INPOL^®

Which is the ideal amplifier? Easy: it is the one able to perform the task that justifies its existence which is to render the source signal capable of driving the speakers. In other words, the ideal amplifier is none other than the notorious "Straight wire with gain", a utopia that has disturbed the sleep of acoustic engineers as much as the "Philosopher's stone" troubled that of alchemists all over the world for centuries.

In the early days of musical reproduction, tube amplifiers were not a choice but a necessity, because in those times technology did not offer an alternative. So audiophiles of the time had no reason to complain. And they had good reason too: airiness, refinement and musicality are characteristics that still make tubes a big hit. They are not, however, without their concessions (output transformers) and they are not usually generous in the delivery of current, showing some limits in “speed”.

There was a time when the transistor took over completely from the antiquated vacuum tube. It was the era of muscle. punch and watts galore. And it was also the era of decimal competition: high levels of feedback allowed long lines of zeros after the decimal point and before that sad numeral 1, the only clue to an almost inexistent distortion. The result was to de-naturalise sound. To make matters worse the CD arrived which, with its digital "coldness", made the limits of solid state even more apparent and caused many to dreani of a return to tubes. Which actually did return...

But the return was not painless and the price that had to he paid was unacceptable to many. So new factions were formed amongst audiophiles proclaiming the supremacy of one amplification system or another (in addition to those that. in the field of source, still see the "analogueists pitted against the "digitalists"). Someone then thought to straighten out the situation and resolve the problem once and for all by inventing the hybrid. an enchanting mixture of tubes and transistors. Certainly a noble intention. hut one not always matched by the results: in many cases, instead of highlighting the good qualities of tubes and transistors, it summarised the had ones!

Then one bright day, after numerous sleepless nights, a clever designer and engineer, Gianni Borinato, decided to make a clean sweep of all the schemes and conventions applying to amplifiers and - we don't know whether presumptuously or frivolously - tried to re invent everything from scratch in the light of modern technological wisdom. He chose to use tubes for the input stage not in deference to fashion or nostalgia, but because they are still the best means of amplifying tension. And he found a way to make use of what the transistor does best: amplify current in order to adequately drive the speakers. "But it's a hybrid!", you say. Yes, apparently. The big difference is the fact that  does not introduce any manipulation of the audio signal. In order to express the idea better, INPOL® works like a pantograph, copying the signal absolutely faithfully. That is to say, it does what an amplifier is supposed to do. Certainly we are still light years away from the ideal "Straight wire with gain". But an important step forward has been taken, and it deserves listening to.

When preparing to listen to INPOL® for the first time, it is necessary to make a little effort: free yourself from all convictions, cliches and pre-conceived ideas. If not, staunch tube fanatics would remain enraptured by a sound that is too exquisitely "tube", but would be per plexed by the unfamiliar speed and dynamics. The solid state fans, on the other hand, would be enthusiastic about the efficiency of these parameters, while remaining bewildered by the absence of angularity, coldness and listening fatigue. In order to overcome the initial impact of INPOL it is advisable to concentrate solely on the music from the very beginning. Only after the spirit has been uplifted by it can one rationally appreciate the transparency, airiness and natural quality of emission, the speed and dynamics in both micro and macro-contrast, the firmness and breadth in reconstruction of the stage, solidity and control in the low range and liquidity and mellowness in the high.