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"The Third Rail" from Spies: By Way of the World [Telarc CD-83305] is modern Jazz fusion expertly performed with rapid fire shifts, delicacy and shimmer against massive kick and deep bass. Recorded with all the dynamic range and life that Telarc brings to the equation.


"I Wandered by a Brookside" from Time After Time: Eva Cassidy [Blix Street Records G2-10073] is a simple recording. Clean guitar with emphasis on string detail. Pure vocal with superb dynamic inflection and subtle acoustic.


"On Every Street" from Sultans of Swing: Dire Streets [Vertigo 314 558 658-2] is Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits in a compilation of music. This cut is a skillfully engineered piece from 1993 featuring a warm balance, detailed acoustic and electronic instruments with a generous sense of soundstage.


Now on to the observations. Listening revealed the M2-1500M to have some fundamental personality traits. The high frequencies were extended and extremely smooth. At the beginning of the break-in period, that smoothness came at the expense of some detail but disappeared as the review progressed and a fine level of resolving power emerged. The midrange through lower midrange exhibited natural warmth and dimensionality, a trait shared with other good ‘digital’ amplifier designs and one that continues to garner positive comparisons to tube-based product. It was in the frequencies ascending through the upper midrange where the M2-1500M became uncommon. Some digital amps through my doorway have exhibited a minor tendency towards dryness in this region, requiring a bit of extra care in matching. The D-Sonic sidestepped that trait completely and retained the character of the midrange with better consistency and warmth.
 
Bass with resonance control in place was deep, controlled and of good impact. The H2O remains the champion for muscle amp style bass for D-amps with greater weight and sheer mass. The D-Sonic plays in different waters, striking a middle position between massive and lean. It conveys power without drawing attention, being quick but not lightweight. In this it most closely resembles my old Tripath-based Bel Canto. Mid through upper bass were mildly warm, giving acoustic instruments in this portion of the spectrum natural proportion and authority.

The power rating imbued the amplifier with massive instantaneous dynamic swing without the fetters of clipping. Quick, clean and smooth. Compression did not exist unless imposed by the recording engineer. Resolution was high but not spot lit. It came intrinsic with the recording and was not created by the amplifier. Low-level information was generally well handled with the proviso that the amplifier demanded a slightly elevated minimum level to achieve full dynamic scale. This condition met, the amplifier had a wide dynamic palette that allowed the system to play material at natural acoustic levels with convincing delicacy and power, especially high-resolution recordings with broader dynamic gradations. This dynamic shading was handled in the same fashion as it dealt with resolution - non-intrusively. Combined with the amplifier’s predisposition to warmth, this emphasized the organic over transparency by a small degree with  slightly softened contrasts.

The overall performance was quite cohesive, the only deviation being a very small degree of softening in both midbass and upper midrange. This was tiny in nature and the amplifier struck a remarkably good balance between the transparent and dimensional into the Apogees, creating a musical picture that was coherent, detailed and absolutely engaging. The soundstage produced by this amplifier was very wide and deep. Image size was source and cable dependant as was separation of instruments within the stage. It had the capability of convincing dimensionality and at its best produced image size consistent with microphone position and distance. Reproduction of hall acoustic was generous with prerequisite quantities of air defining soundstage boundaries and the spaces between instruments. The image plane began just behind the speakers extending well back and also forwards with good projection and no foreshortening of spatial information. Huge sonic canvas. Delicate strokes.

The D-Sonic amplifier behaved with consistency regardless of whether the source was solid state or tube. It proved relatively impartial to both cable and electronic sources and merely reflected their attributes. This held true on both RCA and balanced inputs. The M2-1500M was quite holistic in its rendition of music, not drawing attention to itself in any specific aspect but rather, drawing attention to the musical event. It came remarkably close to being invisible in the playback chain. As to how the D-Sonic behaved into the load presented by the Apogee Duetta Signatures running full range, it was utterly unfazed. It played transparent and powerful, conjuring up a full complement of solid instruments to occupy a huge sumptuous soundstage. The M2-1500M enjoyed its challenge with the beast named Apogee and came away unscathed.


How about delicate beauty? Into the Audio Space AS-3/5As the amplifier proved capable of scaling down its dynamic palette to match the situation and delivered superior resolution with sufficient dynamics to keep the event lively and convincing. Running full range it showcased the speaker’s warmth, dimensionality and huge staging abilities. Adding the subwoofer extended the range seamlessly, creating a pocket powerhouse with major bass muscle to match its other virtues.


The strengths of the M2-1500M in all combinations were obvious - detail, ease of dynamics, soundstaging and warmth. These remained core. Were there weaknesses? If the amplifier displayed a failing, it was a touch warm and forgiving. Perhaps the correct term might be "overly analog". The flaws on lesser recording were never highlighted but incidental. Some may interpret that as being a touch uncritical. Most will welcome it as acoustically natural. The competition? The D-Sonic qualifies as true high end and deserves to be examined against higher tier components. It certainly competes against the best of its digital brethren and all tube and SS amps that have been in house. To simplify I will compare the D-Sonic against its own kind with the understanding that technology is purely a conduit and that all of the products mentioned bear scrutiny against much pricier fare. In that context we‘re setting the bar far upscale.

Comparisons against the Wyred4Sound amplifiers are mandatory because both are feisty performers that shoot holes in the theory that ultra-high performance is only achievable when accompanied by a consummate price tag. Unfortunately no comparable Wyred monoblocks have graced the house so I cannot speak to their sonic prowess. In this instance my memory of the STI-1000’s amplifier stage will have to suffice.