We already wrote about the hobby-like and recreational approach of Nic Poulson to Trilogy Audio, when we were reviewing the phenomenal 907 phonostage. Without being stressed, and without the need for the product to create sales numbers – because if not, then the accountants will be pissed off and the corporate leadership will send a diplomatic note, which will create an excitation comparable with leaving for a long journey – devices are created, which on one hand touch the mainstream, while being incredibly worked-out and complete. This is a result of one thing – no time pressure. A new model is introduced when everything is finished, all strings tied, and the market premiere finishes some stage in  the life of the company. And for sure it does not mean starting to work on improvements. This way it is somehow better, more normal, more human – fair to the client and to himself. This is one of the main reasons, that when I had the chance, I grabbed the integrated amplifier Trilogy 925, to give it a listen in my system.

The 925 may be liked from the very beginning. Its seemingly simple shape is very condensed and at the same time minimalistic and elegant. No fancy elements, no baroque glamour, everything needed just where it should be. Massive aluminum plating and big, cast heatsinks show clearly, that there were no savings made on materials. The front is occupied by a big, red, LED display, similar to those found in Moon electronics, a big knob, responsible,  among other things, for controlling volume, two buttons to navigate through the very extensive menu of the amplifier and finally the power switch. About 1/5 height of the fascia is milled, where we can also find a mini-jack socket, used as an easy accessible input for mobile devices, and not a headphone output, as one might think.
The top cover features small ventilation holes in the back, which make the tubes inside gain natural airflow, and they do not heat-up the insides too much.
The topology of the back panel is a derivative of the symmetrical setup of the integrated, so in the most honorable place we find a row of three pairs of XLR terminals, half a level lower those are supplemented with three pairs of RCA inputs and single outputs. The loudspeaker terminals are also singular, but placed wide apart and solid enough to be able to use bi-wire cables if needed.
As befits a super-integrated, the 925 is fully symmetrical. I the preamplifier section we find two triodes 6N6P, and in the power stage we have two types of transistors – MOSFET and bipolar. Interestingly the MOSFETs work only during the 1W in class A, passing amplification to the bipolar transistors, when this power is surpassed. The bipolars deliver a few first watts also in class A, changing to AB afterwards, what should make the ecologists happy.

Yet before I continue to describe the sonic aspects of the tested unit, I think, that it is worth, to at least signal some important ergonomic aspects of the tested amplifier. First of all, without an unique, for each amplifier, 8-digit pin, there is absolutely no chance to get any sound out of it, not even a trial version. Only after you enter the pin, the Trilogy will switch into standby mode, from which it can be awaken easily. Volume control and source selection work, everybody is happy, we can move on. Usually this is the moment, when such descriptions end. The 925 is different, because… its functionality only begins here. So we move to the advance section, which is accessible after inputting a second code. Now we need to spend a few quarters of our time setting things up to our liking. Maniacs of customization can select a different name for each input, precisely set its sensitivity, to be able to level out the volume of each of the inputs, adjust its balance and even communicate the integrated with other Trilogy devices using the TAS link. You can even select what is displayed after power-up of the unit. A classic timer can also take care of powering down the amplifier, if we feel we will not get to the last note of the played music awake. And this is not all. The implemented real-time clock allows for much more – you can program the system to wake-up at a different time each weekday separately, so that you can enjoy your ears with music from a 100% warmed-up system just when returning from the office. Great! And if this is still not enough – please read the 54 page manual, written with quite little font size. Good luck.

Due to the hard life of the tested unit, which went through rough times during last year’s Audio Show and subsequent listening tests, the time needed for accommodation in my system could be shortened to a necessary minimum. In addition, I knew, that in case of this test I did not need to hurry, as it will remain in my system for a few weeks, I allowed myself to have the listening sessions done in a different way than usual, treating it as a part of my listening system. Due to that I was able to minimize the elements influencing objectivism, like the excitement of having a new “toy”, and I could assess its true sonic capabilities according to the rule, that it is most easy to find things you do not search for. But let us get back to the main topic.
Already from the first few notes, you can hear, that the Trilogy makes things nicer, in a sense, adding weight and saturation to the midrange, especially to voices. Sting’s vocals, on “Ballad of the Great Eastern” from the disc “The Last Ship” remained hard, edgy and rough, but it did not rustle as much as it could with more analytical amplifiers. It was more natural, more organic. It was closer to what you could hear every day  – live, than to what is just a reproduction, a playback of a digitally processed recording. You could compare this effect to a symbolic movement from the CD or file to vinyl or reel tape. The amount of information does not change, but due to more vividness, due to the timbres and nuances becoming more real, the material perceived by our senses becomes more digestible, more natural. What do we gain with that? Actually quite a lot, we can listen longer, sometimes louder, and at the same time with more satisfaction and without getting tired. Yes, yes. It is quite often, that you have devices, which would play very analytical, transparent and be seemingly only micrometers away from realism, that you cannot listen to for more than two, three hours. We feel tired, a bit nervous and, this is the worst thing, we do not really know, what is the reason for that. We will not get any of that with the Trilogy. We plug it into our system, we put on our music and … we forget about the whole world. The music surrounds us, envelops us, caresses us, and at the same time there is absolutely no averaging or softening. You can hear even the smallest nuances recorded in the source material, but besides the information about its existence, there is also the way it is presented, and it counts too. And in this case, it meets the highest standards of elegance and sophistication.
In the way the 925 sounds, we can see a similar attachment to widely understood musicality, that characterized also the recently tested power amplifier Wells Audio Innamorata. You can feel the subcutaneous analog, the need to make the sound coherent, and not to vivisect it. What is important, neither the micro nor the macro dynamics suffer from that. Starting with the complicated and multilayered prog-metal arrangements “A Dramatic Turn Of Events” Dream Theater, through the dynamic and almost pushing you into your listening seat with pathos “Planets” Holst and “Also Sprach Zarathustra” Strauss, I did not complain about any lack or deficiency of transients, or the bass, reaching the deepest levels of hell, even once. I also need to praise the splendid gradation of planes of the sound stage, which did not lose any clarity or stability, even with symphonics, remaining readable even in the climactic parts of the spectacle. In addition, the freedom and completely natural momentum could let us believe, that we deal here with a powerful power amplifier, and not a modestly sized integrated. Of course a comparison with a classy separated amplification from the same price level (Abyssound ASP-1000 + ASX-1000) showed some simplifications and shortcuts, but those were made with such ability, that I could easily live with them.
The differentiation of the source material was also suggestive, as besides the evident emphasis on the essential contents and the ability to capture the listeners attention to the musical and emotional layers,  evidently bad recordings were immediately pointed out and got a technical KO. The Trilogy showed in such case, that there is no chance those will sound better, and that you should not waste your life listening to nightmares like “The End of Life” UnSun.

If anyone of you does not believe, that music can soothe the savage, then he should immediately sign-in for a listening session with the tested amplifier, as Nic Poulson created an incredible device. An integrated amplifier, that plays Music, Music with a capital M, and that has incredible configuration options, and yet can be operated with your eyes closed. The Trilogy Audio 925 is built by people with incredible talent and passion for people searching for beauty and emotion. Do you need a better recommendation?

PS. When considering a purchase, please think about a system remote for the amplifier (available as an option) Trilogy PRC Personal Remote Control. The 925 deserves it fully.

Marcin Olszewski

Distributor: Moje Audio
Price: 51 900 PLN

Technical details:
Inputs : 3 pairs RCA, 3 pairs XLR, 3.5mm stereo jack
Outputs: 1 pair RCA
Rated Power (8 Ω): 2 x 135 W
Input Impedance (single ended): > 42 kΩ
Input Impedance (balanced): > 84 kΩ
Distortion: Less than 1% A weighted at rated output
Frequency Response: 10 Hz – 50 kHz (+/- 0,5 dB)
Input sensitivity: 600 mV RMS (for rated output)
Max. power consumption: 900W
Size including connectors etc: 445 x 430 x 127 (WxDxH)
Weight: 25,5 kg
Finishes: Sunburst Yellow, 8C Red, Mediterraneo Blue, Nero Carbonio, Iron  
Grey.

System used in this test:
– CD/DAC: Ayon CD-1sx; CEC CD5
– Digital source selector: Audio Authority 1177
– Network Music Player: Olive O2M; laptop Dell Inspiron 1764 + JRiver  Media Center
– Turntable: Pro-Ject Xtension 9 EVO + PJ 9ccEVO + Ortofon Quintet Black
– Phonostage: RCM Sensor Prelude; Pro-Ject PHONO BOX RS + Power Box RS  Phono
– Preamplifier: Abyssound ASP-1000
– Power amplifier: Abyssound ASX-1000 ; Wells Audio Innamorata
– Speakers: Gauder Akustik Arcona 80 + spike extenders
– IC RCA: Antipodes Audio Katipo; Siltech Classic Anniversary 770i
– IC XLR: LessLoss Anchorwave; Organic Audio; Amare Musica
– Digital IC: Fadel art DigiLitz; Harmonic Technology Cyberlink Copper; Apogee Wyde Eye; Monster Cable Interlink LightSpeed 200
– USB Cable: Wireworld Starlight; Goldenote Firenze Silver
– Speaker Cables: Organic Audio; Signal Projects Hydra
– Power Cables: Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R; Organic Audio  Power; Acoustic Zen Gargantua II
– Power distribution board: GigaWatt PF-2 + Furutech FP-3TS762 / FI-28R / FI-E38R
– Wall Socket: Furutech FT-SWS(R)
– Antivibration platform: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Slim Platform
– Ethernet cables: Neyton CAT7+
– Accessories: Sevenrods Dust-caps; Furutech CF-080 Damping Ring; HighEndNovum PMR Premium; Albat Revolution Loudspeaker Chips; Stillpoints Ultra Mini