Many regard Class A as the finest-sounding amplifier topology, and I wouldn’t argue with that. Sure, Class A has its disadvantages – heat generation, bulk, and cost, to name a few. But hey, as a dedicated audiophile, I like to live a little dangerously. Ever since my first encounter with Pass Labs’ Aleph 3, that charming little porcupine (nicknamed for its chassis covered with protruding fins) of an amp and smitten by its beguiling sound, all my subsequent amplifiers have been full Class A designs from Pass Labs. I’d characterize Class A sound as transparent, natural, and comes with a touch of richness and warmth. The Class A amplifiers are also exceptionally quick and dynamic, even more so than many Class A/B designs with higher power output ratings that I've encountered over the years.
Class A designs are increasingly rare nowadays. Their relatively higher cost, low power rating, and high electricity consumption make them less
appealing compared to
Class A/B and Class D amplifiers. However, there is a Malaysian company and amplifier
designer who is bravely forging ahead on the Class A path - CCY Engineering. I wrote
about their earlier Class A amplifier, the CCY F7, which you can read about
here and here. Now, CCY Engineering has released a new full
Class A power amplifier, and I took it in for a listen.
The new amplifier is called the SS300B. Is CCY hinting at a
sound reminiscent of the famous 300B tube? I didn’t ask. But with the SS300B’s
25W output, it’s more powerful than the typical 8W of a 300B tube amp, which would make it more versatile in loudspeaker matching.
I paired the SS300B with my TAD TSM-2201 bookshelf studio monitor (rated at 86dB/W/m), its revealing nature would expose any flaws upstream. The front ends, consisting of the TAD-D600 disc player and Pass Labs XP20 preamp, was admittedly an overkill, but I hope this setup would make the SS300B show how far its performance envelope could be pushed. So, I put the SS300B through quite a challenging pace in fact.
The SS300B rose to the occasion admirably. It possessed all the qualities one would
expect from a Class A design. It sounded transparent but not in the lean and thin
way that many modern amplifiers veer towards, the sound had good body especially
in the midrange, and details were not obscured. It was articulate, musical nuances were portrayed beautifully. The musicality typical of a
Class A amplifier was evident.
Vocals were definitely its strength. On track 8 of the 2v1G CD “不愿一个人 Don’t Want to Be Alone,” the
emotion in the vocal was excellently resolved, one could hear the longing and
despair expressed in the singing. The accompanying guitar was crisp with
adequate attack in each pluck.
Switching to “Belafonte Sings the
Blues” album, track 7 “Cotton Fields,” the sense of pace was even more
pronounced. The bouncy bass notes were clear and free of muddiness, with the music swinging along with
toe-tapping rhythm. Belafonte’s diction was clear, making it easy
to follow the lyrics word by word. His voice’s tonal color added to the
listening enjoyment. The rendition became more frantic during the second half
of the song, and the SS300B did an excellent job bringing us through the dynamic changes.
For classical music, I played “Nimrod” from Elgar’s Enigma Variations, my favorite version being Norman Del Mar’s with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on DG. Although this CD doesn’t have the best recording quality from an audiophile perspective, I love the emotive music, the conducting and orchestra. The SS300B maintained the inner tension of the music well, from the hushed opening, through the buildup in the middle, then on to the let-it-rip crescendo at the end. It allowed me to focus on the moving musical message despite the recording's sonic imperfections, thus confirming the SS300B's music making ability.
If you would like to get a taste of what Class A amplification can do but found Class A choices hard to come by or the cost prohibitive, I suggest you give the SS300B a listen. You may be charmed by its tonal richness, detail resolution and the humanness in its music delivery. While pairing it with a revealing studio monitor like my TAD TSM-2201s might not be the best choice for less than perfect recordings unless you are the type who like a warts-and-all presentation, I think offerings from early day Sonus Faber and British marques like Harbeth or Spendor would be fabulous matches for long term listening pleasure. Please contact CCY Engineering to arrange an audition – website: https://www.ccyengineering.com/home; Email: chong@ccyengineering.com.
