All the pieces i’ve talked about so far have been nothing less than utterly convincing in my trials but if I had to nominate one Vitus product as the all time showstopper then the no holds barred £18,500 SIA-025 would definitely be it. Forget about the word ‘integrated’, ignore the single box, ignore the modest 25W power rating and also turn a blind eye to the price tag as well; here is an amplifier that will mingle with the very best, a single chassis that gives absolutely nothing away to pre and power, a level of performance that will need upwards of £30/£40/£50,000 plus to match or indeed significantly exceed it. Behind those 25 Class A watts also lies a 1.4kVa transformer and the sort of control, grip and sheer power that will drive almost any speaker you care to mention. The SIA-025 is surely one of Ole Vitus’s most remarkeable achievements ?
Avalon Eidolon, B&W 802D … no problem, this amp will drive them aplenty and the sound will completely leave the speakers and fill the room. In point of fact UK Distributers Kog Audio tell me that this amp has been particularly successful with B&W 802 owners because not only does it control all that copious soft bass but the refined Vitus highs are the perfect match for the tweeter which can quickly sound quite painful with a brighter or perhaps more forward and agressive amp. In Class AB mode and at the simple flick of a button, the 025 will also deliver 100 watts per side, so if you want to rock out on the occasional track with that last degree of ooomph then the option is there.
As a Signature series piece the 42kg SIA-025 has machined aluminium sturdily affixed to both top and bottom too. The overall effect is a product with a level of craftsmanship and robustness that one simply does not usually equate with consumer level items. Elegant, timelessley classy and built to last a lifetime. Yes the junior RI-100 is beautifully made but the Signature chassis takes the subjective feel and construction to a whole other level which is unquestionably the equal of the very best built equipment ever produced.
Connectivity and functionality is very good as with all Vitus boxes. Five inputs (balanced and single ended), a preamp out for biamping, a bypass mode, Class A and Class AB operation, Vitus’s excellent speaker terminals for spades or bayonets and a superb weighty remote with great ergonomics.
The sound ? Well it does all the usual Vitus things, beautifully natural, perfect tonality, rich and textural and wonderfully holographic. It’s also fair to say that things like transparency, detail, soundstage etc. are up there with the best that solid state can do. That huge transformer means that it is effortlessley dynamic and it can apportion seemingly limitless energy to any particular instrument at any given moment; the sound never runs out of bandwidth and flattens during moments of high power draw. This, along with the amp’s scarily adept way with microdynamics and tonal contrasts mean that you get a very alive sound which never really jolts you back down to earth reminding you that you are listening to a plain old Hifi system. Focused, posied and dramatic yet beautifully liquid and refined, the SIA-025 is above all just a supreme communicator of expression, emotion and music.
To be fair I think it’s the sort of sound that most people are seeking in highend and it’s an amp that really does nothing wrong and has no vices. You may be looking for something very off centre like a highly romantic valve amp or a more agressive clinical sort of sound but I bet that pretty much everyone else inbetween will fall in love with what this thing does.
How does it compare back to the RI-100 integrated I hear you ask ? Sonically they are very similar and it has to be said that for the money, the RI-100 is hugely compelling. At almost double the price though you’d be expecting the 025 to give more and it certainly does. More dimensional, more nuanced, more inner detail, purer and even cleaner and overall you just get more of that special ‘alive’ feeling where everything comes into the room with so much presence.
The UK distributers for Vitus and other existing dealers tell me that this amp has become something of a ‘David’ in a world of Goliaths. It’s also an amp that seems to have a remarkeable ability to slot into all sorts of systems and never fail to shine. Quite a number of these have been sold to customers trading in very expensive pre and powers, sometimes more than double the cost of this amp. Not only have they gotten a better sound in all respects but they’ve dropped their box count and often had a cash neutral sale or in some cases seen some cash back.
In the first month as a dealer I have already made my first SIA-025 sale and my customer did exactly this, part exchanging x4 power amps and a preamp, £40,000 worth of flagship top-of-the-range items from a well known manufacturer. His opening brief ? To supply him with amplification which would get him back to the lofty heights of his former 600WPC Boulder 2060 that he owned several years back … a diffcult task even with an open cheque book, let alone a one box integrated inside a sub £20k budget !
On the face of it £18.5k for an integrated is not cheap but I know that this amp is a bargain. Yes, the separate Vitus signature pre and power (£55,000 worth) will bring you a little bit more of this and that but at £18,500 the 025 is quite staggering and I would implore you to drop by and have a listen if you are looking for your next or even your ‘last’ amplifier.
“The easiest way to describe the sound of the SIA-025 is it sounds like real music. It avoids straying into sterility or sounding analytical by offering up a nice balance of warmth, tonal purity, richness (body) and tube-like liquidity. “
“As far as I’m concerned, this is state of the art and it’s easily the best I’ve been able to spend time with. To really dive deep into these waters will require way more investment than I’ve currently made. May ever make? Who knows. But my goodness that was one fine honey of an amp.”
“If the price looks steep for a 25 watt integrated amplifier I think that you should still get a serious listen to it even if you were thinking of separates. It is that good. The Vitus SIA-025 is really about musical connection and emotional involvement and that is quite a compliment for any piece of equipment because those special experiences really are beyond words.”
“It is so magnificently composed and lucid but has such fast, but relaxed control of the leading edge of notes. There is no snatching or confusion – just energy and flow.”
“The SIA-025 is absolutely marvellous in communicating this level of expression and performance. It seduces us with its uncanny ability to show each individual element in its full glory, yet maintain such a tremendous sense of cohesion that extends right through its explicit feeling of rhythmic flow and movement, to an alluring confidence in the way it allows the music to breathe. That it can do this without employing the iron-fist grip or dissembled bandwidth that encourages us to think in terms of bass, middle and top is, for me, one of its greatest qualities.”
“The SIA-025 is about showing you the music and bringing you performance insight in a totally accessible way. Get the system right and it will find you sitting in your chair, closing your eyes, letting the music grab you emotionally to take you somewhere else. “
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