Phison A2.12 stereo power amplifier

It’s pronounced like ‘bison’ because it’s a combination of the founder’s forenames; Philip and Sonny, and they’re Danes. But you can tell that from the understated elegance of the Phison design, of course. There are many aluminium blocks in the world of high-end power amps, but this one is that bit more precise and compact than most. It is, however, no lighter. The size makes you think the A2.120 shouldn’t be too much of a brute, but 28kg is heavy whatever size it comes in.

Phison co-founder, Sonny Andersen, started out making electronics, for himself but eventually contacted local high-end company Raidho where he helped to build what would become the Aavik power amplifier. But that was not before he got into making electronics on an OEM basis for the audio and logistics world. So it was perhaps inevitable that Sonny would start building his own amplifiers on a commercial level, and this started with the Phison PD2 balanced preamplifier, which uses discrete modules that are created in-house. This preamp can be a line stage alone or have a DAC and/or phono stage onboard, and it can be operated with either a Phison handset or an Apple TV remote, an inexpensive but attractive alternative.

The A2.120 is so-called because it has two channels of 120 Watts (8 Ohms, 220W/4 Ohms) in its matte anodised, clean lined casework. The weight is accounted for by two power transformers, but these are not used in a dual mono configuration because Sonny wanted to be able to bridge the output (delivering 300 Watts into 8 Ohms) and separate power supplies can’t produce so much power. The A2.120 is built around the same gain stage as the Phison preamp, with a current feedback module preceded by a voltage feedback stage that sets the gain. The output stage has 14 bipolar transistors per channel so as to cope with the demand when the amplifier is bridged, and the gain module incorporates both JFETs and bipolar devices.

The power supply as you may have guessed is a linear type, hence the substantial transformers. Phison experimented with switch-mode supplies, but came to the conclusion that the company could get better bass performance with a more traditional approach. Which is odd because my own experience is that the limitations of SMPS are usually more obvious in the treble, but implementation is everything with audio circuits. Here the bandwidth has been restricted with a simple low pass filter to 330kHz to avoid instability, but notionally at least, the design could be used at up to 800kHz.

Connections are nearly as spare as the design of the case, but do include both RCA single-ended and XLR balanced inputs alongside good quality binding posts for speaker cables. I like the simple on/off button at the front with its unusually bright indicator; there’s none of the electronic delays or relay clicking of more complex designs. Build quality is very high; the Phison case is really nicely put together and that deep laser cut logo in the lid looks the part.

I kicked off listening by connecting the Phison to my regular Townshend Allegri passive preamp and a pair of visiting speakers in the shape of Q-Acoustics excellent new Concept 500 floorstanders. This combination produced an uncannily open, transparent, but slightly bright sound. I suspect that even though the amp had been on for an hour or two it still wasn’t warmed up because this effect was less obvious with subsequent speakers. Nonetheless, from the outset, it had a freshness that was totally inspiring and made my admittedly more affordable ATC P1 seem a little earthbound. The speakers seemed to disappear and leave a very spirited yet clean and controlled musical performance in their place. I wasn’t so surprised by this with a good hi-res recording like Vivladi’s Belleza Crudel [Tone Wik, Alexandra Opsahi, 2L]. but it did give me new respect for Tom Waits ‘In Shades’ [Heart Attack & Vine, Ayslum]. This was revealed to have room filling imaging and a great guitar sound with lots of reverb thanks to excellent leading edge definition without the slightest hint of grain. It made this track pretty well impossible to turn off despite its familiarity.

The Phison doesn’t achieve its fast, open, and clear sound by ignoring the bass. When some decent low end comes along, it’s delivered with all due weight and gravitas. The bass is both full and tightly controlled as Esperanza Spalding’s ‘Judas’ made clear [Emily’s D+Evolution, HD Tracks]. This track also made following all the instruments and voices easy because separation is first class. Dynamics are also very well served, as evidenced when playing some nimble piano, where the difference in weighting between various notes is as good an indicator of dynamic subtlety as a big orchestral transient (the Phison amp is good with orchestral scale, too).

The great thing about a quick amplifier is that it gives the impression of having all the time in the world to present the musical picture; this is because it’s not blurring the detail and can give each note the weight, shape, and tonal character it requires. This works with baroque and boogie, I put on ZZ Top’s ‘Enjoy And Get It On’ [Tejas, Warner Bros] as I am wont to do and got thoroughly carried away with the proceedings. The somewhat more contemporary and rather more accurately captured ‘Too Many Misses’ [Doug MacLeod Exactly Like This, Reference Recordings] comes through with what sounds like all of its natural reverb intact, producing as a consequence a soundstage that’s at least as deep as it is wide, and populated by very convincing instruments and voice.

Another big sound is produced by Ryan Adams and the Cardinal’s live version of ‘Hallelujah’. Here you get the atmosphere of the auditorium, guitar that cuts the air like a knife, and lead vocal that’s controlled and precise at a good approximation of live volume. Put on something less plush like many of the modern ‘bedroom’ recordings made by less well supported artists and the limitations of affordable digital recording are exposed. This is take no prisoners transparency, so if you’re into mainstream pop or deliberately grungy recordings it might not be the ticket.

Phison deliberately doesn’t go for that ‘polish’ or ‘sheen’ you get with some high-end power amplifiers. Instead, Sonny seems to be aiming for maximum clarity and for that I salute him: how are you ever going to get to audio nirvana with false idols? After all, ‘fidelity’ to the original recording is an important part of what should represent ‘high fidelity’.

With the PMC Fact.8 in its grip the Phison once again delivered an absorbing sound; this speaker has a balance similar to that of the Phison and the combination produced remarkably well defined imaging and ultra quiet backgrounds. Listening to the Henry Threadgill Sextett’s ‘Bermuda Blues’ [You Know The Number, Novus]reminded me once again just how storming a performance this is. The performance just opens up and lets the sound expand into the room, the power and drive of two drummers is something else, and the sense of being there totally convincing.

You get the sense that there is absolutely no fat on the bone, but in all the right ways. In other words, rather than being ‘lean’, the amplifier does not embellish the signal with a bit of its own colour in an effort to produce a particular sound. It seems to merely amplify in the ‘straight wire with gain’ style that should be the goal, but all too often gets perverted by taste. This much was made clear when I upped the speaker ante to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 803 D3 floorstanders; these showed that the Phison has both speed and authority, with extremely solid bass and deep imaging, and all the sounds on the recording had complete integrity. This speaker is nimble, revealing, and very capable in the low end with the A2.120 at the end of its cables, producing music that was as emotionally engaging as it was precise in its presentation.

The Phison A2.120 is clearly not a me-too product. It’s a high performance power amplifier with unusually high transparency, lots of energy, and enough power to control most loudspeakers. As a consequence, it’s not for those who are seeking out a rose-tinted, plush, soft-edged, and euphonic performance. Instead, the A2.120 is a very revealing piece of kit, and shouldn’t that be exactly what we want from the best audio?

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Type: Solid state bridgeable, stereo power amplifier.
• Valve complement: N/A
• Analogue inputs: One pair single ended (via RCA jacks), one pair balanced (via XLR)
• Analogue outputs: One pair of speaker taps (via 5-way binding posts)
• Power output: 120Wpc @ 8 Ohms, 220Wpc @ 4 Ohms, 300Wpc bridged into 8 Ohms
• Bandwidth: 1Hz–330kHz
• Sensitivity: Not specified
• Distortion: Not specified
• Signal to Noise Ratio: Not specified
• Dimensions (H×W×D): 181 × 483 × 476mm
• Weight: 28kg
• Price: €9,450 (c. £7,995)

Manufacturer: Phison Audio

Tel: +45 23362644

URL: www.phisonaudio.dk

UK retailer: Purité Audio

Tel: 0208 815 5878

URL: www.puriteaudio.co.uk

Back to reviews