'The Alchemist' APD27A power amp - Tim de Paravicini design - any info?

[nickbaba]

Anyone own/familiar with this power amp, or can link me to any reviews?

Can't find anything much about it online - found a review of the Alchemist 'Nemesis' amp, which was favourable but said the amp ran very hot.

Any info on or experience with this amp much appreciated. Cheers.

[Arkless Electronics]

Anyone own/familiar with this power amp, or can link me to any reviews?

Can't find anything much about it online - found a review of the Alchemist 'Nemesis' amp, which was favourable but said the amp ran very hot.

Any info on or experience with this amp much appreciated. Cheers.

I was chief engineer with Alchemist at that time.... what do you want to know?

[jollyfix]

http://www.alchemisthifi.info/index.htm

Jez is the best person to ask about alchemist info.

[Spectral Morn]

http://www.alchemisthifi.info/index.htm

Jez is the best person to ask about alchemist info.

Interesting link. I was always curious about these designs but never got the opportunity to hear any.


Regards Neil

[Gordon Steadman]

Yup, great link.

Why did they fail Jez? The designs look great, finish is definitely up there and I remember them being well reviewed at the time. Fighting the flat earth brigade again?

[jollyfix]

I have the Kraken early mk1 ( green hammertone), i love it, the reviews at the time stated it had a very valve like sound. I have added some 'fin' ( to match the heat sink fins) legs to the amp,as i always thought it needed more space under the amp for air to flow ( the amp runs hot). I have not heard any other alchemist amps, apart from my Kraken.

[nickbaba]

I was chief engineer with Alchemist at that time.... what do you want to know?

Hi Jez - Thanks for your reply and offer of info. I am really interested to hear from anyone who has experience of listening to this particular amp and what were their impressions of it musically? Does it tend towards warm and tubey (for an SS amp) or is it more or a clean and neutral SS sound?
According to the tech specs it has a fantastic frequency response!
Power output is stated as 200W p/c - into 8ohms, I presume? I don't see any stated output into 4 or 2 ohms on the spec sheet. Do you have figures for that?
Operation is Class A/B which would normally not run hot under home-listening normal conditions - Does this amp get hot with use?
Thanks for your help.

[Arkless Electronics]

Yup, great link.

Why did they fail Jez? The designs look great, finish is definitely up there and I remember them being well reviewed at the time. Fighting the flat earth brigade again?

I never found out for certain as I had left a few years before they failed (they were still at Muswell Hill when I was there) but I believe it was basically a case of trying to expand and become a major player in the industry too fast. They were exporting all over the world and I recall a few close calls even when I was there when an export order was suddenly cancelled or delayed and it nearly finished them.

The physical design and finish is a moot point.... The far east likes things shiny shiny! As an EE I often argued that more could be spent on the circuitry if less was spent on the appearance... I guess they were proved right though when one of the biggest customers, from Singapore IIRC, came over to see some new models, which included the new Axiom budget model which I had then recently designed. He did not want to hear it!!! :eek: But made all sorts of requests for more bling to the appearance..... Philistines!

[Arkless Electronics]

Hi Jez - Thanks for your reply and offer of info. I am really interested to hear from anyone who has experience of listening to this particular amp and what were their impressions of it musically? Does it tend towards warm and tubey (for an SS amp) or is it more or a clean and neutral SS sound?
According to the tech specs it has a fantastic frequency response!
Power output is stated as 200W p/c - into 8ohms, I presume? I don't see any stated output into 4 or 2 ohms on the spec sheet. Do you have figures for that?
Operation is Class A/B which would normally not run hot under home-listening normal conditions - Does this amp get hot with use?
Thanks for your help.

It has a fast, crisp and controlled neutral SS sound. I don't know the output into 4 or 2 Ohms but it should certainly drive 4 no problem. It uses mosfets in the output stage and an interesting power supply which uses loads of large BJT's in a huge "amplified zener" arrangement to give a stabilised (rather then regulated) PSU.

It gets quite warm in use but not as much as the Kraken and Nexus... which also sound much more "warm and tubey" but nothing like as controlled and grippy.

I suppose the APD27A could be likened to something like Naim 135's on steroids from memory.

[chris@panteg]

Hi Jez , wasn't there a range topping monoblock , and single ended ?

I remember listening to a pair at a show once .

[Arkless Electronics]

Hi Jez , wasn't there a range topping monoblock , and single ended ?

I remember listening to a pair at a show once .

Correct! It was a transformer coupled single ended mosfet amp and couldn't be more different from the the stereo "The Alchemist". Very steam punk styling as well.... I never got to hear it as Id left by then but I did go along to various meetings about it with TdP when it was in the design stage. The matching "The Alchemist pre" was a collaboration between myself and Tim and again I'd left before it went into production. If anyone has one then please take it elsewhere for servicing (VERY rare anyway!) as it is the stuff nightmares are made off to work on (I have serviced one since) and took about 3 hours just to get to the bits that needed servicing. Another issue was the volume knob they put on it which was about a KG of metal and breaks the Alps blue velvet pot due to the weight on the shaft.... ;)

[Effem]

I had the APD 20 power amp a few years back and it was certainly a stunning looker :eyebrows:

I remember having to dismantle the Sound Organisation rack to get it in and then rebuild it with the amp supported in mid air on wooden blocks while I put the rack back together again around it :lol: I don't recall it having any 'distinctive' sound at all, it just played music well. Didn't sniff when I put a pair of Maggies on it and certainly kept a good grip on them.

[Ali Tait]

Always loved the look of the Alchemist stuff.

[Yomanze]

Always loved the look of the Alchemist stuff.

The Kraken monos & matching pre are my favourite lookers:

http://www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/kraken/images/kraken_old_stack_1000.jpg

[Arkless Electronics]

I preferred the later shiny version myself :)

[jollyfix]

I like the hammertone green too , the same colour as my amp.

[Ali Tait]

Aye, casework must have cost a fortune!

[Arkless Electronics]

Aye, casework must have cost a fortune!

It was all designed by one of the companies founders, Andy Light, and made by the company underneath us at the time (in Muswell Hill) who also made casework for Shearne Audio and Trilogy amongst others...

[Mr Kipling]

The Kraken monos & matching pre are my favourite lookers:

http://www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/kraken/images/kraken_old_stack_1000.jpg

Think they look rather hideous - with a capital Hid.

Like Jez, I prefer the ones that glitter and shine, even if a tad blingy.

[Yomanze]

See, I think they look like the kind of amp an alchemist would own.

[jollyfix]

I like the industrial look of my Kraken, there are many who dont. I prefer it to the bling look of the mk2, at the end of the day the sound is far more important than the look.

[Yomanze]

It's like albums, if in doubt, buy the debut. ;)

[The Grand Wazoo]

I don't think the Kraken stuff was the debut album Neil. I seem to remember something called a Genesis

[jollyfix]

http://www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/1st_range/1st_range_index.htm

First range.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Yeah, them's the kiddies

[Arkless Electronics]

Yes thats them... KEF used them in their demo at the heathrow show when they first came out....

[southall-1998]

I like the industrial look of my Kraken, there are many who dont. I prefer it to the bling look of the mk2, at the end of the day the sound is far more important than the look.

Dave,

What speakers are you using with the Kraken? I've heard the Kraken does not tolerate loudspeakers with low impedance !!

Cheers.

[jollyfix]

I have heard that too, but i have used KEF ref 1, which i think are 4ohm, AE105se 8 ohm, Chario Syntar T i think 6 ohm. Right now i am using Duevel Planets 4 ohm, the amp works fine with all of them to be honest.

[jollyfix]

http://www.alchemisthifi.info/ranges/kraken/documents/kraken_mk1_hifiworld_review_p2.htm
they mention about the amp not dealing with speakers below 8 ohm here Shane, but i have not had any problems.

[southall-1998]

OK, interesting !!

[DSJR]

Jez, we bought the little integrated, but it failed to sell with us, possibly because it looked different, or maybe wasn't powerful enough for the boxes we sold at the time. It WAS a lovely little thing though, especially in the midband. Maybe we met back then, I can't remember - sorry!

[southall-1998]

Jez, we bought the little integrated, but it failed to sell with us, possibly because it looked different, or maybe wasn't powerful enough for the boxes we sold at the time. It WAS a lovely little thing though, especially in the midband. Maybe we met back then, I can't remember - sorry!

Are you talking about the Kraken? I think it looks lovely & odd...Bit like me :)

[Arkless Electronics]

Jez, we bought the little integrated, but it failed to sell with us, possibly because it looked different, or maybe wasn't powerful enough for the boxes we sold at the time. It WAS a lovely little thing though, especially in the midband. Maybe we met back then, I can't remember - sorry!

If you came to the factory we would have met but I was on the technical side so didn't go round hifi dealers etc.. There was a guy who's surname was Woods (sorry can't remember his first name right now... thinking Steve.. or Nick but not sure) who was the sales rep and most likely the guy you may have dealt with.... Either him or the original distributors "Picture the Sound" or the later ones Henley Designs. Guessing you would have known Indra at Musical Fidelity as well back then? Nearly all of us at Alchemist were ex MF.....

[Arkless Electronics]

Tim Woods! That was his name.... remembered now :)

[Dan6055]

Hi, i heard the Alchemist' APD27A power amp, Alchemist APD24 Preamp, Alchemist Forseti APD33A CD Transport & Alchemist APD34A DAC on Dunlavy Audio Labs SC-IV speakers at the 1996 Stereophile show in NYC.
The system was set up in this audotorium at the show.
This system sounded incredible. The late John Dunlavy was at this show so i got to talk to him.
This system had this amazing soundstage and the bass was fast and tight. It's one of the best systems i've ever heard.
The Alchemist equipment on the Dunlavy speakers was really top notch.

[palace]

I can remember in the mid-late 90's visiting a friend who made/sold car HiFi at a warehouse on an industrial estate in Potters Bar, we crossed a roadway & went into a corner premises i.e. Alchemist. The place was full of the most beautiful amplifiers etc with very neat component layout's being constructed, their silver & gold exteriors I thought a perfect visual match for my Hydraulic Reference turntable, there was a frenetic air pervading the workshop at the time I believe they were working to fill an export order. I had a bit more disposable income at the start of the naughtie's having heard some Alchemist amps at shows sounding very good, after reading they had problems with low impedance I was trying to find out whether they would drive my Quad 57's, unfortunately they stopped trading before I found out.

[Floyddroid]

Think they look rather hideous - with a capital Hid.

Like Jez, I prefer the ones that glitter and shine, even if a tad blingy.

Vampire audio ha ha. These could have been sold in Whitby. I honestly think with my steam punk tendencies that they have a certain appeal to the hammer horror fan. Definitely niche they steered away from the flat earth Naim/Cyrus/Arcam stables. I commend them for it and glad they made these funky products and having heard the integrated version at one of our NEBO meets i shook my head at the sound that came out of it. They are powerful little buggers for their size and put many of their contemporaries to shame at the time. Goths and steam punks form a disorderly queue.

[Ali Tait]

Yeah was mine at the time I think Steve. Really nice little amp, and I always liked the way they looked. If Dracula was looking for some hifi, this is what he’d buy. :-)

[Barry]

Think they look rather hideous - with a capital Hid.

So do I, but then there is no accounting for taste or aesthetics.

[Dan6055]

You can see how nicely this amp is built.

[Dan6055]

Great Picture of the matching Alchemist APD24 Preamp. This preamp was built.
https://postimg.cc/2qH9jKVR

[Dan6055]

Here's the inside of the Alchemist ADP27A amplifier
https://postimg.cc/G94VtdFM

[Dan6055]

Another Picture of the Alchemist ADP27A amplifier
https://postimg.cc/q6K1LBQ4

[Dan6055]

Here's a picture of the APD27A power amp and the matching Alchemist APD24 Preamp together.
https://postimg.cc/XpMHvF7J

[Barry]

https://i.postimg.cc/Dy0tBd9q/Alchemiststatmentamppre.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/Gt76bHy8/Alchemiststatement3.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/mZjsdrtG/Alchemistinside.jpg

and

https://i.postimg.cc/hjnksFnj/Alchemiststatepreamp.jpg

[Macca]

Captain Nemo called, he wants his stereo back.

[Lawrence001]

I thought he used a Musical Fidelity A3 he must have upgraded his system.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230324/12712c4319429027bcbe2bf26f526618.jpg

[hifi_dave]

Captain Nemo called, he wants his stereo back.

:lol: