Предусилители — Audia Flight STRUMENTO n° 1

The STRUMENTO n° 1 is a two-channel line preamplifier handcrafted by Audia Flight, a company founded in 1996 in Civitavecchia, Italy, and heads the control side of its Strumento series, later produced in an evo version. It uses a dual mono layout with a Class A gain stage and a modular design that accepts extra input cards.

Key specs that matter

Two output sockets are XLR and a third is RCA. Buyers choose either two inputs that each offer XLR and RCA sockets, or three inputs fitted with XLR only. Its volume control runs from -90 dB to +10 dB in 0.5 dB steps. Frequency response reaches from 1 Hz to 1 MHz at -3 dB and slew rate at 8 ohm exceeds 200 V/µS. THD is below 0.05 percent, the signal to noise ratio is 105 dB, input impedance is 15 kOhm with 10 pF in balanced or unbalanced form, and output impedance is 5 ohm. The chassis measures 450 x 120 x 450 mm, and the evo version is listed at 28 kg, or 40 kg in a 580 x 300 x 580 mm shipping carton. US pricing for the evo was USD 29,999.

Engineering and use context

Signal gain comes from an Audia Flight current feedback circuit working entirely in Class A, fed by four stabilised independent supplies per channel, two for the input stages and two for the output stage. MOSFET devices form the final stage of the circuit. The gain circuit is housed in an aluminium box and encapsulated in epoxy resin. Volume is set by a custom constant impedance attenuator built from discrete low noise metallic film resistors and relays, so impedance stays the same across the whole range. The supply uses ultra fast rectifiers and 40 capacitors of 680 µF at 100 V, with EMI shielding and vibration damping material on the electrolytic capacitors. Four toroidal transformers rated 75, 75, 25 and 15 VA sit inside a ferromagnetic shield sealed with epoxy. The case is cast aluminium finished by CNC, mirror polishing, shot peening and anodising. Optional cards add MM and MC phono inputs or SPDIF and USB digital inputs at up to 192 kHz and 32 bit. Nominal consumption is 90 W, standby under 0.5 W, and mains versions cover 100 to 240 V at 50-60 Hz.

Pairing

The two balanced outputs allow a pair of mono power amplifiers to be driven directly, such as two STRUMENTO n° 8 monoblocks built by the same company.

Alternatives

The Audia Flight STRUMENTO n° 1 Signature is the later Signature edition of this preamplifier, adding a golden front plaque, gold plated internal parts and 20 Mundorf filter capacitors in a chassis listed at 22.5 kg.