Resolution Audio's Hi-Fi Sounds Decidedly Good

People always think it's OK to ask me what I think about a particular piece of electronics gear. I try to answer as best I can, but I prefer not recommending an exact model to buy. I don't like being blamed if something goes wrong.

On the other hand, when certain people tell me I have to test something because it's amazingly good, I tend to listen. That's exactly what happened when two knowledgeable hi-fi buddies said I should audition some stereo components from a small, San Francisco company called Resolution Audio.

I'm really glad they did.

Jeff Kalt is Resolution Audio. He believes audio equipment should not only sound great -- but should also look great. His Opus 21 system does just that. Instead of creating giant metal behemoths, Jeff has designed a very sophisticated high-end system in small, stackable containers.

There are currently four different "boxes" in Jeff's system:

CD/The Compact Disc player: A refined multi-bit DAC design with an ATAPI-bus drive that enables ideal low-jitter design and reads all discs, including CD-R/W, SACD-hybrid and copy-protected discs, with ease. There is no display on the front (you'll see why in a second) and a bare minimum of user controls.

PS/Power Centre: Jeff figured out that keeping the power supply separate from other components makes everything sound better. That's why every part of the Opus 21 system runs off of one, independent power supply box. The box also contains the digital readout panel for the entire system.

S30/Integrated Amp: This is the power amplifier of the system. Jeff sought and received help from legendary British hi-fi guru Denis Moorecroft of DNM products. Jeff's amp is based on DNM's PA3 -- part of a series of esoteric and expensive amps and pre-amps. Jeff says there's a lot of DNM thinking in the S30, including DNM's three-dimensional circuit construction and internal components. This amp provides 30 heavenly-watts per channel. Jeff also has a new, larger amplifier for less efficient speakers.