🤯 ABX BEST AMPLIFIER OF 2023, And it was an EASY pick....

ORCHARD AUDIO STARKRIMSON ULTRA
ABX AUDIOPHILES - 2023 AMP OF THE YEAR
THE WORLDS ONLY NON-PROFIT CHARITY REVIEWER!!
100% OF PROCEEDS GO TO YOUTH MUSICAL PROGRAMS
OVER $4900 DONATED TO CHARITY IN 2023 🔥😍💪
Orchard Audio -
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My Systems ---------------
Two Channel -
PrimaLuna DiaLouge KT120 tube amp.
ABX/LDA (Dan Design)-Baffles
Orchard Audio Pecan Pi+ Ultra Streamer DAC (AKM-R2R)
REGA-P3 with Denon 301 MKII
Project S3-B phono Pre
Pine Tree Audio speaker wires.
AFaudio interconnects
Pine Tree Iso Braid Power cables
Home Theater -
Emotiva XPA-2 power amp
Schiit Freya S Pre amp
Audial A21 Integrated
Ares II DAC
Eversolo DMP-A6 with LPS upgrade
Xbox Series X
75" UHD 4K 60hz tv
WBC Mogami 2549 XLR interconnects
Audioquest Ocean Optic cables
Desk Top -
Custom PC 3060ti
Schiit Bifrost 32 bit
Schiit Valhalla 2
ETA Audio Mini SC headphones
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[@abxaudiophiles]

ORCHARD AUDIO STARKRIMSON ULTRA ABX AUDIOPHILES - 2023 AMP OF THE YEAR THE WORLDS ONLY NON-PROFIT CHARITY REVIEWER!! 100% OF PROCEEDS GO TO YOUTH MUSICAL PROGRAMS OVER $4900 DONATED TO CHARITY IN 2023 🔥😍💪 Orchard Audio - orchardaudio.com/shop/starkri...

[@adsph]

Thank you James for being upfront with us. And thank you for your take with the products. They appear to be virtual endgame gear. All the best.

[@abxaudiophiles]

Well said! and My pleasure.. :)

[@legione1capone]

Great review on my favorite product that we have tried so far. It makes reviewing gear so much easier. I know that when using this amp in my system it will not be putting its own sound on the music. It is so transparent and neutral in a good way. I think almost everyone will be surprised at how much more information there is in the music. You know how everyone always says im hearing things ive never heard before. No no no, you have not heard all the things until you've heard this amp. Once you've heard your favorite songs on this amp, then you can say that lol.

[@abxaudiophiles]

TRUTH...... :) PS- Kelly is actually the one who purchased this amplifier.... He knows what's up..

[@psyphonyxaudio]

New subscriber.. just because you have the Orchard audio on here =)

[@abxaudiophiles]

Welcome aboard! :)

[@garth56]

This is interesting. Now I wonder how a GAN single ended would would. Nelson Pass did it a and so did Tim de Paravinci with silicon, GAN transistors with their higher current and speed, means you could ramp up the watts without stressing it and it would probably still run cool. I read about the benefits of GAN single ended amps and this sounds like musical heaven. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who knows about this topic. Great video 🙂

[@abxaudiophiles]

Thank you! That would be interesting to see and hear! Good stuff and thank you for watching. It was a very eye-opening experience to live with these OA products for the last few months.

[@tommorrison9724]

You’ve done a great job describing the attributes I’ve heard in the SK Ultra. For my in-home audition I’ve paired the SK Ultra with a Rogue tube preamp. That combo really feels like getting the best of both worlds.

[@abxaudiophiles]

Ah yes!! I have it with a modest Freya+ and some killer NOS tubes. :) Running all fully balanced 2549 Mogami XLR

[@rgombert7855]

What Rogue preamp are you running? I have an RP5 and a Stereo 100 currently and am considering replacing the Stereo 100 with the SK Ultra DMC 2.0. Any thoughts?

[@tommorrison9724]

@@rgombert7855 I have the RP7. I haven't demoed the Stereo 100 so can't comment on that comparison with the SK Ultra DMC. I do have a 300b amp that the OA compared favorably with in terms of transparency and resolution, but I didn't do any AB comparisons.

[@sean_heisler]

Great review! I was really looking forward to this one. I have to admit GaN has really flown under my radar until you brought the Starkrimson in, and having exchanged comments with Leo, and they have my full attention now. Really would love to hear this one. I think paired with a tube preamp to add some color to suit particular tastes could be really nice. Many say a tube pre and class D are a great pairing. I mentioned I’m running a tube pre and a Nelson Pass F4. Definitely feels GaN is the future. Thanks again.

[@abxaudiophiles]

Thank you!! :) I loved the SK Ultra with the Freya+ with some killer NOS two hole hot rods... Leo tells me that is a pairing many are using. And I agree, its great.

[@OrchardAudio]

Thank you very much for your time and effort. We are running a holiday sale through December 10. This amplifier also just won budget product of the year from Future Audiophile Magazine, official announcement will be on December 6th.

[@abxaudiophiles]

Heck yea!! Was fun to spend time with the OA products.... :)

[@chokechange]

Still waiting to try my diy version amps with some upcoming non-diy Open Baffles ….. but I am considering the diy Open Source Open Baffles too.

[@abxaudiophiles]

@@chokechange All good options. :)

[@net_news]

I agree on this one, high-end performance at mid-fi prices. Amps of this level are way pricier. Kudos to Leo! 🙌

[@abxaudiophiles]

Totally agree!

[@ejk3435]

Loving my Ultra for a year now

[@abxaudiophiles]

Heck Yea!! That is what is up!! :)

[@bengleason508]

James, you and the gang are building quite the community.

[@abxaudiophiles]

And we are glad you are a part of... :)

[@jwallaby7895]

I'm sold on the starkrimson ultra Amps/pecan pi premium which I heard in person last week at the FL audio fest. I wonder if Leo will make a premium version of his integrated streamer amp? Would look pretty amazing with a new touchscreen! I love the perfection achieved with all of Leo's work... instrument separation being my favorite aspect of it. I don't own a preamp, but I'm considering pairing a full Orchard Audio setup with the Black Ice Audio FusionF360 version 2 which i thought performed incredibly well when I heard it. Wow. Talk about 3-dimensional. Several knobs let you control so many things like the widening of the soundstage and creating a quadraphonic effect. Too much fun 😂

[@abxaudiophiles]

Well done sir. Yea I still use the Pi+ Streamer Premium (prototype) directly to the Starkrimson amp. Perfect pairing. 😊. They’re stunning products for sure. Still in my racks today. 😊

[@OrchardAudio]

Many of my customers pair the amps with tube pre-amps from Black Ice, and many others as well. The combination works very well.

[@markconway2677]

James, Really enjoy your reviews. Very interested in the Orchard Audio products (as well as the NAD Eigentakt). See you in the CAM group.

[@abxaudiophiles]

Cheers. 😃😃

[@techmed-rainer]

Danke!

[@abxaudiophiles]

Aww man!! You are my first ever donation!!! WOW.... Thank you

[@bilguana11]

Love my 2.0 W/max caps: zero coloration, just music.

[@abxaudiophiles]

100% :)

[@TriAmpHiFi]

Interesting. Maybe it could run bass cabinets pretty well, although preamps really appreciate channel gains on the power amp to range adjust the volume control. Reggae, Funk & Brass 🔈🔉🔊

[@abxaudiophiles]

Good point!

[@sonnyhadden698]

Nice review!

[@abxaudiophiles]

Glad you enjoyed it!! It was a fun one to do. 😊👍🏼

[@blairsprague8112]

Two suggestions...latest VTV 7040ET with tube input buffer for each channel...I love mine...also have you heard any of the AGD Gan fet board in a bottle amps?...excellent reviews out there

[@abxaudiophiles]

Good advice! I have not reviewed the AGD stuff, but watched a ton on it... Looks great, Actually one for sale used near me locally, have not pressed the button yet. Would love to get one in for review tho!! Thank you for watching. Cheers

[@riccitone]

Late to the game here, but have been considering one of the duo amps. But also looking at the new Nilai amp offerings from Hypex (hypex nilai 500 stereo amplifier) which has been compared by Alpha Audio to share attributes with higher power Pass amps. Would love to get your take on one of those should you run across one, maybe a comparison with one of these. Thanks for everything you do 🙏

[@abxaudiophiles]

Most certainly, and thank you. 🙏🏼

[@michau_12]

I have been living under a rock, never seen anything from you before 😂😂. Have seen many reviews on this amp.

[@abxaudiophiles]

Well my friend. Better late than never. Welcome buddy. 😊😊😊

[@jerrysnead2842]

Tubes are tubes, i can agree that a tube preamp can help but i recently beta tested the new PS Audio Stellar Gold preamp and i prefer it to the top model BHK preamp, it has less noise no hiss and tubes deteriorate, trading it in and keeping the SGP

[@abxaudiophiles]

Way Cool!! :)

[@cudfoo1cudfoo247]

Hi James - I have a PrimaLuna Dialogue PreAmp - using with a Odyssey Kismit Stereo Amp. Always wanted to go with Monoblock's and I'm considering the ultra DMC dual mono version of this amp. You think the PrimaLuna Preamp would add the Tube or Class A element to this combo that you say is missing? - thx!

[@abxaudiophiles]

Yes. Tube pre amps are a GREAT combo with the DMC amp. Such a killer pairing. You would get a nice dose of tube there. The Orchard audio is all performance and minimal coloration. It will let the PL shine through.

[@cudfoo1cudfoo247]

Thanks - Last question... Any thoughts or concerns using the RCA to XLR "step up" converter and the additional 8db of gain. Any impact on sound or incremental control of the volume - you think? The Dialogue uses unbalanced RCA's only. Thx again!@@abxaudiophiles

[@abxaudiophiles]

Leo sells a converter that we have in house now, but have not reviewed yet. I would reach out to Leo directly as he is pretty honest and up front about best options for integration and performance even if it means suggesting a different part and not making a sale. I think everything matters. I will report back as soon as we get to spend time with it. They do have other converters that I have used without the gain and I didn’t notice and degrading of the quality and performance of sound. Cheers.

[@thewaygokid3135]

Have you ever done a comparison between this and the Hypex Nalai? I would be interested in your opinion.

[@abxaudiophiles]

I have not, but I believe someone in our Discord does and is comparing now. I will reach out to them and see if we can get one in.. :)

[@mnmlist1454]

​@@abxaudiophilespls also compare to the VTV Purifi Audio eigentakt module amplifiers ; another raved about class D amplifiers.

[@abxaudiophiles]

@@mnmlist1454 On my list buddy.. :)

[@mnmlist1454]

@@abxaudiophiles TQ. Looking very much fwd to it.

[@davidpetersen7091]

Have you heard the hybrid Billy amp from Canada?

[@abxaudiophiles]

I would love too

[@adamnocon9432]

If include an “ALL” Option price jump up to $5000, that's what I paid for my Luxman L-550AX Class A Integrated amp, which outperformed one of the Hegel integrated amp. Please check some NuPrime (former NuForce) class D amp.

[@abxaudiophiles]

We’ve. All got our space. 😉😉😉

[@eddylam224]

Hi James, seeing that u have a fair amount of experience with their product line, is the SKS worth twice the asking price of the discounted Duo?

[@abxaudiophiles]

I feel the performance of the full boat SKU DMC over the DUO is 100% worth the price and a no brainer if you can afford. Not taking away from the DUO at all, as its crushes in its price point. But the SKU DMC can easily be end game for many.

[@eddylam224]

@@abxaudiophiles, thanks for your advice :)

[@abxaudiophiles]

@@eddylam224 anytime.

[@markmcfeaters9116]

Looking for class D. How is that compared to the Nad M28 Master Series Amp Just curious what is the cost?

[@abxaudiophiles]

The one reviewed is $4000

[@reyiiteleco]

How does it compares to Nilai500DIY 500W mono power amplifier?

[@abxaudiophiles]

@@reyiiteleco not sure. Haven’t heard that one.

[@Audfile]

The only amps i will ever run from this point forward are Orchard Audio products.

[@abxaudiophiles]

I tell you what, It is easy to understand your position... :)

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

The CEO of Orchard Audio ☝️😂

[@abxaudiophiles]

@@crazyprayingmantis5596not at all

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

@@abxaudiophiles I was referring to the original post, and it was a joke.

[@Zoomerland]

One year warranty. Soon new audio equipment will have a 3 month warranty, no wait, warranty only up to delievery

[@abxaudiophiles]

Yea. Tough industry. Leo will service out of warranty mostly, as long as you don’t mess it up intentionally.

[@mindhead1]

Is it recommended to leave this amp on all the time?

[@abxaudiophiles]

I do

[@rvaillant]

Can you share the sonic benefits of moving from the monos to the ultra? Thanks.

[@OrchardAudio]

As you move up in price with our amplifiers the bass performance and transient response are improved.

[@abxaudiophiles]

Sorry, we have not reviewed the mono's yet, But the reply that OA left here matches my experience with moving from the Duo to the Ultra, so i assume they are correct in the reply... Cheers. I will try to get a set of the mono's to review... :)

[@NeilBlanchard]

I am wondering about using this in a single ended system?

[@abxaudiophiles]

They do offer a XLR to Single Ended converter option.

[@OrchardAudio]

@@abxaudiophiles Thats an RCA to XLR converter option.

[@OrchardAudio]

I would recommend you use my RCA to XLR converter. You can also use an adapter but the amp will have slightly reduced performance this way.

[@abxaudiophiles]

@@OrchardAudio. Oh yea, my bad. I was looking at it wrong. 🤣🤣🤣. Been a long week.

[@philippelabrecque6658]

Why didn't you try a tube preamp with that Orchard? That's whats missing from this review. You should have found a friend with a tube preamp to see if that it the spot? With that mix the review would have been more revealing. Thanks.

[@OrchardAudio]

They did use a tube pre, it was the Freya+ with some rolled tubes. I am sure they will also comment on this.

[@abxaudiophiles]

We used the Schiit Freya+ with a bunch of different NOS tubes rolled in.. Fantastic pairing. But personally I found that the Pecan Pi+ Ultra streamer directly to the SK Ultra via 2549 Mogami XLR was the best and cleanest integration. Cheers

[@abxaudiophiles]

Now hit that subscribe and stay tuned.. :)

[@richardgrant418]

Audiophile Class D that will change your “entire perspective” Hasn’t that already happened to you? Have you not heard any of the Class D amplifiers - using Purifi modules eg March Audio, or - the better ones using the TPA3255 eg the LSA Warp-1. Equally good as the Orchard - at lower prices … changing your entire perspective … even more. Oh. Unless money is no object to you

[@abxaudiophiles]

Ahh... there are so many certainties in your statement. I am not a fan of too many of them, as I am often misled by them, i.e., "Equally Good." But nonetheless, here we are. So, yeah, I have heard handfuls of Class D amplifiers this year alone, ranging from $150 to $5000. Some good, some bad, and some amazing. Many of them you mention. That said, I find the Orchard Audio Class D build, network, and philosophy superior to the others I have heard on many levels. The OA GaN amps at their respective price points provide some of the best resolution, detail, imaging, and layering I have heard in class D at the prices. The inky black background, accurate timbre and tone, and overall authority in the music. They get out of the way of the source gear and just ensure maximum performance is received. For me, my systems, my ear, and room, none have bettered the OA.... So, there ya go.. PS - I am not sponsored or compensated by Orchard Audio; just sharing my actual real-time experiences. Cheers.

[@richardgrant418]

@@abxaudiophiles Thank you for your detailed and *** very informative response. (And picking me up on equally good, lol) MUCH appreciated Cheers

[@MrJustmitch]

I have a Nord uk made D Class amp that would be as good if not better

[@abxaudiophiles]

Lots of great options. 😉😉

[@jerrysnead2842]

I had the NC500 mono amps then PS Audio M1200's now this amp and it's better than those

[@ronlysons6750]

I notice there is no CE or UKCA conformity markings on your sample. This would make it illegal to sell it in Europe and the UK.

[@abxaudiophiles]

Just verified with OA, you are correct, not really illegal tho… 💁💁

[@ronlysons6750]

@@abxaudiophiles Not illegal to make it, but it cannot be sold in the UK or Europe, If these are sold in the UK or Europe whoever was selling then would be breaking the law. So to me that’s makes it illegal?

[@abxaudiophiles]

I’m curious where this “Law” is? We can buy all kinds of stuff in the US that doesn’t have the UL rating on it. Never heard of a law. You figured if it was illegal then when I went to purchase from some overseas manufacturer and put in my zip code, it wouldn’t let me ship.. would be curious for you to share link that shows it’s actually “illegal”.

[@ronlysons6750]

@@abxaudiophiles www.gov.uk/guidance/using-the-ukca-marking

[@abxaudiophiles]

“The government intends to introduce legislation to extend recognition of goods that meet EU requirements”. Does the EU recognize UL in their umbrella? Im certain there are loop holes here. I’d say we’re digging pretty deep in the weeds now. I’m not concerned in the slightest really… UL is plenty strict of a code in my mind. I mean in a world where we can all buy stuff from china and have it delivered with ZERO markings. lol…. 😂. I’m not worried about Leo being arrested for selling to GB. 🤣🤣🤣🤣✌️✌️✌️

[@keith6872]

What preamp works good with this class D amp. My schiit fraya has tubes and has balanced outputs, BUT sounds like schiit to my ears. Please do not recommend the fraya.

[@abxaudiophiles]

End of day it's all subjective. Many love the Frey+. May not be your flavor tho. Nice thing about the Orchard Audio GaN amps is that they just sent through what you send them. Any and most pre amps work great. Pick your flavor. Cheers.

[@OrchardAudio]

See the blog post on my website titled "Starkrimson Amplifier FAQ". There I have a section on pre-amps.

[@ghostnoterboomboom9119]

I've been under a rock???

[@abxaudiophiles]

Well, we can help... :)

[@ghostnoterboomboom9119]

@@abxaudiophiles go fund me?

[@abxaudiophiles]

Or...... Better yet, you join our patreon and help us in our mission for charity.. :)

[@ghostnoterboomboom9119]

@@abxaudiophiles thanks, but no. Retired, $0 income.

[@abxaudiophiles]

@@ghostnoterboomboom9119 Well, in that case, just enjoy the channel and we are glad you are here... Just liking and watching the videos produce revenue that we donate to our youth musical programs... :) Cheers