REDGUM Black Signature Series RGi35ENR

[Cafad]

 

 

I've mentioned the circumstances surrounding the appearance of the RGi35ENR at my place of residence over in the addicts guide thread  (post #95 for those who are curious).  I've re-posted the pics pics above from there, they are the only ones I've got and we can't have a review thread without a few pics.  

 

You know, sometimes I forget what it is that I’m looking for in an integrated amp.  Am I looking for perfection?  Well… sure… why not, but I’m enough of a realist that I’m not actually expecting to find it. 

Am I looking for extended highs (because I do like them!), sweet mids, natural mids, sexy vocals, deep bass…   I could go on and on. 

But I think what I’m looking for is an enjoyable presentation, one that entertains.  And I’m not really that fussy on the details (not until I put on my critical hat and reach for my clipboard anyway) I’m just after an amp that I will enjoy listening to, everything else is secondary.  Most of the amps I’ve managed to get my hands on over the past few years have sounded pretty good, there were only really 3 that I had serious “lack of appreciation†issues with and it wasn't so much that they did things badly it was more that they did things in a way that I really didn’t like.  Listening to them was still a worthwhile learning experience (even if I didn’t choose to do it for very long).  I am happy to say that the ‘35ENR has provided me with another learning experience, and quite a pleasant one to boot.

 

Now I’ve been sent this REDGUM RGi35ENR Black Series (by accident, or possibly due to the wish I made when I saw that shooting star last week) to add to my amp experiences and I am happy to say that I quite like it.  It’s got the kahunas of a paratrooper, more bass than a guitar shop and enough honesty that it could never hope to get itself elected to parliament.  All of these are good things, but I’ve come unstuck in the past a few times now where I’ve discovered that even though I thought an amp performed great in initial listening they turned out to have a serious flaw or two once I put on my chosen test disc and put pen to paper so, let us get down to brass tacks shall we?

 

The cables in use for this test were Aurealis ICs from source to amp and REDGUM speaker cables.  The source was my usual Consonance cd120 and the speakers were my Lenehan/ETI S2R stand mounts.  The ‘35ENR is rated at 65wpc and sports some pretty decent power claims down into 2 Ohms, if you want all the details I suggest you check out the indiegogo link here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/redgum-black-signature-series-amplifier-project

Or one of the SNA links, news here:   https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/redgum-black-signature-series-amplifier-project

And discussion thread here:  http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/66328-21-years-of-redgum-so-something-special-had-to-happen/

 

Highs:

Triangle is bigger and bolder than ever with a longer ring out (or hang) time, trumpet seems to be ever so slightly smoothed/sweetened (so not quite as raspy as usual) but it retains its identity well (ie it’s still very distinctly a trumpet), Piano is similar, just ever so slightly less crisp and more sweet than I’m used to, not enough of a change to annoy just enough to indicate a distinct personality.  This is the first time I’ve heard ‘slightly sweetened’ upper treble that I actually enjoyed. 

7.5

Mids:

I had a bit of a hard time coming up with words here, eventually I coined the phrase

‘naturally, neutrally, pleasant, and just a little bit mellow’

to describe the mid range presentation of the ‘35ENR.

7.5

Bass:

Provides extra large helpings of Strong, Deep, Fast, Hard and Solid Bass.  At lower volume levels the bass sits happily and unobtrusively in line with the top end and the mids but when you up the volume it really kicks in.  At these higher volume levels it can intrude on the higher frequencies and hide some of the detail of them, however if you are listening at these volumes then it is unlikely that you would be seeking those details and more likely that you would be trying to drive your friends from the room (or possibly your neighbours from the street).  There is a massive amount of bass on tap for an amp of this wattage rating.  Very impressive.

7.75 (was to be an 8.0 but I marked it down 0.25 due to the occasional bass intrusion)

 

Vocals: 

Very much the same as the mid range, the vocals seem to a bit understated but end up being very captivating all the same.  The REDGUM doesn’t seem to exerting an influence over them in any way, they certainly aren’t sweetened, softened or smoothed, they seem untouched.   An example of less is more maybe?  It certainly makes the vocals very hard to score, I’m going to go with a 7.5 as I did with the mid range, but keep in mind that if ‘un-interfered with vocals’ is what you are after then this should be an 8.0 or 8.5.

7.5

 

2D Soundstaging:

I have to make mention of this, the ‘35ENR has a massive level of channel separation, so much so that many vocals and instruments that I am used to hearing ‘smack bang in the middle of the speakers’ migrated to the left or right by up to a meter (for a few songs there I must have looked like I was watching a tennis match, my head was turning left and right so often).   This is a pretty damn cool effect (IMO, obviously), you could almost call it ‘enhanced stereo’.  Now I stopped giving scores for soundstaging a while back, and this is a pity because here the little REDGUM excels.  If I was awarding scores this one would have to be a 9.0.

 

3D Soundstaging:

Pretty much as expected, it would score somewhere between 6 and 7, maybe 7.5, which was a bit of a let down after the 2D result above. 

 

Overall Performance Integration:

Loves its transients, puts out a very dynamic and solid performance that it is generally happy to let the bass take the lead in (at higher volumes anyway), the highs and mids can be surprisingly delicate and detailed at times but the amp does like to remind the listener that it really likes to emphasise its bass performance.  This is one of those amps that loves everything to change, while it doesn’t mind nice mellow flowing music it absolutely loves big dips and crashes.  In some ways it puts me in mind of a 20 year old with a new sports car, he’s always smiling but he’s smiling wider when he’s accelerating, braking or changing direction.

7.0

 

Ability to Emote:

I’m going to split this in two here and award one score for the mids and highs and one for the bass.

7.0 (mids and highs) a nice light allure that slowly and gently drags you in, that naturalness speaks to you but it does it a bit slowly since it takes a little time to work out exactly what it is you are hearing.

8.5 (bass) Grabs you by the scruff of the neck, drags you to the end of the pier, wraps a chain around your left foot and then throws you (and the two bricks attached to the other end of the chain) off the end.  Even if you are not a fan of it, you are definitely going to react to that bass!

 

Electric Guitar Test:

7.5, very good but that natural mid range doesn’t quite let me hear the ‘feedback edge’ that I like.  Luckily this score increases to 8.0 if you crank the volume over 85db.

 

80’s Rock Test:

7.0  Perfectly adequate but just not outstanding.  I may try some other 80’s rock just to confirm.

 

 

Comments:

Another amp that is just that little bit different to most.  It’s been a long time between drinks in my chosen hobby lately but at least I can say that those drinks have been ‘strong and interesting’ ones.  Since REDGUM use a passive volume control I was expecting to hear some of that softening of the leading edge of notes that I heard with the ME240 (particularly when I ran it without a low impedance source) and/or the mellow liquid sound/effect of the Exposure 2010S2.  I could hear it (to a lesser extent) with the REDGUM RGM175 system I had previously too, so it was pretty surprising to discover that it just didn’t happen with the ‘35ENR.  Good stuff!

 

In fact, there is very little about the sonic signature of this amp that reminds me about the RGM175 system that I had recently.  Admittedly it was 5 years old and this amp is about 5 minutes old so that may well explain it.  I will say that I like the ‘35ENR more than the RGM175 though, and I’m not sure that all of that difference can be said to be due to my ‘soft spot’ for integrated amps.  I’m thinking those three initials make quite a difference.

 

Another thing I discovered was that the amp is sensitive enough to easily display the difference between 2 DACs, I had the REDGUM CD5ENR hooked up and was doing some swapping back and forth between it and my Consonance cd120 and found that the character of the amp changed significantly when I switched between the two, the bass increased by at least 10% with the CD5 ENR, and was pushed out by 2 or 3 feet which separated it (in the soundstage) from the top end and the mids which seemed to stay where they already were, in between the speakers.  Now I know the two players have quite different sounding character but it is rare to find an integrated amp that can display that change in character so vividly (if only they all did then there would be far fewer people walking around claiming that DACs don’t make a difference).  That is a definite feather in the little REDGUM’s cap.

 

All of this is about in line with what I would expect to get in an integrated amp in the two to two-point-five thousand dollar range (I’m talking Aussie dollars here).  It certainly fits in with many other amps I’ve heard that sit in that price range.  But… it isn’t in that price range… is it?

 

OK, so now that I’ve typed somewhere around 1700 words about the integrated amp in question, how about I try it out as a power amp?  If I wind the volume pots fully open then I can, and, to my way of thinking, if I can then I really should.   And quickly, before anyone asks for it back.

[niss_man]

How does it compare to the quasimodo Jeff?

[Cafad]

Hey Simon, I thought I might be asked that what with the Quasimodo being one of the few amps available at a very similar price.

The Quasimodo has a higher level of detail, slightly sweeter vocals and that warm background to everything it does.  The RGi35ENR wins hands down on bass (even though the Quasi is rather good in the bass region) and it feels more dynamic to listen to, possibly due to that 'enhanced stereo effect' I mentioned.

 

If you had to choose between the two I think it would come down to your musical preferences.  Any tube aficionados would likely prefer the Quasi, and solid state hard rockers would appreciate the REDGUM, if you liked your music light with natural vocals it could be a very hard choice to make.

[RockandorRoll]

It does look pretty tough doesn't it, a bit taller than the Wood series, beefier overall. I love the laser etched logo on the top

 

I do like the Redgum sound and i found the i35ENR sounded better than the i60 i had. Like you said, maybe those 3 letters add something special

[lemnoc]

Can you pop the bonnet so we can have a look inside

[Cafad]

I think I can arrange that lemnoc.

Those left and right PCBs are tiny little things aren't they?

 

Another interesting thing I've noticed, see that "500W max" printed under the AC plug?  That's 'a bit on the high side' for a 65wpc amp.

 

This is a pic I found via google of the back of a SonofaGum.  Notice it says "300W max", and it was known as a serious performer.

[Luc]

Jeff your known to seriously crank up the volume with only the cane paddocks and distant bovines  to be affected, so the bass your talking about,is it evident at normal listening levels for us mere mortals who can't quite open up the doors to the vista and soundstage you have to play with. ?

 

Redgum had/has a reputation for supplying oodles of bass, too much so if you heed some reviews and experiences by listeners. I don't really notice it to be honest with my Sonofagum but I do appreciate the grunt the thing has. Having said that, I think my Sansui's can match it quite easily to be honest and when I get my bigger Sansui's up here from Skippy I'll know more on that. Perhaps a couple might have to have a holiday up North?

[Cafad]

Jeff your known to seriously crank up the volume with only the cane paddocks and distant bovines  to be affected, so the bass your talking about,is it evident at normal listening levels for us mere mortals who can't quite open up the doors to the vista and soundstage you have to play with. ?

 

Redgum had/has a reputation for supplying oodles of bass, too much so if you heed some reviews and experiences by listeners. I don't really notice it to be honest with my Sonofagum but I do appreciate the grunt the thing has. Having said that, I think my Sansui's can match it quite easily to be honest and when I get my bigger Sansui's up here from Skippy I'll know more on that. Perhaps a couple might have to have a holiday up North?

This is true, I do have a rather convenient lack of human neighbours to worry about and since cows love loud music (little known fact that one) they very rarely complain.

 

On the subject of bass the little '35ENR started out with massive truckloads of it, and I was torn between my reviewer persona thinking "This does not bode well." and my inner fanboy thinking "This is pretty damn awesome.".  That bass deepened and smoothed quickly, somewhere in between 5 and 10 hours of operation.  

It was still a bit of a worry because it still seemed to be very bass dominant, but again, somewhere in between 50 and 60 hours it settled down some more and that was when I started to be able to pay more attention to the mids and the top end.  It was still a little bit intrusive when I went through with my reviewers hat on, a little earlier than usual at about 72 hours (I know I shouldn't have, but I was concerned that it might have to go back).  

I strongly suspect that this process is still happening, if I can keep hold of the amp for another day or two I'll post an update on that, but in answer to your question Luc, at normal listening levels the bass is quite well behaved and lets the treble shine through very well.

 

Gears have been set in motion on the Sansui front so there'll be something for us all to look forward to later on in the month.

[Phantom]

Seems like the Redgum might be a good party amplifier.

 

Not my thing but plenty should love it.

[blakey72]

So where would the Redgum fit into your top 10 Jeff?

[Cafad]

Seems like the Redgum might be a good party amplifier.

 

Not my thing but plenty should love it.

Nah Phantom, it'd have to gain some serious distortion and boominess before it'd make a good party amp.

 

 

So where would the Redgum fit into your top 10 Jeff?

I'm going to need some more time to answer that one properly.  I'm not sure it'll stay long enough for me to do some head to head comparisons with the Burson and the Myryad.  Let's just wait and see what tomorrow brings shall we?

[Darren69]

Might be a good match for the 1038's.

[Phantom]

I still reckon its a party amp. Maybe a more slightly toned down one from Caf's idea of a party but nevertheless.

 

Big bass, bold, dynamic, ballsy, in yer face. Might be a good pairing for cheap and cheerful speakers like Aarons or the Adelaide speakers or even Cerwin Vegas for maximum impact and if someone can get in on the $888 pricing it's great bang for buck also

 

Can't see anyone with Proacs or the more refined speakers going for this. Doesn't mean it ain't good, just that it suits a particular type of speaker. Redgum amps have a house sound ( not that there is anything wrong with that )   and anyone I have ever met or heard from about mentions big bass and front &centre action as the DNA.

 

Horses for courses as it is said.

[Cafad]

Well I'm still of the opinion that it is not a "party amp".  Several of Phantoms adjectives could certainly be used to describe the little '35ENR, it is certainly both dynamic and ballsy, but I have to say it isn't in your face.  The presentation of the '35ENR is not forward at all, most of the action stays back in the plane of the speakers.

 

Hey Phantom, when the RGi120ENR of mine has shown up and been 'sufficiently evaluated' it is going to go on a bit of a tour, (a short one, only two planned stops so far) would you like to be put on the list?  That way you can have a demo with it on your own gear.  I'm confident you'll find that it isn't a party amp.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Cafad

[lemnoc]

There's sort of a write up in Australian Hifi if anyone is interested

 

http://www.avhub.com.au/index.php/News/Hi-Fi/redgum-black-signature-series.html

[Cafad]

Well, it's Friday night and no one has asked for the little REDGUM to be returned  .

 

I spent a couple of hours this afternoon listening to the '35ENR, the Myryad Z142 and the Burson PI-160, just getting the different personalities sorted out in my head and I have to say it is remarkable how close the '35ENR is to resembling a "more relaxed" version of the Burson PI-160.  

 

If I'd shouted the Burson to 10 minutes in a warm spa followed by a deep tissue massage prior to the comparison I think they'd be pretty hard to tell apart.

[scuzzii]

Getting very intimate on a Friday night with them..

Is there enough room in that spa for them all with you.. ? I think a few movies have been made along those lines...

Very enjoyable read...

[Cafad]

Well if there is ever a night to get intimate with your audio gear Friday night is the one!

 

I just ran the Cayin S200 against the REDGUM and it was immediately clear which amp was easier on the ears.  The Cayin was good in the bass and decent enough in the mid range but the 'crack, clap and tap sounds' were terrible (OK, they didn't exactly make my ears bleed but compared to the REDGUM they were a bit of a chore to sit through), it was almost as if the Cayin was clipping the beginning and ending of every note in the upper treble but at the same time it was projecting a more forward soundstage so it was like it was showing off and shoving the fact that it was not as nice in the top end to listen to as the REDGUM was.  I decided on a Dire Straits evening tonight and the Cayin was neither laid back nor easy of listening.

 

I thought this might be a more relevant comparison since the Cayin S200 can be had for around the $1300 mark landed at your door (so not too far from the RGi35ENR promotional price) and it is still available while both the Myryad and the Burson are old models that can't be bought new any more.  

 

 

I wonder if the Cayin was not happy with the REDGUM RGCD5ENR DAC?  It just may have a problem with the higher output level, (not that the Burson or the Myryad had any problems with it) I might give it a second head to head run tomorrow afternoon, just to be sure (I'll switch back to the Consonance cd120 for the next one).

Edited July 11, 2014 by Cafad

[scuzzii]

you have me very curious about this amp and its such a great buy...

 

I already have a few extra unused...   geezus..

 

Pioneer A400

Melody SP9

Yamaha S700 (for mum and dad with CD700 from Sydney HiFi)

Xindak from you (for my mate maybe)

Onkyo 9070 from you  (for my mate maybe)

Sansui 317 (for my mate)

 

hmmmmmm

[Cafad]

you have me very curious about this amp and its such a great buy...

 

I already have a few extra unused...   geezus..

 

Pioneer A400

Melody SP9

Yamaha S700 (for mum and dad with CD700 from Sydney HiFi)

Xindak from you (for my mate maybe)

Onkyo 9070 from you  (for my mate maybe)

Sansui 317 (for my mate)

 

hmmmmmm

I only see two amps there that would class as unused.

[henry218]

the SP9 is a very transparent amp too!

[scuzzii]

SP9 has been great but been in the shop too many times for my liking - just too unreliable.  I'm writing this because I have no plans to sell,  will prob freecycle at some stage (plug it in the other day and another fault with it..FMD).  Eddie Lee has had it more time than I..

 

I haven't decide what amp out of the Onkyo and Xindak my mate will get.  Really liking the Xindak I must say.  Plus I'm auditioning Multiplex Man's Marantz PM11..  (waiting on some bi-wire cables from Krispy kable)

 

Anyway,  have enjoyed seeing your impressions of the REDGUM

[Cafad]

Well I've done some more back-and-forth-ing between the RGi35ENR and the Cayin S200, this time using the Consonance cd120, and my opinions are unchanged.  The little REDGUM is definitely a more pleasant amp to listen to than the big Cayin.

 

I suspected the little REDGUM would win but I expected the Cayin to put up more of a fight, I'm a little disappointed in the S200, actually.  Oh well, comparisons are a bit like footy matches, you can't have every one of them come to a nail-bitingly close finish after a hard fought game.  Some of them are easy to predict within the first 10 minutes.

[Cafad]

It's a much closer ball game when compared with the ME240 (which, when fed via the REDGUM CD5ENR, the CD5 being a low impedance source, sounds pretty damn good).  

 

Pro's and Con's score:

 

RGi35ENR.

Slightly forward vocals makes them easier to hear and keeps them from being obscured by the instruments.  A big plus, 2 Pro points.

More clearly defined top end, crisper snap and tap than the ME240.   Another big plus, 2 Pro points.

More relaxed in the mid bass region.  Not bad, but it still counts as a loss to the ME240, 1 Con point.

 

ME240.

Slightly better definition on instruments in the mid range.   1 Pro point. 

more relaxed top end   1 Con point, I like my highs to be higher definition.

more definition in the mid bass and a slightly deeper bass presentation altogether.  A win but not a big one, 1 Pro point.

More energy to be heard in the electric guitar.  Being my favorite instrument, this rates 2 Pro points.

 

Don't you hate it when it comes down to a penalty shootout?  Oh well, it gives me something to do tonight  .

 

Now that comparo was fun!

 

It may not be very 'commercially relevant', it's not like there are very many ME240s around these days, so choosing one over one of the new REDGUMs is not an option that many are going to have, but I figure there might just be one or two ME fans around the traps who could be interested in a performance comparison.  

[Cafad]

Let's take this review thread on the road shall we?  I mean sure, you've got my opinion but couldn't we use a few others as well?

 

I've talked to Lindy from REDGUM and she is happy for me to "share" this review RGi35ENR unit with other SNAers who may be interested in trying it out and letting the rest of us know of their experiences with it.  I was hoping to get a few volunteers who had something that could be called a challenge for the little REDGUM, maybe a pair of KEF LS50s or Dynaudios, a pair of speakers to let it stretch its legs.  Maybe someone who has a SonofaGum or other REDGUM amp to compare it with might also be an interesting idea.  If you happen to be interested let me know either via PM or posting in this thread and we'll see what we can organize over the next few days.

 

Hands up who'd like to take part in the REDGUM Road Trip!