PureAudio from New Zealand Has Arrived...

Colleen and I just received the full line of amplification from PureAudio of New Zealand just in time for the AXPONA show, which is in Chicago in just less than two weeks. I've been eagerly awaiting these pieces for quite a while--I've had some seat time with the Vinyl phono preamplifier already and I was hoping the Control preamplifier and Reference monoblock power amplifiers would be equally good. They are. In just a few minutes I had the four components unpacked and hooked up in my system. The first song I played, of course, was "Yulunga" from the MFSL pressing of Dead Can Dance's Into the Labyrinth. It's what I always play first when I make changes to the system.


The Control preamp, pictured here, is unusual in that it's so simple--you'll find just one knob on the front panel (volume), making it look more like a power amp. You might notice the lack of a selector switch. You don't need one--the Control automatically senses a music signal and switches to that input. I haven't seen what happens when you play music through two inputs at once. As you may have noticed, this is a vinyl only system right now--my Unison Research CDE CD player is on its way to Chicago as I write.


This is one of the Reference monoblocks. It provides 65 wpc of pure Class A amplification. I have some support cones underneath them so all that heat from the amplifier won't singe my carpet--or, in turn, so that the carpet won't block ventilation from underneath the amp. Again, the Trellis equipment rack is on its way to AXPONA and I had to improvise. There are hefty fans underneath the chassis of the amp as well, keeping everything relatively cool so far.


The remote is also minimalist in design--just two buttons for up and down on the volume. It's sleek and sexy and the little vertical bar glows when you push a button. That vertical bar is found on all of the PureAudio products--it glows a soft white when everything is in stand-by mode and turns off when music is playing.


Gotta love those Cardas binding posts. I wish every amp used them. You can hook up a speaker cable with one hand.


I only have a couple days to put some hours on the PureAudio gear. You can hear the entire system in Room 813 at AXPONA along with a SOTA turntable, Soundsmith cartridge and the My Audio Design Duke Royal Limited loudspeakers. Cabling and power management is provided by WyWires. See you there!