Einstein Audio The Light In The Dark Amplifier Review

Beautiful balance

I was impressed by the intimacy of the sound created by the Einstein. Despite its technically oriented name, the amp was not overly precise, but had a lovely balance between detail and seductive warmth. I enjoyed Spyro Gyra’s “Morning Dance” as it was fleshed out deftly, allowing each acoustic instrument to be heard clearly despite the pervasive use of synthesizer. The Light In The Dark was not heavy handed in the treble as are some hybrid designs; it was gentler in the top-end than the Pathos Classic One MkIII and the Cambridge Audio Azur 840W. Neither was it underweighted in he bass, as is sometimes the case with SET amps. I found the description offered by Rolf that it has, “…no noise, great timing, nice balance from low to high frequencies,” to be true.

While quite competent with complex music, I found The Light In The Dark to shine most brilliantly with slower, thought evoking vocals. I very much appreciate the midrange performance, as I felt it was of nearly SET caliber but with more body. I sometimes test the palpability of an amp by putting on some India Arie and focusing on her voice and the piano accompaniment. While her voice and the piano were not the most extended I have heard, they were the most ease-full and graceful I have heard in my room. There is a gentleness afforded this amp which is sorely lacking in many designs. A person interested in the delicacy and nuance of more intimate performances will appreciate the deftness of The Light In The Dark.

Having at this time experienced some of the premier products available today, my appetite is whetted by The Light In The Dark to hear the Einstein OTL and a premier horn speaker. I have not forgotten the experience of the Acapella Triolon Excalibur Mk II downstream from Einstein’s The Source player and The Final Cut amps at RMAF 2008; it was a “try to top this” kind of experience. Anyone who heard it knew that Einstein is making equipment for a premier listening experience.

A Natural Glow

When I was but a wee boy, a shopping center nearby had a gimmicky gift store laden with vulgar, tacky and weird items – perfect for inquisitive young lads. At the back of the store was a darkened area with black lights illuminating frocked posters with phosphorescent colors. All this was impressively cool to a young man.

Even as I grew into my teens and our family visited parks like Merrimac Caverns and Mammoth Cave, I admired things like cheesy painted phosphorescent rocks and light shows put on for patrons. The rocks were so out of the ordinary and oddly inspiring! Returning to such vacation spots as an adult with my sons in tow, I was shocked to see how garish these places were, how packed with pretense. It was like someone had cast a form of graffiti on the panorama of the cave’s interior. Yuck! As a man I value far more efforts to get decent “natural” lighting on the rocks to display their natural beauty.

A novice audiophile who is exposed to increasingly capable gear similarly moves from being impressed by “phosphorescent” sounding components to “elemental” sounding ones. There is a large difference, elemental sound being perceivable quite readily with a high quality system. When exposed enough to such capable products one has little desire to settle for gimmicks of audio – bone crunching bass with poor definition, screeching “detailed” treble, a mile wide center image.

The Light In The Dark is quite simply an amp for those who have graduated to a refined, mature level of listening. No gimmicks, no unnecessary frills, just a beautiful reflection of the real thing, like the reflecting pool of water still as a mirror on a cave’s floor – creating a moment where sound and light seem to converge to thrill the senses.