You hear that absence in the easy, natural separation of the woodwind voices on the Má Vlast, the way in which the orchestration spreads laterally, the source of each phrase, the instruments(s) playing it an accepted fact rather than information you are reaching for. You hear it too in the sheer familiarity of voices you know and the songs they sing. Whether it is the self-deprecating humour of Joe Jackson’s ‘Fools In Love’ or the acid bitterness of Elvis Costello’s ‘Tramp The Dirt Down’, the wistful, hopeless, moral conflict of Robert Wyatt’s ‘Shipbuilding’ or the contained anger of Eliza Gilkyson’s ‘Tender Mercies’ there’s a directness and power to the musical message that is as unequivocal as it is engaging. This is about more than just the song. It’s about why the artist wrote and sang it in the first place. It is – in the most fundamental terms – about shortening the distance between you and the performance that’s captured on the disc. With all of the mega-expensive equipment that comes and goes from my system, it is this quality above all others that I value. The Neodio A2 Evo has more of it than anything else at close to its price and that makes it a serious bargain. This isn’t the effortless, almost preternatural clarity of the CH Precision 10 Series amps – but it is built on the same foundations and it’s way more affordable. In fact, let’s just make that, “it’s affordable” – ‘cos for most us, the 10 Series isn’t.
As always, the Neodio A2 Evo offers the promise of potential performance. Realising that performance is another matter. The key is to appreciate that with this amplifier, minimalism runs more than skin deep. In fact, it informs every aspect of both its design and use. It’s no coincidence that the Origine CD player is the best ONE-BOX unit I’ve used – certainly at anywhere near its price. That same observation applies to the A2 Evo amplifier. It’s one box and it’s an amplifier. Nothing else. Together the two Neodio units offer the prospect of a remarkably affordable and musically satisfying (not to mention stylish) minimalist system. Just add speakers. But to get the most from the Origine electronics, you’ll need to carry the minimalist thinking right the way through the system. That means low-volume cables with low-mass connectors. You won’t be surprised to hear that Neodio offer just such a solution – their Origine cable line – or that they favour low-mass 4mm banana plugs over spades. It also means taking note of the B1 feet that grace the bottom of both the CD player and amp. Extend the thinking beyond the electronics to embrace the cables and the supports and you’ll start to really release the system’s musical performance potential. Even better, the B1 feet are an effective, self-contained solution that means that you’ll achieve great sonic results from the amp even if you don’t invest in a dedicated audio rack. The same B1s also work under speakers and in a host of other situations, creating an easy and coherent mechanical support strategy, while neither the cables nor the B1 feet are hugely expensive, certainly not in high-end audiophile terms. Other contenders include the Sternklang cables, the Audience Au24 and I suspect, the smaller Crystal Cables, but the real point here is to address the issues… All of the issues.
