Listening Round 2 – Amplifiers
At this point in the review, I needed to arrange help to move the CH Precision A1.5 power amp, a 50kg heavyweight that normally sits directly onto the Carbon Linear Arms of an Artesania Aire platform. Even though I knew that an audio component’s weight has very little impact on its sensitivity to the rack, stand, or type of underlayment material, I was still surprised at the magnitude of the difference that the Crescendo Power Amp Stand imparted.
The biggest change that the Crescendo Power Amp Stand brings in comparison with the Artesania Aire is in bass heft and authority, both of which are massively increased. Along with this comes a very apparent shift from the previously rather lithe, airy, and almost ethereal stance to a positively earthy and solidly grounded stance. Another prominent area of difference is the midrange which becomes warmer, more laidback, richer, and smoother. Actually, the entire presentation becomes sweeter and just slightly mellow, and considerably more liquid. It’s the kind of performance that one could label as warmer and more “analog”, as in more typical for tape recordings or stereotypical LPs or tube amplifiers.
The interesting aspect is that in spite of sounding warmer and richer, the Crescendo Power Amp Stand absolutely does not sound colored in any way. If it did, the extremely neutral CH amp would definitely have made this evident. While on the subject of the CH amp, I would also label the Crescendo Power Amp Stand as very transparent if it wasn’t for the reduction in articulation and low-level resolution that I know the CH amp to be capable of when paired with the Exoteryc platform. Then again, I can imagine plenty of folks preferring this offset to the more analytical alternative. Especially considering what the AG Lifter stand can do to alleviate or cure any nervousness, hardness, or even aggression in a system.
Finally, it is the E-270’s turn. While this entry-level Accuphase amp sits several rungs lower on the audiophile ladder compared to the CH Pre-, DAC, and Power amp system, the E-270 has the advantage of being an integrated amplifier with a DAC module on board. This means that we can basically hear the influence of the stand on three integrated components as we reposition the amplifier.
For this part of the review, I will also involve two different racks for comparison: the Artesania Organic Line Modular Platform and an old favorite, the Finite Elemente Spider Rack. The latter is long discontinued but nevertheless, a rack that I think a lot of people will be familiar with.
Starting with the Accuphase on the Artesania Organic Modular Rack, the sound is beefy, surprisingly powerful, and very robust but also thick, a little dark, and rather less well-defined and articulate compared to the CH system. Level of detail and precision aside, it also feels just a little slow. No wonder, one might think, given the extravagant difference in price between the CH system and the humble Accuphase amp. Nevertheless, I’m quite pleased with how well the E-270 drives the Magicos.
Going from the Artesania Organic rack to the AG Lifter Crescendo stand made for a change that was nothing short of astonishing as the sound improved quite literally in all dimensions. Now, all of a sudden, the Accuphase becomes considerably more articulate, faster, and more transparent, as well as more open, more neutral, and more expressive. Interestingly, all these improvements come with no expense of the sense of power and solidity, nor do they take away from the music’s natural beauty.
The presentation with the Crescendo Power Amp Stand is open and expressive yet very far from being bland or threadbare. Quite the opposite, actually. The sound remains rich and natural with well-saturated timbres along with beautiful liquidity. The overall balance of this combination was so great that I listened to several more songs after having formed my opinion, just to enjoy more music. That is always a good sign!
Now, it was time to see how the E-270 would work with the Finite Elemente Spider rack. For the occasion, I also had Ceraballs at hand, but I wanted to start with the rack in its basic form, using hard rubber couplers between the audio component and the wooden struts.
Well, this rack may be an old favorite but in the context of my current system, the Spider really was the odd one out, and in a way, it was a little too extreme. What it does very craftily, and at a relatively modest cost at the time, is to not add much character of its own. Because it has no shelves it also does not sound like a traditional piece of Hifi furniture.
But while it lends great agility, speed, and expression to the Accuphase, it also takes away a good portion of its tonal richness, and more importantly, its bass sonority and solidity. I think this aspect was actually very welcome 15 years ago when I had B&W Nautilus 804 speakers in a below-par setup, but with my much more revealing current system and more neutrally-balanced Magicos, this is no longer ideal. Given the result, I refrained from using Ceraballs instead of the rubber footers as I know from experience that they will only exacerbate the Spider’s natural tendencies.
Still, the addition of the Spider rack provided meaningful data points as it now allows us to more accurately position the Crescendo Power Amp Stand in the sonic landscape of Audio Racks. As it follows, I can only conclude that the Crescendo Power Amp Stand can sound relaxed and sweet, or masterfully well-balanced, depending on how it is used and to what it is compared.
Conclusion
The Crescendo Power Amp Stand is built very cleverly, with the minimum amount of parts, yet it feels very sturdy, and when knocked either on its aluminum parts or the Acrylic platter, it absolutely does not ring. It feels damped, yet it does not sound damped. Following my comparisons, I would position the Stand on the relaxed and sonorous side of neutral although I need to be careful not to convey that the stand is in any way sounding colored because that is simply not the case. It has a total lack of coloration, yet, and this is important, no lack of saturation. Basically, the Crescendo Power Amp Stand can sound full, relaxed, liquid, and sweet, or very transparent and masterfully well-balanced depending on what it is compared with.
External Links
Manufacturer: AG Lifter
$5k for acrylic ?
Madness !