Having parted with my Leben CS 300 amplifier, which was a great amplifier and which now has found a new happy owner in southern Europe, it was time to embark into my next project and welcome a new amplifier, which I am pretty sure that very few of you have ever heard of before – the Etalon Suprampli.
This is an amplifier which I have very much looked forward to listen to. Being pretty unknown outside of Hungary, where it is produced and France where it has received rave reviews, it was one of those items where you need to take a decision without having had the possibility to listen to it beforehand.
I decided to give it a try based on the reviews (e.g. Haute Fidélité, Diapason d’Or, Audiophile Sound) and a good audiophile friend of mine who was familiar with the brand. We actually ordered one each – his being in white satin and mine in blue!
The amplifier arrived in mid-May and I had been forewarned that it would normally need a break-in period of approximately 200 hours before serious listening can take place. Right ut of the box it appears as if this little machine sounds pretty good, so if it continues to open up until the 200 hour mark has passed, then it will truly be something special – in parity with my Audio Zone Amp-1, which I simply adore.
So far, the Suprampli has been running a bit more than 100 hours, and it is quite noticable how it opens up little by little. Even this early on, I can say that it is very transparent, balanced, musical, dynamic and rapid – and with a huge presence. It will be interesting to see how it compares with the Amp-1, once the break-in period has lapsed.
More to come soon….