I am also happy to report that I have ordered a pair of the REI mono blocks after comparing them to my existing tube amplifier and my tube and solid-state preamplifiers, as described below. Many thanks to Gary for allowing me to demo the REIs and putting up with my many questions.
I have always been a tube guy because I loved the midrange purity and air that well-executed tube gear provides. I have always valued that midrange beauty over shortcomings at the low and high ends of the spectrum, but I must acknowledge that the VAC preamps and amps I have used in recent years have had plenty of control on the low end and extension on the high end. Well-designed tube gear has come a long way over the past decade.
Solid state has also come a very long way over the last decade. I recently acquired a Tidal Audio Presencio preamp and was stunned with every aspect of its performance. I preferred it over my VAC Master Preamp (a Class A design) in driving my VAC Signature 200iQ amp (a Class AB design with 100 wpc) which, in turn, drives a pair of Tidal Audio Contriva G2 speakers. I thought I was set . . . until I read Steve’s recent audition of the REIs and other reports on them and then put the demo REI mono blocks into my system.
To get to the point, these little solid-state mono blocks produce a gorgeous sound when driven by both the VAC Master Preamp as well as the Tidal Audio Presencio preamp. At this point, I cannot decide which presentation I like more. With both preamps, the REI mono blocks have a solid control of bass, a beautiful midrange (which makes me happy as a tube guy), an effortless extension into the high frequencies and both an ultra-high clarity and ultra-low noise floor. They also excel in attacks and decays on pianos, glockenspiels, voices, orchestral presentations – and this aspect is the one that has completely floored me. All of these dimensions make the REIs shine: every performance is more lifelike than I have ever heard, even on ridiculously expensive systems. With the tube VAC Master Preamp, the REIs have ever so slightly more air and holographic imaging than with the solid-state Tidal Audio Presencio preamp; on the other hand, the detail, attacks and decays are more natural-sounding with the Presencio preamp. I’m not sure which presentation I prefer right now, but that’s a high-class problem to solve.
I have always been a fan of Class A designs. While a well-designed and implemented Class AB design can sound fantastic, it’s difficult, at least IMHO, to beat a comparably well-designed and implemented Class A design. The REI provides an obviously well-designed and implemented Class A design but with power and without the bulk and heat one would expect from traditional Class A designs. I know there are some that have argued that the sliding bias deprives it of “true” Class A status. However, I hear what I hear, and these petite mono blocks are just outstanding in every way. Incidentally, at Capital Audiofest in 2021, I heard another pair of solid-state Class A mono blocks with a sliding bias technology that was also incredibly impressive; I think that new components and technologies are in the process of reviving and, dare I say, improving Class A amplifiers.
