Smoothness, bass control, pace & rhythm, transparency. Absolutely no harshness or bite.

Very slightly rolled-off at the top; remote, although beautiful, is VERY non-intuitive! May be a bit too smooth with warm speakers?

This baby YBA continues to amaze. I'm using it to successfully power my Verity Audio Parsifal Encores, and though the price mismatch is extreme, I'll probably but the bugger to have as I audition pricier amps. (The dealer thinks this will be a fruitless venture unless I pay $3k+)
This amp is INCREDIBLY better sounding than the ACURUS or my big trusty NAD. It's as musical and coherent as the $3500 tubed AVATAR, without destroying the speaker's response.
I've been told the Complete sounds BETTER than the single-transformer Integre, but not as powerful as the DT.
But at HALF the price?! If you were thinking about NAD/ROTEL, or even Creek/Arcam/Acurus, try this neat little amp! So far only the Air Tight ATM2 ($6800) was clearly better in my system. I'm trying Pass Aleph next....might just keep this amp regardless!

Similar Products Used:

Acurus 150, NAD, VAC AVATAR

Excellent frequency extension. For 50 watts the amp never runs out of steam. Amp provides a live sense to music especially in the midrange. The amp reproduces the whole audio spectrum from top to bottom on any speaker. No coloration just music. Easy to use and has enough inputs for other components.
You have to hear in to believe how good this piece is.
It thrashed my Audio Reseach LS3B and D130 Combo.
It also sounds better than the Krell 300i and Bryston B60R

It might have been a little weak in the highs, but a interconnect change solved this. The YBA Separates are definitely better at doing the sound stage thing. When I can afford them I'll think about upgrading. Plus I love to listen to records and YBA offers a phono option.

Current System: Audio Refinement Complete Amp
JM Lab Cobalt 810 Speakers
Rega Planet CD Player
Chang Lightspeed Line Conditioner
Straight Wire Octave II Speaker Cable
Straight Wire Crescendo Interconnect

I have owned the Audio Refinement Complete amp for about a month. The Complete has provided me with pure musical enjoyment from every recording. In fact isn't that what we are all really after? You can spend a whole lot more on separates and other tweaky high end equipment but I'll take the Audio Refinement and put my money into more music.

I can listen for hours with no fatigue and all my friends ask if they can borrow the unit to compare it to their equipment. If your buying cheap mass market components your being ripped off.

One session with the YBA made Audio Refinement Complete and you will wonder how the other companines can stay in business.

If you have the extra cash please do audition all the other YBA components, they are special. If not don't pass up the Audio Refinemnet gear. Same sound less money.

I own the Rega Planet now but I'm going to replace it with the Complete CD by Audio Refinment. It is a better CD player over all more extended in the highs.

Happy listening to all lucky YBA owners!

Similar Products Used:

Audio Reseach LS3B and D130
Krell 300i
Bryston B60R
Comparisons were done head to head at the dealers with JM Lab Speakers and identical cables and interconnects.

This integrated amplifier is fantastic. The low end is tight and the midrange very focused, the highs are extremely smooth without sounding rolled off like many integrated amplifiers I''ve tried. Optional remote control is a must.Using with a Pioneer Elite PD-65 and a Pair of JM LABS Cobalt 810''s. Interconnect used is AudioQuest Diamond and Tara Labs Temporal Cont. Speaker Wire. The best part though is that this amp sells for $995.00 + $50.00 for the optional remote.

This integrated amplifier is fantastic. The low end is tight and the midrange very focused, the highs are extremely smooth without sounding rolled off like many integrated amplifiers I've tried. Optional remote control is a must.Using with a Pioneer Elite PD-65 and a Pair of JM LABS Cobalt 810's. Interconnect used is AudioQuest Diamond and Tara Labs Temporal Cont. Speaker Wire. The best part though is that this amp sells for $995.00 + $50.00 for the optional remote.

Smooth, tube-like midrange, clear highs, solid bass. Overall liquid, consistent, beautiful sound. Incredible build. Great looks.

No pre-out for subwoofer. Three legs makes it a little dangerous.

I recently went on a search for a good amp to match my new Spendor 3/5s. The process proved exhausting. There is a ton of great stuff out there. I haven't upgraded for years, living happily with an LS3/5a and Quad solid state combination. The Spendors are absolutely terrific speakers and fit my life long taste for the best of smooth British speakers (Harbeth, Spendor, Rogers).
The Spendors are also inefficent, at 84db, and need some real power to sound right.
I first ran the Spendors on my traditional back up amp, a NAD C340. This is a fantastic amp for the money and ran them satisfactorily.
I guess I'm one of those people who want it all. I love what good tubes do for midrange, vocals, and most non-electronic instruments. I can't live without great female vocals and a clean, liquid medium frequency spectrum. Yet, at the same time, I want some good solid bass. It's the old tube versus solid state choice.
I first listened to some Rotels, in that I have a RCD 971 CD and have a good friend who sells Rotel. They performed well, with power and separation, but were missing magic in the mid-range. Overall they sound too lean. Next, I tried the Rega integrated. This amp has terrific timing, like Naims, but is too bright. I don't mind the looks, kind of counter-culture.
I eventually got my hands on a mint, used Musical Fideltiy XA-1. I had this amp for two months. It was mainly a disappointment. I kept trying to like it but couldn't. It's hard to articulate what is wrong with this amp. It has good timbre, pace, and clarity. I guess it lacks coherence. The individual components of music sound great but they don't come together well. Even simple acoustical rock, like Sara McLachlan, sounds strange. Her voice is separated from the piano even though they are the only two sounds being produced. The soundstage for this amp is overly wide, if there is such a thing. As a final negative, the XA-1 couldn't really handle the Spendors. The amp pooped out on orchesteral creschandos (Copland's Third, Brahms first) and good rock (U-2).
The only amp I wanted to test, but couldn't, was the Audio Analogue Puccini. There are no dealers anywhere near me and I didn't want the hassle of returning a shipped product.
Almost out of frustration, I took a chance and bought a used Audio Refinement Complete amp, over the Internet, for $650. I figured if I didn't like it, selling it would be very easy. I purchased the amp based on the strength of it's numerous positive reviews and commentary on this site.
I received the amp, warmed it up for an hour, put on the soundtrack to the move "Glory", as was stunned. The Complete amp is virtually everthing I was searching for. It handles vocals like a fine tube amp, with real lifelike voices, and bass like a solid state, with force and authority. As I played a selection of my favorite records and CDs, I became further impressed. The Complete is an unmitigated high end powerhouse. It seduces you with an accurate and emotional midrange, provides beautiful and gentle highs, but also gives some real tight bass slam. Virtually every type of music I played was a revelation. The overall sound reminds me of the best of the Conrad Johnson separates or even Audio Research. The Complete also had no problem handling the inefficient little Spendors. I've been able to play at the highest levels with placing the volume dial beyond the 11 oclock positon.
Then, as a final surprise, was a level of detail I didn't anticipate. I began to hear detailed lyrics on poorly recorded rock CDs I hadn't heard before.
I am not given to hyperbole but this is one incredible amp. It plays music superbly and gives you 98% of what you could get from the most expensive separates. It is both emotinal and accurate at the same time. It gets music right in a forceful but non-fatiguing manner. It makes good recordings better and actually softens some of the worst characteristics of modern recordings. It's quality and build matches those of Classe or Bryston.
What else could I wish for? A pre-out to run a sub-woofer and maybe a headphone socket. Probably too much to ask for.
If you have $500 to $1000 to spend, buy this amp. I plan on keeping mine for a very long time.

Similar Products Used:

Quad 34/306, Conrad Johnson tube separates, Musical Fidelity XA-1, various NADs, various B&K, various Rotels