When it comes to establishing or changing the character of a system, it’s always the transducers that make the biggest difference: the source components (CD player, DAC or cartridge) or the loudspeakers. Changing music from one format or medium to another will always open the door to change and error. In contrast, an amplifier’s task should be easy: choose a signal and make it bigger. Yet that doesn’t stop amplifiers wreaking havoc on the musical integrity of recordings, bending them out of shape, disturbing their sense of pattern, timing and sense of self. By the simple expedient of avoiding those sins of commission, the Trilogy integrated raises itself above the crowd. By adding its own particular virtues – a way with body, colour, musical shape and substance – it ensures that its superiority is way more than marginal. This Trilogy integrated might be the company’s most affordable amplifier, but it’s one that is at home in, indeed thrives in, far more exalted company.
The 921 proved more than happy partnering the Wadax Studio Player or the CH Precision D1.5. It reacted positively to the adjustable output parameters of the Wadax, clearly reflecting the benefits of the 2V output and a slight lift in output impedance, adjustments that delivered increased focus and depth, a smoother tonal balance and more integrated acoustic space. But it also proved a willing partner to the entry level Origin Live Aurora, while I’m looking forward to partnering it with the Systemdek Revolution. And that’s really the point. With its useable power output and natural musicality, the Trilogy is exactly the sort of anchor about which a system – or many different systems – can be built. Take a good streaming DAC, or even better, something like an Accuphase CD/SACD player: add a pair of size and price approachable speakers and you’ll have a system that will punch way above its musical weight. But you’ll also have an amp that will stay, rooted at the heart of the system as it grows. The Wadax Studio Player and Peak Sinfonias combined cost around ten times the price of the Trilogy 921 – yet I never felt for an instant that the amp was out of its musical depth.
Unfussy and un-flashy, The Trilogy’s calm, stealthy exterior conceals some serious musical integrity. The combination of solid-state practicality and versatility, combined with tube-like musical attributes is a veritable audio Holy Grail – and the 921 gets closer to that goal than most amps anywhere near its price. Its sonic and musical qualities will satisfy now, but also grow and flourish as your system develops. Whether you are placing a first foot on the bottom rung of the high-end ladder, or looking to downsize from a sprawling, multi-box separates system, want one-time musical satisfaction or a second system that won’t be musically eclipsed by your ‘big rig’, you should take a long listen to the Trilogy 921. It sounds every bit as good as it looks – a wolf in (black) sheep’s clothing.
Price and availability:
Trilogy 921 Integrated Amplifier –
