model 5 preamplifier

In issue 35 of the Britsh magazine HiFi+, the editor Roy Gregory has given the model five a rave review with quotes like:

 “...This is a product that makes recordings sound lively and direct, exciting and engaging... the way it holds the soloist against the orchestral background, extracting every ounce of his passion and technique."..."For me that is what hi-fi should be all about and on those grounds the AUDIOPAX model five deserves, even demands, your attention...”.

model 5 preamplifier

At 6moons.com, the editor, Srajan Ebaen, reviewed the model five: 

 “...For now and based on what I’m familiar with, the model five gets my vote as the perfect passive/active preamp implementation. It’s passive in the areas of transparency and linearity and thus “solid-sate”. It’s unusually active in maximizing dynamics, space and image density and thus becames “tubes”...” After the review he purchased the review sample.

model 5 preamplifier

Knuth Vadseth, the editor of the prestigious Fidelity magazine in Norway has said that “...this preamplifier shines in a musical way that is remarkable... in certain very important aspects this is the best preamplifier I have ever heard...”.

model 88 amplifier

Roy Gregory, Editor of UK magazine Hifi+, did us the great honor of putting our Model 88 on the front cover of Issue 28. The review headline reads "Bias: Brazilian all-star Audiopax Model 88 moves the tube goalposts".

He concludes: "... The Model 88s never put a foot wrong. No matter how deconstructed proceedings get, everything stays locked, perfectly in place. Musically it's a technically demanding tour de force, and the fact that the amps reveal that so clearly and with so little apparent effort is testament to their musical integrity...

These beautifully presented little amps certainly walk the walk and with the appropriate care they talk the talk. Audiopax and Timbre Lock get a big thumbs up from me..."

ref100 loudspeaker

The reviewer says that this speaker is "all about the music and musicality" and notes how, at some point in the review, he was drawn into the experience for four hours so as to completely forget to analyze it. He also comments that  "the Ref100 has a very different agenda to almost any other high-end brand I've encountered over the last few years" but certainly we feel that the review was somewhat disapointing. Very high power solid state amplifiers were mainly used to evaluate the speaker but our Model 100's bass alignment was deliberately engineered to complement the very specific needs of low- to medium-powered no-feedback valve amplifiers. In fact, this special complementary function extends far beyond just the bass or even just frequency domain. This is no secret. By implication, optimizing our speakers in this specific fashion means that typical high-current high damping-factor amplifiers, specially of such high power as the one most used in the review, will not work well. Then why use them? Anyway, it is a very nice front cover. 

model 5 preamplifier

"... The Model 5 frees you from concerns about equipment partnering and presents the music in a tonally full and emotionally rich manner. Starting with the first notes of your preferred recordings, your brain will instantly note that something truly extraordinary is occurring. You doubt this? I certainly hope that you do. Please do not put any faith into this article. Your surprise and the impact of personal discovery will be far greater that way just as it was with everyone who had the pleasure of listening to this preamp in our space. Simply put, no listener left their audition after accidentally walking in. Everyone understood what this Timbre Lock should mean to high fidelity sound reproduction from now on. It is more than a step forward. It gives so much audible realism that I can only relate it to live concerts.

Despite all of the above, I have not bothered to talk about timbral balance, texture, harmonic body, presence etc... It would be a waste of time. Everything the best preamplifiers in the world do, this preamplifier will do - but with a difference: It is friendly to the system in a way that can adapt to any situation. We need to ask: Is there any other preamplifier that can claim this compatibility? Viewed from this perspective, is the Model 5 not a bona fide revolution?

I urge you to listen to this preamplifier as soon as possible. Do not miss out. I can guarantee that it will point you to a new reference standard that's truly in line with this new century..."

Fernando Andrette, September 2004, Clube do AUDIO E VIDEO

model 88 amplifier

"... Every once in a while, something comes along -- not necessarily earth-shattering, I hasten to add -- that leaves a reviewer hamstrung. Genuinely new technology will baffle all but, say Paul Miller or Martin Colloms, while products with performance way about their fighting weight leave us lost for words, since we've raped every hyperbole going. But the Audiopax Model 88 monoblock 30w valve power amp is different because it features its own sound tailoring facility, so to speak. Imagine, then, a component that is intrinsically 'unreviewable' because it has no fixed sound...

The company calls it 'the world's first (and only) optimally adjustable amplifer/speaker interface', and it is subtle yet audible enough to exhibit changes that alter the performance enough to accomodate -- in my system -- speakers as disparate as Quad ESL-57s, BBC LS3/5As and Wilson WATT Puppy System 7..."

What the Audiopax designer has done, consciously or unconsciously, deliberately or not, is produce an amp that can never be criticised. A bad review? The manufacturer can always suggest that the writer didn't set the Timbre Lock correctly..."

Ken Kessler, November 2003, HiFi News Vol. 48 No. 11

stereo 88 amplifier

"... Even the source of this single-ended triode amplifier is unusual - not much hi-fi originates in Brazil, but that happens to be the home of Audiopax designer Eduardo de Lima. He's clearly a great thinker, and his website includes a very considered article by him reviewing the state of single-ended valve amp design and its enduring appeal in the face of much superficial objective evidence that its capabilities are limited, not to say hobbled... What's considerably more intruiging, however, is de Lima's claim that his amplifiers can reduce total system distortion. Snake oil? Not at all. In simply numerical terms, system distortion is normally dominated by the loudspeaker. Speaker distortion can be lowered by using an amplifier with very high output impedance, driving the speaker in 'current mode'. The output impedance of most SET amps is not high enouhg to reap the full benefit of that (and pure current drive to normal speakers results in a completely out-to-lunch frequency response), but de Lima points out that an alternative approach is to generate an opposing distortion term which cancels the distortion of the speaker. In other words, the distortion of a SET amp can be 'tuned' to null that of the speaker itself, leaving, ideally, a cleaner spectrum than that produced by such low-distortion tours de force as the 'Super-Fidelity' Halcro models, Bryston and so on..."

Richard Black, September 2003, HiFi Choice Issue 245

stereo 88 amplifier

"... The Audiopax Stereo 88 reminds me of one of my all-time favorite tube amplifiers. Like the Stereo 88, my old flame owed the lion's share of its success to a fantastically clean and emotionally communicative yet intellectually honest midrange. Its treble was so well behaved and balanced as to almost defy description. Bass was tight and controlled enough that the listener would easily forgive the absent last iota of brute power. The amp? The Audiopax Model 3 integrated. What precluded a universal recommendation was an output of only 7.5 watts. On the other hand, what made the no-longer-available Model 3 even more memorable was its price - $1,980 USD. True, that's a far cry from the Stereo 88's price. But what the Stereo 88 delivers is the same degree of performance (or higher - don't we all view past loves with rose- colored glasses?), double the power output, a degree of adjustability designed to optimize performance with just about any appropriate speaker and a fit, finish and build quality that is both heads and shoulders better to instill real pride of ownership..."

John Potis, August 2003, 6moons.com

stereo 88 amplifier

"... I will start here with the conclusion then. The AUDIOPAX Stereo 88 definitely retains all the magic, enchantment and musicality of the monoblocs which, by themselves, have been one of the most emotionally involving amplifiers I have ever heard in my entire life.

What was present here were the same absolutely jetblack silences that had left me almost in vertigo with the monoblocs. Present too was the startlingly real reconstruction of the harmonic envelope. The highs were clean and extended, floating in the air like clouds on a beautiful spring morning sky.

The midrange - ah, the midrange. It's just not fair!! That aspect alone should suffice to send its designer to jail. But then, perhaps not? He could have too much spare time to come up with anything else. The midrange was so real and organic. Without any effort whatsoever, I discerned the musicians' every intention no matter how subtle. The degree of emotion you'll uncover in some of Diane Reeves' tunes? That is mighty difficult to express.

If I am not careful with my words, I shall be the one locked away in some kind of asylum.With the Stereo 88, the sheer quantity of information in Diane's voice allowed us to hear the multiplicity of feelings inherent in her singing, just as being affected by a masterful speech wherein a very slight change in the orator's voice changes the entire flavor of conveyed meaning.

You know about this? Well, these same micro variations were clearly present for anyone who cherishes such perceptions. Madness? Perhaps. I prefer to think that these AUDIOPAX amps caught me during a very emotional time. Still, what I have heard will forever be etched in my audio memory...

If you have rooms of up to around 16sqm; speakers in the 90-92 dB efficiency range; match it with a very good preamplifier (at least in our Gold category) and a good signal source; the Stereo 88 is a great investment. It'll welcome you into Sonic Heaven through the main gate, with the red carpet, fanfare and VIP reception..."

Fernando Andrette, May 2003, Clube do AUDIO E VIDEO

Based on this review, the AUDIOPAX Stereo 88 was awarded the GOLD REFERENCE rating, signifying the highest-possible performance just on the cusp of the ultimate DIAMOND class reserved for cost-no-object components like our Model 88.

model 88 amplifier

"... When I try to get a handle on the sound of a component, my approach at first is always holistic rather than an attempt to focus on any specific sonic attribute. Does the sound resemble live music? Does the component allow the music played through it to reach me at an emotional level? Can I listen for long periods without feeling like I want to do something else?

In the case of the Audiopax Model Eighty Eight, the answer to all these questions was a resounding "Yes". The music just seemed to be there, the amplifier (and the rest of the system) getting out of the way. The most striking aspect of the Model Eighty Eight's contribution to the system's sound was that it seemed to reduce much of the harshness and edgy quality that I'd assumed was simply a characteristic of certain recordings. Whether this was due to the claimed reduction of total system distortion or the effect of a kind of "harmonic enhancement", perhaps replacing what had been lost in the recording/playback process, I can't say. Whatever the exact mechanism, having the Model Eighty Eight in the system made for exceptionally relaxed, stressfree, nonfatiguing listening...

... I kept hearing little details that I hadn't noticed before. Resolution of detail was in the top class, just not overemphasized or thrust at me in an obvious way - come to think of it, a lot like live music...

It had much the same liquid midrange quality that I remember from such SET amplifiers as the Wavelength Gemini and the Cary CAD-2A3-SE... in my review of the Air Tight ATM-211, I said that that amplifier's delineation of sundstage depth was the best I'd heard in my system. Although I didn't have the ATM-211 around for direct comparison, I'd say that its record has been tied by the Model Eighty Eight.... The Audiopax Model Eighty Eight is the result of some original thinking about amplifier design, and it suceeds brilliantly. The Eighty Eight's contribution to the sound of my audio system was always musical, doing its job in a way that extracted maximum listening pleasure, whatever the technical quality of the source material... I suspect most people who have the opportunity to hear what the Model Eighty Eight can do for their enjoyment of recorded music -- and who are not discouraged by its price -- will find it hard to resist."

Robert Deutsch, Stereophile Vol. 26 No.5, May 2003

model 88 amplifier

"... This harmonious treble effulgence could well be what strikes newcomers to Eduardo's sound as most unique at first. It's the most obvious "different" quality. Amps like the 47Lab Shigaraki exhibit similar image density. The Art Audio PX-25 enjoys comparable harmonic abundance, equally admirably absence of detectable texture. This exact treble quality however, in my experience, is exclusive to AUDIOPAX. It's a highly critical area of playback performance where artifice is most easily spotted. It's likely why I'm so stuck on these amps. Now add the other qualities already described. You may begin to appreciate why I've settled down with them ...

... In closing, in my ongoing career as audiophile and music fiend -- blundering would-be philosopher a tame third to curtail the excessive behavior of the first two maniacs -- I haven't come across another amplifier yet whose potent virtues speak to me with this particular brand of seduction, brains and sheer believability... I'm done doing the honors 'round here. The burden of proof has long since faded. It's been replaced with what approaches a full year of uninterrupted pride-of-place pleasure ..."

Srajan Ebaen, publisher, 6moons.com, 3/15/03