If you’d stepped into room 488 at the Renaissance Schaumburg hotel last weekend, you’d have found the always-amiable Vinnie Rossi demonstrating his Brama integrated amplifier (introduced here, US$38,995) for the first time since the pandemic struck audio shows from the calendar.
Rossi’s high-end integrated offers remote-switchable access to solid-state or 300B DHT signal paths (with biasing) that feed into a MOSFET output stage for 350wpc into 4 Ohms. Need more power? You want the Brama power amplifier (US$33,995), which promises 500wpc into 4 Ohms, and the matching Brama pre-amplifier (US$33,995), both of which weren’t on show at AXPONA 2022.
Each Brama unit’s circuit is reportedly juiced by a massive “custom-wound 1750VA, magnetically shielded transformer with a highly inductive, insulated core.” The remote control comes with its own display screen, the precision-stepped rotaries from Switzerland and the industrial design from one Olivier Raymond whose previous clients include Porsche Design and Mercedes Benz — each chassis is cut from a solid aluminium billet before being bead-blasted, anodized and laser engraved.
For loudspeakers, Rossi had chosen QLN’s Signature 5 standmount (US$18,000/pair) and fronted the system with a Merason DAC1 (US$6000), an Innuous Statement music server/streamer (US$15,100), an Innuous Phoenix NET network switch (USUS$3500) and a Gigawatt PC-4 EVO+ power conditioner (US$14,500).
We’re not done yet because all that componentry needs a hi-fi rack to properly house it and cables to connect it. Stepping up for duty were the SGR Statement (US$12,000) from Australia and Swiss Cables’ Diamond Series: 3m speaker cable (US$7150), 1.5m analogue interconnects (US$3450) and a 1.5m power cord (US$2800 each).
With the room sitting between listeners’ ears and the hi-fi system, the loudspeakers being unfamiliar to most and so much other hardware in play, I doubt anyone showing up to Rossi’s exhibit would pretend that they were auditioning the Brama. Nevertheless, AXPONA 2022 gave attendees an opportunity to plug its designer with technical questions and marvel at the unit’s glorious build quality.
John currently lives in Berlin where he creates videos and podcasts and pens written pieces for Darko.Audio. He has previously contributed to 6moons, TONEAudio, AudioStream and Stereophile.
Darko.Audio is a member of EISA.
Follow John on YouTube or Instagram
2010 - 2022 · Darko.Audio Studio.Raydianze.com Web-Design