ATM-1E jest jednym z najlepszych wzmacniaczy tego typu, jaki znam. Wokal CHETA BAKERA z płyty Baker’s Holiday był z nim niebywale gładki i jedwabisty. I ciepły. I duży. I namacalny. Podobnie, jak wchodząca w okolicach 2:18, w utworze Easy Leaving, trąbka. To trąbka z tłumikiem, ale piękna w swojej głębi i pełni. Japoński wzmacniacz wszystkie te detale pokazał momentalnie. Podobnie, jak podgrywające w prawym kanale fortepian i gitarę. To było ciepłe, ale i czyste granie.

BĘDĄC PRZY NAGRANIACH darzących nas wyjątkową jakością dźwięku trzeba powiedzieć, że – ostatecznie – Air Tight ATM-1E jest ciepło brzmiącym wzmacniaczem. W tym sensie, że góra pasma jest z nim gęsta, ma wagę i dźwięczność, ma też wysoką energetyczność. Ponieważ jednak niski środek jest tu najważniejszy, nasza uwaga przenosi się niżej, jak w przypadku fortepianu w nagraniach z płyty AKIRA TANA TRIO A New Picture I. To niebywałe nagranie, dokonane na 100% na zaledwie dwa mikrofony, a z energią przewyższającą większość tego, co się rejestruje w klasycznym układzie mikrofonów.
I właśnie z nią to uprzywilejowanie części pasma, ale nie tak bardzo barwowe, a sposobem budowania mocnej bryły, zostało pokazane już na początku. Mówię o New Picture, utworze Jimmy’ego Heatha, kiedy fortepian lidera momentalnie przyciągnął uwagę głębokim brzmieniem, zwykle w nagraniach dokonanych na dwa mikrofony traconym. Grane po chwili solo kontrabasu pokazało coś jeszcze. Testowany wzmacniacz doskonale różnicuje przestrzeń i relacje w niej, jakie zachodzą między instrumentami.

W dźwięku ATM-1E znajdziemy więc energię, z jednej strony, a z drugiej dbałość o szczegóły. To wzmacniacz grający ciepło i nisko. Mimo stosunkowo niewysokiej mocy potrafi wysterować nawet trudne kolumny, o ile nie każemy mu tego robić w dużym pomieszczeniu. Wchodzi w przesterowanie łagodnie, nie utwardza więc dźwięku, nawet przy wysokich poziomach. No i doskonale wygląda, co jest – przynajmniej dla mnie – równie ważne jak brzmienie. 

Link do recenzji: Air Tight ATM-1E – Highfidelity.pl

Despite starting out with The Beatles’ remastered mono LPs for a whiff of the era when EL34s ruled, I was soon enlightened by the realisation that this was no exercise in mere nostalgia. Yes, the sound ‘bloomed’ in a way necessary to reconstruct the sensation when mono Beatles LPs were first played in 1963-1968 (at least, for those with hi-fi systems and not Dansettes). But this discernible ‘warmth’ is no play on words vis-à-vis valves. The ATM-1e sounds positively human.

On ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ from Help [Parlophone PMC1255], John Lennon’s voice emerged richer than what might be expected of, say, hyper-clinical solid-state amps. It was utterly grain-free yet equally the vocals were so convincingly textured that it almost sounded like a different – and indeed better – recording or pressing than what I was conditioned to hear after a lifetime of owning an original LP.

In contrast to Lennon’s voice, the absolute clarity of Shirley Bassey’s pipes was rendered just as vividly, even though there were no laryngeal textures per se to reproduce. What distracted me from Bassey’s singing, however, were the massive orchestral arrangements. The remastered James Bond theme Diamonds Are Forever in the Dame Shirley Bassey – The Singer CD set [Strawberry Records QCR3JAM31] showed how deep and wide was the soundstage Miura-san and his team had hoped to construct.

Within this soundstage, and for that matter within the mono central image of The Beatles’ tracks, were low-level details retrieved so comprehensively and with such easy discernibility that I could have sworn I was hearing nuances which had previously escaped me. This attested to a transparency which wouldn’t shame a high-power solid-state amplifier of impeccable pedigree. As valve-like as the ATM-1e is in its virtues, it does not pander to the peccadillos of the past, endearing though they are to tube devotees.

Ultimately, what convinced me that the AirTight ATM-1e is more than the sum of its parts was monumental bass from an all-but-forgotten demo-worthy CD, Clannad’s 1989 compilation Pastpresent [BMG PD74074]. Naturally, the gorgeous vocals showed off the ATM-1e’s super-sweet, sibilance-free top-end. But I was not prepared for the room-filling mass of the opening of ‘White Fool’, almost Kodō-like in its grandeur. Then I remembered: AirTight is Japanese. Who better to deal with the drums of giants?

Link do recenzji: Air Tight ATM-1E – Hi-Fi News

John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers created what is probably their best album with Stories. The soul-searching songs on this 180-gram double LP (such as “Dirty Water”) are performed by the ATM-1E with such verve that the listener is left with goosebumps. Carried by this mood, Joe Bonamassa’s Live At The Hollywood Bowl comes next on the analog feeder. This is where blues rock meets classical music, and it must have been an unforgettable evening in Hollywood’s legendary amphitheater – forty orchestral musicians accompanied the maestro of blues rock, who created a monument to himself with this album with this extremely virtuosic musical blend of blues/rock and classical music, without leaving out the typical orchestral arrangements. “Fulminant” is probably the most appropriate description of this vinyl production – the overture of the LP is just that, and it continues in a correspondingly heavy-metal vein. The two level controls of the ATM-1E are set to “1 o’clock”, it is atmospheric and entertaining in my listening room. The small black fixing screws on the control knobs are a double-sided detail, as their color makes it easier to make the correct stereo setting.

Unleashing its 35 watts on the 15-inch drivers of my large loudspeakers – the amplifier doesn’t even begin to care. Of course, with the solid 98 decibel efficiency of these transducers, it only needs a fraction of its power – and this is exactly how a tube power amplifier should be operated. It shouldn’t have to take any “load” from the connected loudspeakers. Of course, the Air Tight can also drive speakers with lower efficiency figures, its powerful transformer cores provide the necessary power. The unfazed power delivery that the ATM-1E makes available here is striking; you can really feel it.

At this point, I would like to conclude my extensive listening impressions, which have been consolidated over the course of several weeks (for reasons of space, only a short list can be included here), with September Night by the Tomasz Stanko Quartet – and I am sure that I will remember this exceptional amplifier for a long time to come. Time and again, it demonstrates to me that with such subtle music, its ability to transmit a pure and transparent sound comes to the fore. It is not only the nuances of the trumpet that captivate me when I listen to it, it is also the perfection with which the Air Tight ATM-1E transfers the wonderful atmosphere (which I was able to experience live at the time) of this extremely emotional live recording from September 9, 2004 from the Muffathalle in Munich, into my listening room.

Link do recenzji: Air Tight ATM-1E – Fidelity Magazine

Though it's a push-pull amplifier and the EL34 is a pentode, the ATM-1E occasionally evoked a fine single-ended triode amp—though at other times it seemed to draw inspiration from both the Shindo Laboratories Haut Brion stereo push-pull amp and the Luxman L-509X, a transistor-based integrated. The ATM-1E combined the Shindo's warmth, opulent tone, naturalness, and expansive soundstage with the Luxman's precision and orderliness, though with its exceptional separation and layering, the ATM-1E surpassed both. Its bass was controlled, solid, and abundant, while its transparency made it feel like a neutral conduit, allowing the other components to shine. It offered a unique blend of emotionally engaging musicality and, somehow, transparency to both the source and the performance.

Whether I was playing new records by tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh, bassist Gerald Cannon, or Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou-Khalil, there wasn't a hint of thickening murk, smudging, or blurring of notes from the ATM-1E—just a clear, balanced, linear sound with no hint of congestion. Its soundstage sprawled beyond the speakers. Its view of the music was refined and artistic, balancing delicacy with superb macrodynamics. The music it made took over my listening space with a corporeal, viscous, thrilling, atmospheric presence. I heard something new from every record.

Greg Roberts's Volti Audio is top-of-the-horn-heap for highly sensitive, well-made, horn-loaded speakers, and the Razz is no exception. A three-way bass reflex/horn hybrid floorstander, the Razz is a sonic amalgam—sonically, maybe, a cunning blend of DeVore and Voxativ. I stuck with the AudioQuest cables. The Volti/AirTight pairing was a celestial conjunction. The AirTight extracted the Razz's sumptuousness, silken sweetness, and opulent presence while fortifying its subterranean bass. Low notes coiled around the room like dancing Buddha. The duo swayed like a rhythm section possessed by a divine muse: Billie and Lester, Billie and Finneas, Hepburn, and Tracy.

A tube amp fanboy to my core, I've long stalked the aisles at hi-fi expos, eyes peeled for that telltale AirTight gleam. Their exquisite craftsmanship and captivating sonics have, in my mind, elevated them to the status of sonic royalty, their mere presence inspiring reverence.

When he reviewed the ATM-1S a decade ago, Art Dudley concluded that it was "right up there with the best I've heard." I'll go him one better: The AirTight ATM-1 2024 Edition is the finest amplifier I've hosted in my sonic sanctuary.

As the seasons shifted and Greenwich Village's summer cacophony faded, the ATM-1E delivered sophistication of tone and taut, muscular bass, dynamic punch plus midrange and treble clarity, wrapped in a balanced presentation that was consistently satisfying, spicy, and surprising. Rare delicacy and imaging clarity wove instruments, voices, and ambient sounds into a harmonious whole that left me wanting nothing.

In its category and at its price, the ATM-1 2024 Edition stands tall like Mount Fuji, majestic and serene. Recommended.

Link do recenzji: Air Tight ATM-1E – Stereophile

The AIR-TIGHT combo’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—was wide and deep, with good height. Spatial recreation—horizontal positioning, layering, relative space, air and ambiance—was on par with some of the best amplifiers that I have reviewed.

Delfeayo Marsalis, “Secret Love Affair,” (The Last Southern Gentleman, Troubadour Jazz Records) via the AIR-TIGHT combo brought forward a tight, deep and rousing bass (30Hz-20kHz). There was also great texture and dynamics, while the horns demonstrated exceptional timbre, tone, and bite. There was an aliveness that in truth was startling, fresh, and engaging. Should the Devore Orangutan 0/96s (26Hz-31kHz) arrive in time for a few sets with the AIR-TIGHT combo, I’m certain that bass response would be plumbed to even greater depths and dare I say beautifully so, given the combo’s performance with the Raven IIIs, the best to date.

First up was Andy Bey's “Angel Eyes” (American Song, Savoy) via the AIR-TIGHT ATC-5s and the ATM-1E, which delivered a textured, in-room palpability of Andy’s beautifully aged gravel-rich voice that made listening the sole order of the day. Note-taking was quickly put aside as I just listened with a growing smile and rapt engagement. Branford Marsalis’ “Gloomy Sunday” (Eternal, Marsalis Music) cued next, and its portrayal was rich, textured, beautifully resolved, three-dimensional, and haunting in a “gloomy Sunday”sort of way. There was no floating apparition in regard to Branford’s horn, it had entered the room. Did I mention the strength of the AIR-TIGHT combo’s exceptional and absolute way with regard to its portrayal of the midrange? Are “delicious” and “edible” apt descriptors here? Indeed. Bravo.

My go-to pieces for “sussing out” the treble strengths of a given component’s ability to resolve Joe Morello’s drum kit cymbals are Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five” (Time Out, Columbia-Legacy), or the resolution and clarity of Ysabel’s castanets on Charles Mingus’ “Ysabel’s Table Dance” (Tijuana Moods, RCA-Legacy). Well, the castanets were leaping out at me, as if they were thrown into the room with Ysabel attached and leaping in with them! Surely, this was the work of a rather potent combo, with the Grimm Audio MU2 leading the charge, but the ability of the AIR-TIGHT combo in rendering the stream of the MU2’s technical and musical wherewithal presented a holographic presentation that was absolutely compelling. Joe Morello’s drum kit and the attendant resolution was right up there with the best and better than most. Whether the Franco Serblin Accordo Essence or the Fern & Roby Raven III speakers were in play, there was great continuity, though the Accordo Essence’s separate treble nicely extended the range and resolution of those “higher bits” of musical information.

Link do recenzji: Air Tight ATM-1E – AudioKey Reviews

Link: Air Tight ATM-1E – Stereophile – Recommended Components 2025

Link: Air Tight ATM-1E – Hi-Fi News – Outstanding Product

Link: Air Tight ATM-1E – AudioKey Reviews – Gold Keynote Award

Link: Air Tight ATM-1E – Stereophile – Recommended Components 2025