Before we get onto the big players of the Class A ‘Signature Series’ range, we must turn our attention to arguably the star of the reference range and that is the RI-100, 300 watts per channel Integrated amp. This £9500 beast has already picked up a whole stack of awards and is surely a classic in the making, one of those extraordinary products that is virtually peerless at it’s pricepoint and gives such gobsmacking performance that you question why there is any point ever spending any more in this great hobby of ours or indeed making life any more complex than a single minimalistic box attached to a source and a set of speakers. Yes, if you have the funds then you can go Vitus pre and power but quite frankly in all but the loftiest systems you really needn’t as the RI-100 and the Signature integrated really do hold all the answers for most seekers of top notch amplification.
The real icing on the cake with this unit is that on the back there are two very neat expansion slots which will accomodate a phono stage and a DAC module. The phono stage is available now and the DAC will be ready for Munich 2014. With zero casing costs these modules will represent extremely good value and they elevate the functionality, ease of use and appeal of this unit to an even greater level. In its full configuaration the one box will act as a fully fledged standalone control centre, accepting digital and analogue inputs of any kind.
The build and subjective feel is of the usual ‘hewn from granite’ standard one expects with Vitus. Connectivity at the back is excellent. Single ended and balanced inputs, pre-outs, bananas or spades. The menu is customisable with all sorts of useful options including a bypass mode and a standby mode. Silver and black are the most common finishes but almost any colour can be accommodated including white, red or even gold.
The sound is just a real treat; although it is class AB it has been very carefully designed to be sonically close to the beautiful purity of class A and this shows through from the moment you switch it on. The RI-100 has bags of grip, slam and endless power but sounds beautifully natural and fluid with the most wonderful rich and full tonality. “But is it musical” someone asked me the other day. This is as “musical’ as it gets in my book, no electronic signature, no glare or hardness, just pure neutrality which emanates forth into a very wide and deep layered soundstage, allowing the amp to disappear and leave you with the most wonderful room filling experience. I won’t go into much more detail and i’ll let some of the review quotes down below do the talking but suffice to say that sitting inbetween a set of £40,000 Avalon Eidolon Diamond and my £62,000 turntable/phono source, the RI-100 does not seem the slightest bit overshadowed or lacking. That seems almost implausible when so many of us have grown up on elaborate pre and powers, separate power supplies, monoblocks and active setups with crossovers and whole stacks of amps but there you go, times have changed and I for one could quite happily live with this beast for life if it came to it.
In ths UK it’s already got off to a flying start. Quite a number of folk have moved from pre/powers into one of these and its even meant a substantial cashback situation in a number of cases. As always, if it takes your fancy and is a solution that appeals then do not hesitate to drop by and have a listen.
“The sledgehammer with a heart. The RI-100 is capable of extracting the highest highs and most dynamic lows and pretty much everything in between. In most respects it gives away little to its pure Class A Signature Series siblings and the brawny RI-100 is virtually unrivalled in its breathtakingly tightfisted grip on the bottom octaves. .”
“Good enough for speakers 10 times the price! “The RI-100 is without compromise from any possible perspective or listening criteria.”
“The RI-100 is lightning-quick. There is no edge or whiteness along for the ride as with many solid state designs. Timbre, pitch, and tone are spot on. There is no romance—all artificial harmonics are stripped away, and you are left with the real thing.”
“..the Vitus Audio RI-100 has carved out a unique segment in the high end—what could be termed “entrylevel elite.” It currently has few challengers, and none that I have yet heard can surpass it. An alpha amp if ever there was one.”
“Did I mention that bass performance is as good as it gets? The RI-100 can handle the most demanding low frequencies with an iron grip, and the Magico Q7s are the perfect vehicle to prove it.”
“From day one, what really struck home was the lack of an electronic signature throughout the frequency spectrum. There was no glaze smudging transients, or any dry powdery whiteness over the treble.”
“The Vitus Audio RI-100 is a scary good performer. Forget any references to “entry level” or “price points”. Those terms are only relative to Vitus’ own Signature and Masterpiece Series components, which frankly, exist on a much different level from most other companies’ components anyway.”
“The Vitus came through with a vitality and spring-in-its-midrange-step that drove the music along. The midrange and top-end were outstanding and up with the very best of solid-state amplification.”
The build and subjective feel is of the usual ‘hewn from granite’ standard one expects with Vitus. Connectivity at the back is excellent. Single ended and balanced inputs, pre-outs, bananas or spades. The menu is customisable with all sorts of useful options including a bypass mode and a standby mode. Silver and black are the most common finishes but almost any colour can be accommodated including white, red or even gold.
The sound is just a real treat; although it is class AB it has been very carefully designed to be sonically close to the beautiful purity of class A and this shows through from the moment you switch it on. The RI-100 has bags of grip, slam and endless power but sounds beautifully natural and fluid with the most wonderful rich and full tonality. “But is it musical” someone asked me the other day. This is as “musical’ as it gets in my book, no electronic signature, no glare or hardness, just pure neutrality which emanates forth into a very wide and deep layered soundstage, allowing the amp to disappear and leave you with the most wonderful room filling experience. I won’t go into much more detail and i’ll let some of the review quotes down below do the talking but suffice to say that sitting inbetween a set of £40,000 Avalon Eidolon Diamond and my £62,000 turntable/phono source, the RI-100 does not seem the slightest bit overshadowed or lacking. That seems almost implausible when so many of us have grown up on elaborate pre and powers, separate power supplies, monoblocks and active setups with crossovers and whole stacks of amps but there you go, times have changed and I for one could quite happily live with this beast for life if it came to it.
In ths UK it’s already got off to a flying start. Quite a number of folk have moved from pre/powers into one of these and its even meant a substantial cashback situation in a number of cases. As always, if it takes your fancy and is a solution that appeals then do not hesitate to drop by and have a listen.
CONNECT WITH US