How Doug Schroeder deals with the power of the V8i integrated amplifier from Dussun

I have been doing a bit of reading about the Sun as I sit and listen to the Dussun V8i integrated amplifier. Although an average star, the amount of energy our Sun generates is staggering. Every second, the amount of energy the sun gives off exceeds all the energy used by mankind in all of human history!* This is a big concept, one that makes the mind stagger momentarily, as I conclude, “I have no idea how much power the Sun generates!” I recall Carver’s “Sunfire” amplifiers with a chuckle…cool name, but power-wise a mere spit in the ocean.

The V8i, named after the power of the V8 engine, as the top integrated of the Dussun line, would also look quite dim compared to the all-surpassing brightness of the Sun. But, we’ll not compare the amp to celestial objects but rather to the terrestrial technological expectations of the consumer of fine electronics. Is the Dussun V8i a “shining star” among integrated's? We shall see.

Power is the name of the game with the V8i, and plenty of it. For an integrated, amp it’s both big and potent. It’s not uncommon to see heftier power amps, but it is arresting to realize that this is an integrated which outweighs many power amps – about 70 lbs! It is a statement in massiveness, and its features reinforce this feeling at every angle from the vault-like volume control to the oversize power and function buttons -  even the XL sized knobs on the binding posts on its backside it whisper, “I’m big and I’m bad!” As we’ll see, you don’t “mess” with amps like this. If you do, you could pay a high price.
 
The dimensions of the unit are worthy of comment. Put the Dussun V8i into you room and everyone will know you do serious audio. It can’t be missed. In fact, it’s so large that many audio racks will not accommodate it. This is a component in the tradition of those beastly amps, the ones that you put on top of a very sturdy stand or on a low amp platform. You don’t wedge it into a tight, light shelving system (seriously, this thing could break your inferior shelves)! It is a fair bit taller than most as well, and if your components sit below a screen, you may want to judge how it will fit and where you will locate it before you practice getting a hernia lifting it into place! 

The faceplate strikes me not as severe but definitely subdued and serious. This amp was not created to win a beauty contest, but more a body-building competition. Completing the façade of the amp are blue LED’s illuminated when each of the five inputs are selected from the amp itself or remote.

A couple idiosyncrasies of the amp include the fact that without a light on the motorized dial, it becomes difficult to see just where the amp’s volume level is set. Seated from my listening position about fourteen feet from the amp, I cannot without my glasses detect what the level is. I need to plop the glasses onto my face to see, and even then it’s sketchy. There is a redeeming feature however – the blue input LED’s. They each can act as general indicators of how much the level has been adjusted by rapidly flashing as the level is set. With a few minutes practice to get a feel for the motor in the amp, I was able to adjust levels just fine without looking at the volume control. I just watched the LED blinks to get my bearings.

The Dussun is not just a turn-it-on and let-it-rip kind of amp. It goes through a process of starting up safely. When the amp is turned on, it sounds softly like a tiny computer hard drive whirring as the amp goes through a “self-diagnose” process and warms up. This is the V8i’s 8 bit microprocessor monitoring the safety of the connections. If a fault is detected, the power will not be sent to the speakers and the LED will flash slowly. Upon startup the volume knob spins counter clockwise, (like some kind of “ghost adjustment”!) to the zero setting and the LED flashes. After about ten seconds, a click is heard and the LED remains lit. Moments later when the LED turns solid, the amp falls silent. This multilevel protection is welcomed when dealing with a component of such power. I noticed that in the startup process the amp defaults to input 1 (of five). I had chosen to use input 3 for my Rega Saturn, but each time I powered up the Dussun, it selected input 1. Of course, the simplest solution is to merely put the most utilized source on input 1.

Words of caution are appropriate for any high power integrated, and Dussun takes pains to tell the owner clearly that it’s foolish to just crank on the volume control since it could cause some serious damage to speakers. I found that even with less efficient (89db sensitivity) speakers into four ohms, this amp pushed right through it. I almost never listened any higher than setting 4 out of 12. The power seemed to ramp up exponentially, and a mere tap of the remote brings a sizable increase in power. Thus, one does have to watch what they are doing with the volume. I also found that the power is so substantial that even the quickest tap on the remote pushes the level up significantly. Sometimes it took a couple of “rocking” back and forth taps to find the perfect point, similar to the way a car being parallel parked might require an adjustment.
 
Dussun calls the V8i a “hyper class A” and a “Green” class A solution which achieves class A operation even under conditions of low-power consumption and low heat production. The amp remains in class A mode even if the impedance drops greatly and the power increases several times. It’s not hard to believe that at all, considering that in the interior are sizable heat sinks and hefty toroidal transformers. The output stage peak current is 90 A and the transformer capacity for each channel is 1,000 VA. This all adds up to an “are you kidding me” ease even when hooking up inefficient speakers to the Dussun. The amplifier’s case was never hot to the touch even after days of running, and the heat emitted was minimal and less than that from many class A amps, like the older Threshold T-50 that I used to own.

The bonus with the Dussun’s protective aluminum casing is that one can place the amp lower to the ground without fear that little fingers will touch something hot. In addition, aesthetically the amp looks far better thought out for not having a ragged appearance with fins jutting out of it.

The fully symmetrical design shows itself not only on the face, but also on the back, where I had replaced the jumpers. I used the Dussun recommended Jena Labs “Dussy” jumpers as well as Jena Tek’s braided “Bumblebee” IEC power cord. (See "Doug Schroeder's Audiophile Laws I". -Editor)

I love the remote for this amp. It’s slung low and tubby, wide like a barge on a river, with a fully rubberized bottom to avoid any kind of nicks on components or furniture, and a matching brushed aluminum top. It fits nicely in the hand and is utterly simple with the five inputs and level controls. It’s appropriate, since it would be a crime to control such an authoritative amp with a chintzy plastic remote. It is very intuitive and easy to use in dim light.

If you’ve powered through the minutia to this point you’re in for a real treat, because the V8i did not disappoint in terms of performance. It’s not just another big amplifier, but one with grace. The power that must be so carefully protected against upon startup is the same power that sounds so wonderfully clean, clean clean on every disc! Just as good ‘ol Sol above us needs to operate at a consistent “wattage” and distance, so also the V8i seemed to operate with consistency in all kinds of music, with aplomb and emphasis precisely where needed.

A good way to characterize the sound of the V8i is that similarly to the Sun, it warmly illuminates. That may sound like an oxymoron in audiophile terms. Sometimes the term “warmth” is used to mean lacking a bit of definition, maybe even a bit bloomy. Conversely, terms denoting brightness usually mean a bit harsh sounding. I mean neither in this case. Rather, I am indicating the V8i carries power in excess, enough to make extremely quiet passages in music easily discernable. Power enough to make a person think, “I could do without a subwoofer with this amp!” Stuart Jones had told me that his Chapman Audio Systems T-77’s love quality solid state electronics. How right he was, as the Dussun took command of the T-77’s low end.

Some speakers are termed “power hungry” since they are so inefficient. This is the kind of amp that laughs at them. Yet, over extended listening, one definitely senses this amp longs to be intimate, not intimidating. I recall reading about a man in a support group sobbing as he revealed his biggest frustration in life. He was a hulk of a man, with rippling muscles and sculpted features, the kind that makes most guys a little uneasy just because of his size and latent physical power. His appearance made women downright afraid of him. As he cried, he exclaimed that he was so frustrated by constantly being misjudged. He wasn’t some hard, cold monster, but a softie who longed to be tender.

I look at the Dussun and I think of an amp that fairly shouts by it’s looks “Formidable!” but sounds unfailingly friendly. Some of that gentleness with power came out when listening to Narada Decade: The Anniversary Collection, track #16 “The Alluvial Plains”, and its diminutive cymbal taps which keep tempo throughout the breadth of the piece. So, gently, like a linebacker picking up an infant, the V8i breathed out each tap. It was easy to discern the mute in the horn player’s solo. This amp has tornado-like power with a breath-like touch.

The Left/Right channel separation and imaging of the V8i are strong points. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the off-center echoes of electric guitar or cymbals through the speakers on Craig Chauqico discs. Solid state amps can do some things terrifically well, and one of them the Dussun does well is parse the left and right signals! More than most tube integrated’s I have heard, the V8i spreads the soundstage evenly, allowing no gaps between the phantom image and the outer edges of the soundstage.

The cleanness with which the signal can be passed along to the speakers at times can be shocking. Listening to Lenny Kravitz Greatest Hits disc and the single “American Woman” was hard to take. Not because the Dussun was performing poorly. Rather, it was reproducing the distortion in the song so well that it really grated on my nerves! I never realized just how awful that song sounded. The electronically fried voice of Kravitz made the midranges of the Chapmans sound like they were blown. I realized that the combination of power and precision made the song virtually unlistenable! No other amp had made this song so hard to play; I guess the V8i passes the “Lenny Kravitz Inverse-Pleasure Test”!

There are two ways you can go with an amp like this. You can pair it up with speakers designed to give every last iota of detail. In this case, you will not get a terribly warm and relaxed sound; but for younger ears, the power and depth searching out every nook and cranny of sound will be exhilarating.

Conversely, you can mate this integrated with a very laid back speaker like Vandersteen’s and you would appreciate the way the lower end is completely in hand and how gentle the high end can be. Without enough power, planars and speakers with larger woofers/passive radiators can sound pretty sloppy, but the V8i will reign them in nicely.

Lovers of classical music on a budget should seriously consider this amp. Classical pieces are considered the most dynamically challenging, but this was one amp up to the challenge! There was not the faintest hint of fatigue as the most powerful choruses and crescendos were reproduced without strain. On almost every piece, I had to restrain the amp since it had so much in reserve that if used unwisely it could overdrive the speakers.

To give some sense of the differences in sound between a very commendable tube hybrid integrated and the V8i, I’ll compare it to the Eastern Electric M520. Most expectedly, the “presence” and “slam” factors of the Dussun are more formidable. The treble, midrange and bass are all presented with more equality of intensity across the board than with the tube hybrid. It is uncolored and only slightly less warm than the Eastern Electric. Whereas the Eastern Electric emphasizes the midrange, and vocals are presented a bit forward, with the Dussun all vocals and instrumentation appear in the same plane.

A further comment on this, since preference is highly personal in this regard. Some prefer to focus on the midrange, even to the point of eschewing low end, using single driver speakers and flea amps. A listener needs to learn which presentation is more appealing; either a rich midrange with slightly pinched treble and low end, with a bit of bloom in mid-bass, or the Dussun’s strong consistency, putting vocals into a mix of instruments without additional emphasis on the midrange. In such a case, from treble down to the lowest notes there is a homogenized presence; the power is infused in each note from the uppermost frequencies to the lowest.

Although slightly off topic, I want to comment on the experience I had when I put the V8i into my surround system for gaming. I was not prepared for the visceral experience when I played games like Halo. The deep throbbing background sounds were scintillating! Low, growling voices of enemies just out of sight were wonderfully nerve wracking. The Dussun brought new impact to gaming that I had never experienced.
The Dussun V8i is a strong contender, excelling in dynamic range and listenability at a paltry $1,600. It has nothing to fear from yet lower-priced pre/amp combos, and can go toe to toe with many pricier integrated’s. With power and finesse to burn, this amp shines like the sun.

Warning regarding Grey Market Components:

Audio equipment from China are vulnerable to knock-offs which are not up to factory specifications. If a price for a component is “too good to be true” then one must exercise suspicion. AAA -Audio, the distributor in the U.S. for Dussun, has this warning posted on their website:

Be caution that some Dussun products on the market are modified by third parties to run 120v AC power, not sold by authorized Dussun dealers. Dussun and AAA Audio will not be able to provide any technical support and service to those products. I urge all to purchase components through authorized dealers only, which will ensure quality and support.
 
* One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos; Neil De Grassetson, Charles Liu, Robert Irion, Joseph Henry Press, p. 120.