AGD Tempo in the house
It is very interesting to spend time with amps. You go to shows or even go to someone's house and listen to and amp and because it isn't on your gear and in your environment, it sounds good but it is insanely difficult to judge vs other gear.
So AGD is a brand I had been flirting with and finally a customer asked for a demo so I put in my order and a few days later the Tempo arrived. I dropped in into my system and all I can say is WOW. It has all the grunt required to drive my Vivids. Is warm and sweet with an extremely wide sound stage.
Even fresh out of the flight case, (no box here) it didn't sound digital at all. This sounds closer to Class A to me than Class D. I have not heard a different GaN at this point but I am fascinated by this and how good it sounds compared to other Class Ds and even Class ABs.
The other surprising part is this unit is about 1/3 the size of a normal component. I know I am a hair late to the game with GaN but damn, is it ever too late to celebrate a product.
@markmuse - I’d welcome your thoughts on the sound not the tempo. I was told the tempo was more tube like than the Audion. I’ve not heard either, but have been intrigued with the positive feedback I’ve heard. What is the sonic signature of the tempo? |
The sound is clean, but not sterile; smooth; dimensional; lots of ’inner detail’. The only amp I did a fair comparison with (all the same components except the Pass requires RCA cables from pre to amp) was a Pass XA 25. The Pass was a little more laid back, was clearly less smooth, was less detailed, and was less musical. I haven’t had a tube amp since the late ’60s, so I can’t comment on that comparison. My preamp is tube. I hope that helps. I’m sure you realize my comments are are about performance in the context of my system, my room, and my particular hearing and tastes. I do think the AGD products are superb. |
@bluethinker See above. |
I have the Tempo di Gan paired with the Meitner MA-3 DAC/Streamer. It has been said that the Tempo competes with $10-15K amps. I believe that this is absolutely true. It replaced a Boulder 866 which is many times the price of the Tempo. The Tempo drives the Maggie .7's or RAAL Requisite "headphones" both of which combine very nicely with the REL Carbon Limited sub. Being retired, somedays I listen for 6-8 hours with absolutely no fatigue but incredible detail. The sounstage is very wide and deep as well. My cables are all Siltech and a Puritan 156 and Puron conditioner feed the system. I have owned many Pass amps and a Gryphon Diablo among others. The Tempo is easily the best of them all combined with the Meitner MA-3. I can only imagine how good the top offerings are from AGD. I am entirely pleased with the Tempo! |
