I recently read some rave reviews about class t amps and one in particuar, the Sonic Impact T , a battery operated amp which sells for about £50 . I was also on the lookout for a small pair of mini monitors nad after doing a search came across a pair of TBI Majestic Diamonds which it so happend were being sold as a package with a S.I T amp. The great thing about this system is their portabilty as the components are all small and light and although one can connect to a mains using a power supply, battery usage is a real plus. Now this system is not like any other portable one as the sound is in just another league altogether. This. I believe, is due to the class t amplification which, incidentally, I think, will revolutionise not only AV and HiFi but all other areas where audio is involved such as telephones. This is because class t amps are very efficient and are both light and small (the T amp is no bigger than the palm of ones hand) are cheaper to make and one ends up getting a lot bang for ones buck as they say. I am not going to claim that they are the equal of high end class A, AB or valve amps but I believe the budget / midfi sector is in for a shakeup as more and more of these type of amps appear on the market.Anyway in the end I didnt buy the T amp prefering instead its slightly bigger brother the Super T .This is the rather more Audiophile version being as its encased in aluminium( instead of plastic) has phono inputs and some improved circuitry( I'm told).At about £120 its well worth the extra.Like the T its an oddity mind standing 6" high and 2" wide. On the front it has but one volume knob, an on/off button and LED light. On the rear there are two pairs of speaker outputs , one pair of line level phono inputs and the main lead and thats it. Oh there is also an external power supply which complies with our voltage. Anyway this is minimilism taken to its logical conclusion as there is no money wasted on unnecesaries. The amp being so light and small that changing the inputs is a doddle. I have a cd player , iPod and phono stage which I can change over with ease.The only snag is that portability is not the same as the T as one needs a 12 volt battery but ,hey, you cant everything
Now to the speakers. These are single driver devices encased in a box measuring 4"x4"x5" Originally I intended to buy a pair of Nohr 3s but got no respone from my emal so opted for these and I have to say that I am in no way disappointed. I have been listening to them now for several hours and am in no way fatigued - they just sound right. The bass is limited but what there is is accurate with no wooliness and the treble ( an area of concern for I hate bright sounding speakers) is smooth and with little percieved sibilance.
What else can I say? Yeah i know I am crazy going against the advice that I myself would give ie dont buy without listening first especially ANY foreign made products which are not obtainable here through the regular retail route. But hey I took a punt and it paid off so I am well chuffed
Btw a sub is also obtainable .TBI recommend their own passive version coupled with a sub amp . At a total of about grand they will have to wait some time. The Diamonds cost me £300 approx- money well spent in my view.
I wont provide a link as I believe you should do your own search as I did as its part of the fun
