Just one look (at that V-notch) is all it took to know it’s Aragon.
Back in the 1980s, Aragon and its telltale v-notch were part of Mondial Designs who also had Acurus under their umbrella offering amplifiers, preamps, and signal processors known for buyer friendly price/performance. Fast forward to 2008 when Rick Santiago, “an engineer, audio product designer and musician,” and Ted Moore, “a physicist and specialist in manufacturing precision semiconductors and instrumentation,” co-founded Indy Audio Labs (IAL) and purchased Aragon and Acurus the following year “as core technology and brand platforms for their new lineup of amplifiers and AV control processors.”
Today the company has five products—the Tungsten Preamplifer, Titanium 200W dual monoblock amplifier, Iridium 400W monoblock amplifiers, and the ASPEQT Automatic Speaker Parameter and EQualization Tool. As you can see from the post title and photos, the Tungsten preamp and Iridium mono amps have arrived In Barn.
The Tungsten preamplifier houses more than a preamp as it also includes an MM phono stage, a number of digital inputs (2x coax RCA, 2x optical, 4x HDMI 2.0 with pass-through), and DSP-controlled EQ options in addition to its analog 4x RCA and 1x XLR inputs and single pair of XLR outputs (3x XLR per channel for future 2&3 way crossover functionality via firmware upgrade). Full featured indeed with a 5” LCD touch panel display.
In a nice twist on the typical, the included remote has its own color screen and it can control multiple Aragon units when Triggered.
We’re looking at “ultra high power, low distortion” Class A/B operation offering 400 Watts of output power into 8 Ohms and 600 Watts into 4. The mirrored V is a nice touch and not just for looks as the company explains the V allows for heat dissipation even in tight spaces–form & function. I’m thinking the V indicates placement where left V = left channel.
A single single ended RCA and XLR input join 2 sets gold-plated, 60-amp insulated 5-way speaker binding posts for bi-wiring. Each monoblock weighs in at >60 lbs which is about the limit of back-friendly in my ageing book.
I have some speakers arriving shortly that will make good use of all that Iridium power. Stay tuned…
Aragon Tungsten Preamplifier: $19,999
Aragon Iridium Monoblock Amplifiers: $25,998/pair
Company Website: Aragon
Tungsten Preamplifier Specifications
Frequency Response: 20-20kHz +-0.03dB
THD: <.015% (20-20kHz)
SNR: >110dB (A-wt)
Max Output: 7V RMS
Power Consumption: 70W (max), <1W (standby)
Analog Inputs: 4x gold-plated RCA L/R unbalanced, 1x XLR R/L balanced
Phono Input: 1x gold-plated RCA L/R (supports MM cartridges)
Digital Inputs: 2x coax RCA, 2x optical, 4x HDMI 2.0 with pass-through (1x HDMI output)
Analog Outputs: 2-channel, 3x XLR per channel for future 2&3 way crossover functionality via firmware upgrade
Operating Modes: digital and analog pass-through
Max Sample Rate: 192kHz
Max Bit Depth: 24-bits
Parametric EQ: 5 bands per channel
Front Panel Display: 5” LCD touch panel
Serial: 1x DB9, 2-way control, mini USB programming port
Ethernet: 1x Ethernet, web interface + 2-way TCP/IP control
12V Trigger & IR: 1x 3.5mm IN, 4x 3.5mm OUT, IR remote
Charging Port: 2x USB 5V, 2A
Product Dimensions: 5.25” x 19” x 15” (13.3cm x 48.3cm x 38.1cm) | 30lbs. (13.6kg)
Finishes: black or silver with satin anodized laser-etched logo
Iridium Monoblock Amplifiers Specifications
Power Output: 400W into 8Ω | 600W into 4Ω
Peak Power: 545W (1%THD, 8 ohms, per CEA-2006) | 800W (<1% THD, 4 ohms, per CEA-2006)
THD: 0.02% | .05%
Frequency Response: 5Hz to 20kHz +0/-1dB | 5Hz to 20kHz +0/-2.0dB
TIM DIM Distortion: 0.010% | <1Hz to>170kHz +0-6db (overall bandwidth)
S/N: 112dB, A-weighted
Damping Factor: 200, 8Ω @50Hz
Input Sensitivity: 1W: 60mV (single-ended&balanced) | 400W: 1.2V (single-ended&balanced)
Input Independence: 45kΩ (balanced) | 15kΩ (single-ended)
Inputs: 1 XLR jack | 1 gold-plated RCA jack
Outputs: 2 sets gold-plated, 60-amp insulated 5-way speaker binding posts
12V Trigger: controls RS-232: full status and control of standby/on
Power Consumption: standby:<1W; idle:120W; max:1500W
Colors: black or silver with satin anodized laser-etched logo
Dimensions: 7”(17.8cm) x 16”(40.6cm) x 19”(48.3cm) | 63lbs (28.6kg)