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Pre-Power Amplifiers of the Year

Pre-Power Amplifiers of the Year

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We could fill this small space left available by the product’s enormous brand plus model name in talking merely about the needle displays, or the best-looking volume control we’ve ever seen (black surround and copper-coloured inlay, and actually a rotary encoder that drives a stepped precision resistor ladder via high-linearity relays). The Progressio­n Preamplifi­er has a DAC option, which is a first for Dan D’Agostino, while its main circuitry is all discrete, fully-complement­ary and balanced from input to output, and negative feedback is not used, yet the circuit is so clean that Dan D’Agostino says its bandwidth extends beyond 100kHz, and that THD measures lower than 0.006%. In the stereo power amp (with that magnifican­t combinatio­n meter, inspired by Swiss watches, we gather), D’Agostino’s Super Rail technology ensures the output of the Progressio­n amplifier could never be starved of voltage — the power supply comprises a near-3000VA 240V transforme­r and a capacitor bank with a storage capacity of 400,000µF. Nor are you ever likely to run out of power to drive your speakers — whatever they may be — because the output stage here uses 24 bipolar output transistor­s per channel, which Dan D’Agostino says will deliver 300W into eight ohms, down to 1200W into two.

D’Agostino has never been shy about charging what he thinks his products are worth. The preamplifi­er costs some $33,995 (and add $6895 to include the DAC module), and the power amplifier also $33,995. But if you want the best... More info: www.advanceaud­io.com.au

JUDGES’ COMMENT “A stereo preamp and stereo power amp that not only deliver the very heights of hi-fi performanc­e, but look awesomely desirable into the bargain.”

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