Audio Analogue was born in the beautiful corner of Tuscany between Pistoia, Lucca and Pisa in 1995. The synergy between high-end audio experts, electronic engineers specialized in the most different fields of electronic design and commercial managers with many years of experience in different fields could only create the basis of what is Audio Analogue today: a company but above all one of the most popular brands in Italy and in the World able to satisfy the tastes of the most demanding audiophiles.
Products always fully MADE IN ITALY, in the heart, soul and substance, using mainly small and very qualified local industries and artisans to make the most of Italian excellence and grow the quality of our and their work. Devices completely hand-crafted, tested with first-class instrumentation, but also and above all with listening tests, always rediscovering the emotion of having created something that can in turn give emotions through listening to the favorite music.
It’s been 25 years since the idea of the first Audio Analogue product was born. Those who follow us from the beginning will surely remember the first Puccini integrated amplifier, a small jewel that with only 40W and despite it was still in the form of a prototype attracted public interest at CES in Las Vegas in January 1996, but perhaps not everyone knows that the very first Audio Analogue product was a DAC called Vivaldi and that it was produced in only 25 units. A great product for the time, but somewhat in contrast with the sense of the brand itself (a digital device as the first product of a brand that refers to analog audio...) so the first concrete statements on the market came from the first production of Puccini started in mid-1996.In the following years the catalogue expanded with the introduction of the Puccini SE (1997) a more powerful version of the first Puccini, with double power and power stages, the first version of the Bellini preamplifier and the Donizetti power-amp (1998). The first Paganini CD player came in 1999, followed by the first Maestro CD in 2000. Also in 1999 Puccini, Puccini SE and Bellini have been renovated and improved in the circuitry with the addition of discrete stages and the remote control, while the Donizetti stereo is replaced by the new mono version that reaches a power of 100W. 2001 is a very important year for Audio Analogue: in fact the first products with really high-end orientation are introduced and specifically we are talking about the Maestro Integrated, a very powerful amplifier (150W) very heavy and very muscular, but that still retains the well known musicality of Audio Analogue products, which after a few months is combined with the new Maestro CD, one of the first players with 24bit/96Khz conversion and DAC function.
In 2002 we started a new course of our history working on those models that will give birth to a brand new production that includes products by the entry-level to the real high-end, so in 2003 we had three lines: Primo line, Composers line and Maestro line. They are all a real turning-point for design and project philosophy: modern and clean lines, valuable finishes and materials make the new products elegant and perfectly adaptable to any location. In detail the products introduced on the market are: Aria, pre-phono with Virtual Battery power supply system, Cinecittà pre-processor, Cinecittà 6CH multichannel amp, Maestro Line Preamp, Maestro Monoblock power amps, Maestro CD 192/24, Maestro Settanta integrated amplifier, Puccini Settanta integrated amplifier, Paganini 192/24 CD player, Primo Settanta integrated amplifier and Primo CD player.
In 2004 and 2005 we introduced the new Bellini VB Pre-Amplifier, Donizetti Cento power amp and we started also to mix for some new models the modern technology of op-amps to the typical warmth and musical sounds of the tubes. These are: Primo Tuner, Primo Cento integrated amplifier, Primo CD VT CD player, Rossini CD player and Verdi Settanta Integrated Amplifier. In addition, we also introduced a unique all-in-one equipment: the Enigma. It was unique because very small, versatile and surprisingly well-performing. It was an object that could used in the most diverse context and could be easily placed in any location.
In 2006 we decided to further elevate our range to high-end introducing the Class A and the Maestro Duecento integrated amplifiers, both available also in the power-amp version. The Class A was a massive unit with 50W in pure class A and also as of today, still one of the most refined amps ever introduced in the high-end Worldwide scenario. The Maestro Duecento was instead the even more brutal successor of the mythic Maestro 150W integrated. A real monster in power capable of supplying over 800W on 2Ohms impedance and drive any kind of speakers in the best way possible.
In the end of 2008, we introduced a very important and interesting product: Verdi Cento hybrid Integrated amplifier. This was probably the best integrated amplifier available in its price range, the value for money was amazing.
In 2009 as well as starting the renovation of existing products making for many of them the new version rev2.0 and for others the upgrade to the SE version, we started the production of the new line Armonia with the amplifier and the CD player Crescendo, entry-level products with a very high quality-price ratio.
In the years 2010 and 2011 continues the process of renewal of existing products and in 2012, also in the line Armonia are added the Fortissimo Amplifier, a very versatile 100W integrated, which also includes MM/MC phono stage and internal DAC and to complete the Armonia line, the Fortissimo CD is also introduced, a player that also has DAC functions and the Vivace DAC.
Between 2013 and 2014 we decided to start to reduce the catalog to focus on a smaller number of products and more focused for the various categories and types and in 2014 appeared for the first time the Airtech brand on Audio Analogue products. Thanks to the experience gained in the development of exceptional cables, but also to the years of study on Audiograde materials and components carried out by Airtech, we have created a new version of all models of the Armonia line signed by Airtech, where, in addition to aesthetic improvements, various improvements have been made in terms of components and sound performance.
2015 is the year of the big breakthrough: Audio Analogue decides to change. After 20 years of activity and constant maturation and affirmation at a global level, we feel the need to define even more strongly the identity of the brand, increasingly oriented towards the quality of design and manufacturing purely Made in Italy. The first big step in this direction is the introduction of the Puccini Anniversary, born to celebrate the first 20 years of activity and for this reason chosen as a model that has made Audio Analogue famous in the world. The Puccini Anniversary is a celebratory product, an integrated product with technological and musical qualities at the highest levels and above all it has been the starting point for all the new products introduced in recent years and currently in production. The rest is present for the products currently in the catalogue and future for all those new projects that we are working on and thinking, all united by a single denominator that will lead to more and more performant products and above all music, giving priority to the purpose for which they were conceived and realized: enhance all the emotions that music can give us.
What is the goal of a high fidelity device? The answer may seem simple or almost rhetorical, to reproduce voices, sounds and noises as they are created naturally. The answer is so easy but it is not as easy to realise the devices that allow us to implement fully this intention.
The main function of a unit created with this purpose is to manage a music signal and propose it to the fullest, but what does it mean to propose it in the best way?
Music is a wonderful world of the full cycle of our lives, gives us emotions, makes us laugh or cry, makes us remember and especially helps us to live, is the most abstract art form but also the easiest and most immediate to understand.
To reproduce a musical event, means making it more enjoyable to listen and keep trying to convey the emotions wrapped in the execution of the author or performer.
The basic concept that we use for the design and development of our equipment and the target we set ourselves is to get so high fidelity compared to the live event, but above all what primarily interests us is to get the '"high musicality" and then listening pleasure over time.
This is the reason why in the early stages of the project, the latest refinements are always those made "by ear" and that is just taking long listening sessions and going to touch those who are in our view the key points in the architecture of the device for the desired results.
Audio Analogue products have always been characterized by a sober aesthetics, clean lines and regular shapes so that they can be easily placed in any listening environment. While always maintaining this objective, we can still say that our products are easily identifiable within a store, whether they are displayed together with other devices of the same type, whether they are protagonists of the system in demonstration, this because we have always tried to maintain even in the shapes and materials chosen the DNA given by Made in Italy. In addition, always with the aim of maintaining its own character and identity, in the various product lines developed over the years, we have always tried to maintain a basic consistency that made the devices unique and recognizable compared to others.
Basically, Audio Analogue products have always been developed with solid state technology in various forms, both through the use of operational and discrete components. For some years we have also combined tubes to the solid state, but especially in recent years we have gained the conviction that both the tube technology and the solid state can have more or less unique and evident qualities, but that in order to achieve high-level results it is better to focus only on one of the two technologies and in our case we have focused on solid state technology that we consider more versatile and reliable. Especially in recent years, since the introduction of the Puccini Anniversary, we have decided to eliminate global feedback from our amplifier circuits. We don’t have to be the one to say whether this is a right choice or not because even in this case there are various schools of thought, certainly the result of sound performances helps a lot to understand what this means. Trying not to go too much into the technical words, the benefits that are obtained from the use of circuits without global feedback are as follows: increases the input impedance and decreases the output impedance thus obtaining a better damping factor; stabilizes the gain thus making the amplifier more stable; reduces the disturbances of the power supply stage, a very accurate part in our amplifiers, and therefore allows to keep the audio signal cleaner; reduces distortion to levels that are difficult to measure, thus improving signal accuracy across the harmonic range; stabilizes the working point so as to keep the feedback out of the audio band. In addition, the circuits without feedback, are much less sensitive to resistive and capacitive loads making the amplifier stages able to drive without problems even very difficult speakers.
Over the years, in addition to understanding which circuits could be the most suitable solutions to achieve the best results, we have also understood that in the end the achievement of the goals is always given by the sum of all factors. So in practical terms we can say that good results in terms of laboratory measurements are a perfect starting point to obtain reliable and performing products and after obtaining what is required by the measurements, the next step to get a successful product, especially appreciated for its sound performance, is to use the human ear as a measuring meter and to go to work on what is defined fine-tuning, it is essential to vary as much as possible the choice of components that are industrial or Audiograde. To do this, we always need long listening sessions, timing of the circuits and the components themselves and above all we have understood that even in this part of the work there are no rules, in the sense that the solutions considered optimal for a model, are not very often usable for others, so each new device has its own history and its own path of refinement until you get the best result.
Our products can always boast of the brand MADE IN ITALY because designed and handmade in Italy. The know-how acquired over the years and the careful choice of local suppliers allows us to keep the quality of our products constant and to be able to keep under control all the steps of production to ensure always an excellent result. The final assembly as well as all tests are performed at our headquarters and thanks to this we can afford to give for our products up to 5 years warranty as well as we always prefer to take care directly at our headquarters all the assistance is for products in guarantee that for products also very old: assistance and repairs, have always been a great school that allows us to understand what may be the weaknesses of an electronic device and can then regulate on current production and models to come.
Airtech is a brand created by Claudio Bertini (co-founder of Audio Analogue) in 2013 and is part of the brand portfolio of AF Group SRL. Claudio is the one who has always given the imprint to the sound of Audio Analogue and his goal with Airtech is to create a signature to be used on different types of high-end products: currently are available the excellent cables completely handmade, but soon there will also be electronics and speakers, all with the aim of offering high quality products thanks to the use of the best technologies and the selection of the best components available on the market.
Since 2015 Airtech is also a design laboratory where will be created the products marketed with the brand Airtech and where are born and assembled the products of the Anniversary line of Audio Analogue and all those products that for technological solutions can boast of this brand. In short Airtech is a signature, a brand of products and for special products, as it often happens in other industries for products of excellence or special series.
