OAD RELEASES FIRST AMPLIFIERS
OAD (Open Audio Designs) has released its first two amplifiers, the CP1 control preamplifier and UF1 power amplifier. Although Open Audio Designs is a new company, the man behind it, Melbourne electronics designer Jon DeSensi, will be well-known to Australian audiophiles, having previously founded Music Labs Australia. ‘ OAD is a performanceoriented company that strives to advance state-of-the-art music reproduction at all times,’ said DeSensi. ‘ Driven by genuine advances in technology and performance, the OAD brand uses “ultrafidelity” as both its trademark and hallmark, as this underpins everything that we do.’
The first two products available from OAD are the CP1 control preamplifier and UF1 power amplifier. The CP1 has an 11cm colour TFT LCD full colour display with a touch capability, so that all features of the CP1 are controlled from the display, effectively eliminating the need for mechanical potentiometers and switches. ‘ Unlike its mechanical counterpart, an electronic touch display also has the advantage of allowing the shortest possible signal path from inputs to outputs, thus ensuring the integrity of the audio signal,’ DeSensi told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine. For those who’d prefer to control the CP1 from the comfort of their couch, it comes with a remote control that duplicates all the functions of the touch display, including input switching, volume control, mute and standby modes.
The OAD SP1 has eight discrete power supplies, four for each channel, and input selection is via high-quality gold-plated Swiss-made relays. Once you’ve selected the input you want, all the other inputs are isolated. Volume and balance control is all achieved via a resistor ladder that uses laser cut precision, low-noise and zero-induction resistors.
OAD rates the power output of the UF1 power amplifier at 200-watts per channel, both channels driven into 8 ohms. The output stage is comprised of Thermaltrak bipolar transistors that enable it to have an ultra-wide bandwidth coupled with a high-current capability. ‘ Thanks to the UF1’s unique technology, including the latest in cutting-edge bipolar transistors, the UF1 offers superb sound characteristics as well as incredible power and low level detail,’ said Rom Beyerle of Sonic Purity, which was the first retailer in Australia to demonstrate the new amplifiers. ‘ An amplifier must be able to cope gracefully with impedance dips to 4 ohms and lower. The transistors used in the UF1 are in a different class from conventional transistors in that the current gain is completely maintained over the full power bandwidth.’
Available now, the Open Audio Designs Ultrafidelity CP1 Control Amp sells for $6,500 (RRP), while the Open Audio Designs UF1 Power Amplifier sells for $6,300 (RRP). For more information, contact Sonic Purity on (04) 0950 4805 or at SonicPurity.com.au. You can also contact Pure Music Group at www.puremusicgroup.com or Open Audio Designs at www.openaudiodesigns.com