Peachtree Audio Carina X Integrated Amplifier

 

Link to YouTube Review

I’ve been reviewing Peachtree Audio equipment since 2007. Starting way back when they were selling ERA speakers, which for budget models were damn good. Over the 18 years I’ve had a chance to review several of their integrated amplifiers as well as separates. With each generation, I noticed a definite step up improvement both in sound quality and build. When the Carina GaN amplifier came out. I was so close to pulling the trigger and buying that unit, but in the end, something in my brain told me be patient. Something else is going to come along that’s going to surpass it.

When the Carina X came out and I saw that it had the Hypex N-Core X amplification chips, I began to wonder if this was the model that could beat the GaN. Overall, the exterior and menu of the two models are identical in features and looks. Both have a a monochromatic display and very straightforward and easy to work with menu system that doesn’t overwhelm the user. All the main choices are on a single screen in two rows. I really like this as I hate having to scroll through a long series of menus. It’s just good menu ergonomics.

Exterior

Peachtree Audio, for many, many years now has used the capsule shape with its smooth single MDF piece cabinet, in this case the stunning Mocha veneer, which is in my opinion, is just plain sultry. It is also a signature for Peachtree, much like the louvers are for Adcom, and the big blue meters of Macintosh. The front panel has a soft touch power button that turns green when the unit is on. Next to it is a very smooth step rotating input knob that when you push it in activates and goes into the menu. On the other side of the long rectangular screen is the volume control knob that when you push it button, it is a selector knob within the menu and finally both the 4.4 mm balanced, and standard 1/4 headphone jack.

On the back panel starting on the left side, you have a horizontal master power rocker switch below that the standard power cord input socket. Next to it on the upper level is the Bluetooth antenna, then some nice spacing comes the right channel binding posts in a horizontal set. Below that is the 12 V trigger input and output jacks. Next to those is a USB-C input. Continuing a law on along the bottom is the optical input, followed by COAX One and COAX Two inputs. Then going back to the upper level the left speaker binding post, and finally on the upper level the grounding wire connection screw for phono. Below that is first the preamp RCA output jacks, and finally the duel usage funnel or auxiliary input jacks with a small toggle switch to designate between the two. The phone input is for MM cartridges.

While it may be plastic, the Peachtree remote is one of my favorites in audio to work, as the layout breaks up the various controls into what I would call zones, each with a different feel/shapes, this allows it to become quite easy to use once memorized without having to look at the buttons. It even includes at the very bottom a set of eight presets for use with Bluetooth.

Under The Hood

Sliding off the veneered capsule case, one can see on the front left are the separate left and right channel amplification board. Tucked in the very front right corner is the headphone input boards. Behind that is the amplifier power supply board, which is separate. The large board holds the preamplifier and DAC sections. Finally, tucked in the front left vertically is the MM phono preamplifier board. That is a lot items, but it visually doesn’t appear crowed.

Peachtree Audio was one of the first manufacturers to allow for deeper control of their onboard DAC. In the menu control is a PCM FILTER mode with three settings L (linear) FAST, H (hybrid) FAST, and M (minimum) SLOW. L-FAST would be considered the standard setting. Much like with my previous reviews of the Original Carina and the Carina GaN, I played with all three settings, though I definitely have a favorite with the M-SLOW. To my ears, it is the closest to the R2R ladder DAC sound of my Denafrips Ares II. As I’ve stated in other reviews, much like all the physical filter switches and speaker placement, take your time and enjoy the process!

Secondly, you can choose between non-over sampling in over sampling of the digital signal. According to the manual, the NOS mode is only recommended if all your incoming digital audio is set to a sample rate of 176Khz or higher, otherwise the high frequency output may be significantly reduced. Once again, I had to play around, and while a few times I liked the NOS mode. I found overall that with the PCM filter set at M-SLOW, I left the NOS mode off.

As this custom, I always try out the Bluetooth and it works as advertised and when you have guests come over it is a nice feature to have when they want to share some music. they can quickly pull up on their smart phone once the Carina X input is switched to Bluetooth.

Another neat feature within the menu is the ability to choose between the digital volume attenuator or a hybrid model that uses a resistor ladder set up. One thing to keep in mind if you use the hybrid, is occasionally you will hear some clicking sounds, as stated in the manual.

The display can be set to always on or to shut off after several seconds. I left it on all the time while I was messing around with all the listening choices. But once I settled with my preferred settings, the screen was reset to shut off as why be distracted.

A neat little side feature that I did not try was that the analog input as well as the coax and optical inputs can actually be renamed to whatever you prefer from phono, to stream, or TV, however, the USB-C and the Bluetooth inputs cannot be renamed.

Listening

“Waves of Galveston” by Iron and Wine, with its consistent under-occurring Bass drum hits really highlights the Carina X’s ability with percussion. The acoustic guitar in the Milk Carton Kids “Poison Tree”, I think is a a very good demonstration of how the Hypex N-Core X chips handle acoustic guitars. There was no sense of coldness in the instruments. While, not the match for a tube amp or my reference Galion TS A75 solid state, the richness of the instrument is definitely detected and is quite welcome. That is a difference from the Carina GaN, based upon some notes I found after listening to the same tracks.

The most impressive vocals I heard with the Carina X was delivered in the song “Crescent Noon”, by Karen and Richard Carpenter. I’ve mentioned this song before, as she performs this song as an alto. The clarity of her vocals when paired with the violin in the background is a reminder of what an incredible talent she was. Especially when you consider the quality of the recording equipment at the time, her ability to take a single note and carry it in an incredibly smooth while slowly increasing her volume is powerfully re-created by the Carina X.

The various unique synthesizer sounds in “Limelight”, by the Alan Parsons Project stays beautifully separate from the drum kit, especially the bass drum kicks in about 15 to 20 seconds into the song. The dual ESS9068 chips make a big difference I believe when dealing with more electronic based music. Having each chip handle just one channel allows the integrated amplifier to dig out and separate more individual sonics. The chips also I believe tone down the sheen that ESS chips, especially in the 9038 series have a tendency to impart on the music.

To really feel how deep the Carina X can dig out the bass with the Buchardt S 400 mkII speakers, is to listen to the Beatles classic, ”Come Together.” This track is truly a low frequency, powerhouse and has a tendency to make big box AV receivers shrink in their effort to re-create the song, but the Hypex N-core X chips definitely show their power, especially with the 600 W into 4 ohms that is the speakers nominal load incessantly driving the bass of this song, truly pressurizes my 11 x 10 listening space at approximately 75DB‘s. Who says you need a subwoofer?

Class D amplification has always been a speed champion. Listening to Billy Joel‘s “Travelin Prayer”, is a great test. The speed of the notes along with his vocals come fast and furious especially the banjo across the spectrum. The decay is immediate. This impressive considering Billy Joel albums suffer from what my mentor Jeff Dorgay of Tone Audio called the CBS crunch.

The same speedy decay is also present in Dan Fogelberg‘s Nexus. His ever so slight Midwestern twang and breathy vocals stay clean and clear while the various percussion, including the bongos and soaring notes of his electric guitar avoid muddying up the subtle melody. This a song that I will admit was never well represented on my vintage Adcom amplifiers as the graininess definitely left a haze over the music.

Compared to the Eversolo Play and WiiM Ultra and Amp Ultra. With their digitized then conversion back to analog, the all analog phono section is a nice and obvious step up. The Carina X provides a three-dimensionality that those other units cannot match. Spinning my Mobile High Fidelity copy of Dark Side of the Moon, definitely shows off the additional spaciousness of Alan Parsons engineering work.

Of course, if you flip the toggle switch you can use that RCA input for a CD player or another analog source you chose to put in the chain. I also want to mention that the Carina X via the menu can be setup in Home Theater Bypass mode.  

Final Thoughts

Consistency by an audio manufacturer is a big deal in my book. Especially if the overall features and quality continue to improve. While I do admit to missing the vacuum tube that was present in the older Nova series integrated amplifiers, I cannot find fault inapt that Peachtree Audio is on. The Carina X is a great member of their line up. I especially appreciated the addition horsepower when playing my Magnapan .7’s compared to the Carina GaN. The addition torque of 300wpc into 8 Ohms, or 600wpc into 4 Ohms did make a true difference. 

At $2599, the Carina X is a definite investment, that being said, the return in build quality, features, overall sonics, all come together to make it worthwhile. If you have speakers that crave power and lean a bit to the warm side, the Carina X is a terrific match, as the clarity of the N Core Hypex X chipset brings both clarity and power. I do want to keep the Carina X around, I just need to figure out how. 

Link to Manuacturer's information

www.dailyaudiophile.com