Aria WT-100LS Part One
by Joe Mendez

Let me say upfront, I'm most definitely a tube man. I've maintained a
tube preamp in my system for 15 years and more recently added tubed
amplification to my arsenal. There's just something more organic, more
soulful about the sound of tubes. More direct and 3 dimensional, not to
mention a sweeter presentation that I find very inviting. For the last
two years my amplifiers of choice have been the BAT VK-60 monoblocks.
These near legendary amps excel at the aforementioned virtues and do so
with great punch and drive. While I thoroughly enjoyed the BAT amps'
sonics, the care and feeding of all those tubes presented some hassles I
did not care for. For instance, I often listen to music, especially
large orchestral, at eviction levels (nice to be a single family home
owner), and often the VK-60s could not keep up, sometimes blowing bias
fuses in the process. Now, having to disconnect and flip over these 85
pound beasts to access these fuses was not exactly a joy. This became a
frequent occurrence when playing music at high volumes and I found
myself not being able to fully relax into the music ever aware of the
possibility of over taxing the BATs. So you see, the BAT amps were
wonderful at low to moderate volumes, but definitely less so when Mahler
or Zeppelin was spinning.

Michael Elliott's Aria WT (Whole Tone) amplifiers came to my attention
about a year ago and remained in the back of my mind all this time. The
thought of getting the tube sound I love and, at the same time, reducing
tube compliment in my system by 22, not to mention ridding myself of the
hassles mentioned above, appealed to me greatly. Could a hybrid Aria
really sound like a all tube amp and function like solid state? Could
it approach the level of sonic performance I was accustomed to in the
VK-60s? Well, I decided to find out first hand. Afterall, Mike offers
a 14-day audition period with a 100% satisfaction guarantee or your
money back.

The Aria WT-100LS arrived at my doorstep earlier than I expected in a
substantial wooden crate. I anxiously removed the 8 long screws that
secured the lid of the crate and lifted the lid to encounter a very well
packaged and rather diminutive amplifier, as amplifiers go. Lifting the
WT-100 out of the crate was a welcome relief after two years of doing
the heave ho with the substantial mass of the VK-60s. The pictures
I had seen of this hybrid amp did not lie. It is a very attractive
component in my opinion. The manual is nicely presented and well
written. All and all, Aria has put together a very classy product with
high aesthetic appeal.

The sound, of course, is the thing in this game and how the Aria sounds
is what I will place emphasis on here. Out of the crate the WT-100LS
had a pleasing sound, but I avoided critical listening until at least 50
hours of playing time. With a couple of days of continuous play, I sat
down to give the Aria a more thorough listen. Sticking to cds
exclusively at this juncture for convenience's sake, it was immediately
apparent that the WT-100 was more transparent and faster than the BATs
with added detail. Much quieter and seemingly more refined too. It was
also apparent however, that the Aria was not quite as rich, liquid or
immediate sounding as the VK-60s. Nor did it match the all tubed
monoblocks in soundstaging depth and width. Perhaps not quite
as "tubey" sounding as I am accustomed to. Hmmmmmm. More break in, as
I expected, was in order. With another 50 or so hours, the
handsome hybrid had improved quite a bit, but still fell a bit short, in
my estimation, of the BATs. There seemed to be less weight and,
surprisingly to me, less punch with the WT-100.

But do not make the mistake I made and come to premature conclusions at
this point. The Aria improves significantly beyond 100 hours. Also
important, is the choice of tubes. The WT-100 sports two 6SN7s, one for
each channel, and the sonics of particular 6SN7 brands can be easily
heard. This is probably due to the ultra transparent solid state output
stage which seems to simply get out of the way. Upper frequencies
deserve special mention as I found them beautifully reproduced. Cymbals
and their decay are simply exceptional through the WT-100. As I
approached 200 hours on the Aria, I honestly felt that it did indeed
have many qualities of a fine tube amp. Still, a lingering feeling
that immediacy, palpability and dynamic punch, especially in the lower
mids and upper bass, were just a bit less convincing than I was
accustomed to hearing through the VK-60s. A sense that the WT-100's
overall presentation was perhaps a tad on the thin side of my
preferences.

Now comes the fun part. You see, the Aria amps can be voiced according
to the end user's preferences. Quite unique in that respect I'd say.
When I contacted Mike Elliott and asked him if he could accomodate my
preferences by re-voicing my WT-100 with a bit more immediacy and
palpable presence and a bit more punch and fullness, especially through
the midrange and upper bass, without affecting the already
excellent treble presentation, he replied with an emphatic, "Can Do!"
Usually you buy a component and either like it the way the designer
voiced it, or you find another component that will more closely match
your particular biases.

Ahhh, but this is no ordinary amplifier and Aria is no ordinary
company. So, off went my Whole Tone Aria for a voice lift at the hands
of Mr. Elliott and Co.. How will it all turn out? Will a revoicing of
this already excellent WT-100LS turn it into my dream amp come true?
Stay tuned.

Click here for Part II -- the revoiced version