t may be hard to believe, but Ancient Audio's first products were relatively inexpensive hybrid amplifiers. It is particularly difficult to believe for those who associate this company with the top system used by Krakow Sonic Society, or those who see the Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player in my reference system, as these are very expensive representatives of high-end or even top-high-end level.

The first amplifiers designed by Jarek Waszczyszyn featured elongated, narrow housings, without classic metal sheet covering the entire interior. Their appearance referred to that of tube amplifiers, as well as to the first McIntosh solid-state amps. On a low-profile chassis which housed electronic circuits, visible components were placed, such as shielded power transformer, filtering capacitors and radiator. Connections between them were not visible, and the device was safe to use. The latest Ancient Audio products obviously refer to the aesthetics of those first ever made by this brand. One shall easily recognize the resemblance looking at P-3 signal processor, headphone amplifier P-1 and the product currently under review, the A-3 integrated amplifier.

The appearance of A-3 is not the only thing that makes it “different”, Jarek would not be himself if he had not offered something distinctly different from the rest. We are talking about a solid-state amplifier but since Ancient Audio specializes in tube amps in single-ended configuration (single tube, or, if necessary, two working in parallel, amplifying the signal), the first few watts are amplified in SE config, but then amplifier switches to a classic push-pull configuration, with one transistor amplifying the positive half of the signal and the other one the negative one. Even then the point where signal is crossing zero is amplified by a single-ended configuration. Jarek says that the greatest enemy of all push-pull circuits are cross-distortions arising at the zero crossing point and that he tried to avoid this issue in his new amplifier.

Ancient Audio A-3 differs from older projects also by its price. This is something that everybody has to consider for himself: the so-called perceived value has little to do with how much we have to actually pay for the device. In other words, looking at the A-3 we do not see what we are paying for. This device offers only a moderate power output and low functionality, it is Made in Poland by a micro-manufacturer and a look that is not easily acceptable for everyone. When we know how it is built, how long it takes to build one we gain other perspective, but I guess most people will still have their reservations about it.

For similar money one can buy Accuphase E-260 (21 600 PLN), and if one wants to have the same high quality and even better components than E-260 has to offer without sacrificing the functionality of Japanese amp then one can purchase the Polish amplifier Abyssound ASA-1600 (19 000 PLN). On the other hand, if the functionality is not a priority, but what one requires is a sophisticated performance and high output that allows to drive even such a difficult loads as large Magnepans, one could decide for a 17 000 PLN elinsAudio Concerto amplifier. How is P-3 to fight such a strong competition? Only through sound quality, as otherwise A-3 does not stand a chance.

So you know about P-3's appearance already, now it's time to say a few words about his micro-functionality. The amplifier has only three line inputs and an output of 40W at 8Ω and 70W at 4Ω. There is no line output (no pre-out, record-out nor an output that could be used to connect it with an external headphone amplifier), or headphone output, not to mention a dedicated headphone amplifier. No phonostage nor DAC modules can be installed inside. Additionally the unit under review features no remote control, which for many potential customers is simply not acceptable. Fortunately Jarek declared that the next production units (starting from August) will have a remote control, which will allow used to change the volume remotely.

A-3 offers some interesting features and solutions. One of them is a switch, which changes input's # 1 working mode - it be used either in the classic mode, or in another one where input selector, cables and potentiometer are actually bypassed. This input is usually called "direct" or "HT" and it is most often used to integrate stereo integrated amplifier with a multi-channel system, eg. Home theater one. But not in this case. Can you remember the fact that the Ancient Audio CD Players feature adjustable output? It is them this input was designed for to shorten the signal's path - from 64 to 4 cm. One can connect also other brands' Players the same way such as: CD-07s and CD-1SX by Ayon Audio, or sources from Pro-Ject, QUAD and Audiolab, to name a few.

The second possibility to improve the sound quality comes from a particular selection of the coupling capacitors used in the circuit. This possibility, however, requires an additional fee - the unit under review instead of classic capacitors features V-Caps. It is a pity that one can not choose between different anti-vibration feet anymore. The amplifier was placed on small rubber feet, that I would love to see replaced with ones by Franc Audio Accessories or Pro Audio Bono. Finally, let's notice that in addition to the "Integra / Power" switch on the rear panel, the front ones hosts three small knobs – input selector, volume control and on/off switch. Above the middle one there is a small red LED.

JAREK WASZCZYSZYN, story about A-3 project

The very first Ancient Audio product was the Hybrid amplifier (1995)

The very first product ever made by Ancient Audio was the Hybrid amplifier presented in 1995. The idea was to make a simple, audiophile design. After many trials I decided use a circuit without feedback loop. At that time the loop was considered to be a source of all the 'evil' especially after Matti Otali articles on TIM distortion. For amplifier to have low distortion without feedback loop, its every stage had to be very linear. Hence the voltage gain performed by ECC88 tubes, a solution I am loyal to till this day. The output stage was based on the transistors working in class A. It required using considerable heat sinks, because, as we all know, heat loss in such a case is quite big. Used elements actually created the appearance of the amplifier and its vintage appeal. And the name, Ancient Audio, too.

Hybrid featuring a FM tuner

Hybrid was quite a successful debut, some units traveled all the way to USA, Denmark and Norway. One of them was additionally equipped with a FM tuner.

The natural beauty of tubes, and their sound pushed me in completely different direction, one that involved purely tube designs, such as: Triode, Triode Mono, Silver 300, Silver Integra, Silver Grand Mono, Single Six. These were always single-ended amplifiers. Their sound was excellent so semiconductors became obsolete (in my case they ended in my garage).

In 2015, the company celebrated its 20 years on the market. This is this sort of anniversary one should celebrate with something special. It had to be something that would refer to my first product, which was the Hybrid. I have to admit that I had a high quality transistor amplifier in the back of my head for quite some time. Tubes provide a wonderful sound, but they are demanding for loudspeakers and their operation is sometimes tricky. And there is the huge weight always involved with such designs... But how could I make a transistor sound really good? Here I have applaud Nelson Pass who with his very simple First Watt designs challenged many stereotypes. These were good sounding solid-state Single Ended amps operating in Class A. Their limitation was the small output power - it was not only the First Watt, but also the Last Watt... One can't fight laws of physics that say that the efficiency of a Single Ended Class A amplifier is at most 25%. The rest, meaning 75% or even more, is converted into heat.

Such considerations are carried out when thinking about the easiest, pure acoustic signal - a sine wave. In reality music is something else - below you can see a graphic representation of a piano sound.

This is a graphic representation of a piano's sound

As one can see, music is sometimes loud impulses, but mostly a silence, or small signals. The human ear is perfectly trained for analysis of small signals, even those close to zero. This, in turn, is a weakness of push-pull amplifiers, since at zero level there is a switch between elements amplifying positive and negative part of the signal. And in this aspect Single Ended Class A amplifier is unrivaled, because one element or set of elements (like in Silver Grand Mono), amplify positive and negative parts of the signal; no switch = no distortion.

Thus a new amplifier was born: Class A, Single Ended and transistors inside. And a compact chassis, just as with the first Hybrid. For an amplifier to be versatile it has to offer high output. To deliver output of 2 x 70 W a Single Ended class A amplifier would have to consume 600W or more. And it would convert most of this power into heat, which would preclude a relatively small, neat form. Therefore, I worked out a compromise: when small output is required amplifier operates as a single-ended, because then the musical fidelity counts most. More power is needed? It smoothly enters a push-pull mode, providing much more power to the loudspeakers.

For test and when building prototypes I utilized elements of my previous designs

Last but not least, the form. A year ago I presented a processor/preamplifier P-3. The new product complements it. Therefore I added a feature that allows to switch between the power amplifier/integrated modes. A-3's performance turned out, in some respects, comparable to the famous 300B triode. Other tubes, such as the famous 6C33S, it simply put, outclassed. Hence it was worth to try the best V-Cap capacitors in the signal path, and to make it manually using point-to-point assembly of the whole audio circuit using audiophile-grade cables. The key to this project was a compactness of the circuit and a short signal path. This required a large amount of manual labor, and creates a nightmare for a servicemen. In the event of failure a whole block of the amplifier has to be replaced. But, in my opinion, it's worth it.

The amplifier replaced in my reference system Spheris III preamplifier and Soulution 710 power amp combination. It was powered using Tellurium Q Silver Diamond power cord, speaker cables came from the same line. At first I intended to use TARA Labs The Omega Evolution SP cables that came for the review at the same time, but it was not possible because of A-3's speakers posts. These are very solid, gold-plated, but distance between them is small, which prevents plugging in cables terminated with thick connectors. I would be careful also with spades - terminals are located vertically and it could be easily shorted. Banana connectors are the best choice. I used though Tara Zero Evolution IC with HFX. I put amplifier on Franc Audio Accessories feet with Acoustic Revive discs.

I used Ancient Audio Lektor AIR V-edition CD Player as a source of the signal. I tried amplifier in both, classic integrated mode, and as a power amplifier using adjustable output of my CD Player. I learned that the power amp features high input sensitivity as I had to decrease volume by as much as 20 dB to get to a similar sound level as when using P-3 in integrated mode.

It would simply be a lie if I tried to prove that the Ancient blew away all other amplifiers in the vicinity of 20 000 PLN and more. It's surely not so. The amplifiers cited by me below and a few others too, like Octave, Ayon Audio, are really high quality, reliable devices, each designed to offer a slightly different set of features that together make up a product best suited for people with various needs. Each of them when used in an "empathetic" system will be a star.

But then I would be an idiot if I, in the name of political correctness, taking into account the long-term relationship with Jarek Waszczyszyn and frequent meetings with him within the framework of the Krakow Sonic Society, tried to downplay what he achieved with this product. I would like to be properly understood - all post-Ancient products (this category refers to the time of after-super-expensive tube products, Wing speakers and CD players), such as Oslo monitors, P-3 sound processor and P-1 headphone amplifier were interesting and within really successful. But these do not really represent the type of products Ancient Audio is associated with, at least not by me.

If something were to change in this perception of the brand, the A-3 is a step in the right direction. This amplifier generates a big sound. With both, my Harbeths and Trenner & Friedl Osiris I received a beautiful depiction of what has been recorded on CDs from my collection and it was done in a way that ignited true emotions. The main feature of the amplifier is fullness of its sound. That's something one sometimes hears delivered by good tube amplifiers, and sometimes by good solid-states. This degree of saturation, we have with A-3 however, is usually a quality of much more expensive products offered by brands such as: Lavardin Technologies and its IT-15 or elinsAudio Mille.

The instruments have proper height, depth and width, have distinct bodies surrounded by other distinct elements of the soundstage. Changes in the dynamics and tone clearly influence our interpretation of what we hear – they don't exist for themselves, nor distract our attention from the music. The sound is dense, rich, saturated. There is no trace of aggression, because there is no emphasis in treble nor upper midrange is accentuated. I would call it a “warm” sounding amplifier because it is not 'warmed up', but it should fulfill expectations of those who search for a warm sound, and still would like to have something more than that.

"Something more" in this case will be a resolution. This amplifier reacts to all changes introduced to the system, to differences between recordings, showing them in a clear, direct way. But it's doing it “casually”. It does not focus on the recording techniques. It differentiates tone, soundstage, dynamics only in conjunction with the presentation, never just next to it, or instead of it. All this adds up to the "beauty" of this presentation I started my description with.

A-3 in a very comfortable way takes us to another world, generating deep, low bass. It is not so well differentiated, as midrange and treble are, and even as the upper bass is, but on contrary to what we got used to, it is fantastically controlled. It is a rare case that these two features occur together, because the soft, not quite so well differentiated bass is associated with this 'boomy' effect, with insufficiently fast beginning and ending of each sound. Ancient behaves in this regard as some much more powerful devices, reminding me what Naim amps do. Yet, Polish amplifier does not deliver particularly taut or contoured bass notes as the English amplifiers do.

The three-dimensional image opening between the loudspeakers has its own character. I had to think a little, to define it and describe it properly. But I finally got it mainly thanks to classical vocal recordings. It is about some emphasis in the lower midrange. Listening to Vivia Genaux (mezzo-soprano) and Simone Kermes (soprano) album Rival Queens, I heard an open, sweet voice of Kermes (who delighted us singing during the 2012 Mysteria Paschalia festival) and a slightly darker, both in terms of timbre of the singer, but also of the way it was presented by the amplifier, voice of Genaux. Interestingly I couldn't notice similar influence when listening to males voices. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's voice in Schubert's repertoire sounded powerful, dense, deep, but there wasn't an impression of emphasizing lower range of the voice.

The accent placed this way, combined with fantastic resolution and imaging, promotes recordings of acoustic instruments on the one hand, and on the other the music with electric guitars playing an important role. The new album with SBB group's concert recorded in Sweden in 1975 sounded wonderful. Equally beautiful was the presentation of Kurylewicz Quintet's album Go Right, with an amazing spacing and excellent timbre accuracy. The density and high resolution - a combination of these features makes the A-3 sound as a huge, powerful amplifier from the top shelf.

One of the AA amplifier's features is a possibility to shorten the signal path and use adjustable output of the CD Player to control volume. Comparison of the potentiometer in the A-3 and AIR V-edition's variable output gave a very clear outcome: if your player has adjustable output you have to try it. It should give you a bit more 'present' performance and better defined sound. The difference is not large, it'd say it is about 3-4% improvement, but it is worth it to fight for it. But I think it will work only when the CD Player features analogue volume control. Digital volume control might work well to but only in the really expensive equipment, where it is just an added function to make a device more attractive, but rather where it is a full-fledged feature.

SECOND OPINION

Text: Bartosz Pacuła

I divided my listening session with Ancient Audio A-3 amplifier into three parts. In the first I spun some of my favorite vinyl records (the source was the Pro-Ject Xpression Carbon Classic turntable) and just listened to the music, while trying to feel out what sort of device this integrated was. In the second part I compared its capabilities with my Japanese masterpiece, the Leben CS300XS Custom version made for "High Fidelity" by Mr. Taku. Last but not least I decided to listen to some music files (both PCM and DSD) played from the Lumin T1 player. Writing these words I have no idea how much the latest product by Ancient Audio costs - I tried to just familiarize myself with its performance and features. During the test I used it only as an integrated amplifier.

After listening to several albums I was ready to honestly say that I liked the A-3 very much. It fit my personal sound philosophy, preference very well, gave me what I was looking for and did it for the music genres I listen to most. This amplifier is in fact incredibly energetic especially in the midrange area. It worked damn well for rock recordings, it felt as if Mr Waszczyszyn's integrated was created for this type of music. I enjoyed listening to the Vinyl TV show's soundtrack, with Mick Jagger's excellent compilation of rock and roll and rock.

The most important part of these recordings was the midrange and all the 'attractions' included in it - guitars, part of a drum kit and vocals. All this was served by A-3 in an excellent way, exactly as it should be: powerful, uncompromising, with unbridled energy. Similarly sounded Led Zeppelin from the Led Zeppelin II album, or the Fleetwood Mac's Tango in the Night. Also lower end on these records did not give me any reason to complain - he was nicely defined and very "present." What I did miss in these presentations was a bit more of information at the top end. Perhaps it was due to the specific sound features of my test system, or poor sound quality of rock albums? Yet, the absence of the top treble did not really bother me while I was listening – who cares about some details when the presentation as a whole is simply on fire?

Of course, I did not limit my test to listening to above mentioned records. I also spun some other albums, such as: my favorite album of Miles Davis, In a Silent Way, Beatles Abbey Road (I chose from this album some mellow songs like Come Together or Because or Here Comes the Sun) or acoustic Nirvana's concert of the MTV Unplugged series. And this time A-3 also performed well, I felt, however, that this is not the material best suited for this amplifier. There was not too much “action” here (at least compared to eg. Led Zeppelin), which this latest integrated by Ancient Audio played so well.

Having said all these praises about A-3 I have to make clear that this is not a device for everyone. In comparison the Leben integrated played everything with more grace, inner peace, while offering a more nuanced, wider soundstage and smoother (and - presumably - for some people much more pleasant) sound. This worked perfectly in the case of albums, where fine emotions play great role, where there is a lot of nuances that make particular recording truly great. But I also have to admit that after returning to the Japanese amplifier I began to miss the dynamics and the richness of the sound so lavishly served to me by the Polish device. Leben simply falls behind in these regards, which is obviously not its shortcoming, but its feature. Just as in the case of the A- 3 amplifier, which is did not quite match its Japanese counterpart when playing calmer tracks and albums, and which presented its best performance with different type of music.

A setup combined of the A-3 and the Lumin T1 turned out to be a really impressive one. All the Lumin devices I am familiar with deliver a warm, massive sound, especially in the midband area, which the Ancient Audio integrated was able to enrich with huge energy. I simply loved Rolling Stones screaming at me about brown sugar (Brown Sugar from Sticky Fingers album), also Deep Purple from Fireball gave me a truly enjoyable ride. However, also now the situation described earlier happened - rock music was played in a fantastic way, but I missed some elements while listening to quieter recordings such as acoustic Aerial Boundaries by Michael Hedges (version re-issued recently by Audio Fidelity) or Enya's album.

I do realize that I'm repeating myself, but I would like to clearly emphasize this - A-3 is a good amplifier. And when it comes to recordings of live, energetic music (and not only rock, but metal, pop or soul too) it becomes even a very good one. However, this is an amplifier for people who know exactly what they expect from their system, what sort of presentation they are after. If someone appreciates a more balanced and open sound, smoother sound attack or a greater amount of details he should look for something else. However, if the energy, power, dynamics and delightful midrange are favorable sound features A-3 will be, most likely, the device you're looking for.

Summary

If you are able to stop calculate for a moment, A-3 will prove to be an amplifier capable of delivering a sensual, rich presentation with almost any loudspeakers. Its sound offers everything we value tube devices for, so wonderful 'golden' treble, powerful, rich midrange and a full, rich bass. You will find in its performance a unique depth of sound and soundstage. Even a bit soft character of the sounds from the bottom of the scale played into this bit 'tube-like' sound – it is a device made by a 'tube' guy after all. Solid state design adds to this large-scale sound, saturated, deep bass and high, although imperceptible dynamics, working 'from the shadows'. An amplifier at this price point should not perform that well.

The calculation should, however, take into account all aspects of the A-3, and when done it pulls the device out of the orbit of the Earth more down to the ground. Any foreign competitor, whether British or Japanese or German (eg. Trigon amplifiers) offers incomparably greater functionality and better finish. You have to decide yourself what is it that you really want in life - safety (calculation), or a rush (emotions). Whatever your decision it will be a good one. As for me – I have to award this amplifier with RED Fingerprint.

A-3 is a small integrated amplifier offering with an average output power. The aspect ratio is different than normal, i.e. the width of the front panel is smaller than the depth of the device. The whole device is placed on a thick granite slate. This is a characteristic feature of this manufacturer's products, because all of his devices use this form of vibration reduction. However, while the tube amps and players (eg. Lektor AIR V-edition) electronics is enclosed in a metal housing suspended under the plate, in this case granite is the base the electronic circuits are installed on.

Front made of brass patch with engraved inscriptions. You'll find three aluminum knobs responsible for: input selection, volume control and turning the device on and off, and a red LED that indicates when power is on. On the back we have three pairs of RCA inputs, two pairs of speaker outputs, a small toggle switch and an IEC socket. The switch toggles the first input's working mode from a linear with adjustable volume to a direct one (power in). Designer decided to use gold-plated, good quality RCA connectors, but nothing fancy so no WBT, Furutech, or even Cardas. The speaker terminals are also robust, also gold-plated.

The electronic circuit is divided into three parts. Potentiometer and input switch are placed in a small chamber by the vertical front panel. The second, identical one, located in the back of the device, there are input relays and - in the upgraded, V-Cap version - TFTF capacitors (also OIMP version is also available with oil capacitors). The entire amplifier circuit is located under the backside of an aluminum heat sink. What is known about the design is that it is a solid-state one, it features coupling capacitors, and that has been assembled using point-to-point assembly, without a printed circuit board – another reference to high quality tube amplifiers. Since such type of montage is time and effort consuming it is rarely seen in solid-state devices. The heat sink heats up quite a bit, but won't burn you if you touch it. The system features thermal protection and if the temperature exceeds 70 ° C, the amplifier is switched off. I think that no relays were used for speaker outputs, because when you turn off the amplifier you can hear a muffled "poof" in your speakers.

The unit is nicely made, but not as precisely as amplifiers offered by large companies. The radiator, for example, has uneven edges, and screws used to fix power supply and transformer surely do not contribute to this amplifier's appearance positively. And these rubber feet ...

Technical specifications (according to manufacturer):

Output power: 2 x 70W/4Ω | 2 x 40W/8Ω
Unbalanced inputs: 3 x RCA
Dimensions ( S x W x G): 220 x 106 x 380mm
Weight: 13kg