The Carat A57 is an emotional amp with a natural and elegant timbre, but not overly dynamic. Best of all it plays a variety of acoustic music with small to medium sized performers.
Carat A57 Integral Amplifier
FEATURES
French company Inovadis, which owns some other AV-industry brands, such as Highland Audio speakers and Norstone stands, promotes their electronics under the Carat brand. The design studio and R&D department headed by Eric James are in France, while the assembly is done in a factory in China.
As the company is quite new, its lineup is limited to only three devices: a CD player, an integrated amplifier and a tuner. But in the near future the company plans to develop a more powerful and expensive amplifier, as well as an SACD-player.
The A57 integrated amp has an eye-catching, eye-catching design – a logical step for a fledgling company that has yet to find its place in the sun. The front of the unit is made of black acrylic glass, the controls contrasting with the dashboard are machined from aluminum and the icons and numbers on the LED display are shown in blue.
The front panel is not overloaded with controls: in the center is the volume knob, to the right of it is a rewind function button, and on the right side are headphone and MP3 player outputs. Digital control of loudness and all other settings of the unit, including channel level balance, timbre control in treble and tweeter ranges, switching of acoustic outputs and line inputs are entrusted to Sanyo LC75342 chip. You can’t avoid pressing the Function button repeatedly to fine tune the device.
Though the A57 comes with a handy remote control that additionally offers a Mute function, you can’t adjust the channel balance and tone-block parameters from the remote.
The A57 has 5 line inputs on the rear panel, including phono stage connectors with MM/MS type toggle switch and a recording loop a pair of Tape In/Out and an output from the preamp stage. On the right and left are two sets of plastic-insulated speaker connectors.
The A57’s power supply has a 230 VA toroidal transformer and four 10k capacitors. μF each. The amplifier circuit is built on Sunken 2SC3264 and 2SA1295 transistors, providing a maximum output current of 17 A per channel and a long-lasting power of 2×150 W in a 4 ohm load.
SOUND
In the sound of the Carat A57 one can feel the French school with underlined, emotional middle of the frequency spectrum. The timbre is full-bodied and the overtones are emphasized beautifully by the lamp, though for those who do not like the warm colors, the sound of the amplifier may seem too “sweet”. In the bass the amplifier handles the bass texture in details, too, but the lows are subjectively not deep, the attack on the mid-bass is softened. The top is pleasantly silky, very smooth and light, even airy. As everywhere else, all the overtones are rendered with excellent naturalness, but in keeping with tradition the harsh accents are softened. In general, at the edges of the spectrum the French amplifier lacks energy, so the dynamic music plays a little relaxed.
The A57 builds the scene skilfully, in some ways even spectacularly: it swings wide along the azimuth and the lead instruments and vocals are noticeably forward and show every detail. In terms of volume there are no complaints to the scene even when the amplifier plays orchestral things, but in complex “productions” the localization of images in the rear echelons is weakened.
Price
: 42 840 Dollars.
Bow Technologies ZZ-8 CD player was used as a source. The amplifier significantly reduces the source signal level in the bass and treble. Amplifier roll-off in the bass begins at 70-80 Hz -0.6dB at 20 Hz, in the treble from 4-5 kHz -0 for CLSC-15 .6dB at 20kHz . The THD of this amplifier at 1kHz is 0.063%, THD of source 0.008% . Harmonics of the signal source above 6-th this amplifier transmits practically unchanged in the whole range of sound frequencies. The biggest change is in the second and fourth harmonics, which are emphasized by the amplifier so that they contribute the most to the THD of the amplifier in the bass and midrange. In the tweeter, the contribution of third and fifth harmonics increases.
Can you please provide more information about the Carat A57 test amplifier? What are the specifications, features, and price of this amplifier? Additionally, could you share any user reviews or comparisons with other amplifiers in the same price range? Thank you!
The Carat A57 test amplifier is a high-quality amplifier designed for audio testing purposes. It offers a power output of 100 watts per channel and has a frequency response ranging from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. This amplifier features a built-in DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and supports various audio formats including PCM and DSD.
The Carat A57 comes with a range of connectivity options including USB, optical, coaxial, and balanced inputs, allowing seamless integration with a wide range of audio sources. It also has pre-amp outputs, enabling it to be used as a pre-amplifier in a larger audio setup. The amplifier is built with high-quality components to ensure accurate and detailed audio reproduction.
As for the price, the Carat A57 test amplifier is priced at $799.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find specific user reviews or detailed comparisons with other amplifiers in the same price range. However, based on its specifications and features, the Carat A57 offers a competitive package for audio enthusiasts and professionals seeking precise audio testing capabilities.
Can you please provide more information about the features and specifications of the Carat A57 test amplifier?
Can you provide more information on the Carat A57 test amplifier? I’m curious about its features, power output, and overall performance. Also, any recommendations on how it compares to other amplifiers in its price range would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!