When I bought my first car, its parts and principles of operation were clear and unambiguous. This was a vehicle I could work on myself. If it broke down, I could probably fix it and I could certainly service it. My current car? Well, it still compresses and ignites fossil fuel, but there all similarities cease. It is turbo-charged and engine-managed, with electric everything and ‘driving aids’ up the wazoo. Service it? I struggled to find the battery the first time it needed charging! Electric cars? I’m not sure that they are even safe to service without specialist training…
In many ways, audio has trodden a similar path. The essential task remains the same, but the technology and even the raw material (source storage formats) has moved beyond the every day. Where once turntables were open to considerable tuning, with today’s network replay solutions they tend to either work or they don’t, with computer/network knowledge and understanding outweighing any musical or system tuning considerations.
Against this headlong plunge into software-dominated operation, the Neodio HQA might be considered the audio equivalent of a step back to when cars still had carburettors and a handy mechanic could lift the bonnet on anything.
What’s under the hood…
Reviewing the TMA integrated amp, I wrote that:
“Inside… you’ll find more, thoughtfully executed aspects to the design. A 300VA transformer and 44,000uF of reservoir capacitance is plenty for a 2x80W output, without being overkill. The output stage, built around high-current MOS devices has its own, shunt-regulated supply. The amplifier is built on a single, large PCB, with the well-spaced dual-mono circuit specifically designed to aid clarity and ease future servicing – even if the technician doesn’t have a schematic. Cables from the output stage to the speaker terminals use Neodio’s cotton insulated Fractal 8 and the low-mass connectors are mounted on a PMMA rear panel, to help damp the all-welded chassis, and decouple the sockets, both electrically and mechanically. The amp stands on three Delrin feet and, like everything else to do with this product they have carefully auditioned for maximum sonic and musical goodness. Pick up the (amplifier) and, at 14kg/31lbs you’ll notice that it’s reasonably but not overly heavy. You’ll also notice that the lid can ‘clank’ – but like the feet that has been listened to and critically damped for maximum musicality. Kill it completely and you kill the sound too.”
It’s a physical description that applies, word for word to the HQA. But removing the input switching and volume control has resulted in one of those less is more revelations that litter the audio landscape. Where the TMA is a one-box solution, with a narrow brief and a clearly defined performance envelope. The HQA, by simply dropping the ‘integrated’ aspects of the amplifier design, has become something more capable and far more versatile. Where the TMA was complete, stable and contained, the HQA is more immediate, quicker and more direct. It’s not a better amplifier per se. But it makes more of the amplifier it is – a lot more with a little judicious application.
