Win Analog Z845 Preamplifier and S Series Monoblocks

Constantine Soo has posted his review of the Win Analog Z845 preamplifier ($45,000) and S series monoblocks ($120,000) at Dagogo. His conclusions:

I wanted to convey what the Win Analog system did for me at this point in my review career. There was no doubt that my sensibility was thoroughly spoiled by the $90,000-per-pair Ypsilon SET 100 monoblocks that I reviewed a year prior, and the $79,350 Audio Note UK Ongaku in 2006. But the Win Analog system’s handling of the subtlety of each instrument group’s tonal and textural uniqueness was on par with both the Audio Note UK Ongaku and Ypsilon SET 100, while at the same time through its single-tube amplification providing the most true-to-source handling of the varying dynamic interplays within an ensemble, on top of the most truthful presentation of the sound of individual instruments and vocals. There are preciously few products on the market I’ve heard of that can carry the full sound of an instrument or that of a large orchestra. The Ongaku and SET 100 are the forerunners. The Win Analog system now has become one of the three systems on my list of most exalted tube amplification systems.

The Win Analog system is not about rendering dynamic transients in jazz or rock ‘n’ roll music like certain solid-state preamplifiers known for their fastness, nor is it more adept at reproducing a lush midrange like some tube designs. It does all that, but the most important point about the system is its fulfillment of the audiophile dream for excitement and supremacy. For systems like the Ongaku, SET 100, and now the Win Analog Z845 plus S Series monoblocks are made to be treated as the anchor of a system around which everything else evolves. Anything less simply won’t cut it.

For decades we had to look beyond the Atlantic for the ultimate in tube amplification. The people of the Kingdom of Great Britain has Audio Note UK, and recently the citizens of the Hellenic Republic have Ypsilon. Now finally, America has a mark that is no less inferior and just as superior: Win Analog. It is an American treasure. Let’s celebrate.

You can read the full review here.