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Audio Space Acoustic Laboratory Ltd.
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《摘自太陽報‧數碼人語B19頁(文/Samuel Lo)‧二零零四年五月三十一日》
AS-300B被冠為膽王，與日本人的偏愛及極力推崇自然有一定關係，Western Electronic 在六十年代生產的配對膽Match Pair 被炒至過萬，以身價而言，AS-300B無可否認是王者。AS-300B中至高頻之甜美細緻處使人像入了魔，但論低頻時，若不能配合高靈敏度的喇叭就不值一晒，加上單端式設計通常只有數瓦，時常會出現有心無力的現象。不過單以中高頻論，AS-300B一出又有誰可與之爭鋒 - 聽人聲、小提琴、Jazz等較輕型之音樂時確是引人入勝。
其實科寶這部機，在陳列室已聽過幾次，最深刻印象是推動LS3/5A喇叭仔，大家都知3/5A難服侍，但AS-300B卻從容不迫，Kick Drum在3/5A出聲居然有力水，論音色該是單端機，但力水就好似推挽式。取出規格表一看，竟然是8W x 2單端式設計，分別用上兩支AS-300B、兩支6SN7及兩支6SL7，有負回輸0dB及-3dB選擇掣，在設計方面既可作後級兼可作合併機用，但只得一組RCA輸入就有點不方便。若想先省錢就可先買AS-300B聽住先，留待日後升級用。AS-300B膽就沿用曙光廠的製成品，但每對是精選配對過，再加上精工人手搭棚及優良線路設計，以確保每部AS-300B都是科寶之寶。
以現代Hi-Fi觀念，要全面性為主，AS-300B是會欠缺一點點，但換回來又是另一種感覺。要聽項AS-300B往往花費不少，單就一對好少少的AS-300B膽就要好幾千元，科寶這部夢幻之寶AS-300B卻有七成幾極品靚聲，再加上擁有辦一般的低頻及力水，以AS-300B機種來說，表現實在難能可貴。
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Review - Audio Space AS-300B valve amp (19-7-2001)
The Star Online
Ah yes, it's all in the midrange - get it right, and everything else will follow. We send LAM SENG FATT on a trip into audio space to find out how true this saying holds...
I RECALL some magical moments some years ago when I visited The Star's AV Fest and was lured by a sign that read: "Now on demo: eight-watt amp." Intrigued, I popped inside the room and ended up listening to an Audio Note valve amp pumping its limited amount of juice to a pair of Audio Note AN-1 speakers.
The Audio Space AS-300B integrated amplifier
The jazz music sounded so warm and cosy that I spent some time lost in sonic heaven and emerged from the listening room wishing that I had become a rich stockbroker instead of a poorly paid journalist saving up overtime claims to buy budget amps. The Audio Note's power was as limited as my bank balance, but the sound quality produced limitless pleasure.
There was a lesson to be learnt - never judge an amp by its wattage.
Soon after that, the SET/horn speaker trend began. Fans of such systems swear by low-powered Single-Ended Triode valve amps and high-sensitivity horn speakers.
Thus when the eight-watt per channel Audio Space AS-300B valve integrated amp turned up for review, it was passed on to me because my new pair of speakers, the Mission 782s, were deemed sensitive enough (at 89db), even though they are not horn speakers.
An audiophile had told me that it wouldn't be a good match. "You need horns," he said.
I decided to give it a go. I read in a Stereophile review of Cary SETs that it is not just sensitivity, but impedance that matters.
Features
The Audio Space AS-300B valve amp is not as heavy as the Audcom AP-900 valve integrated amp I reviewed earlier. At 18kg, it is just slightly heavier than my four-year-old junior.
The specs for the unit are: eight watts RMS into eight ohms with a THD of 2%, a signal/noise ratio of 85dB, input impedance of 100kOhm, with output taps into four and eight ohm loads.
Two output transformers are situated at the rear while the power transformer is in the middle flanked by Russian Sovtek 300Bs on either side. In an arc at the front are two Slovakian Tesla 6N8P and two Tesla 6N9P. The 300Bs are well-loved valves and many a great amp has been based on this massive tube.
All three transformers in the review unit came in chilli red, which renders the amp either very attractive or very ungainly, depending on your taste. The bright red may clash with your interior decor colour scheme, but that's the wife's realm. Guys will, of course, be more bothered about the colours of the music. (The current AS-300B samples now come only with black transformers - Ed)
The front panel has the power switch, a negative feedback selector (0dB and minus 3dB), power indicator, volume knob, remote sensor and a pre-in input and input selector. The knobs are gold plated and this celebration of gloss can be a bit too loud. At the rear, there is another set of inputs for integrated amp operation and the speaker terminals.
The plinth is chrome-plated and the mirror finish is easily smeared with fingerprints. The front panel is also mirror-finished which makes reading the words accompanying the controls quite difficult. Sockets are ceramic and fixing the tubes was an easy job with the matched pairs clearly indicated. The amp comes with a black cover with round perforations and screwing it down can be tricky especially the rear screws; the screws are a bit on the small side too.
Valve amps have the tendency to make the listener feel really relaxed and thankfully the Audio Space comes with a remote control. A slight twist of the power switch turns the power on and a blue LED lights up. After about 20 seconds of warming up, the music starts to flow.
Performance
The AS-300B was auditioned with a Marantz CD63 KI CD player, Alpha-Core Micro Purl Silver interconnects, Goertz MI2 Veracity cables and Mission 782 speakers.
Before I pumped up the volume, I was not sure what to expect - I didn't know if the eight watter could drive the 89dB sensitivity Missions. I was in for a surprise - it went so loud that the missus had to shout from upstairs to keep it down!
Having kept peace in the house, I settled down to listen to a Sarah Vaughan recording followed by a Joni Mitchell. As the amp warmed up, the sound quality improved.
Like most Single Ended Triode designs, the strength of the Audio Space is in its midrange, which is simply magical. Throughout the review period, its behaviour was exemplary in this regard - vocals were thrust into centre stage and led the music. There were quaverings, textures and sounds of stopping and breathing that I had not noticed before in the voices of the singers.
Imaging was stable while depth and width of the soundstage were commendable. The quality of what valve lovers, especially SET fans, call "presence" was good, and you get the impression that you are up close and personal with the singer.
But like most SETs, it can be a bit bass light and the extreme treble notes a little rolled off. Thus double bass and rock beats were rendered not too convincingly and cymbals and triangles were a bit lost in the music. Horns were reproduced well though, with the hues and textures intact and there was a rich bloom to acoustic instruments.
A little more about the lower registers - the bass is there; it's just that it's not authoritative enough. On classical music, complex passages and crescendos lacked the detail, smoothness and "unstrained" quality that powerful amps (I was using the resident QED passive preamp with Marantz 125 watt monoblocks before plugging in the Audio Space) can deliver. And on thickly layered rock passages, things get a bit muddled up.
But that magical midrange is something else. It takes just one listen to say, Eva Cassidy performing vocal acrobatics, and the seduction is complete. Even male voices are rendered beautifully - Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra and Jackson Browne all came through in pristine form.
The Audio Space is best enjoyed doing well-recorded light jazz music featuring female voices such as Sarah Vaughan and Cleo Laine. When I slipped in an audiophile Mind Games CD, the amp was in its element and I just relaxed and savoured every nuance of the music.
After a while, I decided to check out the pre-in input. This bypasses the amp's preamp section and if you have a preamp, you can plug it to the Audio Space's power amp section. (Actually, this is a bit confusing because it should be called power-in instead of pre-in).
I had the option of using the pre-out of my resident Audiolab 8000A or the QED passive preamp, but I decided to try plugging the Alpha-Core interconnects direct from the Marantz CD63 KI player to the Audio Space.
With the volume control of the valve amp not functioning, the volume has to be set by the CD player's output volume facility that in the Marantz 63 KI can only be controlled via the remote control. Bear in mind that some CD players do not offer output volume control.
I was not sure if the CD player's output would be sufficient, but to my surprise when I turned the amp on, it was really loud and I had to scramble to get the remote control to keep the lid on the loudness before the missus could scream again.
Connected this way, the sound quality became clearer with more immediacy and intimacy, but everything also became more forward, especially the vocals and the bass was rendered a bit plummy. Connecting via its own preamp restored the natural soundstage with images pushed back.
I suppose it's a question of preference - one option provides you with a front-row seat in the concert hall while the other gives you a seat somewhere in the rear.
By the way, the amp sounded better with the negative feedback switch on 0dB, which resulted in a more dynamic, open and exciting sound. The listening session also confirmed that you don't need ultra-sensitive horn speakers to match eight-watt SET valve amps with.
Conclusion
Looking at it from the watt-per-ringgit point of view, the Audio Space AS-300B is pricey - you're paying almost seven grand for only eight watts.
But the amp is well made and the sound quality is something else, offering clarity, midrange magic, good soundstaging and a presentation that is very involving.
And, unlike some SETs, it also lacks the extra-warm, saccharine-sweet and over-euphonic sound that can bog down both amplifier and musical presentation.
The trade-off here is a slight lack of authority in the bass region and some dimness at the extreme treble range. Plus, its low power means you will have to check speaker compatibility before you buy.
But if you love light jazz, folk songs, female singers and tracks featuring acoustic instruments, you'll fall in love with this amp, and you'll stay for a long while.
Model: Audio Space AS-300B valve amp
Price: RM6,890
Review sample courtesy of A&L AUDIO STATION (Tel: 03-2141-3884), G19 Sungai Wang Plaza, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 55100 Kuala Lumpur
For: Magical midrange; good clarity and soundstaging; an alluring presentation on the whole.
Against: Slightly bass and top-light.
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