Almarro A205A Mk II Nagra BPS Micromega MyGroov Schiit Mani

Brief Review: Almarro A205A Mk II
Brief Review: Nagra BPS vs Micromega MyGroov vs Schiit Mani

Last time I tried to fire up my Almarro amp, it produced some crackling noise and I turned it off immediately. A few days ago I decided to try it again. I noticed the transformer fuse cap (not the power fuse; on the side) was not entirely properly seated so I corrected that. No problem now! Strange.

Almarro A205A Mk II
This amp needs no introduction. The younger (and more sensible) Jeff Day owned the original and reviewed both for 6moons (link for Mk II which contains link to Mk I). He preferred the the Mk I by a little, but only recently discovered that his Mk I had the stock caps replaced by Jensen (see Positive Feedback)! That is, the Mk I was sent to him for review without telling him that it had the coupling caps replaced!

This is not unheard of. Many years ago, in HK, we went to a shop to hear a bargain Chinese amp, and it sounded reasonably good. My friend insisted on the one on demo and took it away. Another friend who bought one never got the sound he heard at the shop, just slow and soft. Finally they compared the innards. Guess what! The demo was modifed to fixed bias from the original's auto-bias! Of course that sounded punchier! Deception! That's not all, some years later, someone's had a problem with one of the output transformers and found out that the big potted transformer only has a much smaller one inside! So, size and weight can still be deceptive.

Although 6moons was the only review at the time, this model sold pretty well, and you often see it turning up second-hand, many modified with V-caps by the dealers. I bought mine second-hand many years ago and rarely used it. I substituted it for the ss Akitika and used the 16 ohm tap for my 15 ohm loudspeaker in my Streaming System:

CDP: Micromega Stage 2 or Magnavox CDB-492
Bluetooth: Dayton BTR-01 digital out to Micromega MyDAC
Analog: Technics SL-1200 Mk II, Denon DL-103; Micromega MyGroov
Preamp: Yamamoto CA-04L

I started with an RCA 12AX7 and a pair of Sovtek EL84. I was immediately grabbed by the excellent sound. Although just 4.8 wpc, it did not sound anemic at all. As a matter of fact, the bass was fuller and better shaped than the Akitika amp! There was a trace of leanness at the top. I rolled in a pair of old-stock Mullard's (one of their better tubes). Now, very sweet indeed! It really doesn't need a preamp. I used it directly and it was just as beautiful, but I need more than 2 inputs.

This is an amp with a very small footprint, yet it is laden with features. 2 inputs, headphone output at the back (decent) and, best for people like me, choice of 8 ohm and 16 ohm taps instead of the more usual 4 and 8 ohms. It generates some heat, but is not excessive. A great choice in a smaller space.

I did open mine. Guess what! Although the designer recommended value for the coupling cap is 0.01 to 1.0 (stock is 0.047), mine is 2.2 Sonicap!!! Someone before me must have wanted for bass! However, after listening for days, I don't think there is anything that I need to change, the bass certainly was not slow nor bloated, though one day I may still restore it to official value and see what it is like. Also, the signal wires going from the volume pot (below pic, silver colored) to the 12AX7 look different from the pics of Jeff Day. I was suspecting they were changed too. I googled the cached pictures of the many second-hand units and found a couple identical to mine, so I concluded they were stock. Power supply caps can be different too. So Almarro had some variations over its production span. My unit (serial # E16869) is likely a later unit.

For not much money on the second-hand market, often with extra's, this is an excellent starter SE amp employing one of my favorite tubes. The Almarro is definitely better than the Wavelength I heard more than 20 years ago (not the Junior, likely a simpler precursor). I'd advise those interested to look at the innards carefully to see whether there had been mods.

pic of BPS from 6moons.

Nagra BPS, Micromega MyGroov vs Schiit Mani

There is no miracle. Although the Schiit Mani is a good buy, it is outclassed.

The Nagra BPS is a fantastic battery operated phonoamp which I have written about here. It is not cheap, but I regard it as a bargain. In this system its incisive (but not oppressively so) nature is displayed to perfection.

The Micromega MyGroov also shines even more than before. Its detail retrieval is more than Schiit, almost approaching Nagra, while tonally it is warmer than the BPS. It is staying in this system. MyGroov is now not available stateside, but in Europe and The UK you can get one for Euro/GBP 200 (including VAT), a great bargain!