Fezz Luna Mini Evolution Amplifier – WOW!
‘In the House Review’ by David Neice
MSRP: $2200 Canadian
Verdict: Can you live with a 10 watt Class A single ended tube amp? If so, you are in for a real treat.
This past fall Fezz released a low wattage single ended tube amp in their ‘Evolution’ series using EL34 output tubes and toroidal output transformers. It reminds me of the Unison ‘Simply Italy’ (which I own) as well as the Mastersound Dueundici, which I previously reviewed for ‘Wall of Sound’ (Footnote 1).
This amp is an instant smash hit and I have not been this excited by a new component since I stumbled upon the DALI Spektor 1 mini speakers a couple of years ago. I initially posted some of my reactions to the Luna Mini on the Canuck Audio Mart forum (footnote 2) and this review will widen my comments.
In summary, I am awarding the Fezz Luna Mini a Wall of Sound Gold Star for both sound quality and value.
Description:
What a lovely amplifier this is if you only need 10 watts! I am running it with the volume at 10:30 with no strain. It sounds big and open when driving Jean Marie Reynaud Bliss Silvers which are rated at 6 Ohms and about 87 db sensitive. This is a match made in heaven.
The main point which is most striking upon first listen is ‘transparency’. It is like washing your windows. Everything is just sharper and more focused and immediate. The width and depth of the sound-stage are incredible and pinpoint precise.
This either results from the 12AX7 driver tubes (whereas the Unison ‘Simply Italy’ uses 12AU7s), or else it is the toroidal output transformers or else it happens because it is a SET (well, a pentode really). But some things are really different here from a listener’s perspective and the results are in some ways better.
By the way, the Unison ‘Simply Italy’ (also an EL34 single ended design) is no slouch and is already highly regarded in audio circles. More will be said on this comparison later below.
Details:
The company, Fezz, is Polish and an offshoot of Toroidy.pl – a firm that makes and sells toroidal transformers in Europe. Thus it is a trademark of the Fezz amplifiers that both the power supply and the output transformers on all their tube amps are toroidal. In this regard their products are unique.
For a thorough history of Toroidy/Fezz, I refer the reader to Stereo Life’s excellent article. In the case of the Luna Mini, the power transformer occupies one can, while the other contains both left and right output transformers (stacked). All are toroidal, and potted in special resin.
While the Luna Mini is the entry level amplifier in the current Fezz line-up, it is by no means a budget amp. Indeed it comes with all the trimmings including a handsome tube cage and even white gloves for handling the tubes.
The first generation of Fezz amps looked pretty industrial during the period when I did a review of their 300B amp a couple of years ago. In contrast, the newer Fezz “EVO” amps (including the Luna Mini) are gorgeous to look at, and the cases are available in several colours. The chassis of the Mini is only available in black or silver, but other Fezz amps are available in various shades including red.
The quality of their newest builds just oozes ‘class’ and the prices are more than pretty reasonable given the competition’s prices. The remotes are now solid metal (aluminum) with no plastic here. The amp comes with Electro-Harmonix 12AX7 driver tubes and a pair of JJ EL34 output tubes which are labeled V1 to V4 for ease of user installation. Of course, you can use other brands of compatible tubes as you wish.
On the front of the amplifier are two knobs – one for selection of the input and the other for volume. Around the back are found some very high quality gold plated hardware for the inputs and the speaker terminals. All these terminals are blessed with good spacing. There are three RCA inputs for component attachment, a switch for voltage settings, and an IEC socket for the power. Included on the back is a sub-woofer output terminal. The power switch is found on the left front bottom of the chassis but power on and off is available from the remote.
A small port can be unscrewed and opened on the back and this accomodates some supplemental input options – so in fact there are four potential inputs. The Fezz input expansion cards (available now) include a Bluetooth module, a DAC, and a MM phono stage module, each available for $300 Canadian.
The remote unit controls all the functions including power on and as this is a ‘soft start’ device, the front panel glows an orangey-red while the amp is warming up. After about a minute or so the panel switches to a soft white – very stylish.
Fezz publishes some specifications that are reproduced at the end of this review. The harmonic distortion levels at < 2.5% (at full power) may sound objectively high, this is normal in a Class A, single-ended design. With normal listening output being 1-2 watts, I was not aware of any excessive distortion during my listening.
Listening:
The Luna Mini was asked to drive my trusted JMR Bliss Silver speakers using Audio Sensibility Impact OCC speaker cables. The CD player was a Cambridge Audio 650C, a dual Wolfson DAC device with Neotech OCC connecting cables. I also inserted a Denafrips Ares 2 DAC into the component chain. The turntable used was a Gold Note Valore 425 SE all acrylic table with a HANA EL moving coil cartridge attached.
For the sake of brevity I will keep this section short. But reader’s should be aware that I listened to dozens of tracks many of them the same tracks so I could examine comparisons between the Luna Mini and the Simply Italy amps.
I tend to start any review listening session with Cassandra Wilson’s epic audiophile grade CD ‘Blue Lights ‘Till Dawn‘. This CD can often tell me what I might expect as I work my way through various stacks of albums and specific tracks. The tracks on this disc contain many unusual sounds and instruments and the soundscape is highly ornamented.
The little Fezz amp acquited itself quite well when listening to Casssandra Wilson. While perhaps a bit lighter on bass content than my Unsion ‘Simply Italy’, the portrayal of the mid-tones were particularly striking. There was an immediacy to the sound-scape that was very pleasant to experience and I chalk this up to the toroidal output transformers which offer the owner a deft ‘see into the music’ experience.
Next up was the outstanding album by the Blind Boys of Alabama, ‘Spirit of the Century’. I believe this is the best recorded Blind Boys album and I love to hear it in all its rich glory. Right from the get go the Luna Mini was able to unpack the main vocal from the vibrant accompanying harmonies and the sound-scape that the little Luna Mini threw was in a word incredible. The bass was tight and detailed and the mid-range was to die for with a wide and deep sound-stage that just begged you to listen. I played this CD several times as I wanted to just revel in the experience.
Curtis Mayfield’s outstanding CD ‘Superfly’ (which is one of the few movie soundtracks I own) contains a unique track called ‘Pusherman’. This CD and the accompanying movie explores the hidden world of urban ghetto drug addiction and the sale of drugs to junkies and other users. While the themes may be seamy the music is superb and reminds me of that other Curtis Mayfield gospel chestnut ‘People Get Ready’.
The track ‘Pusherman’ contains several polyrythmic drum flourishes and has both congas and standing drum kits being played simultaneously. The verisimilitude of the drums is the key to the track and I always use this as a test of a component’s ability to ‘get real’. The little Luna Mini amplifier passed this test with flying colours. The sharp crack of the conga was rendered as real as life and I was once again surprised at the performance of the Luna Mini for the modest outlay of its purchase price.
Finally, I will discuss Van Morrison’s album Common One and particularly the second track ‘Summer Time in England’. This is a long rambling ode by Morrison to the charms of the Lake District in England’s summertime and more pertinantly to his love of a women described as his ‘common one in a red robe’. It clocks at about twelve minutes and is suffused with Zen level insights on meditation.
I particularly like the fact that at one point Morrison becomes quite ‘churchy’ and religious and his singing style then veers over with gospel flourishes. These passages are ‘shiver inducing’ and never fail to rouse my spirits. The little Luna Mini held its own through this complex track and I was rendered quite limp by the end of the track with its power to overwhelm my sensory system through the power of music. It was precisely at this point that I thought the little Luna Mini deserved a ‘Gold Star’ award.
Comparisons:
In discussion, my friend, colleague, and WoS editor, Noam Bronstein, thought that I was maybe being a little too hard on the Unison ‘Simply Italy’ when I first reported on the Luna Mini on the forums. He asked me to revisit my remarks with a more formal comparison and so I did. I installed the ‘Simply Italy’ back in my system with nearly new Tung Sol EL34 output tubes in place. I was planning on doing this anyway, but the process just accelerated.
It turns out that my over the top enthusiasm for the Luna Mini as posted on the CAM forum may have been a touch coloured by ‘confirmation bias’ a pretty common problem in reviewing gear.
So to encapsulate the (now more grounded) comparison, the Unison amp has a bit more body in the bass region leading to a fuller sound. The Luna Mini is all about the mid-range and its lighter bass body tends to push your ears up to spend more time in the analysis of the mid-range.
This could be important to some users in its application to such speakers such as the LS 3/5as. The mid-range is already the highlight of those speakers but the bass can always use more body unless you are using a sub.
The midrange on the Luna Mini has a certain listening advantage as the Luna Mini has greater transparency and immediacy but this may be an artifact of the reduced bass impact. For instance, with the Luna Mini the snare drum cracks are more etched and this gives some instruments, like drums, an extra dose of verisimilitude.
Sound stage is about equal between the components with the Luna Mini maybe having a bit more depth. High end frequency response is equal in these units and unremarkable but clean. No fatigue is evident.
I always find that an acid test for any component is found by moving myself out of the main room and into a secondary adjacent room for a listen. In this case the sound must move through a doorway and maintain coherence. In addition the sound must charm the ear. According to this personalized test, which is purely idiosyncratic and is not found in any stereo guides, the ‘Simply Italy’ is the close winner. I noticed that with the Luna Mini I was gradually losing my interest as I moved from the living room into the kitchen and this had me scratching my head. Perhaps though it was the smell of cooking food!
But my overall observation remains intact. If you are after a ten watt single ended EL34 design then you have a real choice; the Fezz Luna Mini or the Unison ‘Simply Italy. The cost of the Simply Italy is much higher but the benefits with with some speakers like the LS 3/5as may be welcome. However, as a value proposition, the Fezz Luna Mini is unbeatable.
Conclusion:
This a great entry level amplifier, one of the most enjoyable amps I have ever had in my home, and I believe it is destined to be a classic. I borrowed the review sample from Noam but I am also interested in buying it. Potential ownership is the highest praise I can give it.
This amplifier is also an ‘automatic’ winner of a Wall of Sound Gold Star. Both for listener satisfaction as well as value and price it simply has no direct competitors. A three year warranty on everything but the tubes adds another layer of enticement.
Tri-Cell is the Canadian distributor, and if after reading this review you are interested in buying one then you should probably ‘run don’t walk’ to your nearest Fezz dealer, as these little babies will likely be in high demand.
Footnote 1: See link: https://wallofsound.ca/audioreviews/amplification/review-mastersounds-dueundici-integrated-amplifier/
Footnote 2: See link: https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=70617&hilit=fezz+luna
Acknowledgements: I want to thank Noam for lending me the ‘Fezz Luna Mini so I could write this review.
Technical Specifications
Model: Luna Mini
Max. output power: 2x 10 W
Circuit type: Class A
Output impedance: 4Ω / 8Ω
Inputs: 3x RCA + 1x sub out
THD: (1 kHz at full power): <2,5%
Signal bandwidth: 16 Hz – 130 kHz
Power consumption: 100 W
Net weight: 15 kg
MSRP: $2200 (Canadian)
Review Disclosure: Noam Bronstein (editor at Wall of Sound) is a Fezz Audio dealer.