If we view the system as a series of obstacles that lie in the path of the signal, the notion of ‘absence’ takes on a new significance. The Neodio A2 Evo is less obstructive, creates less of an obstacle than any other integrated amp I’ve heard at anywhere near its price. Listen to a familiar recording and you’ll quickly realise that whether or not you are hearing more detail and information, that detail you are hearing simply makes more sense. This is the critical realization. The appeal of the Neodio electronics lies not in terms of resolution, detail or information. It lies in the realm of access: the access that detail gives to the original event – once it is presented in an orderly and uncongested fashion. By being an amplifier – and only an amplifier – the Origine A2 Evo succeeds where so many all-singing/all-dancing audiophile integrated amps so miserably fail. If the key to successful audio design can be summed up as the minimum required to do the job properly, where the definition of “properly” defines the ultimate performance level, what are we to make of products that cram multiple different and often conflicting functions into a single box with a single, shared power supply. If twice the complexity generates four times the problems, it’s amazing that any of these multi-facetted, multi-functional designs work at all. Of course, in practice, in terms of high-end audio and musical performance, they don’t. They may be convenient and compact and they might seem to offer a lot on paper, but when it comes to the real world of musical reproduction, audio set out firmly on the separates path for a very good reason: it sounded better. And that was before we started mixing digital and analogue technologies.
When to know your limits – and when not to…
It’s no surprise that the most successful audiophile integrated amps are the ones that have limited ambitions. Open the musical window too wide and you just start to hear all of the technological and engineering issues, writ large across the face of the performance.
The Neodio A2 Evo is not to be confused with those products, even if it looks somewhat similar at first glance. Like the Origine S2 CD Player, it is a dedicated and highly refined solution to a single problem. Like other such solutions it offers a level of performance that utterly eclipses ‘noisier’ and more ostentatiously versatile options. If you care about music and you want to bring that music home, the Neodio Origine A2 Evo is one of the most cost-effective and no-nonsense genuinely high-end options out there.
Technical Panel
Type: Solid-state integrated amplifier
Inputs: 2prs Balanced (XLR)
2prs Single-ended (RCA)
Outputs: 1pr 5-way binding posts/ch
Rated Output: 150 W/ch into an 8Ω load
Unity Gain Option: Yes (any one input)
AC Voltage: 230V (110/120 to order)
Feet: 3x Neodio Origine B1
