Leo's Blog – Orchard Audio

Amplifier Placement

Leo A. May 8, 2022 No Comments

Many people talk about speaker placement, and I agree this is very important. However, amplifier placement is also important. Why? It affects the damping factor …

How To Calculate Audio System Noise

Leo A. April 17, 2022 2 Comments

Product specifications often list the signal-to-noise ratio, sometimes written as “SNR” or “S/N,” but what does it mean? While the math behind SNR is technical, …

PecanPi DAC/Streamer FAQ

Leo A. March 25, 2022 No Comments

Streamer Questions: 1. Can an external DAC be used with the PecanPi Streamer?Yes. An external DAC can be connected to any of the USB ports on …

How Much Amplifier Power Do I Need?

Leo A. March 22, 2022 No Comments

I cannot tell you the number of times I have heard a conversation about amplifier power go like this: “I hear that B&W speakers need at …

What is a DAC and why do I need/want one?

Leo A. March 20, 2022 2 Comments

Want better sound quality from your phone/laptop/tablet/MP3 player? You need a dedicated DAC. What is a DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter)? All data/media on your phone/computer/tablet is stored in …

Remus Preda

April 6, 2022.

The Starkrimson Monoblocks are one of the best values in high-end audio. Leo provides outstanding customer service. Could not be happier!

Joe Goswami

March 27, 2022.

I just bought a pair of gently used Cornwall IV’s and Leo’s Ultra Amplifier made those 15” Woofers shake my Living Room while the midrange and treble remained very tubelike. 250WPC@8ohms of GaN FET power is what EVERY Klipsch Speaker needs. So get rid of your fleabag 2W SET OTL Amplifiers and give those Klipsch Woofers the love that they deserve without harming the critical midrange/treble that they all known for. Don’t be shy….your Speakers will thank you later. ✌🏾🤟🏾

Steven Harrison

December 9, 2021.

Starkrimson Ultra I have been listening to my Starkrimson Ultra amplifier for nearly 2 months now, and hve been enjoying every single minute of music with it. As a long time diy’er of amplifiers I purchased the modules, power supply and soft start. I then assembled the parts, first in to an old amp case, and later in to the Modushop custom case. Assembly was straight forward and not complex, with assistance from the You Tube series of videos on doing exactly what I did. In appraising the Ultra I will go back to first impressions upon first completion of the amplifier. The music sounded much the same as with my previous amplifier, a custom designed Class AB lateral mosfet amp that had been in my system for the previous 15 months. The more I got used to music with the Ultra, the more I began to sense additional cleanness, clarity, and naturalness in the music. This to me is a result of the extremely low harmonic distortion and especially the measured second harmonic of minus130db. Yet the music did not have that dry low distortion sound as the harmonic distortion curve of the profile closely resembled that of my Class AB lateral mosfet amplifier. Further listening over time has only strengthened this view. My music listening consists mostly of classical music, everything from large Mahler symphonies to 16th century music played and recorded in old churches. I like that the Ultra keeps the electronic imprint of the audio system to a minimum with this music. And in other musics that I listen to, the same sense of low electronic imprint on the sound is maintained. amplif My audio system consists of a Marantz SA KI-Ruby player, Tortuga Volume Controller and custom built 2 ½ way speakers designed by the late Rick Craig of Selah Audio. The Ultra is a fine complement to this audio system. Wonderful amplifier. Wonderful natural music.

Vincent Hebert

October 25, 2021.

Here are my thoughts on the Starkrimson Ultra stereo amplifier. First of all I would like to thank Leo for letting me take part in another tour to try out his equipment! This past week I had the chance to listen to Leo’s Starkrimson Stereo Ultra amplifier from Orchard audio. I’ll be honest I wasn’t really sure what to expect because my own stereo amp is an Anthem MCA20 and find it quite capable of driving my Paradigm Premier 800F’s, I run my RME AD1-2 fs DAC direct to my amp, therefore also use my RME DAC as a pre amp, I stream music from a Bluesound node 2i and I stream via Tidal. I ran through my usual favorite music because hearing those tunes quite often, I would have a good idea and comparison to my own amplifier. I tried many different genres of artists and their respective music, everything from Rush, The Eagles, John Mellancamp, Sara K, Sade, Melody Gardot, Chris Stapleton, Luke Coombs, AC/DC, Queensryche, some Ozzy…etc. One thing I noticed is there was type of separation that seemed in a sense more vertical compared to my amp, the MCA20 appears to have more of a wider soundstage, the higher frequencies were very crisp and clean with the Ultra, the vocals were nice and and gave the impression of sounding more forward, but where I noticed a difference was in the lower frequencies, initially I thought the Starkrimson lacked a bit of heft and weight in the bass department compared to my MCA20, and also maybe a bit less headroom. But after a few more days of listening, I think what I was hearing is the bass response might be a little faster with the Orchard Ultra amp. I enjoyed my time Orchard Starkrimson Ultra amp, but I think it would be a good fit for someone who prefers listening to more easy listening type music, and also music with a strong vocal presence.

George Fucik

September 24, 2021.

Part 2 of review: Starkrimson Ultra Sound: After break-in and speaker position adjustment, sound staging of both amps was excellent (realistic) with similar placement of instruments between speakers and in depth. The Starkrimson sounded ruler flat in frequency response while the BHK 250 sounded just slightly warmer making it sound like it had slightly more punch (more on this later). Both amps were quick, but the Starkrimson sounded quicker getting it closer to the live performance. The Starkrimson stunned me by the clarity and detail with which the music was presented. This was especially apparent at the frequency extremes on percussion instruments, cymbals, and bells. Every note of every instrument played sounded more accurate in volume and tone and more distinct from other instruments’ notes even when all were playing at the same time allowing each instrument to have its own space sounding more like a live event. In comparison, the BHK 250 sounded a little less clear obscuring some of the finer details of the notes played and less distinct. With the overall cleaner presentation by the Starkrimson, very soft notes could now be heard that I didn’t remember hearing with the BHK 250. At first, I thought the BHK 250 had a bit more punch (feeling the strike on a bass drum on your chest) like at Esteban’s live concert in a restaurant that I attended recently). When I looked at Esteban’s live album cover, I realized that the CD version was recorded in a much bigger venue. You are not going to get the same force of a bass drum strike when sitting 10 feet away from the drum versus 100 feet or more at similar volumes. Considering this and the slightly warmer presentation of the BHK 250, I concluded that the amount of punch the Starkrimson had (it did have punch) was more accurate although it would be interesting to see what doubling or tripling the size of the power supply does to the sound. Conclusion: The Starkrimson Ultra is not leaving my system. It is easy to move, economical (power-wise), and sounds much closer to the live performance than any amp I have owned including the BHK 250. Even my wife commented on how much more realistic the music sounded. Adding cost to the evaluation, it’s a “no-brainer”. The Starkrimson Ultra is sonically very competitive (and probably beats) with most $5K to $10K amps and may be competitive with even higher priced amps. Leo should have named the amp “David” because it really is a giant amp killer. At a $2.5K list price, it is a bargain. The application of Gallium Nitride transistors to audio amplification (and a talented amp designer) has produced a significant step forward in reproducing a live musical event at home and should place GaNi class D amps in the mainstream of high-end audio.

Victor Walsh

September 8, 2021.

I just received the stereo ultra amplifier. I am fairly early in my journey but I have done solid state AB and I’ve done tubes both vintage and modern. I didn’t realize what I was missing. This amplifier is absolutely incredible. The bass is strong, controlled, and articulate. The mids are silky smooth and textured and lovely. The highs are spacious and airy and very detailed. I’ve read that class D is cold and thin. This amplifier is neither, it sounds analog and smooth and extremely inviting making me want to listen more and more. I could not be more impressed. Leo is also great to work with and I love buying an amp that a man I’ve spoken to repeatedly built. Anyway the superlatives are absolutely deserved.

dan zito

August 29, 2021.

Service is everything when buying any product, whenever I have needed assistance Leo has always responded very quickly, even on weekends, to me this is the true measure of a great company..

Marcus Clarke

May 22, 2021.

For years, I have twiddled and tweaked audio components. I learned the art of rolling tubes, isolating turntables, matching speakers to amps by impedance and damping factors, swapping cables, and applying magical fluids while uttering arcane incantations. I was a fully vested practitioner of the dark arts and with other hapless addicts, a long-standing member in an exclusive club. The sound I yearned for was always just out of reach, but I loved the chase. Sadly, the chase I loved has ended, and it’s all the fault of Leonid Ayzenshtat. Leo is the founder of Orchard Audio and the designer of the PecanPi streamer, the Starkrimson power amp, and some other very fine components. I started with the little Starkrimson amps which I positioned very close to my Quad ESL63s because I developed a weird phobia about speaker cables. I found I couldn’t stand the idea of delivering a highly dynamic current to a highly reactive, low impedance load with yards of rhodium plated gold whatever. When I first heard the sound of the Starkrimson amps in my home, it was a revelation. Everything I listened to somehow sounded quieter, even though I adjusted the SPL to my reference level. Over the course of the day I found myself incrementally gain in small steps to reach the same subjective level as my previous amp - about 5dB. It finally dawned on me that I was hearing only the music - I wasn’t hearing the euphonic second-order distortion and the other precious artifacts that my lovely KT88 Triode/UL beast was adding to the signal. Not to mention those damn speaker cables. The sound of these amps is clean and clear, like the sky of the high desert of New Mexico. The air here is crystal clear and while watching the sunset is a beautiful experience, unlike the spectacularly colorful sunsets in heavy, moist air of the South. Now that’s what many high-end amps sound like. Some, like my 80lb Class A tube space heater create beautiful colors like a sunset. Others smear a grey grunge like a winter evening in Cleveland. So what do you want to hear? I found the crystal clear sound of Leo’s amps a little thin and dry at first, but I soon realized that I was now listening to the music through a crystal clear sky, rather than the distracting colors of the sunset. Yes, we all love a beautiful sunset, but do we really wan’t to listen to colors? I, for one, love the clarity, the immediacy, the connection to the music served up by Leo’s little masterpieces.

Bruce

I've been a fan of Leo's work for years. He designs his audio products the way I would if I had the time. The difference is that his come out first rate. He provides top notch, personalized service, too.

Howard Black

March 12, 2021.

Outstanding products! Leo is awesome. Really great customer service!