Review: Thrax Enyo Signature Integrated Amplifier

Regardless of how deep I attempted digging into the sound of the Thrax Enyo Signature Built-in Amplifier, music saved smacking me within the face foiling any makes an attempt to pay attention previous the tunes.

“Essential listening” or no matter else we wish to name listening to the gear on the expense of music is just not one thing I take pleasure in doing which is why it’s known as work so far as I’m involved. Whereas I get the thought of listening previous the music to suss out what the gear is imparting on the sound, your complete level of shopping for a hifi is to place that form of listening behind us, ideally ceaselessly, so we are able to get on with the lifelong journey music has in retailer for us all.

Generally amusical issues do stand out and other than the music, one thing simply heard in early digital replay, in rooms with lumpy modes, or improperly setup or underpowered audio system for just some examples. Issues that distract from the music expertise by calling consideration to sounds. That mentioned, anybody who’s listened to music in a automobile whereas driving is aware of learn how to block out extraneous noise and probably poor playback high quality to get on the coronary heart of the music in play regardless that we are able to’t hear all of it as a result of the noise is as noisy or noisier than the quiet bits. We make do.

However in a house hifi, one which’s used to hearken to music whereas doing nothing, not a factor else, the standard of the expertise issues extra. Right here, we wish to construct a hifi that honors music by reproducing recordings in a fashion that sounds pure, in a fashion that makes connecting to music a simple exercise whose solely necessities are time and a focus.

Throughout its Barn keep, I paired the Thrax Enyo with 4 totally different pairs of audio system—the Vivid Kaya (evaluation), YG Acoustics Summit (extra information), Residing Voice Auditorium R25A Loudspeakers (extra information), and the Barn resident DeVore Constancy O/96 (evaluation). One factor I can say concerning the Enyo’s efficiency is it sounded at residence with each pair, serving to to create music in Barn that without delay fascinating, thrilling, and endlessly pleasurable. That, in my expertise, is an excellent factor.

Rumen Artarski is Thrax Audio’s chief designer and he based the corporate in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2009 after spending just a few a long time in and across the enterprise of hifi. Thrax presents a broad line of merchandise that features a turntable, tonearm (designed by Frank Schröder), a DAC, a step-up transformer, preamplifiers, energy amplifiers topping out with the $90k+ SPARTACUS 300 Pure 300B Energy Amp, built-in amplifiers, and audio system. As I mentioned, broad. I like to recommend a go to to the Thrax About pages the place you learn concerning the folks behind the merchandise and the corporate’s Philosophy.

Right here’s an fascinating quote from an interview with Artarski on Mono and Stereo:

Typically, I’m after readability with a bit of heat within the tone. Stress-free dynamics with sufficient decision and distinction are the primary qualities I search. With the ability to convey the modulation and alter in tone and texture as an instrument is performed. Every stroke of a bow may have a barely totally different tone and typically the music is in these variations. Listening to them conveys the emotional message.

Let’s bookmark these ideas for now.

The Thrax Enyo Signature homes a Roon Prepared streamer, a discrete DAC that helps as much as 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD256, a MM and MC phono stage, passive tube preamp, and a pair of fifty Watt per channel totally differential DC-coupled single-ended triode-based mono amps all wrapped up in a single black anodized aluminum chassis. The complete tube praise finds two pair of 6N6Ps within the enter and driver phases and Russian GU50 energy pentodes offering output energy. There is no such thing as a international unfavorable employed within the Enyo.

The enterprise finish of the Enyo Signature tells the total out and in story with 6x digital inputs, 1x MM/MC enter, 2x single-ended and 1x balanced line degree inputs, and 4 and eight Ohm speaker faucets.

Six multi-function buttons, a 4.3″ LCD show, and two stainless-steel strips adorn the easy entrance finish. Signature patrons get the matching aluminum Thrax distant that comes with their increased finish preamps. Good.

Seeing because the Enyo features a Roon-Prepared streamer, DAC, and phono stage builtin, I ran with it as digital entrance finish in addition to phono preamp. The complete evaluation system additionally noticed the Barn resident Auralic ARIES G1.1 Streamer (evaluation) feeding the totaldac d1-unity (evaluation) or the Mola Mola Tambaqui (evaluation) take a flip with the Michell Gyro SE ‘desk/Michell T8 tonearm/Ortofon 2M Black cartridge paired with the Enyo’s Phono In. All cables had been from AudioQuest together with ThunderBird interconnects, Robin Hood Speaker Cables, Diamond AES/EBU cable, and Thunder Excessive-Present AC energy cables plugged right into a AQ Niagara 3000 energy conditioner. The Field Furnishings “Fallen A” supported the solid (full system and Barn particulars).

Shannon Lay’s Geist is a gem of loveliness, deceptively easy singer-songwriter music that has extra twists and turns than a snake caught in a maze.

From the liner notes:

Lay tracked vocals and guitar at Jarvis Tavinere of Woods’s studio, then despatched the songs out to multi-instrumentalists Ben Boye (Bonnie Prince Billy, Ty Segall) in Los Angeles and Devin Hoff (Sharon Van Etten, Cibo Matto) in New York; trusting their musical instincts and instinct. She then despatched these recordings to Sofia Arreguin (Wand) and Aaron Otheim (Heatwarmer, Mega Bathroom) for extra keys, whereas Ty Segall contributed a guitar solo on “Shores.”

An prolonged household affair and the depth and breadth of Geist greater than hints in any respect these masterful arms within the combine. With the Thrax Enyo as streaming DAC and answerable for the DeVore O/96 as built-in amp had this music ringing out in Barn with resplendent voice, sounding and feeling proper and wealthy. There’s a sweetness to the Enyo’s sound, each as DAC and amp, that trades excessive incisiveness, some would possibly argue a man-made edginess some digital appears to take pleasure in, for a fuller bodied human heat. This sort of sound sounds proper to me and permits for easy entry, a very relaxed but totally gripping presentation.

Appears to me that some digital has a tough time with timing and that is evident on music that will get its infectious power from similar like Toots & The Maytals In The Darkish from 1976 which I like greater than I like Funky Kingston as a result of the previous comprises “54-46 Was My Quantity” a music I’ve by no means efficiently sat by means of. The Enyo as digital entrance finish and amp driving the O/96 had me up and dancing very quickly flat, its easy and alluring sound providing an irresistible invitation to the Barn’s dance flooring. I might go as far as to recommend that hyper-detailed DACs that look nice on paper achieve this on the expense of the stuff that occurs in time however it’s solely a hunch.

In any occasion, the Enyo is a groove machine that supplied bountiful fats and totally fashioned bass response from each speaker I paired it with. In fact I do know the DeVore’s the perfect and the Enyo coaxed among the finest and fullest bass from them thus far, solely edged out by the Audia Flight FLS 10 Built-in Amplifier (evaluation) which was actually outstanding on this regard.

The Enyo as amp is splendidly wealthy sounding, not sloppy thoughts you, and it makes music really feel timbrally proper. Ripe, not mushy. Lulu Bear, our Bernese Mountain canine, received’t contact an overripe banana, in any other case a chew of a banana is a favourite deal with, and her eager sense of scent means she received’t even put her nostril close to one. I do know some folks really feel the identical means a couple of ‘tube amp’ as if each tube amp sounds overripe and mushy. In fact this might not be farther from the reality and the Thrax Enyo is one such beast that places that poor excuse for an statement to mattress for good with its managed weighty wealthy voice.

Paired with the Vivid Kaya K45, music was fantastically startlingly current as if the entire power that existed within the folks making the music was by some means captured on document solely to be totally unfolded in Barn. Like lightning in a bottle, the Vivid/Enyo combo made music really feel vitally current.

However this trait, making music sound vitally current, was one of many different issues that traveled with the Enyo irrespective of the speaker in play. The Thrax appeared to have the ability to push the perfect out of the Vivids and DeVores and whereas it’s too early in my listening to be conclusive, it positive lights up the YG Summits and Residing Voice R25A in comparable style.

I additionally spent actual time spinning information with the Enyo’s phono stage taking the output from the Michel Gyro ‘desk. The Ortofon Black cartridge is of the shifting magnet selection however the Enyo’s phono stage may also accommodate MC carts utilizing the menu system to entry the related settings.

There’s nothing like a superb 12” EP when you love making a meal out an appetizer as a lot as I do and The Birthday Get together’s The Pal Catherlaunched on 4AD in 1983, is amongst my favorites. Daring, brash, loud and indignant, Nick Cave and the boys on this band together with Fender Jaguar guitar whiz Roland S. Howard are in tippy high type and this document comprises extra power than a barrel filled with bees. Offended bees. My favourite observe amongst these 5 favourite tracks is “Launch the Bats” for Nick Cave’s not so refined nod to the person from Graceland, if Elvis had ever sung about intercourse bat horror vampires.

Backed by Phil Calvert on drums and Tracy Pew’s attractive bass line, Cave rumbles in his finest pseudo baritone, “my child is alright / she doesn’t thoughts a little bit of grime / she says ‘horror vampire bat chew” after which Howard shrieks in and explodes the entire thing. Brutal power and the Enyo’s phono stage bought all of it with the very comparable relaxed but gripping sound of the DAC. We’re not speaking about extremely sheen metallic highs, we’re speaking extra of a burnished brilliance. Regardless of the phrases put to the sound, I used to be within the combine feeling each ounce of venom The Birthday Get together bottled on this tasty slice of a 12”.

Seeing as this Signature model is the one model accessible within the USA, and it comes with the streaming DAC and phono stage, house owners ought to, in my view, reside with them for some actual time earlier than even interested by including outboard replacements. In fact you will get extra from a separate streamer and DAC, I examined this concept utilizing the Auralic AIRES G1.1 / totaldac d1-unity combo and it upped the visceral influence, exploded the sound picture to even higher dimensions, and appeared to supply finer grained texture and backbone however we’re speaking about including greater than $15k to the Enyo’s worth. The identical goes for the phono stage and positive, the Manley Chinook (evaluation) improves on the Enyo’s inbuilt choice for about $3200 bucks. However this type of considering, higher at any value, is extra of a illness than a pursuit to higher join with music. In my humble opinion.

Let’s end the music choices with a stunning, advanced magnificence from Sudan Archives Pure Brown Promenade Queen from final 12 months. Violinist, singer, and songwriter Brittney Denise Parks is Sudan Archives and he or she actually let all of it hang around on Promenade Queena wealthy sonic tapestry of earthy delights. That is driving dense music with layers of sound over infectious beats grounded by bottomless bass and the Thrax/DeVore combo stuffed the Barn with kaleidoscopic power in each route sounding huge, fats, wealthy, full and enjoyable. There’s actual grunt and growl behind the Enyo’s means with music that imparts weight, tone, and texture with life-like power that turns listening into an motion sport. Particularly when you transfer round to the beat, one thing Sudan Archives and this method made virtually necessary.

Infectious music-inspired power of this caliber launched into the Barn by the Enyo by means of 4 totally different audio system speaks to a voice that loves music as a lot as I do. The very last thing, the very last item I wish to be interested by when listening to music is dissecting it like a corpse as if the center of music can solely be present in bits and items of indifferent sonic trivialities. The Thrax Enyo as streaming DAC, phono stage, and built-in amp pulverized this type of sonic taxidermy making the act of listening to music utterly fascinating, thrilling, and endlessly pleasurable.

Thrax Enyo Signature Built-in Amplifier
Value: $21,500
Firm Web site: Thrax Audio
US Distributor Web site: Excessive Finish by Oz