Karan Acoustics Master Collection POWERa Mono power amplifier $106,000 Review – 2100W into 8 ohms

https://www.stereophile.com/content/karan-acoustics-master-collection-powera-mono-power-amplifier

As I got my power act together and fine-tuned the system (as I always do, as a matter of course), the POWERa monoblocks surpassed that initial assessment. By a lot. I queued up an old standby, Yello’s “Electrified II” from Toy (24/48 MQA, Polydor 0602547879851/Tidal). Whoa! Even more than the soundstage, which covered the width of the room and extended far up, what stood out was the strength and solidity of deep bass—and beyond. Everything from the pounding beat to Dieter Meier’s recitation and Malia’s vocals seemed to have greater presence. For visceral impact, swiftness of attack, and sheer, apparent accuracy, the POWERa monoblocks top every other monoblock, stereo amp, or integrated I’ve reviewed (footnote 7). Ditto for color saturation, shading, dynamics, and the ability to portray the most complex passages without a hint of compression.

Another, far more system-trying test of bass is the second movement explosion in Shostakovich’s Symphony No.11 as performed by Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on their award-winning live recording, Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11 “The Year 1905” (24/96 MQA, DG/Tidal). I’ve heard this recording on many systems, including those with speakers far bigger than the Wilson Alexia V‘s. But never have I heard a huge bass drum portrayed with such convincing realism: The virtually instantaneous transition from the initial sharp attack to the forceful resonance and decay; the size and weight of the sound; and the depth of emotional impact felt true to the source.