Quick—can you name an integrated amplifier that can be switched between class-A and class-A/B topologies? How about an amplifier equipped with a tone control for bass and treble that actually works? Or how about a feedback control that allows you to add feedback to improve transparency? Now let me ask you this—might such an amplifier, with class-A and class-A/B topologies that offer 25Wpc and 40Wpc, respectively, with tone and feedback controls, pique your curiosity?

I know what some of you are thinking because I was thinking the same thing, and I still think that way for the most part. Tone controls suck. They discolour the entire frequency range. I hated them since day one, when the same-brand stereo system my parents bought me from the furniture store in the 1980s had a sliding equalizer that murdered my music. But after my time with the TS34, I don’t hate tone controls anymore. I see their potential and usefulness now.

Who knew? Well, Galion Audio’s Thomas Tan did. The TS34’s user manual states that the amp’s tone control doesn’t affect frequencies the way typical tone controls do. And from what I heard, it’s true. There was nothing gimmicky, cheap or ’80s equalizer-sounding about it. The TS34’s tone control made up for bass that was buried in the mix, and highs that were too harsh. It “fixed” the deficiencies in the recording, and in doing so made the music sound more natural, not less.

Here’s a rundown of the TS34’s features, starting with the front panel: a “Bias” button flanked by a series of LED lights that confirm when the tubes are biased (the manual recommends biasing the tubes every three months or after the user changes tubes or class type); a “Class” button to select between class-A and class-A/B modes; an “Input” selector; a “Sound” knob that allows you to choose between positions T, which stands for tone control, and A and B, two feedback-adding settings. As per Thomas: “Sound A and B have different feedback settings, with B adding the most, so they will sound different in your system. Sound T means you are engaging tone control. The tone control will only work in the T position. A and B will bypass it.”

On the amp’s backside are five RCA inputs, including an “HT” home theatre, which bypasses the TS34’s volume control so you can use the one on an external device, such as an AV receiver. Also included are a “Tape-Out”, “Sub-Out”, 4- and 8-ohm speaker terminals, a “Ground” switch in case of excessive hum, and a switch for tube type setting, because you can also use KT88 tubes in lieu of the EL34s. If the amp is turned on while the wrong tube type is selected, the TS34 will go into protection mode and shut off.

The TS34 comes with a hefty metal remote control, a tube cage reminiscent of the one on certain PrimaLuna products, and a tube complement consisting of two 12AX7, two 12AT7, and four EL34 tubes (I did not receive or have KT88s). Other items found in the shipping box included a stock power cable and two manuals—a Quick Start guide and a full-fledged manual that, among other things, suggests a 300-hour break-in period before the amp sounds its best. The TS34 uses a solid state rectifier and three types of capacitors, by Solen, Clarity, and Jupiter. According to Thomas, “What makes the amp sound so special are the Jupiter Bumblebee capacitors. They’re film-in-oil designs which were used in electronics in the ’50s and ’60s.” They’re also not cheap, at US$ 30 a pop direct from the manufacturer.

I connected the Galion TS34 to my Rega P5 turntable and Focal Aria K2 936 standmounts, and began my listening with the TS34 in class-A mode, with the “Sound” button in the T (tone control) position, but with the bass and treble knobs fixed in the upright, “neutral” positions. The first album I played was At the Pershing (LP, 20th Century Masterworks 350259) by the Ahmad Jamal Trio. The crowd’s clapping that opens side A sounded spontaneous and vivid in an almost lit up way, as did the piano notes that launched the first track, “But Not For Me”. Maybe because the sounds seemed to radiate colour inside my room, I did something I don’t normally do—I shut off the listening room lights and basked in the glow of the notes, which rang out in reverberant bursts. The double bass notes and drum hits were clear, rhythmically on point, and harmonically expansive. This recording highlighted how well the TS34 can separate instruments and lay them out on a stage, giving them room to breathe creatively and tonally. Notes delivered force, impact, body, and an expressive immediacy. There was no lack of bass; it was very good—full and dexterous, providing a solid, rhythmic foundation to the music.

Next, I played La Marche des Hommes (LP, Capitol ST-70.038), a classic Quebec album by the band Morse Code. The TS34 made the music on this okay-sounding release sound more harmonically developed and substantial than I remembered it being, with bolder, denser images. The TS34 gave the music meat and seemed to electrify the presentation, bringing it a bit more up front than with my reference Grandinote Shinai integrated amp, but not harshly so. The soundstage sounded packed but organized, with excellent instrumental separation.

I then spun the Youngbloods’ Rock Festival (LP, Warner Bros. WS 1878), another dubious-sounding recording. Still, through the TS34, the sound had substance. It was ballsy, expressive, and full of undertones. Electric bass and drums, however, sounded buried in the mix, prompting my mixing instincts to kick in and me to take command of the tone control. I raised the bass knob slowly… and whammy! Bass guitar jutted out, bobbing away, while drums took on more corpulence and weight. The rest of the frequency range seemed unfazed. This album simply sounded better than I’d ever heard it.

Tom Waits’s Swordfishtrombones (LP, Island Records 79 00951) contains a variety of sounds, mainly percussive ones. Via the TS34, they all sounded distinct, with structural integrity, and moved along with rhythmic fortitude and bounding physicality. I didn’t feel the picture needed tonal adjustment, but I did try the feedback A and B positions, and in both cases, I preferred the amp without feedback. While adding feedback seemed to offer a tad more detail, I did feel that it came at the expense of reduced undertones.

The most surprising part for me came when I performed the 4-step procedure to switch the amp between classes, from class-A to class A/B, and revisited the previous albums I’d listened to in class-A. In my room/system setup—in my setup—the music in class-A/B, compared to class-A, sounded a bit meatier, more dimensional, more transparent, and harmonically fuller, with a deeper front-to-back soundstage. I can’t necessarily explain why that was, but there you go—as much as I liked the amp in class-A, I had a slight preference for class A/B. I also, in class-A/B mode, felt no compulsion while listening to the aforementioned albums to adjust the tone control.

SUMMING UP

I had fun with the TS34. While some of its features weren’t intuitive to use—make sure you keep that manual—I liked that the amp offered me the means to improve the sonic attributes of poorly-recorded material, or to just adjust the sound according to my mood or preferences; you could theoretically find the best tube type, the best bass/treble balance, the best feedback amount, for every piece of music you listen to—you know, for one of those wild and crazy audio nights.

On its own, in its standard, feature-inactivated state, the Galion TS34 integrated amplifier sounded very good. It offered transparent, meaty, vivid sound and substantial bass. The extra sound-tweaking features are a bonus. For US$ 2975 (around CA$ 4230), the TS34 buys you a lot of glorious-sounding music. I’m not sure you could do better in an integrated amp, in terms of sound quality combined with flexibility, for under twice the TS34’s cost.