According to Densen: Life is too short for boring Hi-Fi.
So they came up with the Densen Beat B-100 integrated amplifier, designed and built in Denmark. The moment it is removed from the box it exudes class and distinction, and certainly doesn't look boring. Weighing in at 12Kg, it didn't feel boring either! Whereas most amps are just black, the Beat is a seamless, geometric slab of textured satin black, with faultlessly sharp and clean edges reminiscent of the monolith in Kubrick's 2001- A Space Odyssey. Add to this the two enormous gold control knobs (one for volume, and one for input select), and the centrally placed red power LED and you have an amplifier that positively oozes class and style. Take it from me, this amplifier is far too sexy to be hidden away in a cabinet or buried amongst a pile of inferior black boxes. It should be displayed as a genuine statement of minimalist design, regardless of whether it is actually plugged in to anything or not! To emphasise this point, the top panel has all the writing on it. The control settings are discretely displayed in small, clean white printing above the control knobs, and the 'BEAT' logo is slap-bang in the centre. The front panel is unadorned black - apart from those knobs. I can't remember ever seeing knobs as big, or as gold (40mm diameter and 40mm long!).

In today's market-place, £650.00, though a not a trifling sum, is not an unduly high price for a quality amplifier, so Densen could quite easily be forgiven for taking a few "short-cuts" in unseen places, e.g. the rear panel. This, however, is certainly not the case, and the layout is simple, yet stylish. A bank of 8 pairs of RCA phono inputs, giving 5 line inputs, tape record/play and a pre-amp out. The line inputs are numbered rather than pre--identified as CD, Tuner, Aux, etc. There are 2 pairs of high quality 4mm speaker outlets to enable easy bi-wiring of a single pair of loudspeakers if a heavy gauge speaker cable is used. The rear panel is completed by a fused IEC mains inlet, and a high quality power switch. First listening tests proved interesting. I had been warned that the Beat works best when left permanently powered-up, and my immediate impression seemed to bear this out. Having switched on and given it barely enough time to warm through, it quickly became apparent that the full potential wasn't being realised. It had little problem driving a pair of Epos ES 12 loudspeakers, using the Helios 1 CD player as a source, but the overall sound was pleasing without being totally involving. I was a little disappointed, as I had been led to expect a lot more than I was hearing.

So I took it home, plugged it in and left it switched on for a couple of days before getting properly stuck-in'. I substituted the Epos speakers with my faithful old LS3/5a's, and the Helios 1 CD gave way to the more familiar Helios 2. The literature supplied with the Beat boasts the largest power supply in the world (perhaps) for an amplifier in this price class, making it possible to drive difficult loads with ease. A pair of ageing 15 Ohm 82dB (in)-efficient speakers would give it a fairly stiff test! Using Van den Hul CS122 speaker cable and a Nordost Solar Wind interconnect, I selected my first recording.

The final recording I had listened to in the first audition was the Theme From Missing' (from the Album Themes by Vangelis, Polydor 83951 8-2). A piece of electronic ambience that encompasses the complete sound spectrum from wind chimes to deep, earthy bass notes. The improvement in separation and detail was enormous. I could pick each sound precisely, though at no time did I feel that the sound was cold or overtly analytical.

On to a collection of pieces by Ravel, Satie, and Faure entitled Pavane by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra DG449 186-2. The delicacy of the performance was immediately apparent. I have always been an admirer of Ravel's more magical pieces, and I can honestly say that the Beat provided a near-perfect image in 'Pavane pour une infante defunte'. Each note seemed to be surrounded by a cushion of air, and floated into the room. Marvellous!

The accompanying booklet goes to great length in explaining the general philosophy of the Densen design, and one of the (many) points made is that a good amplifier will show-up poor recordings and possibly render them un-listenable. They (Densen) feel that they have achieved a design that focuses on the music, thus avoiding this problem. OK, I can see that. So I selected some of the worst recordings I love!

'Need Your Love So Bad' by Fleetwood Mac (Fleetwood Mac Greatest Hits CBS 460704); recorded in 1968 with all the technology you expect from a blues band. I found that, just as the nice people at Densen said, I listened to the music, not the recording.

On to 'I Got A Line On You' by Spirit, from The Collection Castle CCSCD319. An original 1968-ish recording which has never fared well under the digital process. Yet again, I found it to be totally enjoyable.

How about something a little older than me: Au Fond Du Temple Saint' from Bizet's The Pearl Fishers featuring Jussi Bjoerling, recorded in 1950 and available on RCA Victor GD 87799. 1 have always loved this particular duet (with Robert Merrill), but always found it a tad edgy. The Danish amp certainly assisted the Swedish tenor, and, once again, the performance was easily able to dispel any mere technical interruption.

I continued working my way through my CD collection until, at last, I found something that gave the system a problem. 'Won't Get Fooled Again' by The Who, available on Who's Better, Who's Best Definite Article 835 389-2. A 1971 recording of the finest rock hand the world has ever known, and one of my own personal favourite songs. Whilst the soundstage was impeccably reproduced, and the separation and harmonics seemed fine, I couldn't help but notice a slight lack of excitement. Mind you, I am being extremely fussy at this point. I've found that the only way to re-create the full 'wallop' of a Who gig, is to go to another one and subject your ears to at least 120dB of high-energy P.A. System.

With its combination of clarity and dynamics I expected the amp to sparkle with percussion. I selected an interestingly recorded song, 'Can't Run But….' from the Paul Simon album The Rhythm of the Saints, Warner Bros. 7599 26098-2. Layers of percussion instruments build up after each successive bar, with a vocal track centre-stage. The resulting rendition was absolutely enthralling! I can't remember ever being able to distinguish as much, as clearly.

The finest moment of all came when I played 'When Angels Cry' from the Janis Ian album Revenge Grapevine GRACD 301. A haunting and intimate song performed with solo acoustic guitar. Every sound that came out of the speakers was as personal and poignant as I always felt it was meant to be. I couldn't help myself - I must have played it half a dozen times, and each playing sounded as good as the first. Densen have come up with an absolute gem of an amplifier. All the music I used in my listening was allowed to flow smoothly and effortlessly into my room. Never once did I feel that I was listening to a collection of electronic components 'producing' sound waves. The speakers all but disappeared from the equation, establishing a direct line to the performers.

The best adjective I can use to describe this amplifier is 'articulate'. Each sound is allowed to form naturally, and is presented to the ear as if it were hanging in the air rather than being propelled through it. It looks superb, it sounds superb, and it is affordable. Why is it that similarly priced British made amplifiers either sound great but look at best OK, or look great but only sound OK? Here is an amplifier that combines all the good bits, none of the bad bits, and is imported from a country where you need a mortgage for a cup of coffee, but it will only set you back £650.00!

The best advice I can give you is to audition the Beat for yourselves, and soon. It does so much right that even really expensive amps get wrong, that it might even start you thinking! But make absolutely sure that you visit a Hi-Fi shop that has got one permanently switched on! It makes that much difference.

Zero-Feedback Technology - what's that all about then?
The booklet that is supplied with the amplifier goes into great detail about the effort that Densen have made to produce audio equipment that will convey the emotion in the music. And that no matter how good the technical specification of a product, the most important aspect for them is capturing and conveying the soul of that music. As you might expect, the quality of components used is consistently high, and the capacitors and toroidal transformer are custom built. Signal paths are kept to a minimum, and the overriding philosophy is to keep the design as simple as possible.

Densen quote Zero-Feedback technology as the most important aspect of their entire product range. As a non-technical bod I always treated claims made in the name of technology with profound suspicion. But it's hard to argue with the Densen's sonic attributes so I guess I'd better take them seriously. Apparently, a Finnish professor by the name of Matti Otala discovered the importance of low feedback in the seventies. Something to do with all those long winter evenings I suppose? The problems with feedback technology are that the signal takes time to pass through the feedback loop and therefore the comparison of the input and output signals which is supposed to increase accuracy, ends up comparing slightly different things. This means that feedback alters the signal, and results in nasty things like compressed dynamics (nasty!), smeared details and altered soundstage. Got all that? Good! - I'II be asking questions later.

Anyway the Densen doesn't have any of these problems as they use zero-feed back. Simple really - I think.

What all this means to ordinary blokes like me is that, in theory here we have an amp which should deliver extreme dynamics, improved detail, excellent soundstage, high transfer speed and a wide open sound. The Beat is certainly a convincing advocate for the approach.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Input Sensitivity (all inputs); 280mV
Input Impedance; 22 Kohm
Frequency Response; 2 - 20KHz
THD + Noise @ Rated Output; Less than 0.01010
Signal to Noise Ratio; More than 92dB
Power consumption Minimum (Idle); 10W Maximum; 160W
Power Output per channel; Into 8 Ohms 60W, Into 4 Ohms 120W
Power Transformer Size 360VA
Storage capacity 40,000uf
Dimensions (w,d,h) 444mm x 375mm x 75mm
Weight 12Kg

Manufacturer
Densen Audio Technologies
Net. www.densen.dk

Distributor
Densen UK
Tel. (44)(0) 1582-561 227
Fax. (44)(0) 1582-477355

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