History and Philosophy

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.

2021 is the year of ABsolute: 50W in pure class A or 150W in class AB, a unique amplifier in the World, powerful and refined, solid and elegant, able to better drive any speaker. An important amplifier that marks a further step in the world of high-end also and especially because ABsolute is not only a single product but a new line that will include other models of even higher level.

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.