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By Brian Poole
Well, I've had a chance to spend a little time with the Melody I880 integrated tube amplifier, and I felt it
appropriate to post some thoughts on its' performance within my reference system.
Expectations can sometimes be a double-edged sword. In the case of my expectations of the I880, it
can be argued that since I purchased the amp before even hearing it, on the advice of another, my
impressions if positive were merely wish-fulfillment, a psychoacoustic validation of my purchase. But,
as I was happy with the amp that the Melody replaced, there were requirements necessary for the
I880 to achieve in order to earn the top spot in my reference system.
Prior to acquiring the I880, I had been using the Cayin A-88T integrated as my amplification. The first
thing I noticed when I replaced the Cayin with the Melody was the increased soundfield the I880
generated. This was dramatic but not in an artificial way. The overall feeling was of reduced
congestion and a more natural placement and layering of sounds. Instruments had more space in
which to breathe. At the same time, the I880 presented a fuller, more harmonically rich experience
over the Cayin as opposed to putting more 'air' between the instruments. I think it's worth noting that
I was not aware that the Cayin had any shortcomings in this area until I had replaced it with the I880.
The Cayin is a very well reviewed and highly regarded integrated - the differences I have observed
between the two illustrate how accomplished the Melody I880 is among its' competition.
In addition, the I880 presented more musical information without introducing listening fatigue. This, of
course, is the goal of all high-end oriented designs. This added resolution made picking out individual
instruments and voices quite easy whereas less capable equipment requires you to listen more
intently to note all the micro details present within a recording. The I880 allows the music to find you,
which simply means that I found myself letting the music entertain me rather than focusing my
energies on 'hearing the equipment' involved. The I880 did not encourage me to find its'
imperfections like previous components which I have owned, from CD players to amps and speakers.
While it is commonly acknowledged that tube amps lack the uber control over low bass content
compared to solid state designs, the important aspect of bass reproduction is that it is faithful to the
source material. The trick that the I880 gets right is that low bass sounds musically correct, something
I cannot say for all the SS amps that I've encountered that possessed the ability to create the sonic
equivalent of "rock hard abs", but ultimately left out the depth of musicality and texture that make the
bottom octaves so emotionally involving. From jazz to rock and from blues to standards, the bottom
end of the music became a living, breathing character in each familiar song.
The KT88 power tube is well regarded for its' linearity, and has been likened to solid state
amplification (very good solid state amplification, I might add) on more than one occasion. With that
said, however, I must make note that the Melody I880 treats the midrange like a favored son. This is
important to note as this is where all great vocal recordings create their magic. With the I880, there
was a palpable sense of heightened reality when listening to reference quality content. And, while
there may be a number of significantly more expensive separates that create this feeling of being "in
the moment" to a higher level than the I880, the ambience it creates with a quality recording is
nothing short of amazing.
The greatest compliment that I can give to the I880, is that it renders high frequency information like
a fine painting. Where other amplifiers strive to deliver excessive amounts of high frequency 'detail',
typically to the point where I am ready to run from the room (in pain), the I880 allows the listener to
hear what is actually being played at those frequencies and enjoy their delicate textures and metallic
signatures. If the I880 imparted any harshness or excessive 'edge' to the top end of things, then all of
the achievements over the rest of the frequency spectrum would have been for naught.
The lingering impression one takes from listening to the Melody I880 is one of a high-resolution yet
harmonically-rich sounding amplifier that can communicate the intent of the artist on an intimate level
commensurate with the capabilities of the rest of the system in which it is utilized.
The I880 is an accomplished music maker whose performance belies its' asking price. It is a true
high-end value in today's audio market. It uses some of the finest audio components available within
it's gorgeous design, and its' build quality is beyond reproach. If you are looking for an amplifier that
can bring out the emotion in your favorite music, I recommend you give the Melody I880 your
consideration.
March 2007
Reference System:
Melody I880 integrated amplifier
C.E.C. TL51XR integrated CD player
Melody CD-M10 vacuum tube CD player
Onix Strata Mini hybrid four-way loudspeaker
PS Audio xStream Resolution Reference Speaker Cable
Signal Cable Silver Resolution Reference interconnects
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