It’s rare for a speaker manufacturer to introduce an amplifier for the first time and knock it out of the park. Christopher Hildebrand of Fern & Roby came to AXPONA 2024 and accomplished this lofty feat–his new Amp NO. 2 ($8,500) sounded absolutely terrific paired with his Raven III loudspeakers (also $8,500), a Weiss Helios DAC ($21,995), and one of his Fern & Roby Montrose Heirloom turntables with a Schroder CB tonearm ($16,500 as a package) and a Miyajima Labs Carbon Stereo MC cartridge ($3,000). (All cabling was from Black Cat Cable.)
Words and Photos by Marc Phillips
When I first looked at the Fern & Roby Amp No. 2, I assumed that Christopher designed this integrated amplifier is conjunction with Linear Tube Audio. The Amp NO. 2 certainly looked a lot like a Z10 or Z40+ LTA integrated, but that’s only because Fern & Roby designed the casework for that brand. Nope, the Amp NO. 2 comes from the mind of Michael Bettinger, who also designed those great preamps and phono preamps for Luminous Audio Technologies.
The first thing I noticed in the Fern & Roby room wasn’t the Amp No. 2, but the Raven III in a much lighter ash cabinet, which of course is a solid wood enclosure. Fern & Roby has been using that gorgeous, dark American walnut for so long that I almost gasped at the brightness and the fresh look of this enclosure, which matched perfectly with one of Christopher’s always stunning equipment racks.
The Fern & Roby Amp NO. 2, however, emerged as the star of the show once I sat down and started listening. I love Fern & Roby Raven speakers, and I’ve reviewed all three models so far, but this time the sound was more focused, more detailed and more natural than ever before. The Ravens are a speaker that already sound distinctive due to their simple, single-driver design, but the Amp NO. 2 seemed to lift the sound of the Raven IIIs up to a new level, providing a superb soundstage and truly focused imaging.
It’s interesting that the Raven IIIs and the Amp NO. 2 are both listed at $8,500–that means you have a $17K amp-speaker combination that is truly satisfying in the long run. I’ve always said that Fern & Roby products form long-term relationships with their owners like few other brands, but this may be Christopher Hildebrand’s finest hour–and of course I’ve asked to review the Amp NO. 2 and the Raven IIIs together.
If you would like to hear even more coverage from AXPONA 2024, check out our recap report and highlights from our audiophile-oriented show The Occasional Podcast. You can stream the episode direct from the embed below, or from your favorite podcast platform including iTunes, Android, Google, Deezer, Spotify, iHeartRadio and more.
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