This natural sense of forward motion and easy grasp of musical density seems to exert an almost magnetic pull towards more anthemic music. Whether it’s ‘Forgiven’ (from Echo and the Bunnymen’s Evergreen, London LMS5521799) or the live take of Birdy’s ‘Wings’ (from Fire Within, Atlantic 825646351589) the 921 latches onto and thrives on the building power chords and burgeoning density. This amp is no shrinking violet. But nor is it all blood and thunder. Play Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends (MFSL UDCD 732) and the Trilogy perfectly captures and balances the intimacy and poignant desperation of tracks like ‘America’ and ‘Mrs. Robinson’, their overt catchiness, so at odds with the innate sadness of the subject matter. It captures the vocals and harmonies, investing them with body shape and colour, it projects the precise diction that’s so much a part of the brittle picture that is ‘Mrs. Robinson’. Listen on the 921 and that brittle quality, underlying the jaunty tune, is perfectly poised, beneath the shiny surface.
What the Trilogy gets right that so many of its price peers either get wrong or don’t get at all, is this musical juxtaposition – the co-existence of contrasting emotional or musical facets within a single piece. The layered emotional complexities of ‘America’ are one example, but it’s a structural as much as an expressive sophistication. Play Rinaldo Alessandrini/Concerto Italiano, 1700 (Naïve OP 30568) and the formal structures of the music, the repetitive underpinnings of bass figures and continuo are rarely as clearly defined or integrated and effective as they are on the Trilogy. If baroque music is the ultimate case of shape and pattern, the 921 manages to take that predictability and, rather than sounding stilted, it gives it purpose and meaning. Back in the day, Locatelli was often criticized for the venom in his parts and playing. The Trilogy spits them out, full of bite, vitality and attitude, almost begging for more.
It’s this ability to change its mood to match the music, while never losing sight of the purpose and direction within it that makes the 921 stand out from the crowd. There are plenty of amps at this price level that offer more detail and separation, but very few that make as much musical sense as the Trilogy, or offer its emotional range. Those that do are invariably valve-based – and pay the price of that in terms of power and facilities. The 921 hits that sweet spot between musical confidence, authority and practical versatility. It doesn’t try to do too much or be all things to all systems. It’s just an amplifier – but a supremely competent and engaging amplifier.
If you are listening to the Trilogy, don’t rush to judgement: you’ll likely miss the point. Give the amp several days to warm up and settle down. Pay attention to the niceties of support and be prepared to shunt your speakers slightly to get the balance right. Treat it right and the 921 will do right by you. It won’t necessarily bowl you over – at least not immediately – but you will find yourself listening to more (and more different) music than you were before. That makes it a safe set of sockets…
