BREATHE LIFE INTO YOUR MUSIC
This purely passive autotransformer design is wired throughout with Townshend Audio’s unique Fractal™ wire, which was developed over many years of critical listening, by the most discerning audiophiles and is audibly superior to plain copper, silver and even DCT copper wire. The result is the most accurate, uncoloured and open-sounding preamplifier possible, offering astonishing transparency and resolution of the finest details.
Why is this so important? Each and every musical instrument has its own unique timbre, its own individual pattern of overtones. Our music systems, even down to the wire within them, also have their own patterns of resonance, that we call distortion. This coloration is so prevalent, especially in the case of wire, that we often assume it is the room, or speaker, or anything other than what it is- the wire! Once removed, the combination of Fractal™ wire and Townshend Audio engineering reveals, probably for the first time, what these instruments really sound like. An unforgettable experience!
The front panel design is both functional and elegant. In addition to being able to change inputs with the control on the left, you can also press it to access the display illumination options and other modes. The volume control on the right can be pressed once to mute and un-mute, or you can also un-mute simply by turning the knob. They have a deft feel to them, the perfect balance of solidity with smooth precision.
Digital clock oscillators introduce noise that degrades the fidelity of your fragile audio signal, so this sound-blurring internal clock is disabled when listening. The clock is only activated when the remote control or the front panel controls are operated. Seamless and automatic, another thoughtful detail that makes it even easier for your music to carry you away.
The phono circuits are unbalanced for simplicity and the XLR connectors are wired in parallel with the phono connectors. The configuration is pseudo-balanced with pin 2 of the XLR signal and pin 3 ground. This avoids the use of an extra balancing transformer with all the associated complications and degradations in sound. The Allegri Reference has five stereo phono inputs and two pairs of balanced XLRs, in parallel with inputs 1 and 2. There is a 3.5mm jack socket on the front panel, in parallel with input 5. For output, it has two sets of stereo phonos and one pair of balanced XLRs. The result is a preamplifier that can perfectly match any “Red Book standard” source component to any modern power amplifier.
All microprocessor programming is designed in-house by Townshend’s digital team.
Seismic Isolation is fundamental to the design of the Allegri Reference. Similar to that used in our Podiums and Pods, these are engineered custom matched to the weight of the Allegri Reference, integral to the reinforced and mass-tuned chassis, and achieves isolation down to 3Hz in all three planes. Blocking structure-borne vibrations from reaching the autotransformers has a remarkable effect on sound quality and one that is easily demonstrated by bypassing the suspension. When bypassed the sound is exceptional by any normal standards. But when the suspension is used the soundstage expands dramatically, with height, width, and depth being greatly increased. Individual instruments appear with more body and focus, and there is an obvious improvement in natural tone and timbre.
