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If there is one very good point about this amp it is its ability to project vocals,very clear, very sweet,and quite engaging, I think thats all.
No rhythm.
No dynamics.
Loose bass.
Disjointed music (somtimes).
flat sound.
Very unexciting.
You can go to sleep while it plays rock.
Slow.
My advise is if you like classical or to some extent jazz
buy it otherwise please do not come near it.
To get the sme quality of vocals you would be spending $3000 or there about.

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about 10 diff. amp

good image depth, neutrality through frequency range, plays rhythms effectively, detailed sound, easy to enjoy long listening sessions

nothing too serious discovered at the moment - perhaps slight bass lightness - though tight and tuneful - preferable to loose, heavy and ponderous

First off - this is a heavy amplifier, and solidly built. two heavy transformers and a thick aluminium fascia account for some of the weight. I use this amp with opera mini speakers and a revox s22 cd player. Interconnects and speaker cable are: sonic link violet and chord co. legend.
phono stage is good using a systemdek 2x - detailed and sparkly. Overall sound quality is neutral and very even handed. The amp. produces a very pleasing sound that extracts emotional highs from music. Initially, it sounded good but as others have noted, changing mains cables produces a marked improvement on sound quality. I swapped the standard lead for a DNM solid core cable, with a ferrite clamp, and it really does transform the sound into something more transparent and punchy. Perhaps a susceptibility to RF accounts for the transformation when changing mains lead? Anyway, I recommend anyone in the market of this price range to try it out. I suspect the Puccini SE may be more effective with smaller sensitive, standmounting speakers, but until I try it with bigger ones I can't be sure. So far I'm really happy with it - it brings a certain magical quality to sound reproduction - in an unforced and unhyped way.

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naim nait 3, crimson pre-power, quad 77

This baby gets the music right, no question about it. Everything sounds very real with a high tingle factor.

The problem is that this amp is not the most resolving or transparent (I don't like using that word, but it seems to fit here). As far as transients go, this integrated does well, but it's competitors (Celeste i-5080, Musical Fidelity A3) handle them with less effort.

So, for lack of a better analogy, everything sounds like it has been miked up and fed through a P.A. system, as opposed to the musicians/vocalists playing their raw instruments right in your living room. Many people like this, including Sam Tellig of stereophile (of course, Sam seems to like any mid priced integrated he gets his hands on).

At any rate, due to the lack of resolution and transparency I am not a big fan of this integrated. I do acknowledge that it is a fine piece of work, but it might not be for everybody.

Musicality, realism, laid back, simple, smart looking. Excellent for vocals, jazz, acoustic, uncluttered calssical, and actually not bad for other types of fast paced stuff... but not too loud. Price is excellent too!!

laid back, simple, no pre-out.

Puccici owners out there, take note. If you haven't changed the powerchord, DO IT NOW!! You thought your pooch sounded good, you're in for a treat. You will be amaized at the differnce it makes. Any hint of restraint is eliminated. The sound is more wholesome, more musical and a lot more "Powerful".

I'm no electrical engineer but.. I think the huge difference can be attributed to the fact that the Pooch actually draws very little current from the mains (less than 2 Amps). By putting in a quality powerchord, you ease up on the input "resistances", enabling her to freely take what she wants.

I am using an Audioquest powerchord, but I think any good quality one will do. Don't forget to bypass them fuses!!

Ow yes, use fast I/C's and S/C's. It helps her breathe better and a whole lot faster too!!

5 Stars for the top dog!! Enough jabbering and back to listening... :)

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Basically everything within and slightly beyond its price range.

I have just finished the 100 hours burn-in period of my new Puccini SE. It's simply awesome. It's first feature is musicality, this amp is able to produce one of the sweetest sound I ever heard, it really sounds very similar to a tube amp. Someone says it lacks dynamics, but after a complete burn-in and using a good power cable, instead of the cheap one that comes with the unit, the dynamic performance provided by Puccini SE is very very good. Bass is powerful and tight, midrange is sweet and natural, treble is clean and extended. Sound stage is exceptional, with much air between the instruments. The best thing that I can say about this amp is that it never fatigue the listener, even at high volumes and even with some badly recorded CD...

I really wanted to like this thing. In fact, I tried really hard to make myself care for its sound, but the point is, I couldn't. The Puccini is really good at what it does well, and perhaps for the price maybe that is why everyone is so crazy about it. But I can't help but agree with a reviewer below in that it leaves you feeling isolated from the music. Turn up the volume a slight bit on anything that has any sort of rhythmic pace and everything hardens leaving you a mere voyeur to what it's recreated. It actually started to dictate the music I was listening to. I think its name to be indicative of the sort of mucic it was intened to play, and to me it's screaming, buyer be ware. Three stars for Puccini. Who's that anyway?

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nothing

I recently inherited a pair of top notch speakers and ended up roaming many a HiFi shop on the quest to find an amp of worthy stature for a reasonable dollar. Strangely, I was in a shop auditioning one of its major rivals (a similar sort of amp, from Europe), when I stumbled upon the Puccini SE. It was sitting on one of the bottom shelves collecting dust. I questioned its disposition and was assured that it posed no threat to what was on offer. Nevertheless, I insisted on listening to it as I was very much attracted to its simplicity.

I was told that although it was a relatively new unit, it was abandoned for someting with more drive. I also had apprehensions about its conditing, seeing that it had a layer of dust on it.

The first of the waves that reached my ears sent me into bewilderment. Having little experience in the audiophillic world all I could think of was realism and completeness. You might not understand and neither do I, but the level of realism that it offered was in a class of its own. It was like nothing I had heared before, during the extensive auditions of other amps in its category. After a lengthy contemplaton (and financial assessment) I decided to make it mine.

Apart from an initial technical glitch, I have been very happy with it. Well, that's is my story. If you're thinking of getting one, do give it a test run with some pop and rock. If you can live with it, you won't regret it!!

In the right company, you might believe you are listening to more expensive electronics. Audio Analogue's " Puccini SE " is a welcome sight in the sub 2k range of one boxers. Not for thrashers or detail maniacs, it gets the basics right at a cost and build quality you might expect for 3k plus. If "music" is what is at the top of your priorities, this amp belongs on your short-list. Works well with Harmonic Tech cables.

less fatiguing than other amplifers, "sweet smooth" musical sound, detail,

needs more power, "too laid back" for rock, "sleepy"

This is an amplifier that definitely requires auditioning before purchase. It is not like an NAD for example which is a budget amplifier will probably satisfy 95% of people purchasing in that price range. It is one of those products which some people will absolutely adore and which some will dismiss out of hand. Depending on your taste of music. If you like rock and punchy and dynamic sound then this amp is definitely NOT for you. But if you are into a relaxing smooth sound that you wish to listen for hours (classical, vocals) then this amp is absolutely stunning for the money. Nothing comes even close at this price range. I presume the sound can best be described as "sweet and smooth".

I have partnered it with a Marantz KI signature and a pair of Harriers (Musical Technology Harriers are produced in the UK by a small specialist manufacturer. Very smooth detailed speakers selling for about 700$). The marantz is slightly bright and complements the amp. When I changed the CDplayer to an Arcam 9, the improvement in the sound was incredible.

I think the problem I am facing is that to upgarde I have to spend quite a lot of money. I have tried several amps in the same price range. Some of those may have more "punch" but they have far less detail I've now become accustomed to.

By the way, I agree that changing the mains cable to a quality one may improve the sound. Thats a subjective assessment.

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NAD, Cambridge Audio, Arcam, Myriad, Roksan

Extraordinary clarity, delicacy and transparency. Vocals and acoustic instruments in small ensembles.

Struggles a little with large orchestral works.

I believe that if you listen to this with a high quality source and speakers you will know immediately if this is for you. It is head and shoulders above anything in its price range if the qualities under "strengths" above matter to you. I have never heard beautiful female vocals sound better with any amp under 5x the price.

However,when listening to louder orchestral passages it starts to sound more ordinary and there is just the slightest hint of effort. This is noticeably less than in the Puccini but is still present.

I know the phono section is well regarded and there is nothing wrong with it. However, for the first time I have not found vinyl clearly superior to CD which troubles me, using a Linn Axis turntable.

This is one of the best purchase I have ever made but I am would be cautious about recommending it to anyone given what most people appear to seek in audio equipment.

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MF, HK, NAD, Rega, Naim, Arcam,