Marcel van Overbeek: Through our international contacts with manufacturers, dealers, reviewers and -since our AH! activities- also a lot of consumers, we came across a rather "unknown" brand: Audia from Italy. Immediately we were impressed by the stunning (Italian?) looks and the favorable comments the people were giving. And of course, we became interested in this audio brand. A quick check on the internet brought us at their website www.audia.it. That made clear that the product range exists of 5 products in total (and a sixth coming up …) ; Flight 50 and Flight 100 power amplifiers, Flight Pre pre-amplifier, Flight One integrated amplifier and Flight 3.100 three channel power amp (to match the Flight One for multi channel set-ups…). The upcoming will be an integrated CD-player. There also is an optional phono board to fit the Flight One. At the Las Vegas Hifi show, Herman got the chance to hear both the products and the people behind it, "live", and decided to go for it …
Our first shipment came in exactly four days before my spring vacation. I immediately unpacked the elegant and well designed wooden crates, and out came the Italian beauties! The Flight One integrated had the first opportunity to impress me and my visitors in the shop … And it really did! I plugged in the high-quality screened power cord which comes with every (!) Audia product and attached it to the IEC on the "One’s" back side. Than plugged in our AH! Reference Tjoeb. Connected the amplifier to the Sonus Faber Cremona and I was ready to "run it in" for it’s 100 recommended playing hours. But immediately the set-up draws attention! From the first minute there was transparency, dynamical impact, and resolving power resulting in spaciousness unheard from this loudspeaker in our demo-room! What an amp! Not only looking beautiful, but tremendously musical too! So to speak; the long legged blonde with brains … oops.
So my vacation was coming near and I decided to take the Flight 50 power amp with me. Arriving at home, rather late, after a visit to one of our customers to have his record deck checked and to have a listen to his Grand Slam system together with the Watson designer’s team, I decided to unpack the Audia before going to bed. And while it was unpacked now anyway, I might as well connect it to the set, and … what the heck: one LP’s doesn’t hurt … Guess what? Went to bed after the sunrise … What a night! While I was urging and hurrying to burn in the amplifier, the first 6 hours were made! And how … Throwing the deepest, broadest and highest soundstage EVER heard in my personal set-up, it leaves me speechless with every LP I offered it! The scale within the soundstage so convincingly real … And it was so right in tonal balance. What to expect after the remaining 94 hours of burning in …
Well … Pointless to mention there were some major improvements during burn in time. And it grew, and it grew and it became better every note! The Flight 50 opened up, so totally free off stress, noise or -whatever unmusical things- , the insight in the musical venue itself, was so easy, it reminded me immediately to the best tube power amps I ever heard, but without the typical "hiss n’ hum". It’s so transparent, so absolutely faithful to the tonal color itself, without adding it’s own sound, although it has a sound off it’s own. I was reminded to several amp’s we have (better: had!) in our shop, but way more sophisticated! It beats the Ayre V1 and V3! The Audia gives that same, "tuby" impression, but a more easy, flowing sound. And a better tonal balance. No forwarded mid’s, no softened top end and no "shy" low end … I better stop making comparisons, because there’s no point there … This is a different league. The ability to bring the musical event alive, is a rare property in this price range. The amount off low level information, and the capability to resolve micro detail, extracted from my records I was sure to know them very well … No way!!! Shall I continue? Or should I invite you to meet this musical instrument yourself? You should hear it’s loyalty to the rich timbre, heard from the "Bösi" Grand played by Tori Amos, or the D’Addario snares resonate on the Fleeson guitar played by Bouke Oosterhout , or the subtle air movements from Kari Bremnes’s voice … All very convincing and realistic … Tonight I will play one last album and then pack the Flight 50 in it’s box to "fly it over" again to our shop in Eindhoven … Afraid that it will turn out to be a short nightrest again …
Ps Klik hier voor de website van Audia.