There's something fascinating and mysterious that tends to push me towards big and compact amplifiers. A particular attraction, a desire to interact with electronics that, at first glance, give remarkable sensations.
It's something I've been carrying with me for so many years. Long before I became a Hi-Fi operator, in fact, when my days (and especially my afternoons) spent immersed in music, among the wonderful folds of songs loaded with suggestions.
Nothing is more absorbing than being a teenager. Of that age we remember the torments, of course, but we will never be able to forget the enthusiasm, the birth of passions, the scents, the smells, the music that accompanied those moments of growth, base, though sometimes labile, of what we would have become.
Some of my dreams and aspirations, indeed, revolved between the awareness of loving music and an instinctive interest in the amplifiers and speakers that would allow me to enjoy it fully. With the awareness that some products, for the youthful age, and the spending capacity, were forbidden to me at that time.
Amateur pianist, passionate about music, Hi-Fi products and cars, even at my young age at that time (I would emphasize then...) I had the awareness that the best sounds came from the tail-pianos, capable of sounding the concert halls in an excellent way, with their immense mole, compared to the vertical piano. I knew that high-performance engines were often large cubes, and, likewise, I was convinced that a great sound could only come from large, high-quality electronic speakers.
Time and experience have taught me that everything is relative. But, in our field, that of high quality fidelity, relativity applies to a certain extent. Often minimalism, the result of cyclical modes that return and disappear, becomes synonymous with compromise. Compromised with the needs of the family, compromised in the environments with which to interact, compromise with the cost of a particular product... It happens that behind an amplifier of the dimensions contained you find under-sized components, power sections not to the height, and, above all, performance that, if they can satisfy the average listener, become insufficient for the real audiofiles or, without applying labels, for the more competent enthusiasts who seek quality overrides during their listening.
The integrated amplifier Tonewinner AD-3PRO+ is, on the other hand, an electronics built without compromises. With the clear objective of obtaining the maximum possible performance within your reference sector, which is not what the price might suggest but which must be identified in a significantly higher segment.
The 165 watts of power per channel over 8 ohms, the enormous driving capacity of any speaker, the construction with the first Watt in Class A, the possibility to opt for the class A, AB or Auto, according to the user’s preferences, the large toroidal transformer, the choice to turn to one of the best high-end DACs, the presence of balanced and unbalanced inputs, the output (either balanced or unbalance) to connect a subwoofer, the phono input for the use of MC or MM sound elevators....all suggests that it was not possible to choose for a minimalist design, when the Tonewinner end, clear and undeniable, from the design, stood on the desire to obtain maximum performance during the listening of the most competent and refined amateurs.
The 31 Kg of weight is just a “quick” testimony, a concrete data, to understand a certain way of designing the amplifiers by Tonewinner. Furthermore, we are talking about a manufacturer with more than 30 years of experience in the construction of high-quality electronics that, with its PRO series, which includes another integrated amplifier, (AD-2PRO+), a stereo terminal (AD-1PA+)., a preamp ( AD-1PRE+) and a CD player (TY-1CD) stands in the very high range, in competition, for performance and constructive characteristics, with the most prestigious brands of the international market.
Sound quality:
The AD-3PRO+ is a real central capable of controlling with determination and rigour any speaker, even the most demanding. With extraordinary dynamics and power, he knows what it takes to unlock all the potential of the speakers that will interact with him.
An amplifier that “hears” music; the ideal partner to dig into the folds of deep emotions, between whispering and engaging passages “very strong” where all the fullness of the sound message can be triggered, powerful, emerging with vividity and naturality. The AD-3PRO+ knows how to follow the music like a few, making even the silences alive, solidifying the etheric air that surrounds the instruments and the singers, charging them with an extraordinary spatiality, providing those magnificent details that, ultimately, are the very figure and distinctive that separates the good amplifiers from the exceptional ones.
For volume control we opted for increases and decreases of 0.5 dB, allowing to obtain an almost maniac accuracy of sound pressures. An option that, although it may make you lose some “instinctivity” in volume management, allows the listener to count on what, in a product of this type, cannot be missed: the perfect control of every parameter, with certain meticulosity.
The low frequencies are not only reproduced with an extension and with an energy rather rare among amplifiers of this price, but also with perfect timing, with great rhythmic capacities.
A scenario of great coherence and extension combines a clear feeling of freshness in the best management of the information to be sent to speakers.
Percussion sounds live a new season, which animates the musical experience; The bass drum, in particular, manages to penetrate the listener's heart and stomach, transmitting powerful and engaging sensations, comparable only to the impact of much higher-priced amplifiers.
Vocal reproduction is not even a weakness with the AD-3PRO+, offering qualities of fidelity and remarkable abilities to exalt the timbre nuances and every dynamic variation with clarity and naturalness.
The Tonewinner AD-3PRO+ is ready to compete (and to say its own) with integrated amplifiers belonging to a significantly higher price segment. By merely analysing the sound characteristics that could be expected from its cost, Tonewinner AD-3PRO+ stands out as an extraordinary option, with sincerely stunning performances.
Add to this an extremely robust construction, with the use of precious components, and a look-catching design. That is enough to make it one of the category references, with the undisputed merit of making exceptional sound productions at the reach of many. A true tribute to high loyalty and the best way to enjoy it.
