Integrated Amplifiers

Two piles of records have forced me into rediscovering formats I've been neglecting: demo LPs and 10in/12in 45rpm singles. The former promises superlative sound, which is their raison d'être. The latter delivers superior sonic events because a single four-to-10min track spread over that much vinyl real estate usually means grooves that are wider and deeper.

Whatever the reason for large format singles sounding so good, Kirsty MacColl's rendition of The Kinks' 'Days' on a 10in single [Virgin KMAN2] showed me that the CSA70's phono stage can deliver emotional impact nearly as well as the circa £500-£1000 outboard phono stages I've been trying over the past few years. It wasn't just the warmth in the vocals, although that tells you this amplifier was clearly voiced by designers more at home with the sound of valves, but the cavernous soundstage.

This track enjoyed a wall-to-wall spread, whether heard via small box-type speakers or entry-level panels, the latter surprising me by producing more bass energy than I expected. This was confirmed by the lower registers on a 'normal' LP, the remastered edition of Warren Zevon's Stand In The Fire [Asylum/Run Out Groove ROGV-116]. This live album is one of those rarities where the sound is as pristine as a carefully-crafted studio recording. 'Bo Diddley's A Gun Slinger/Bo Diddley' had bass and percussion so rich and abundant that even LS3/5As sounded weighty. It struck me again with the opening moments of 'Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner.'

Cheer Leader
What this album also provided were audience sounds – the cheers when Zevon launches into 'Werewolves Of London' – and a sense of the concert hall space. No 'Rice Krispies' applause, just a wave of adulation as authentic as the crowd noises from that yardstick for live recordings: any version you care to choose of The Allman Brothers' Live At Fillmore East. Better still, Zevon's edgy, often acidic vocals were uncoloured, speaking volumes for the feed to the desk and the quality of the microphones, despite this remastering on vinyl coming from the 2007 CD masters.

We should be long past the CD-vs-LP schism that caused more than a few ulcers in the audio biz, but if you hate CD, skip these paragraphs. I simply couldn't believe how visceral was the sound of another live album, Nina Simone's The Montreux Years [BMG BMGCAT461DCD]. As this collection is assembled from five gigs spanning 22 years, the fun was following along with the liner notes to hear if the CSA70 could convey the subtle changes, and not just in the natural aging of this singer's distinctive voice. Which it did, with ease.

So open and clear was the replay that I started to wonder about, of all things, the prices of high-end equipment. Here was an 'affordable' integrated amp with phono, line and digital inputs – enough to handle a generous eight sources even without the Bluetooth module – and ample grunt, great looks, amazing build quality, full remote, and pre/line outs, for less than some would pay for a metre of interconnects.

Body And Soul
The CSA70 is not without rivals, the Exposure 3510 [HFN Nov '21] being an obvious alternative, but it kept pulling out the surprises. And yet it shouldn't have, because I am no stranger to Copland electronics. I just wasn't expecting to be captivated so easily, the most immediate seduction being Willy DeVille's 1989 masterpiece, Victory Mixture [Wagram Music 3354386].

What this presented as a challenge to the CSA70 was that distinctive, growly voice, along with crystalline backing from Dr John on piano, as well as other New Orleans luminaries. Let's dispense with my bias: long-term readers know that I rate DeVille in my all-time Top 10 vocalists. Having just sat through all three CDs in a fabulous retrospective and wallowed in Miracle, I had to remind myself that Victory Mixture might have even been a better album.

This LP is all about feel and expression, as soulful as anything to come out of the Stax or Volt record labels, and it presents DeVille as a stylist of unique ability. I usually rail against attributing anthropomorphic values to hi-fi hardware, but the CSA70 succeeded in impressing upon this listener not just the innate Latin flavour to everything DeVille performed – Copland could rename it 'Pablo' or 'Manuel' and it would be apt – but an atmosphere so utterly redolent of the Big Easy that I suddenly got a craving for some piping-hot gumbo.

Back on earth, I dug out a torture test, the exquisitely produced if blandly named Stereo 35/MM from Command [RS 631 SD], a showcase for 35MM magnetic film recording. Ten seconds into 'Of Thee I Sing', the strings so sweet and real, I had to shake my head at the injustice of this not being the global best-seller.

Hi-Fi News Verdict
As one who has yet to be disappointed by anything from Copland, I'm pleased to say the run continues. Though known for a tube bias, I'd happily live with the CSA70 if I required a compact, comprehensive, affordable integrated amp that sacrifices very little. It's a joy to use, styled as gorgeously as everything Copland makes, and it delivers the sound of a thoroughbred. With LS3/5As? It's a wee miracle.