On Saturday night at the 2005 RMAF we staged an impromptu shoot out of three different Tripath Chip amps, speakers where the 100db/1watt open baffle Bastanis Prometheus Wood. Source was an upgraded Audio Alchemy ACD Pro CD system, while the Line Stage was the DIY HiFi Supply "Django" w/amorphous core transformers. All three 6 watt chip amps where highly modified Sonic Impact T-Amps, two from Red Wine Audio www.redwineaudio.com, the Clari-T and the Lotus. The third amp was modded by Gary Pimm gpimm@pacifier.com  I coined it the Pimm-T. (Gary was showcasing his new one of a kind amp in the Bastanis Apollo room next door. A mosfet amp that thinks its a SET, very interesting). 

First up: an early version of the Clari-T that I bought last March from Vinnie Rossi with volume control and optional sub output jacks. (To be fair the Clari-T has several new mods in its current build which Vinnie says moves it closer to the Lotus). 

 

Once the powered subs on the Prometheus Speakers where tuned in, the early Clari T held its own compared to the SET amps it just replaced. No kidding aside this amp sounds very good, much better than most of the dribble at 4 times its price and no comparison to the stock Sonic Impact amp. The Clari T with its 6 watts of power and the super effecient Prometheus are a perfect match. A true hi-end best buy if you consider building your own Prometheus Speaker kit. Add a quality CD player and your there!

Next up: Vinnie's new Lotus Stereo Amp in a beautiful Macasser Ebony wrapper. 

 It took only seconds for everyone to agree the Lotus was better sounding than the Clara T on all fronts. Add the looks to the sound and Vinnie has a real winner here. Is the Lotus better than the SET amps it replaced, well I guess that is a matter of personal taste but I could easily live with the sound of the Lotus flowering in my system.

Last up was Gary Pimm's T amp in the original Sonic Impact wrapper running on the 8 AAA batteries.

 Expectations where running quite low given its plain Jane looks. However one it started to play all concerned took notice. Was it better than the Clari-T, I would have to say yes. Better than the Lotus or the SET's, well.... this would once again be a personal call. What I can say is that the Pimm T was a winner in my book, it presented the human voice with a throaty grunt that was totally different than the competition.

To sum it up, I would have to send more time with all three units to get a handle on there different characters. However from my brief exposure I find the Clara T errors on the thin side, the Lotus centers on a more neutral presentation while the Pimm T presents a richer earthy touch. All three amps threw a huge soundstage through the Prometheus, bass was deep and tight, overall there differences where much smaller than there strengths.  Fact is these little chip amps are here to stay and introduce a whole new price to performance level if your speakers are up to the 6 watt task. Rest assured all the Bastanis Speakers are.

Bill Allen