Brett Gideon: Sachem Monoblock Power Amps 4 – The Sound

I was asked by a guy in the AV industry when I was going to get round to part 4 of my Sachem Monoblock blog, where I’d actually discuss what they sound like, instead of just harping on about their eccentricities. The truth is I’ve started typing up my thoughts a few times and ended up bogged down, mainly because after four months or so with the Sachems, I don’t think I’ve really gotten a handle on their real potential.

Thus far, I’ve tried three preamps – a lovely Rothwell Indus stepped attenuator passive and a Musical Fidelity X-Pre v3 active. Both had their plusses but the preamp outputs on my Yamaha A-S2000 integrated amp had the edge in terms of dynamics, transparency and all round musicality. I was planning on adopting my usual bull at a gate approach and auditioning every possible preamp in my price range until I found the best match but with the recession forcing a pause and the fact that the system sounds so good just as it is, I’m seriously enjoying what I have.

What I can say about the Sachems based on my experiences thus far are that they’re exceptionally quick and neutral, so much so that they’re in another league to a great many amps I’ve heard right up to some serious price points. They’ve got the very rare ability of stopping an starting as if there was nothing between the CD and the speaker drivers, which, makes music that much more exciting. Music rich in macro dynamics slams into the air with zero overhang and no additional weight, if it’s not on the source, it’s not in the room. The cool thing is that fine details and micro dynamic clues aren’t glossed over in the least thanks to the superb transparency and resolution.

The combination of the low noise floor (or threshold of sound for want of a better description) plus the amazing dynamic capabilities of both amp and speakers make for music that sounds bigger and more involving than I can sometimes grasp. Tracks such as Jethro Tull’s Thick as a Brick, Hugh Masakela’s Stimela and anything by Rodrigo Y Gabriella have intense sonic peaks screaming out of them, which can take you by surprise, even when you’ve heard them many times before (just like real music, gee imagine that). Forgiving they’re not – with the M5’s potential level of detail, bad recordings can be really bad – yes Robbie Williams, I’m talking to you!

The other thing I love about the Sachems is their way with bass. I like the way the Theophany M5s do bass, it’s not overblown and bloomy but it can be stunning with the Sachems. Bass lines seem to literally, hang in the room, bass guitars are especially powerful – maybe Franco’s past as a bass guitarist has helped him put some specific magic into the amps or maybe it just that they do what they do so well but I don’t get to hear that powerful vibration so realistically all that often. The lack of boom at the bottom end sometimes makes me feel like the sound is a little lean way down low but I’ve had to get used to the fact that the bass is there, just not too much there if you know what I mean. Spin something from Massive Attack, Stanley Clarke, SMV or something classical with a pipe organ and there’s no shortage of bass, not at all. It’s an ongoing process….

The 80W power output is effectively irrelevant with my Theophany speakers which are rated as 91dB/1W sensitive but the amps are designed to be capable of massive short term bursts of power and I’ve never come close to maxing them out. Hell they barely get warm after expended sessions, so I’m idling them along like a big V8 on a boulevard cruise.

I’ve briefly dabbled with the Sachem’s cut inputs, which introduce a cut of 6dB per octave from 160Hz down and the integration with an AudioPro subwoofer but this is very much a work in progress. I seem to gain in some areas and lose in others. Watch this space.

Since I got the Sachems, I’m totally involved, usually overloaded with CDs and albums that I want, even need to hear (good thing I’m a horrible old hermit) and listening to more music, over more genres, more often. Jazz is taking up more of my time, as is heavier rock and even classical music. There isn’t a genre that my system doesn’t seem to flatter, as long as the recording is decent.

I’ve been lucky enough to get a synergy happening despite my erratic buying habits (do as I say, not as I do – you might not be so fortunate). I’m stoked with them and even though the new version is apparently somewhat improved, I’m not going to be changing these in a hurry. On the other hand, if you own a set of Mk.1 Sachems, I urge you to upgrade immediately to the Mk. 2s and I’ll be glad to take your antiques off your hands – I reckon a bi-amped stack of these puppies would be bloody brilliant!