Argo Integrated Amplifier
Product Reviews:
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發燒音響 (Audiophile) No.418 Jan 2021 |
An entertainment system unto itself.
With the addition of several new features and connections, the Argo is almost an entertainment system unto itself. It accommodates four analog audio sources (two XLR, two RCA). Simply connect a pair of speakers and you have a complete music system. Or plug in a set of headphones and enjoy the sound of the Argo on a more intimate scale. All told, the Argo is something quite unprecedented in high-end audio: the incomparable quality of Constellation Audio, with the convenience of an A/V receiver.
A perfectly balanced signal.
From the Line Stage Gain Module, we route the perfectly balanced signals into our balanced bridged modular amplifier, built using the same single-ended 125-watt circuit module used in our state-of-the-art, 1,000-watt Hercules II mono-block amplifiers. These modules receive an abundant supply of clean power from our custom-wound toroidal transformer and substantial storage capacitors. The same distinctive (and highly effective) passive ventilation system used on the Hercules II and Centaur amps provides ample cooling.
Line Stage Gain Module
The Argo employs the same core pre-amplification circuit found in all other Constellation Audio products: our Line Stage Gain Module, which employs servo circuits and hand-selected field-effect transistors (FETs) to achieve an essentially perfect balance between the positive and negative halves of the audio signal. In the Argo, this signal travels directly into the power amplifier circuitry with no additional gain stage needed, just as in a system employing our separate amps and preamps. The result is musicality that is truly incredible not only for an integrated amplifier, but for any audio component.
Custom-wound toroidal transformer with dual-mono power supply filtration
The Argo's integral power supply starts with a custom-wound toroidal transformer. From there, AC power travels into separate storage capacitors, rectifiers and voltage regulators for each channel. Thus, heavy demands on one channel do not influence the performance of the other channel.
Exclusive balanced bridged amplifier circuitry
The Argo's power amplification is constructed from the same single-ended, 125-watt circuit schematic used for Constellation Audio's Hercules II and Centaur power amplifiers. While the Argo cannot match the power and dynamics of those larger amplifiers, its transparency, musicality and sound are fundamentally the same.
Specifications:
- Thick 8.2mm metal components for superior shielding
- Integral headphone amplifier
- Home theatre bypass
- XLR balanced line output
- Front-panel touchscreen control system
- Machined aluminium remote control