Il preamplificatore incorporato è a valvole ed il finale a MOS FET.
Output power: 80 watts per channel Output impedance: 4 - 8 Ohm Bandwidth: 5 Hz-50 kHz at 0.1dB Input impedance: 47 kOhm/50 pF Input stage: twin triode ECC82 Output stage: improved dynamic class A symmetrical stage with power MOSFET complementary pair Damping factor: > 50 Feedback factor: 10 dB THD < 1% at max power Power consumption: 340 W (at full output power) Dimensions 17"w x13.5"d x 3.75"h. Weight: 35 Lbs.
Unison Research Unico Amp
Ken Kessler HI FI News (July 2002)
During a conversation with UKD's Nick Green, it dawned on us that the Italian audio scene now operates like the British did during the 1950s through to the 1980s - inventiveness and the ability to produce amazing products with disproportionately low prices.
What Nick and I were trying to figure out was this: how could something so luscious, beautifully-made and sonically delightful as this Unico Integrated amp cost so little? How do you throw in radio - not IR - remote Volume control, a machined aluminum fascia,silky controls which feel like something from a £10K uber-preamp, styling to die for, and lavish multi-way binding posts... for £750?!
Nick suspects that it's the Italians' ability to make parts so well, so efficiently and so cheaply - a skill we have lost - from thousands of tiny firms in industrial units throughout the land.
So the Unico bristles with high-endness, inside and out. This is no badge-engineered, Chinese-made scam. It is a solid and robust valve/MOSFET hybrid dumping a serious 80W/ch, a pair of ECC82s driving the complementary-pair power MOSFETS in "improved, dynamic, symmetrical Class A" mode.
If the phase "Class A/B compromise" crossed your mind, think again: Ing. Sacchetti and his team have created their own smoothly operating, variable Class A topology which - when you're rocking hard - causes the Unico to pull 340W from the mains.
No sleight of hand, no marketing bull, but original, cutting-edge thinking in an affordable package. No wonder the company is secretive about the precise operation.
Measuring 435 X 340 X 95mm (wdh) the Unico fits in with the majority of conventional components and equipment racks. Trouble is, it's so pretty that it will humiliate most of the source components you'd partner with it. The unit is also quite chunky, at 16kg, which reinforces the perceived value. Even the owner's manual, bound with a strip of wood, oozes luxury. Whatever high-end equipment you may know or own, the Unico smacks of the same sybaritic self-indulgence. So repeat after me: £750. £750. £750.
Box opened, amp connected - brand-new, needed running in, didn't even look at the owners manual. Switched on. The lights blinked to indicate warm-up. They settled into constant on. Slipped in Eddy Grant's "Do You Feel My Love". Instantly, it snapped, it rocked - I could have been listening to a two-grand pre/power package of pedigree. I was genuinely stunned.
Let me dispense with two more aspects we must consider, as you have already witnessed my regard for the unit's fit, finish, styling and value for money. The first is ergonomics. Quite simply, you can't fault the amp if you're a minimalist, and if you agree that volume is the only aspect you really need to control from your seat. The second is power delivery. At no time did the unit's 80W seem undernourished, or less than one would need under normal conditions. I spent most of the listening sessions with the LS3/5A, which it simply adored. My experience with the Unico and the joyful noise produced through the LS3/5As suggest that this amp will love certain current Spendors, and other very small monitors with sealed enclosures.
Frequency extremes aside, the Unico proved to be revelation. While the bass lacked the sheer mass of the costliest high-end integrateds, the extension was exemplary, as was the control. Its lower octave transients had genuine snap as required, yet it could handle the decay of Kodo drums without raising a sweat.
Where the Unico stands out in the £500 - £1000 pack is its midband, a lush and warm region replicated at these price points only by all-tube amps, which would probably not have this amplifier's smooth and generous power delivery. Even operated alongside £10,000 worth of McIntosh valves - my current true reference, the Unico acquitted itself with pride. And one of the reasons was its massive soundstage. The Unico sounded so big regardless of the actual playback levels that you'll probably find yourself listening happily at lower SPLs than normal. It's a very satisfying, room-filling performance which gave the Persuasions the correct scale and height, and Kodo drummers the kind of front-to-back depth which reminded me of the first time I heard them live.
I could go on and on about how this amplifier defies logic, price constraints and expectations. I could revert to rueing that the Italians have picked up the baton which the British - whither Griffin, Armstrong, Rogers? - have dropped. Instead, I'd rather revel in this: Unison Research has been playing with the idea of a more conventional-looking, affordable offering for some years, realising that its all-tube, open architecture amps aren't for everyone. I had no idea that Unison Research was about to do for real-world stereo integrated amplifiers what they did for single-ended amps.
While the high-ticket integrateds can better the Unico in specific areas - some do better bass, others have more power, still others sound wider or deeper - no integrated I've used in recent memory delivers so much at this price.
The Unico is to costlier thoroughbreds what the new Mini Cooper is to a Porsche: a fifth of the price, but just as much fun. Nick and I mused about whether or not there are enough two-channel purchasers out there to allow the Unico to find the market it deserves. I certainly hope so. It's too good to be a victim of changing fashion.
The new UNICO 80 watt Hybrid Integrated Amp with RF remote is the best we have ever heard at its price. Its sound, build quality, and looks are excellent at any price. It is lush & warm with good bass and a big soundstage. Check out the great reviews in the September 2002 Stereophile, July 2002 Hi Fi News, and August 2002 Hi Fi World.
Take my word for it folks, this will be one of the hottest products we have this year. Made in Italy, the land of amour....and I love this one! There will be reviews that knock your socks off. We have already pre-sold much of what we have ordered. Made by Unison Research, one of the premier manufacturers of high end gear in the world.
o...what make this integrated a bigger "deal" than Jennifer Lopez ...uh...caboose?
Build: Look at this insides. I had to take it apart for you to show how an amp SHOULD be made.
Look to the left, and you will see a vacuum tube pre-amp mated to a super high quality 80watt per channel power amp. Check the size of that toroidal transformer! They did not cut corners on how it is built. It has TWO sets of speaker terminals which comes in handy for bi-wiring, or running a sub.
Cosmetics: I saw the pre-production model while it was in development, and was ecstatic with it. This is so much nicer, I was shocked that they could do it for the money. Look at how thick the faceplate is. Then look at the satin finish. I wanted to take a picture to grasp just how nice it looks, and while we got close, it looks even better in person. The mahogany trim on the front, and the remote carved out of wood is absolutely stunning!
Sound: It sounds so tubey. It has all the beauty that tubes are known for, and will drive most speakers with its refined power amp stage. I have already had some fun with tube upgrades, and because it only uses two tubes it is super easy to fine tune should you choose to later.
Extract from Hi Fi World Review
Unison Research - lest we forget - has built its name on producing some amazingly well suited and booted single-ended triode valve amplification. Quintessentially Italian, its quirky, charismatic products have become famous for their combination of real wood and stainless steel finishes, and modern tube-based circuitry. Recently, its SR1 integrated signalled a minor change of direction in its use of an ECC82 triode input stage and output stage using complementary pairs of power MOSFETs. The idea was to combine the strength's of two respective technologies, to get the best of both worlds. The new Unico you see before you continues the plan.
At £750 (plus an extra £50 if you want the MM/MC phono stage), it's a lot cheaper than the SR1, but you lose those amazing looks and the undeniable sense of occasion they lend to any listening room. Instead you get a nicely made oblong steel box, complete with two large control knobs - one for input, one for volume. The two accompanying LED indicators serve an additional purpose - when the amp is in its "warm up" phase they flash rapidly until things have stabilised. Yes, it's even got its own self-diagnostics!
Go round the back there are two pairs of chunky loudspeaker binding posts and a brace of gold plated RCA phono inputs and outs. The supplied remote is a joy - its hewn from wood, offers just volume up/down control, and is RF powered rather than infa-red.
It's an interesting sonic proposition. No - don't expect a cheap, conventionally styled AudioNote Ongaku, or even "just" a soberly styled Unison SET valve amp. It expressly does not sound like one of the aforementioned tubular belles - rather, it's very much like the SR1 whose circuitry it largely shares. This means you get what in transistor terms would be described as a warm and sepia-tinted sound, or in tube terms is quite "hard and punchy". The Unico seeks to give a taste of both cultures, and in this respect - succeeds brilliantly.
Cue up some smooth Stevie Wonder ("Lately") on your turntable (via a valve phono stage, preferably) and you get an impressively wide panoramic even - soundstage, with loads of depth and atmosphere.
Instead of Stevie's voice sounding like a very good hi-fi recreation (as the Niam Nait 5 would manage), you get a believable human crooning out in front of your fireplace. This is the magic of valves and the Unico - if not Marvo - is still quite adept at pulling rabbits out of hats.
Better still is when you feel you could use some sterner stuff. Up the pace a tad and add some Sly and Robbie and you've got Grace Jones' "My Jamaican Guy". Thanks to its complex syncopations and occasional slam on the bass drum, this track seems to really take it out of amplifiers, and often the tube type comes out looking rather worse for wear. The Unico wasn't in the least bit worried - in fact, it thrived. Again it set up a wide acoustic, with strongly articulated images and a great sense of depth. Tonally it was smooth and just a little on the sweet side of neutral, with a warmish bass and silky treble. Although not overblown - or loose in the traditional tube sense - base guitars had a pleasant "bloom" that most definitely wasn't there when I switched to a Niam CD5.
Rhythmically, the Unico is also impressive. It's definitely "up for it" when it comes to pushing a tune along, and really tries its best to impart the twists and turns of Grace Jones. Ultimately though, it simply doesn't have the grip of the Niam - it's fast alright, but the bass is just a little looser and it tends to sit on transients just a touch more, too. Still, that bass drum showed slam that can only come from an amp packing some serious firepower - the faster Niam simply didn't have the grunt to pin you back in your seat like the Unico.
Overall then, a brilliant alternative to the Niam/Cyrus/Arcam (etc) treadmill - if you want something a little different, yet no less competent (or flawed!) then this is a brilliant bet. It's very rare to find sound and especially build quality at this price and it offers a superb option in the midprice integrated market. Bellisimo!
WORLD VERDICT: Another stormer from Unison Research - big, beguiling, punchy sound and great build and style make it a true audio bargain!
Un commento dopo l'Audio Fair di Londra:posted on the web da un audiofilo.
I have auditioned it last Sep 13 in Heathrow show of London , very sweet sound , the parteneing speakers were Opera Super Pavarotti , very good as well , I spent on this combination more time than any other ones .
Based on recent reviews, it seems to be regarded as a "giant killer".
The price of the Unison Research Unico integrated amp falls into the hard-to-believe category given the unit's 80Wpc output, hybrid circuitry, radio-frequency remote control (no need to point the remote at the unit or even be in the same room!), and overall build quality: $1295.
I was impressed by the sound of the Triangle Celiuses driven by Unison's little 80Wpc hybrid integrated, the Unico, which features, of all things, an RF remote! The beautiful little Unico has Unison's trademark luscious wood front panel and sexy Italian styling -- all for $1295.
Ma oggi l'aumento dei prezzi lo porta in concorrenza con il Pre+ Finale Vincent 31+331
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elevato rapporto qualita'/prezzo: Questo funziona bene! low cost!
