SAXON AUDIO
A700 MKII INTEGRATED AMPLFIER
MSRP: $1,999
Review by
CLARK HERTZ
Saxon is the base line of electronics from Talk Electronics, all of shom's products are designed and built in Great Britain. The Saxon line is priced below $2500.00 and the Talk line above. This amp is at the top of the Saxon line at $1,995 US. We want to extend a special thanks to Carl James of USA HIFI for providing our review sample.
Publisher's note: As we go to press, USAHIFI.com has this model specially priced at $999.00
Its power rating is 100 Watts into 8 ohms and 200 Watts into 4 ohms. It has a dual mono topology and two custom toroidal power transformers. It uses fully complimentary bi-polar output devices. The preamp section utilizes Burr-Brown op-amps and has micro controlled relay switching.
My review sample came in a matt black finish with silver controls, which I found attractive in an understated way. It is also avilable in a silver finish. This amp is solidly built, with the front faceplate featuring a large centrally placed volume control and with selector buttons to either side. The controls function well with good feel and convenient layout. The right input buttons are labeled CD, tuner, av, aux and on the left side, monitor, tape 1, tape 2 and output. The output functions like a mute button. I like this labeling better than my Bel Canto eVo 2i gen 2 which is labeled 1,2,3,4. On the Bel Canto the inputs can be programmed by name but the remote is still just 1,2,3,4. On Ayre equipment input labeling is even more confusing with their astronomy pictograms. I think that I will listen to the sun today? I don’t think so. It reminds me of Volkswagon’s control symbols. I am glad Saxon calls a CD a CD because the term disc can be confused with phono. Some companies still have an input labeled VCR. I think that the av labeling is a safe bet.
Around the back of the amp there is a removable power cord, fuse and six line level inputs using RCA connectors. In addition are two tape loops. A plug in MM phono section is optional for $150.00. There is a single set of five way gold plated speaker connectors, and a single pair of pre outs. It is too bad that this amp does not have balanced ins and outs because the matching CD player has balanced outputs.
The amplifier was already broken in when I received it but I let it warm up for a month in my bedroom system. When I moved it to my main system I noticed that the five way binding post’s outside is knurled instead of being a hex. I like a solid connection on my spade terminated speaker cables, and was worried that hand tightening would not be enough for a solid connection. There was no problem although I prefer a hex to lightly tighten with a socket.
My current system is comprised of a Talk 3.1B CD player connected to a Bel Canto eVo 2i gen 2 integrated amp with a half meter balanced run of Black Mountain Pinnacle interconnects. From the amp the signal travels through a pair of Transparent Cable 100 biwire speaker cables terminated with spades to a pair of Nola Viper References. All electronics are plugged into a Monster Cable Signature HTS 5100 power line conditioner. I will be replacing my Bel Canto amp with a pair of Kharma MP150 monoblocks that I have recently purchased, but haven’t found a suitable preamp yet.
The Saxon has lots of power and is solidly built. It is also a great sounding amp from the get go. This amp has good imaging with Patricia Barber’s “Café Blue” having good image localization and staging. I noted a slight lack of soundstage width. The top end is clear and detailed but does not seem to be fully extended. This amp seems to lack a little bit of expression and color when compared to the Bel Canto eVo 2i gen 2. Of course, the Bel Canto is a Class D based amp and sells for about a thousand dollars more. The Saxon has a slight layer or sheen on the music and is a little less there. It is an accurate amp but with it’s solid state heart it touches the head instead of the heart like many of it’s type. It is not as involving as the Bel Canto or tubes. It is the lack of soundstage width that reduces involvement. Let’s compare it to watching a movie on a 60 ” HDTV and watching it in an “Imax” theatre. The “Imax” is like putting your head into your TV and making you part of the action.
The Saxon on the other hand can get up and bogie with its dual toroidal transformers. Its bass is solid and tight without boom. Patricia Barber’s “Mythologies” Pygmalion had good bottom end extension. The upright bass had a nice fullness but was still tightly controlled and tuneful.
Overall I think the Saxon A700 Mk2 amplifier is a good buy because it is solidly built and sounds great compared to other similarly priced integrated amps. I think a lot of competitors amplifiers will shy in comparison to its commanding performance. This amp is ready to rock and if you want more air you are going to have to spend more money.