without a doubt my favorite rendition (and I have quite a few renditions of this song) is the late and oh-so-great, Eva Cassidy’s version. I have listened to this cut at least 1000 times either on vinyl or CD. Through the A534B, the vocals on this song were devoid of any sense of artificial articulation. Not overly warm or lush. It was simply like having her sitting in front of you on a stool, guitar in hand singing to you and only you. Call it the “goose-bump factor”. Bass is still a weak link of the 300B tube when in a 10 watt configuration. It was not lacking, just not as tight and controlled as with a solid-state amp or a high-powered tube amp; it did not affect my enjoyment of the unit one bit. When using headphones the bass was not an issue at all.
