Indiana Line Puro 800 Integrated Speaker Amplifier – Review
Indiana Line is an Italian company that really caught my attention with their Nota 250 bookshelves, which I found to sound way beyond their price.
Considering that Nota is one of their entry level series, I was really curios from that moment on to listen to more of their products. Recently, I’ve got the chance to borrow their top dac/stereo amplifier: Puro 800.
Introduction & Specs
The unit is nicely build and has a simple but pleasant design and is also well finished.
It also proved to be versatile as it has lots of inputs(6 rca inputs, one spdif(coax) input, one optical input and a usb input ) and 2 speaker outputs, meaning that you can connect 2 pair of speakers and select which one to play to.
Specs:
2 x 80 watt rms / 2 channel driven (8 ohm)
• 2 x 110 watt rms / 2 channel driven (4 ohm)
• 10 ÷ 80000 Hz +/- 0.5 dB frequency response
• 20 ÷ 20000 Hz +/- 0.5 dB (Phono)
• 0.006% THD @ 1 KHz (80% nominal power)
• > 92 dB A weighted signal noise ratio (CD, Aux)
• > 82 dB A weighted (MM Phono)
• 400 mV / 47 Kohm input sensitivity
• 1.2 mV (MM Phono)
• 750 mV / 600 ohm pre output• 24 bit / 192 KHz digital to analog converter
• 500 mVpp / 75 ohm coaxial input
• JEITA format / CP-1212 optical input
• 32-96 KHz USB input sampling• 220 ÷ 240 VAC / 50 Hz power supply
• 280 W max power consumption• dimensions : 430 x 88 x 345 mm
• weight : 8.2 Kg
• remote control included
Listening Impressions and Tests
The tests have been done with AG500 Power Regenerator, MSB Analog DAC, Audio-GD Precision 2, Piega Premium 5.2 .
I also managed to test its DAC section which I found to be decent and integrate well with the amplification section. What is important to add here, is that adding a good USB Interface / Converter like Audiobyte Hydra-Z, makes the DAC quite good and it can take it to a complete other level.
Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall ( Part 2 )
The first thing I noticed was a well contoured and deep bass that made the drums very interesting, giving a good pace and rhythm to the song. The voice was a little dark but present and very enjoyable. The electric guitars were lean, musical and very pleasant to the ears, but lacked a little detail and energy.
Vivaldi – Autumn – Allegro (La Caccia)
This was a very nice surprise from Puro 800 as it managed to present the song in a pleasant and natural way. The cellos had good depth & presence and all the instruments sounded quite natural with decent details and good textures. Even the treble was on the natural side, taking out the harshness that you could find in other amplifiers. The soundstage had good height but the depth and width were not in the same league.
I never heard the 5.2 sound so full and visceral til now. Puro 800 has a really interesting sound signature. The guitar plucks had very good impact and when the artists used the guitars as drums, the impact was full and punchy. I’ve heard more details and transparency from other amplifiers but the darker and fuller version from Puro 800 was very enjoyable as well.
At first I thought the sound to be a little shy and lean but after a few seconds it really captivated me. The instruments didn’t have very noticeable details, but in a few seconds I could hear them again. They were a little pushed back as well as the voices, but it creates a very lean and musical sound experience, but still has good impact on the guitar plucks or drums.
The Handsome Family – Far from any Road
This amplifier is starting to become addictive. I really enjoyed this song as well. The guitar plucks were very pleasant to the ears with a smooth but tactile impact. The voices lacked some transparency being more on the dark side, but overall the coloration was enjoyable and kept me in the chair to the end of the song.
Eva Cassidy – What A Wonderful World
This song mesmerized me on Puro 800. The voice was absolutely delicious and made me loose myself inside the song. I think I listened to it more than 3 times. I couldn’t get enough. Everything was smooth: strong, deep and with good impact but still smooth drums, a nice and romantic piano in the back of the scene, a tender guitar from time to time and in center of all the instruments a magical voice that was so extended, so smooth and pleasant that it stunned me.
While Leonard’s voice wasn’t textured as on other occasions it still had an incredible presence and his voice still had the hoarse and rumbling characteristics presented in a very nice and impactful way, as I could feel his voice in my throat and in my whole body.
Summary
Bass
The bass is a very important part of the specific signature you can find in Puro 800. It gives a full sounded experience and it doesn’t bleed in the mids. It has very good depth and impact and good control.
Mids
The mids are very present on Puro 800. They are full bodied with good tonality and very pleasant to the ears.
Treble
The treble is not one of the features that pops up on Puro 800. It is there, it does it job in a decent way, but nothing spectacular here. However, it leaves the midrange and bass to flourish in a very pleasant sound.
Voices
The voices are a little dark with very good weight and good presence. They don’t sound particularity natural, as you can hear the coloration it adds to them, but they are very enjoyable and nicely extended, and managed to seriously impress me on some songs, especially on female voices.
Soundstage
The soundstage isn’t one if it’s strong points. It does a decent job here. It does have good height, but the depth and width are not in the same league, and sometimes give an impression of a smaller room compared to other amplifiers.
Details
The details are a little shy, especially after you come from a more aggressive amplifier. However, after a while you realize that the details are a little pushed back but they are still there and are presented in a smooth, refined and pleasant way.
Energy and Dynamics
This is not an aggressive amplifier and I see it more in the smooth / refined category. However, it does have good dynamics and energy when the music demands it.
Tonality
You may very well think that this amplifier is warm. Well, it can be warm indeed. I realized that the tests were made with all the cable configuration I have used with Audio GD Precision 2, which with Piega Premium 5.2 was kind of bright. So, I’ve managed to bring it close to neutral with some neotech speaker cables and a ps audio ac5 power cable. However, this also made the sound in Puro 800 warm, but very engaging, fun and very pleasant for long listening terms. With other sets of cables, I have managed to bring Puro 800 close to neutral sound, the warm side of neutral, which is in fact my favorite side.
Conclusion
Indiana Line managed to impress me once more and with another type of product than the first time. They really got my attention with Nota 250 which sounded absolutely amazing for that price. Well, they showed me that they can make a great amplifier as well. From what I have seen until now Piega Premium 5.2 are quite pretentious compared to the smaller Premium 3. This is why, it was quite a surprise to see that Puro 800 managed to drive them so well.
Considering the performance and the price it comes at, I can honestly say that Indiana Line has done it once more and I can sincerely say that it deserves your attention!
Pros
- Weighty bass with good depth, impact and decent control
- Very present and pleasant midrange
- Smooth but energetic and impactful when music demands it
- Impressively captivating voices with good presence and extension
- Warm side of neutral
- Good details presented in a smooth and refined way
- Very good price performance ratio
- Good build quality and looks
Cons
- Could use a little more spark and extension in the treble region
- Soundstage could use a little more depth and with