Audio Control Rialto 600 Review (DAC & Amplifier)

[F1308]

As soon as I saw the back panel quickly realized it would be good to reach a low orbit after some training, not to hear music as I deserve.

 

[holbob]

I was most impressed by the back side

 

[Morpheus]

In Portuguese "ri alto" means "laughed loudly". Very fitting. This amp had a good potential but just failed to deliver.

Exacto! É caso pra dizer que quem ri alto nem sempre ri melhor!! Cumprimentos portugueses de Portugal , Matias .

 

[Toslink]

I assume there's a class D module powering this?

It could be a Class D design, but AudioControl mostly uses Class H topology in their amplifiers. This compact design deviates from their full-sized amplifiers in a lot of ways, so they may have gone with a "chip" amp to meet this form factor. The Rialto belongs to me, incidentally.

 

[Toslink]

Lucky panther keeps his head.
I wonder how many pages will this thread have.

PS- How is the member's reaction that has lent it?

I'm the owner and my reaction is: I'm surprised the unit measured as poorly as it appears to have here. My subjective reaction is that I like the amp and it's been a pleasure to own. It's used with a Sonos Port audio streamer connected to a Sonance in-ceiling VP38 speaker system consisting of (4) 4" co-axial satellite speakers + (1) DVC 6.5" in-ceiling passive band-pass subwoofer. It does very well and I'm happy overall with the sound and power output. When it's paired with floor-standing speakers in my living room, I have a better sense for some of the limitations of the amp--namely the high noise floor. But, the feature set and my decades-long ownership experience with AudioControl is what drove the product choice.

 

[PeteL]

It could be cool to have to have brief listening test impressions, not for everything but for stuff that measures poorly like this. As the data base evolve we could get a better sense of what tends to be worst in translating in audible flaws, and how subtle or major it is.

 

[amirm]

That frequency response definitely has audible consequences. How it interacts with room modes though, would be difficult to untangle.

 

[Toslink]

It may sound slightly unbelievable, but I've run this speaker system, which is in my kitchen ceiling, with many amplifiers and music streamers (ex., Sonos AMP, Sonos Port + Sonance DSP 8-130 amplifier, HEOS Amp, HEOS SuperLink + Sonance DSP 8-130 amplifier) and I will admit that my favorite combination of equipment is the Sonos Port + Rialto 600. I think there's two reasons for this. First, the Rialto has a 5-step bass enhancement circuit called AccuBass. Second, the Sonos has a volume-based loudness circuit that boosts bass when the volume control is below full volume. These two elements help the Sonance in-ceiling 6.5" bandpass sub-woofer sound "warmer" than it does on any other equipment combo. I don't listen to the system loudly, so bass (naturally) tapers off lower in the volume range with all other equipment, as none have the same bass-enhancement features. To be clear, though: this room is not a critical listening area--just music while cooking or conversing with house guests. This is one of those instances where gear that doesn't measure very well actually still brings a lot of pleasure (and convenience). Go figure.

 

[respice finem]

It doesn't take particularly high parameters to have nice and pleasant sound. Many believe they hear everything, which isn't true even for the younger ones, because it can't be. Our ears and brains aren't calibrated mics.

Everybody has their own way of listening, a different approach to music as such. I'm using my own terms for this:

• "pro fidelity" = maintain the original signal quality, for "analytic listening", no matter the cost and effort. May bring about the best results if I know what I'm doing and why, or lead to endless search if I don't. That's why sites like ASR are important, showing mainly measurements instead of just subjective impressions.
• "pleasant fidelity" = what it says on the tin, an 80s Walkman may suffice sometimes.
• "my fidelity" = somewhere between the two, actually aspiring to "pro fidelity", but with clear limits of what I'm ready to spend and do, thus forsaking "the last bit" of possible sound quality, being aware of my own limitations. Saves a lot of money and stress.

 

[gatesgt]

I assume there's a class D module powering this?

My understanding is that this model, the Rialto 400 and Bijou 600 are all based on the same internal design. They use Hypes UcD250LP Class-D modules along with an Audiocontrol proprietary analog tracking power supply. Reading this review raised some concerns to me, but I have been happily using it for about 4 years now powering inefficient speakers from Dynaudio and Eminent Technology. To my ears, this amplifier was a dramatic upgrade to similarly powered amplifiers using ICEPower modules.

 

[BenchZowner]

That frequency response definitely has audible consequences. How it interacts with room modes though, would be difficult to untangle.

The frequency response can be corrected via the remote control.
The peak you see early in the FR is caused by the "AudioControl AccuBASS" "feature". You can turn it off via pressing the AccuBASS button on the RC.

I'm currently evaluating the Rialto 600 and my measurements and impressions match yours ( I too had that bump in the freq. response, but got it straightened by turning off the AccuBASS using the RC ).

 

[gatesgt]

The frequency response can be corrected via the remote control.
The peak you see early in the FR is caused by the "AudioControl AccuBASS" "feature". You can turn it off via pressing the AccuBASS button on the RC.

I'm currently evaluating the Rialto 600 and my measurements and impressions match yours ( I too had that bump in the freq. response, but got it straightened by turning off the AccuBASS using the RC ).

Wondering if you find that turning the Accubass off has any impact on the distortion and noise figures previously posted. It is weird that the Niles amplifier tested on ASR was significantly better. It uses the same Hypex UcD250lp modules as the Rialto. Maybe the larger internal space in the Niles is better for this. Either that or maybe the power supply in the Rialto has an impact here.

 

[BenchZowner]

Wondering if you find that turning the Accubass off has any impact on the distortion and noise figures previously posted. It is weird that the Niles amplifier tested on ASR was significantly better. It uses the same Hypex UcD250lp modules as the Rialto. Maybe the larger internal space in the Niles is better for this. Either that or maybe the power supply in the Rialto has an impact here.

The figures are lower with AccuBASS disabled, but not significantly I'd say ( a 0.025% drop or so ).
Something in the design of the Rialto 600 is causing the higher distortion and noise figures compared to the Niles.

 

[gatesgt]

Thanks for confirming. I was able to do some A-B comparing with a Hegel integrated amplifier on loan was just amazed at the difference. Back to class-AB for me.

 

[gatesgt]

Yeah. If only they had used a Hypex NC252MP... I'm sure whatever they actually used was a lot cheaper.

Audio Control used Hypex UCD250LP modules for this design, I believe they are good class-d modules. These are fairly cheap modules today, but not when the amplifier was brought to market. I wonder if the modules weren't placed too close in the enclosure causing the higher distortion figures. The Niles amplifier reviewed own ASR using the same modules did much better.