Canor Virtus A3 Amplifier

Canor Virtus A3: listening

After connecting the Canor Virtus A3 amplifier to the Vivid Audio Kaya S12 speakers, I connected the USB input to the JCat EVO board of my music server based on the Audiolinux operating system. Knowing that the amplifier has a USB C input I equipped myself with a suitable cable for the purpose, which is otherwise easy having quite a few at home, but all strictly not for audio use. First problem: all the cables I had did not work because they were battery charging cables, that is, lacking the data conductors. I did not give up knowing that my friend Giancarlo had a suitable one, in the meantime I connected the LAiV Mirco DAC to one of the XLR inputs and the RIVO Volumio to the AES input of the Canor. This configuration allowed me to evaluate the line section and the internal DAC. Then, of course, I connected the New Horizon 303i turntable with the Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge to the phono input. In short, there was fun to be had even without the USB. Actually, I didn’t hold back and also connected the Aqua La Scala MKII DAC to one of the unbalanced inputs.

However, I started with the RIVO connected in AES because I thought that the potential buyer of the Canor Virtus A3, as indeed of any all-in-one integrated amp, is unlikely to want to equip himself with an external DAC, breaking the continuity and balance achieved by the designer. That is, unless said user has reached the limit of the internal DAC (but also of the phono preamplifier, at this point) and decides that it is time to turn to something much better performing.

Although disconnected, the reference throughout the test could only be another hybrid, namely my Copland CSA 100, which we have had in the listening room for several years now and which I think I know quite well. 

The first consideration, the one that arose after the first five minutes of listening, was: so much joy! How much joy! Often these first impressions produce a kind of emotional conditioning that lasts throughout the test. In the case of the Virtus A3 amplifier this was the case. I will now try to detail my feelings in more detail, but over all remains the memory of a series of listening sessions where “psychoacoustic well-being” took over. Where does this feeling come from? Certainly the bass range has a good grip , and this put the Kaya S12s in a position to express their incredible potential to the fullest, which includes an impressive capacity for timbral articulation that the Canor was able to enhance. Good therefore with Rock tunes and even a certain type of Jazz. That feeling I was referring to a few lines ago, however, stems from the particular set-up of the mid and high range, which has a warmth and its own way of delivering the signal that makes it distinctive. At first one is inclined to think that there is some lack of detail, but as one listens carefully, one realizes that this is not the case. The details are all there, only they are presented with a kind of understatement . It is a bit as if this integrated is telling you, ” Hey, look I’m perfectly capable of extracting everything there is to extract from the signal you’re sending me. I just don’t want to throw it at you. Instead, I want to present it to you in my own way, according to my character.” Well, I mean, I don’t know if that’s exactly what goes through the head of the Canor Virtus A3 amplifier, which then actually doesn’t have a head, but I like to think of it that way. So do not think that the sound of this integrated amplifier is leaning toward that “warmth at all costs” effect, or worse that it is conditioned by the stereotype of the tube amplifier that exudes so much humanity but then, when asked for dynamics and punch, raises the white flag. The Canor Virtus A3, perhaps by virtue of the E88CC tube placed inside it, is certainly capable of infusing some warmth and a pleasant “analog” feel that makes listening enjoyable even for long periods of time, but without overdoing it. Dynamic variations were always handled very well with the speakers I was using, and the Class A bias did its part. In short, we are dealing here with a very successful hybrid, one that hybridizes not only and not so much the technologies but also the sonic character of tubes, Class A, and best solid state. Okay, but something must be wrong, you will say. Well, yes, perhaps the size of the virtual soundstage is not at the top of what I know the Vivid Kaya S12s are capable of. Everything is well proportioned but (perhaps) slightly smaller than with other amplifiers. However, if I refer to the last few Super Integratos that have passed through our listening room, it occurs to me that perhaps that extra ounce of spatiality can be sacrificed in favor of such a joyfully relaxed and satisfying presentation, free of that eagerness to prove at all costs that they are top of the class.

The internal DAC (finally Giancarlo brought me the appropriate cable), when compared with the La Scala MKII, shows its limitations; the sound is a little less liquid, organic and structured, but then again, that’s as it should be, given that the Italian DAC is in a different market segment. Less jarring, however, was the comparison with the LAiV Harmony µDAC, which exhibited comparable performance. However, I would say that the in-house DAC was the winner as it was more timbrally coherent with the amplification section. Incidentally, I recall that there are several filters to choose from. Personally, as always happens to me with DACs equipped with many filters, I found the one that sounded best to my ears and kept it. After all, the Canor’s small remote control does not allow you to intervene on this parameter and so you are inclined to limit your experiments.

The inclusion of a phono stage in integrated amplifiers I consider highly desirable, considering the type of audience these devices are intended for. This means that if, as is possible, one starts with a streamer and then decides to purchase a turntable, there is no need to equip oneself with additional external components. The problem, however, is that often these phono stages are somewhat sloppily made, using nice and done modules whose performance is sufficient but not exciting. In the specific case of this amplifier, on the other hand, compatibility with MC and MM cartridges (and the configurability of their electrical parameters) ensures adaptability to a multitude of usage scenarios. In addition,   like everything else in this Virtus A3, the phono preamp works very well and sounds excellent, which for an integrated amplifier is not a given.

Finally, as far as the headphone amplification section is concerned, of which those who usually read me know that I am not a frequent user, I can report that the tests carried out on the two headphones we have on hand were equally rewarding and positive.