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TELE-audiovision International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine
— 09-10/2013
—
- Dire Straits - Brother in Arms -
„Your Latest Trick“
Fantastic, the saxophone at the begin-
ning of the song, then the voice of Mark
Knopfler. The drums precisely positioned.
The A1/25 reproduced this quiet song with
a fabulous visibility and at great ease. I
discovered in this song many new details.
- Sade - Promise -
„The Sweetest Taboo“
A great album in which Sade‘s voice re-
mains in the foreground and yet accom-
panied by a plethora of instruments and
compositions. Here, too, the A1/25 pro-
vides full pleasure. If you close your eyes,
you have Sade singing for you - an inde-
scribable experience – surrounded by all
the instruments and arrangements.
- Pat Metheny Group - Travels -
„Goodbye“
This album has grown on me and it is by
far the album I‘ve heard the most times
in my life. Therefore, this double CD is in
each of my audio tests. The track called
„Goodbye“ especially evokes emotions in
me. It is not easy for many amplifiers to
reproduce the tender sounds at the begin-
ning with the voice of Naná Vasconcelos
drawing a fragility that does not require
volume, but presence. The A1/25 mas-
tered this. With the volume knob set to
about half the quiet background composi-
tion had presence, while the voice was not
too loud. Interestingly, the A1/25 requires
the volume knob to be turned further than
other amplifiers to get the same volume
output.
- Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon -
„Time“
This song begins with a prelude that is
difficult for many amplifiers: the clocks
ticking and ringing. I was thrilled by the
Audolici amplifier being able to bring to
life each clock individually. Only the best
amplifiers in the world will be able to re-
solve the panoply of ticking and ringing
sounds with such a brilliance. But the rest
of the song captivates the listener as well
with the guitar solo leading the listener
through time and space. I have to confess
that I never experienced „Time“ by Pink
Floyd like this before. Naturally, I kept on
listening and “The Great Gig In The Sky”
sounded just fabulous!
- Arne Domnerus Group -
„Jazz at the Pawnshop“
Audiophiles know Jazz at the Pawnshop,
as most audiophile stereos will be tested
with this CD to start with. The reason is
not only because this CD was incredibly
well produced, but also because the re-
cording was done in a club full of people.
This CD is simply considered the best jazz
live recording ever. Although the condi-
tions were just far away from the ideal:
you can also hear clinking cups, chairs be-
ing pushed and people coughing. But this
is exactly the reason for the fascination
about this CD. The Audolici A1/25 mas-
tered this CD with flying colours. For me
this means: close your eyes and wait so
see whether the amplifier just manages to
transport me into The Pawn Shop. Yes it
does, I am sitting at a table and I‘m in for
a great Jazz experience.
player, a modern media player
with a digital audio output con-
nected through a DAC (Digital
to Analogue Converter - more
on that later on), a tuner or a
turntable through a phono pre-
amplifier. Overall, the appear-
ance of the A1/25 is discreet,
classy, yet elegant. Although it
is in principle a black box, you
can immediately see that it is a
special device. Sometimes less
really is more.
The cover is secured by 6
screws. Inside the case the
tubes reveal themselves, since
they occupy a third of the
available space. The trick to
the small hight of the A1/25
comes from the fact that the
tubes are arranged horizontal-
ly, rather than the usual verti-
cal position. A total of 6 units
are installed, 3 for the left and
3 for the right audio channel.
Like the speaker jacks the in-
terior of the A1/25 is totally
symmetrical, as is common in
audiophile amplifiers.
The printed circuit boards are
of excellent quality and all the
cables are of industrial grade
with professional connectors.
The device is the result of a
remarkable feat of engineer-
ing, combining „Old School“
with the latest manufacturing
techniques. Being located in-
Portugal offers unprecedented
advantages, because when
it comes to the production of
very small series, many highly
specialized companies are to
be found in this region, offer-
ing sheet metal production,
electrical cables, etc.
The 11.5 kgweight of the
amplifier is not only due to the
robust and perfect body but
mainly caused by the three
transformers especially pro-
duced for this amplifier. These
were prepared according to
the specifications of Audolici
in a specialized Portuguese
company. This expertise has a
tradition in Portugal, because
major companies like Grundig
were located in the vicinity,
resulting in a network of sup-
pliers.
Testing the Audolici with the Best Available CDs
