Integrated Amplifiers

In addition, the IA350A has a wonderful underlying grip and authority. It goes impressively loud with ease and rarely betrays a hint that it's not entirely in control of the speaker at hand. At the same time, the lower overall gain of the unit means that there is plenty of range available on the volume control. This covers some 80 indicated steps and I found a comfortable listening level to be around '–40' on the display. Should your thing be sensitive loudspeakers, then the IA350A will work very well indeed with them, without resulting in excessive output at the bottom of the volume range.

At the outset, I made use of the Naim CD player's analogue output into the amplifier's CD input and left the power for the digital circuitry switched on. Like this, the IA350A projected vocals magnificently with a superb sense of atmosphere and space. Diana Krall's performance on 'I Don't Know Enough About You' from her Love Scenes CD [Impulse IMP-12342] was lifelike and located securely between my speakers.

Digital Defeat
I switched off power to the amplifier's digital section and re-visited the album to discover this time that a slight 'haze' across the midband that I had not previously detected was now removed and an additional frisson of crispness had appeared across the top-end. True, there was still a sense of the treble 'hanging back' slightly, but the upper octaves were just that little bit better defined – silences were 'blacker' and low-level detail was brought into slightly bolder relief. Leaving the digital circuits in the dark is clearly the way to go when using the IA350A in pure analogue mode.

Returning to Diana Krall, and now the backing double-bass was also deep and gloriously detailed. Any fears that the lift in output towards the bottom-end might have resulted in boom or wallow were instantly dispelled. Instead, the IA350A gripped the PMC's bass drivers like an iron hand in a velvet glove, never missing a beat, but neither threatening to overpower. As someone who loves a deep and solid low-end but runs a mile at the first sign of bass unruliness, this was music to my ears.

Bringing the tempo up somewhat also proved that the IA350A had absolutely no problem in carrying a tune when offered something more challenging. The synthesised bass line from Underworld's 'Jumbo', taken from their Beaucoup Fish CD [Junior Boy's Own JBO1005438] thumped out with drive and impact, but the IA350A never once gave any signs of discomfort. Additionally, the swirling synth effects in the background remained clear to hear once the main bass line kicked in, which is not always the case. The IA350A made sure everything in the mix could be easily distinguished.

At the top end, the fall in response did not make the amplifier sound particularly soft, though there was a slight tendency to push high frequency effects back further into the soundstage. Diana Krall's piano on the earlier track was not quite as forthright as it can be, and the backing hi-hats in Donald Fagen's 'Snowbound' from his Kamakiriad CD [Reprise Records 9362-45230-2] seemed slightly further away than normal. So while the IA350A never sounded muted, it does typically offer what might be described as a 'smoothly detailed' top-end presentation.

Restoring the juice to the IA350A's digital stage, I also tried the Naim CD player's digital output into the amp's coaxial digital input. The character of the sound remained very similar albeit with a slightly more vivid tonal colour across the midband. This played into the hands of Donald Fagen's backing strings, delivering a slightly more forthright portrayal and indicating that the IA350A's 'old school' DAC stage still has plenty of life in it!

Pure Instinct
Firing up the PC and moving to the USB computer input, the IA350A also lost none of its substantial bass or sweet-sounding top. It was just as pure sounding too, with little grain to spoil the experience. The double-bass from Patricia Barber's 'Bye Bye Blackbird' from her Nightclub album [Blue Note 7243 5 27290 2 9] arrived with precision, landing with real impact before delicately fading away. The piano was also located well up within the performance, underpinning Patricia's vocals to good effect and contributing to the fine sense atmosphere building throughout the track.

Sure enough, image depth was a little foreshortened at times and there was arguably less of the incisive punch heard via the CD input and the Naim CD player. Logically, the difference in balance, both tonal and dynamic, between the digital and analogue inputs will boil down to the distinct implementations of the YBA DAC stage and that of your preferred CD player, but it's useful to have the option. For the purist who's yet to go 'super hi-res', there's still plenty to engage the senses here.

Hi-Fi News Verdict
YBA can be rightly proud of the IA350A amplifier, for not only is it superbly built and finished, but it has a good selection of digital and analogue inputs and outputs upon which to base a comprehensive system. Most importantly, though, its sound combines clarity with an authority and commanding presence that really is quite captivating. Passion by name, it is passionate by nature!