UNISON RESEARCH SINFONIA ANNIVERSARY

Unison Sinfonia is the dual-mono integrated tube amplifier from the well-known leading Italian brand. With a vintage look and a warm sound that reflect the tradition of tube amplification, this integrated amplifier is able to give, thanks to its top-level technologies, great performance to your system, and at the same time a timeless style.

Description

Unison Sinfonia – a name a guarantee!

Unison Sinfonia is the integrated tube stereo amplifier from the Italian brand. The most important aspect to underline is its creation completely in dual-mono configuration, so basically we are faced with two identical and independent integrated amplifiers enclosed within a single chassis, each equipped with its own power transformer, power supply and amplification circuits, power stage and output transformer, all to minimize the possibility of any interference between the two channels. All amplification stages are strictly valve-based, with circuit solutions that work exclusively in pure single-ended class A.

This sinuous integrated amplifier shares the design philosophy and winning look of the Performance model which it certainly resembles, both aesthetically and in terms of characteristics and sonic results. In this case Sinfonia is just one step below, in terms of power, compared to the international best seller: it is able to deliver approximately 25 W per channel in the standard version and 27 Watts RMS instead for the Anniversary version, succeeding in both cases to drive speakers with complex resistive loads while maintaining its typically warm and enveloping sound qualities.

The design also remains completely in the Unison Research style, with its retro but always extremely elegant look. The selection of materials as well as its construction are truly of the highest level and prestige. Like all the products of the Italian brand, it is designed, manufactured and tested entirely in their laboratories through an artisanal and obsessive process, allowing them to achieve an incredible level of control over the quality of the products, both acoustic and aesthetic... Which has always been the mission - guided from the passion for music – by Unison Research: creating products that are pleasant to listen to and look at!

Unison Symphony Anniversary

To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Italian company, the electronics manufacturer wanted to create a special version, called Anniversary, of one of the best-selling valve amplifier models, Sinfonia.

The first thing we notice is the aesthetic difference that the copper top plate makes, which gives it great class. The finishes available for both models are Cherry and Mahogany. Fundamentally the project remains the same but in this case, compared to the Standard model, we reach 27 W per channel. But it's not just a question of power, for this special edition all truly prestigious tubes were used, we're talking about Genalex Gold Lion model tubes, both for the Ecc82 and 83 for the pre-amplification section and for the KT88 dedicated to the power section. Furthermore, new specially designed transformers have been used, as well as proprietary coupling capacitors, for obvious reasons so the internal circuitry is also slightly different.

Unison Sinfonia Anniversary, thanks to the upgrades of the different valves, transformers and capacitors, undoubtedly enhances the already surprising peculiarities of refinement and three-dimensionality of this amplifier.

“Sinfonia is an excellent amplifier capable of brilliant performance in the right system.”

Valve technologies

The preamplification and driving sections are triodes with ECC83 and ECC82 valves, capable of guaranteeing very high linearity and the almost total absence of odd-order harmonic distortion. The triodes in these stages are connected in parallel and polarized, in this way the output impedances are greatly reduced, improving linearity but also the signal-to-noise ratio. Both of these sections, however, are in direct current, they exploit the cathode current of the final tubes, which is regulated by a circuit that works like a zener diode. It also features a microprocessor circuit that controls the switching of input selection and volume level adjustment through the IR remote control. The analog volume adjustment is managed by a high quality ALPS RK27 stereo motorized potentiometer.

Sinfonia's power supply consists of two toroidal transformers, one per channel, specially designed to minimize the dispersion of the magnetic flux.

The valves for the power stage, however, with dedicated balancing networks, are powered with alternating current. The power supply of this Sinfonia has a much higher output capacity than a simple power supply. To remain in line with the tube nature of the amplifier, this power supply was made with discrete components and Mosfets.

Unison Sinfonia has a final stage composed of two KT88s in an ultra-linear parallel single-ended configuration, possible thanks to a particular processing of the output transformers, which make the KT88s work in a similar way to triodes.

To create its Sinfonia integrated tube amplifier, Unison Research operated with "simplicity", but by rigorously selecting and matching each individual tube. Deriving technical, sonic and aesthetic characteristics from the iconic Performance, the Sinfonia presents differences, starting from the power, which reaches up to approximately 25-30 watts per channel. The two heat sinks positioned laterally remain, as does the non-magnetic stainless steel plate, also dedicated to dissipating the heat of the KT88 valves. This section presents the possibility of upgrading with selected Gold Lion valves. Furthermore, the input signal contacts are all gold-plated to keep all its characteristics unchanged over time. Thanks to the original circuit which, through the control of the bias of the

bias control of the KT88, ensuring real-time compensation of the parameters influenced by the drift Sinfonia guarantees the best sound performance even after years. In fact, it is a product created to last.

Made in Italy!

All phases of the creation of Unison Sinfonia are carried out within the Treviso headquarters, starting from the design development of the product, through to assembly and even testing... All with extreme care and traditional craftsmanship and - where possible - with localized materials 0. In any case, all the components used in Sinfonia were chosen with extreme care: from the non-inductive resistors and filter capacitors, up to the pure ceramic valve bases and the fibreglass.

This sinuous integrated tube amplifier features a truly exquisite finish of the wooden sections, both of the amplifier itself and of the accessory remote control, which completes the equipment, in solid wood worked to house the infrared circuit inside. The wooden parts, in addition to their aesthetic function, play another fundamental role: they contribute to dampening any resonances.

The control knobs are machined from solid non-magnetic stainless steel. Thanks to their weight and solidity they guarantee smooth and precise control when operated manually.

Not to mention the vintage charm it releases once turned on. Even after just a few minutes of use, Sinfonia's two valve quartets light up intensely, emanating a warm and enveloping shine, exactly like the sound they give.

“In the Sinfonia nothing was left to chance: from the choice of components, control knobs and wooden parts, to the design.”

Unison Sinfonia – Result and pairings

From the point of view of sonic result, Sinfonia does not betray the traditional stereotype of the valve amplifier, revealing its soft and refined character. It leaves no doubt about the quality of the best recordings, but smooths out the roughest edges to make the listening experience as pleasant as possible.

The dynamics are strong and the bass has a truly surprising punch considering the relatively limited power of the amplifier. It goes without saying that it is preferable to drive speakers with good sensitivity, therefore easier to express, such as the bestsellers of the Dynaudio Contour i, Kef R Meta, Opera Callas lines or why not MoFi SourcePoint 10 to obtain a completely vintage look from your system aesthetically.

With all speakers in any case the stereo image remains pleasantly focused, and the general levels of detail resolution are really high, much more than you would expect for this price range. Add all this to the seductive sound, the fascinating design and the seductive glow of the valves, and you have a unique product!

How to improve performance

On the rear panel of the Unison Sinfonia we find six large gold-plated connectors, completely isolated, allowing connection to speakers for impedances of 4 and 8 ohms - with the possibility of bi-wiring too. In any case, the terminals are suitable for receiving any type of cable and termination.

However, we recommend using quality cables to best express the speakers combined with this integrated tube amplifier. We undoubtedly find a balanced combination with the EpicX power cables from Chord Company, or even better in the Signature line

We always recommend taking care of the power cord in the same way. In this case located on the rear panel we find a C19 type IEC socket for powering the amplifier, we can therefore connect, for example, to a PowerHaus P6, S6 or M6 multi-socket which, in addition to guaranteeing the safest possible distribution of energy, is in capable of removing, with different gradients, high frequency noise and mass noise.

We always recommend taking care of the power cord in the same way. In this case located on the rear panel we find a C19 type IEC socket for powering the amplifier, we can therefore connect, for example, to a PowerHaus P6, S6 or M6 multi-socket which, in addition to guaranteeing the safest possible distribution of energy, is in capable of removing, with different gradients, high frequency noise and mass noise.

Through the analogue inputs it is naturally possible to connect any source, analogue such as the Giro turntables also by Unison Research or the turntables of the well-known American brand MoFi Electronics, or digital sources with integrated DAC, for example the famous CD players of the English brand Cyrus such as the fabulous CDiXR , but also Viking by Hegel Music System.

For those looking to enter the digital world, Chord Electronics makes the best DACs in the world. As for music streaming, we recommend taking a look at the new CXN100 from Cambridge Audio.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Symphony

Type: Dual-mono integrated tube amplifier

Output stage: Single-ended parallel ultra linear class A

Output Power: 25W

Inputs: 4 line, 1 tape

Input impedance: 47 kOhm

Outputs: 1 tape, 1 subwoofer

Output Impedance: 4 – 8 Ohms

Feedback factor: 14 dB

Frequency response: 20 – 30,000 Hz

Valves: 4 x 6550/KT88, 2 x ECC82, 2 x ECC83

Remote control: IR for inputs and volume

Power consumption: 500W max

Dimensions: 44 x 21 x 42 cm

Weight: 25kg