Tangent PreAmp II and PowerAmpster II

Tangent Audio is a Danish brand with the accent on value. The company has been around since the 1990s and it produces a range of audio products, from radios to loudspeakers, and nothing in the entire, extensive range costs more than €1,500. The PreAmp II and PowerAmpster II are perfect examples of Tangent’s high performance, low-cost approach, costing £199.99 and £249.99 respectively. In a world of ever-soaring prices, a pre/power amp combination costing a couple of pence shy of £450 is incredible value.

Despite the low price, the company hasn’t skimped on quality. OK, so both preamp and power amp are half-sized almost square boxes you can comfortably hold in your hand, and the array of inputs is relatively limited, but I’d argue it has most of the inputs its prospective buyers need, such as v5.0 AptX HD Bluetooth and a minijack ‘aux’ input. It also has a line input that can be switched over to acting as a MM phono stage. The PreAmp II also has an 24 bit/192kHz optical input, both balanced and single-ended outputs and a subwoofer line-level connection. 

The company also makes a FM/DAB tuner and CD player in the same line, and you can only add those into the mix if one of them is connected via the aux or optical input, and if you used this full four-box stack, you are close to running out of inputs for a record player. Personally, I’d feel happier with two sets of line level inputs (one switchable as phono) and a USB socket or something equally streaming-based like a RJ45 input for networked audio, but this would raise the price and might be too many options for the PreAmp II’s intended audience. The 6.3mm headphone jack also represents a perfect option for its target market.

Not a bridge too far

Meanwhile, the power amplifier is bridgeable, 50W into eight ohms and 100W into four, stereo amplifier with both balanced and single-ended inputs and a set of excellent WBT-ish speaker terminals. While the PowerAmpster II adds top ventilation to the rear and side of the PreAmp II, it doesn’t run that warm in practice. A relatively cool-running 100W amplifier in a box not much larger or heavier than that box of Black Magic chocolates you used to give to your nan means it’s a Class D design. But once again, this fits the potential market; Class D’s biggest practical limitation (depending on application) is coping with more reactive impedance dips, and such punishing loudspeaker loads never plague the kind of affordable loudspeakers that might be powered by the PowerAmpster.

The option to run two PowerAmpster II power amps is as simple as throwing a switch, hooking everything up, and waiting a couple of seconds in power-up mode. This semi-auto bridge mode means it’s a 200W per channel amplifier.

Operation and connections are straightforward and consequently the manual is relatively brief. In truth, the manual doesn’t need to be that comprehensive, and is more a quick start guide for audio electronics newbies. I’d argue the manuals might be a touch too gnomic for those putting their toe in the audio waters for the first time, but this is not a big deal.

I spent a lot of my formative audio years loving a spot of audio minimalism, but the Tangents take that notion and run with it. Those deceptively thick black anodised aluminium front panels take minimalism to a new level; the PowerAmpster II having nothing more than an indicator light on the front. The PreAmp II ups the ante to five indicator lights, a remote eye, a headphone socket and a combination volume control and source selector. In fact, the PreAmp II is more comprehensively equipped, adding treble and bass controls. But not mute or balance adjustment.

Having XLR connections between the amps alongside the RCA single-ended inputs and outputs seems a somewhat elaborate option for an entry-level amplifier combo, but the more I thought about these amps in the context of their potential buyers instead of just ‘me’, this makes a lot of sense. For audiophile sensibilities, we might look at XLRs as using as a long low-noise connections between pre and power in large systems in even larger rooms. While this is useful, I doubt many PreAmp II and PowerAmpster II will be separated by 10m or more. So, surely RCA is all you need?

Not necessarily. A small, inexpensive, and cool-running 100W Class A amplifier is going to be drafted into use connecting mini mixing desks of bedroom DJs across the globe. Some of these PowerAmpster IIs will likely never be fed anything else, and some will be in the home one day, pumping out house music the next. Ultimately, it adds a feather in the PowerAmpster II’s cap, regardless of whether someone buys a matching PreAmp II.

The fun bit

All this talk of bedroom DJ use is getting away from the main point. What do they sound like? Actually… a lot of fun! It’s a very detailed sound, with a great and bouncy sense of rhythm, a lot of scale and power, and the sort of boundless energy of a year-old Cocker Spaniel.

I found myself happily feeding signals via Bluetooth (I suspect Bluetooth and vinyl will be its two main sources) and loving every minute. I mean, if you find yourself playing Donny Hathaway’s live version of ‘The Ghetto’ [Live, Atlantic], then pivot to Julio Iglesias singing ‘La Mer’ [En El Olympia, Philips] and find yourself doing those silly little dad dancing hip movements, you know the amps give good rhythm and have great energy. 

The Tangents are also detailed and precise, with a fine sense of bass energy and definition. There’s a strong sense of the two being full-bodied, full-throat, and energetic in playing almost anything. While I did find myself going more for the Prodigy than Pachelbel in playing these amps, they could cope with both well; it was just belting out ‘Poison’ [Music for the Jilted Generation, XL] sounded a lot more ‘Tangent’ than Canon in D.

They are also nicely dynamic. Granted, the price of the amps almost guarantee they will be used with smaller two-way stand-mounts, but in that context, they grab hold of the loudspeaker drivers well and give them a powerful shakedown when playing Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances [Zinman, Baltimore SO, Telarc]. 

Soundstaging is good if not ‘great’. Playing the overture to Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance [D’Oyly Carte, Decca Eloquence], the excellent three-dimensionality of this late 1950s classic is foreshortened in both depth and soundstage height, making the orchestra pit sound a little more cramped! But what the Tangents lack in stage depth, they more than make up for with energy and the force of those dynamic swells.

Euphemisms á go go

Are ‘energy’ and ‘power’ euphemisms for ‘bright’ and a sound that’s a little rough around the edges? Sure. The amps are forward sounding and play something that demands a smooth, slightly warmed up response and the Tangent duo get out of their happy place. But, I can cut the PreAmp II and PowerAmpster II a lot of slack because of their low price.

OK, so no-one is going to be trading in their Gryphon preamp or their D’Agostino power amps for the Tangent, but that’s missing the point. There’s no ‘giant killer’ here, just good, solid amplifiers at an outstandingly low price. And in performance terms, they are on a par with each other. 

These are the amps you recommend someone who is just starting out and wants something with room to grow. These are the amps you put in that second music room, or even second home. These are the amps you give to your son or daughter as they go off to college, knowing that sooner or later that power amp is going to end up being fed by a mixer and powering up a small home club. That’s why we like them so much.

There is more than a nod toward audiophile performance with the Tangent PreAmp II and PowerAmpster II, but the Tangents also represent the most affordable way into pre/power amplifier systems at this time, and that gives those audiophiles in waiting something that sounds good today and can be upgraded piece-by-piece tomorrow. They are a true steppingstone to audio greatness, but that they sound pretty damn good and are so well priced, means for many people the Tangent duo just might be all they need. 

Technical specifications

PreAmp II

• Type preamplifier with Bluetooth input
• Inputs Bluetooth aerial, optical digital, 3.5mm ‘aux’ analogue input, 1× RCA stereo pair, switchable as MM phono or line input
• Outputs 1× RCA stereo pair, 1x XLR stereo pair, 1x RCA subwoofer output, 6.35mm headphone jack
• Bluetooth v5.0 AptX HD
• DAC precision 24bit, 192kHz
• Frequency Response 20Hz–20kHz
• Dimensions (W×H×D) 33 × 12 × 26cm
• Weight 1.72kg
• Price £199.99

PowerAmpster II

• Type Class D stereo power amplifier with bridged mono option
• Power Output 2× 50W into 8Ω, 2× 100W into 4Ω
• Power Output (bridged mode) 2× 200W into 4Ω
• Inputs 2× RCA, 2× XLR
• Outposts binding post terminals (accept spade lugs, bare wire, 4mm bananas)
• Frequency Response 20Hz–50kHz 
• Dimensions (W×H×D) 33 × 12 × 26cm
• Weight 2kg
• Price £249.99

Manufacturer

Tangent

tangent-audio.com

UK Distributor

Avoke Ltd

avoke.co.uk

+44(0)1628 857958

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