Bound for Sound IA170 Integrated Amplifier

This time the integrated is from England. Its external appearance is unusual in that the front control panel is a shiny chrome plate. Preceding it into the big rig was a reputation within the underground of it being a bit of a giant killer. Rumor also has it that the unit is extremely reliable. And so it proved during its stay at BFS. Like the Bryston B-60, it must be considered a considerable value from a price and performance standpoint. For approximately one-half the cost of the Bryston, it does not dispose of the separates competition in the same devastating way that the B-60 does. Yet I know of no separates combination that can touch it for the price. I thought of the Parasound HCA 600 power amp for around $400, but what kind of preamp can one use? You almost have to go up to a thousand dollars for a preamp to get the performance that we'd have to have to compete with this new batch of integrateds, but in doing so we will have doubled the price of the Magnum IA 170, plus we will need at least one more set of interconnects.

Build quality and set-up. The Magnum doesn't look anything like the Bryston on the inside. Where the Bryston takes great care to separate the power supplies from the low level circuitry and separate the preamp section from the power amp section, the Magnum appears to treat the entire design as a single entity. Other than the transformer, everything is on a single board with extremely short signal runs. Filtering for the amp and preamp is next to the preamp circuitry, which is within fractions of an inch from the output circuitry. And it's all extremely simple in design and execution. I can see why the good reputation for reliability exists there's nothing to break inside! Most of the internal chassis space is air. Parts quality is not up to Bryston standards, but its not much below either, I'd put it on the up side of the Onix that I listened to almost two years ago, and from what I've been able to see from Arcam and Creek, I'd place the Magnum ahead on both counts. Maybe I'm easy in this regard, but having viewed the internals of a number of English integrateds and wondering how they could be constructed so badly, when I see even decent construction at this price point I tend to be impressed.

Set-up was just as it was for the Bryston 60B above. Other installations were tried, but what suited the Bryston also suited well the Magnum, and for that matter, the Alchemist Maxim too.

Degree of Absolute Transparency. Something less than the Bryston, better than the old Onix, and different from the Maxim. The Magnum differs most notably from the Bryston in the spectral balance of its tone, and in the bass. Whereas I. previously referred to the Bryston as creating a "warm audio nest" for its owner to listen in, the Magnum is more forward in the mids and upper mids. Brass in particular had an immediate presentation that put it forward somewhat. The highs seemed more dynamic at first blush, but with an extended audition, it became apparent that the Magnum simply couldn't duplicate the "crystalline on a pitch black night" precision and twinkle that the Bryston could so enamor one with. Instead, the Magnum attracts its listener with dynamic shadings and an overall presentation that is robust and energetic. Dynamic contrasts (tempo and pace anyone?) with this amp are above the ordinary and in the same league as those of the B-60. It can make you move, even make you get up and dance as you listen (a feat not easily accomplished with an old, beefy white guy such as myself).

Interestingly enough, in some ways I preferred the bass of the Magnum to that of the B60. It wasn't as heavy handed, yet it audibly went down as low and was equally as powerful. Large bass drums, particularly those used on the more modern classic fare, were particularly impressive and correct as long as the moderate power rating of the amp was not exceeded. And it integrated so perfectly with the lower mids and mids. It seemed that the simpler-is -better approach taken by Magnum really paid off in this regard.

The Magnum was similar to the B-60 in terms of overall power capability. It was not as graceful under fire as was the Bryston however. When extremely dynamic material was played, the upper midrange in its exuberance would collapse forward and get a little edgy. The Bryston never did that. Still, the Magnum refused to make a habit of such things, and I try to think of a separates combo for even $500 more than the Magnum that would do better, and I can't.

Conclusion. The Magnum sounds so unBritish. Instead of being a bit dour in the mids and soft on top, the Magnum exudes energy and spirit. Its overall tonal character to some will be on the lean and transistory side, but only by a little. But hey, we're talkin' $750 here with a phono board. Not shabby at all. Because of its tonal character, I wouldn't go with silver interconnects. What I would do is find some nice, solid core, copper jobs with good RCA plugs like the Music Metre Signatures. Oh, yeah, now we're cookin'. Maybe some Gordon Maughan or WireWorld speaker cables, and who knows how good we could get the sound to be if we matched the ancillaries to the character of the Magnum. And isn't that what setting up a system is all about?