By a stroke of luck
(and alphabetical order), our test was
to end with the amp that by merit earned
the top distinction. And the fact that
it comes from a Japanese manufacturer
is far from coincidental. Few are those
who do not know what "Japanese" means
to electronics. To cut right to the
chase, CS-300 is a lighter - in terms
of component quality - version of the
significantly pricier CS-300X. However,
there is little that separates them
regarding their design and musical attitude.
The hard wired (boardless) harnessing
and the identical topology are a fact.
A pair of EL84 pentodes by Sovtek per
channel deliver 2x12W to the load, driven
by an ECC83 (5751) dual triode. It takes
little talk to describe the superb quality,
custom made power supply and output
transformers, not to mention CS-300's
most alluring properties, its looks,
as well as a wealth of functions and
connection options. On the back panel
one finds five input pairs and a tape
out, the load selection is effected
via a 3 position switch (4Ω, 6Ω and
8Ω), while on the front panel there
is a phones out, besides the excellent
quality potentiometer.
PERFORMANCE
To cut a long story short, CS 300
is...simply magic. I expect that very
few listeners will not be overwhelmed
by its absolutely expressive and minutely
consistent mid range. What could one
possibly comment on its energy rich,
harmonically flawless treble, which
catalytically contributes to the realistic
reproduction of natural instruments,
or its truly deep bass, with the typically
'valve like' flow and timing? Classical
music lovers will fall for its sound,
as it manages to convey intactly the
atmosphere and grandeur of even the
most demanding works, while when called
upon to reproduce particularly dense
motivos, it does so with virtuoso cool
and self confidence .On the other hand,
if classic rock productions are your
thing, you will witness a transformation
with clear references to the sound of
good old tape recordings. Believe it
or not , it adequately drove the ATCs,
set to 6Ω and 4Ω, without losing any
of its extreme analytical attitude,
much less its expressional capability.
The only instance when it demonstrated
a weakness were dynamics, with crescendos
hitting peaks. It is therefore more
than obvious that a speaker of Solo's
specs would be its perfect match, and,
believe me, finding the load that really
matches it is worth the bother. CS-300
will really have you dreaming ...Dot
and dash... |
