Sonneteer Byron & Sugden A21SE & Audio Space LS3/5A

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Last year I reviewed a relatively affordable system comprising of Rega Apollo CD player, Lavardi IS amplifier and Amphion Ion L loudspeaker. A decent sounding little system indeed. Now that I've reviewed both the Sonneteer Byron CD player and Audio Space LS-3/5A monitor, I can report of another 'affordable' and good sounding system, in which the Byron CD and the AS compact monitor are connected by Sugden A21SE line level integrated amplifier. At home I used Gregitek's gorgeous speaker cables, interconnects and power cord (not in the pic). I also listened to this system in a SMT Level-3 acousticated room.

The Sugden A21 SE is an expansion of the Sugden single ended Class A output circuitry also in use in the A21 Series 2. The A21 SE is designed to provide more power output, and greater speaker compatibility. The SE contains, according to Sugden, a pre-amp stage with high input impedance, high voltage gain, low noise, wide bandwidth, low distortion and low impedance to drive the Class A power stages. Initially I used the A21 SE for evaluating Sugden's LS21 loudspeaker. It worked so well with the LS21 that I decided try it with some other loudspeakers, including the marvellous sounding Audio Space LS-3/5A.

The AS LS 3/5A is not strictly British but it's a reincarnation of the very British Rogers LS3/5A and the AS is situated in Hongkong, so I regard this system as almost British. A very strong near British system indeed. I'm not saying that the Sugden A21 SE is the only optimal amplifier for the AS LS-3/5A but is has all the virtues needed for digging the best out of the AS monitors. And the Sonneteer Byron CD does not function as the bottleneck for a highly competent sound.

It is of course the AS monitor that determines the overall quality of the sound of this system. The A21 SE supports the AS in the bass and in the dynamics but does not make the treble sweeter than it is. In this respect, a very good match. Perhaps the strongest point of this constellation is that it has no weak link. It may seem that the AS LS-3/5A is under-priced for the system and surely the A21 SE has resources to drive much more demanding speaker loads, but I wouldn't ne worried. Some speakers flower with more expensive amps, and the AS monitor was one of them in this system. Just wanted to tell that this is a happy sounding system.