ALO The National

You probably care about this. Of course you do. ALO deliver here, though they deliver in one way that surprised me more than the rest. I didn't expect absolute perfection from The National. And I didn't get it. Even without load, it allows a goodly amount of distortion in the signal, and what I will call 'heat' in the midrange shadow of certain instruments. It might be a small delay. Those are intentional marks. ALO designed a 300$ amp to have a sound, which is another mark, not of a 300$ amp, but of one much higher priced. 

The VorzAMPduo and VorzAMPpro, for instance, amps that carry much higher prices around the world than the ALO does, are voiced by thick mid ranges and fast, extended highs. Some people insist they are made for pop music, some for jazz and IDM (amazing grouping, eh?). The National overall has a neutral image, but exchanges some neutrality for the above-mentioned heat. That minute delay (heat, remember?) coupled with a clear upper midrange creates the image of space. Images wrap further behind the ear in many cases and slightly forward, to about the eyes. 

That mid range section is, under normal driving circumstances, very clear, very articulate. The National is, in that space, an epiphany. Of course there are clearer mids out there and more perfectly neutral frequency responses. But not so many amps give as engaging of a listen. I stand very solidly beside my insistence that The National is an amp that for 300$ will suit perfectly in the living room AND on the go.

There is a LOT of power beneath its bonnet. If you are maxing out a pair of headphones with it, you will probably max them out on anything not mains. At 80dB, the DT880 600Ω needs about 50-55% of the volume pot and high gain. It can be pushed to 100% with no distortion. Ditto (distortion) ES10 to about 95% of the volume pot. Both headphones then are over 100dB and sound like small room speakers. 

That is power. Most portable amps can kick up over 95dB, but not with that sort of clarity. I'm ready to say that the DT880 600Ω are very close to being perfectly driven by The National, a portable headphone amp. For 300$. Made by a boutique maker.

IEM's are not a mixed bag unless you step into Earsonics SM2/JH13Pro territory where crossovers and many drivers play foul by dipping into very low Ω. Remember, not all multi-armatures do that. EM3Pro, SM3, CT7, W4 are driven nearly perfectly by The National. There is about the same amount of hiss as the zO2, which isn't a lot and isn't a little in the grand scheme of things. People with Shure SE530 and Westone UM2 who have sensitive ears may want to steer elsewhere. "

คลิกอ่านรีวิวฉบับเต็มที่ http://www.head-fi.org/t/610270/alo-the-national-is-a-work-of-art-check-it    

Amplifiers