I can rely on one hand the variety of built-in amplifiers that stand above and other than the entire others I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing. Right here’s the record:
The Riviera Labs Levante (assessment), Soulution 330 (assessment), and the Viva Solista. Every, very a lot in its personal approach, provide efficiency that elevated listening to music on the hifi to new ranges. I’m not speaking about some goal measurable purpose as a result of these don’t exist in hifi if the expertise issues greater than an summary ideally suited. I’m speaking about music copy that made me sit up straighter and take discover of the music at hand in methods I hadn’t skilled earlier than. And in every case—with the Riviera Labs, the Soulution, and the Viva—the variations have been as plain as knights and dates.
The enjoyable half as a reviewer comes about when attempting to place the expertise, the human response, the result, into phrases. Some folks wish to scoff at these makes an attempt, making enjoyable of flowery language or another pigheaded fake machismo as if the expertise, the story, issues lower than some binary end result (good/unhealthy). These identical males, it’s at all times males, sometimes can’t write price a rattling which makes me surprise how a lot literature they’ve learn so I suppose I can perceive with regards to studying phrases that inform a narrative versus providing a single directive (purchase/don’t purchase), it could possibly confound the spec- and measurement-first crowd like peanut butter stuffed right into a rubber toy.
The Viva Solista is a single-ended Class A built-in amplifier that depends on two pair of Psvane 845 triodes to provide its 22 Watts of output energy. Pairs of 6C45i triodes and Tung Sol 6SN7GTs provide enter and driver performance, that latter driving the large, unhealthy, straight heated 845s. There isn’t a unfavorable suggestions employed within the point-to-point wired Solista. Viva, the corporate, was based in Vicenza, Italy in 1996 by designer Amedeo Schembri and I don’t recall precisely when or the place it was I first noticed and heard one in every of his amplifiers however I bear in mind pondering, “I’d like to get a type of dwelling” (it was lengthy earlier than the Barn). And as is the case with most traditional hifi, I learn, and re-read Artwork Dudley’s assessment [footnote 1] of the unique Solista from 2005 within the pages of Stereophile, which made me much more keen to listen to one.
The Solista sports activities 4 single ended inputs (1x XLR, 3x RCA), 1 Direct enter which bypasses the energetic preamp stage, what I assume are “S” Sub Outputs (1x XLR, 1x RCA), and a pair of speaker binding posts. The included black aluminum distant was designed for individuals who hate sophisticated remotes, folks like me, because it gives however two controls—quantity up and the opposite approach.
To my eyes, fingers, and tastes the Viva Solista is a pleasure to behold and use, its clear deviation from a field is a refreshing change. The entrance face gives three same-sized controls for energy, quantity, and enter.
I additionally ended up loving that non-obligatory yellow end. Three issues to remember about dwelling with the Solista—845s run scorching, it’s 20-inches deep, and weighs about 77lbs.
I paired the Solista with the Barn resident DeVore Constancy O/96 (assessment), a love affair if ever there was one between an amp and speaker, the just lately reviewed Volti Audio Rival SE (assessment), and Vivid Giya GIYA G3 Sequence 2 (extra data). And I can let you know the Viva drove all of them with excellent management from backside, and oh what a backside it has, to high with speculator dawn and sundown colours balanced with simply the correct amount of readability and management to make the expertise of listening to music really feel. . .important.
The assessment pattern Auralic ARIES G2.2 (extra data) fed the Barn resident totaldac d1-unity (assessment) for a lot of the Viva’s keep on the A-Facet, whereas the Mola Mole Tambaqui (assessment) streamed and DAC’d on the B-Facet. All cabling and energy conditioning got here courtesy of AudioQuest whereas the entire gear sat on a Field Furnishings ‘Fallen A’ rack on the A-Facet and MS4M (4 shelf MAPLE]Rack on the B-Facet (full system particulars).
You will have examine my latest adventures into the land of enjoying 78s, the place the Viva Solista powered the DeVore O/96 for these proceedings. Whereas prepping the Barn’s B-Facet for a small 78 listening social gathering, I put the Viva Solista to work with the DeVores and the Mola Mola Tambaqui to heat issues up whereas I went concerning the cleansing up the place half. Whereas cleansing up is just not amongst my favourite issues to do, having the place cleaned up is a really satisfying outcome. Humorous how that works. In any occasion, through the dusting and pillow fluffing Antony (now Anohni) & The Johnsons “One Dove” from their album The Crying Mild got here on so I sat proper down on the comfortable sofa to focus and I used to be greeted with extra of Antony & The Johnsons than I’m accustomed to popping out of the O/96.
This tune is one in every of my favourite check tracks and has been for a few years so I do know it very properly, in addition to my bottom is aware of that comfortable sofa we’ve owned for close to 20 years, so after I say I used to be listening to extra musical info popping out of the O/96, a speaker I do know very properly, that’s saying one thing. Specifically, the Viva Solista was digging into the sign it was receiving from the Tambaqui and transferring extra of it by means of the DeVores than I’m used to. This performed out by providing higher separation through the denser components that come in additional than half approach by means of this pretty tune in flip telling me extra concerning the music being made. The general sound of every ingredient, piano, strings and woodwinds (organized by Anohni), and Anohni’s soul-stirring vocals felt full, fleshy, wealthy, and all too human. In a phrase, luxurious.
As soon as drawn in to this degree of efficiency, and I imply that each methods—hifi and music—I used to be off to the favourite monitor races to listen to what new issues this beautiful system powered by the Viva Solista needed to inform me about music I knew properly. I really like when this occurs.
However with regards to perpetual day by day pleasure, I favor to hunt out new, too. Cowboy Unhappiness’s Chosen Jambient Works Vol. 1launched earlier this month on Individuals Enamel, appears like what the album title suggests, kind of, spilling out into the true world streamed from Qobuz by means of the Auralic AIRES G2.2 into the totaldac d1-unity on to the Solista out by means of the DeVore O/96 and into the Barn with ethereal large area ambient-inspired magnificence. That is 57 minutes of sound waves distilled down from over 20 hours of recordings remodeled 4 years so whereas this music gently washes out of the audio system and over the listener, it feels as purposeful as nature. The band is manufactured from Peter Silberman on Baritone Guitar & Synth, David Moore on Rhodes & Farfisa, and Nicholas Principe on Drums & Synth and collectively they create soundscapes worthy of inspiring numerous dreamy journeys.
With the Viva/DeVore combo, Cowboy Unhappiness crammed the Barn with otherworldly otherness, clouds of sounds whose origins would make discovering the DeVores blindfolded tougher than pin the tail on the donkey. Easy, large, and beautifully outlined in area, the Viva Solista can plumb the depths of ambient, or Jamientto breathless heights.
Bar Italia’s newest, Twits was launched on Matador again in November and it’s one other crunchy delight from the London trio. For the tip of the Viva’s Barn keep they received to play with the Vivid Giya GIYA G3 Sequence 2, audio system I’ll have much more to say about in that assessment however one side of their efficiency I’ll spotlight right here is the GIYA G3’s skill to behave as sonic magicians, very very similar to their smaller sibling the Kaya K45 I reviewed final summer time, in that they depart no hint of themselves within the music that flows by means of, turning into pure sound power in room. And the Viva Solista positively lit up the GIYA from backside to high with that evenhanded management and tremendous saturated sound that makes music really feel dimensional and alive. This pairing additionally confirmed off the Solista’s pace, as did the Volti Rival SE and DeVores, however the Vivid GIYA have their very own sort of deftness that escapes from their cupboards with easy grace.
From my assessment of the Volti Rival SE:
My favourite, by a large margin, dance accomplice for the Volti Rival SE was the Viva Solista for the its beautiful management of that 15” woofer coupled with a wealthy and extremely refined sound (extra on that within the forthcoming Viva assessment). And I imply extremely refined.
This glorious mixture of management and refinement (and richness) traveled with the Viva and thru every speaker it received to play with in Barn.
Luigi Nono’s Like a wave of power and light-weight (Spanish for Like a wave of power and light-weight) is a storm of sound for soprano, piano, orchestra, and magnetic tape that happened by means of Nono’s then budding affiliation with pianist extraordinaire Maurizio Pollini and conductor Claudio Abbado. However the unintentional loss of life of Chilean activist Luciano Cruz, whom Nono had met throughout a 3-month go to to Chile, occurred through the improvement part, turning this deliberate collaboration into an homage, a memorial to Luciano. I’m a fan of the Deutsche Grammophon launch recorded in 1977 that options Pollini and Abbado and nonetheless have the CD I purchased at Tower Data on Broadway within the Nineteen Eighties, a time after I listened to up to date classical music practically completely.
That is wildly creative music in each approach, and Nono was as fascinated with sounds produced by means of tape and digital manipulation as he was with the beautiful musicianship of Pollini et al. Like a wave of power and light-weight explodes in area with the every ingredient— Pollini’s piano, soprano Slavka Taskova, refrain, tape, and orchestra—in a sonic battle waged in sound. With the Vivid/Viva combo on the helm, listening by means of this fury that begins within the decrease registers and builds all the best way to the highest of the piccolo vary is as bodily/dynamic and emotional an expertise as I’ve had from recorded music. This technique was solely able to capturing this beast of a recording and re-presenting it in Barn with all of its energy and sorrow in tact. Beautiful.
Whatever the speaker—DeVore O/96, Volti Rival SE, Vivid GIYA G3 Sequence 2—I felt just like the Viva Solista was mining the richest, fullest, and most extremely resolved sound from every. With expertise of this identical amp in numerous system settings I can confidently level to its skill to supply an enormous, dimensional, wealthy, and rewarding music-inspired expertise for days and weeks on finish. The Viva Solista is a veritable champ at delivering a completely fleshed out bodily type of music in Barn that felt richer and extra current than all however just a few different built-in amplifiers I’ve had the pleasure to reside with. For me and my preferences, the Solista reduce by means of the gauze of copy putting me as far inside any music I cared to play as simply and straight as I’ve skilled.
The Viva Solista proved to be amongst a handful of built-in amplifiers that supplied distinctive and true standout efficiency properly above and past each different built-in amp I’ve had the pleasure of dwelling with. The Solista’s specific strengths, along with excellent management, drive, and determination, is its skill to current recorded music in dwelling respiratory totally fleshed out type, making the expertise really feel extra like a communion than passive listening. Bravo! certainly.
1. right here’s favourite quote from the conclusion of Artwork Dudley’s assessment of the Viva Solista:
And now I’m questioning: How on this planet might any sane particular person contemplate it incorrect to purchase no matter it’s they take pleasure in, assuming that they will afford it, and that neither their shopping for resolution nor the product itself will deliver hurt to anybody? Depend me among the many ones who assume it’s nearly infinitely wronger, to not point out stupider, to do in any other case.
Viva Solista Built-in Amplifier
Worth: $29,500 +10% for customized colours
Firm Web site: Viva Audio
US Distributor Web site: Excessive Finish by Oz
Specs
Dimensions (W x H x D): 430 x 250 x 520 mm
Weight: 35 kg
Single-ended built-in amplifier
Triode tubes
Tube Complement: 2x 6C45Pi, 2x 6SN7GT, 4x 845
Zero unfavorable suggestions pure class A operation
Actual level to level circuitry
4 inputs, one direct enter
Palladium plated proprietary stable copper binding posts
