I spent weeks with it installed in place of the darTZeel. With the FLS1 inserted, my system's sound took a hit, but the damage was minor and well controlled, not a bombing run. $44,000)in fact, at $6995, it plays in a different league from the rest of my far more costly system. Like AVM's Ovation PA 8.2 modular preamplifier ($8995), which I reviewed in December 2018, the Audia Flight FLS1 is priced well below my reference preamp, a darTZeel NHB-18NS Mk.2 (approx.
In addition, by pulling the card from the back of the chassis, you gain access to two sockets that let you install your choice of loading resistors. This combination of inputs and DIP switches means that you can have one of each type of cartridge, MM and MC, simultaneously connected and ready to use at all times. The FLS1's $1000 phono-card option adds to the rear panel two inputs (Input MC, Input MM) and eight DIP switches per channel. In the May 2009 issue I positively reviewed Audia Flight's standalone phono preamplifier, which then cost $6100 and now, miraculously, is priced at $5995. I had the FLS1 configured to my liking and needs within a few minutes of plugging it in. Unlike some nested menus I've experienced, the FLS1's was easy to grasp and use, aided in part by the OLED screen's large characters. You can also reset the FLS1 to its factory defaults by selecting Load Default. In addition, you can: set a Soft Mute for ≩0 or ≣0dB change any input to Direct status and thus bypass the volume control, for use with a home-theater processor set the headphone gain and even disable the Infrared remote, if you think it's degrading the sound. The gain of each input can be adjusted within a range of ☖dB. Naming inputs and skipping unused ones is easily done from either the front panel or the remote. Some other front-panel functions, such as Phase and Output Disable, aren't available with the remote, but the most useful ones are: Volume, Balance, Mute, On/Off. Or, using the remote, push Input, then the + or button to scroll through the choices. Push and turn the Volume knob to scroll through the inputs, and select the desired input by pushing Input. Not with the Audia Flight FLS1, which is fortunateits manual's English translation from the Italian isn't nearly as elegant as the operating system's design.
Nested menus can be intimidating and confusing, sometimes forcing you to keep the instruction manual handy to avoid getting lost. A non-illuminated, eight-button remote control of brushed aluminum adds to this impression, as does the FLS1's weight of 24 lb. The case is stylish, robustly built of thick plates of brushed aluminum secured with hidden fasteners to produce a sleek, modern design that looks and feels as if it costs more than its price. Below the display is a row of six small, recessed pushbuttons, from left to right: On/Off, Input, Set (menu), Mute, Phase, and Out (for Output Disable) to the right of these is a ¼" headphone jack. This will have five digital inputs: optical, AES/EBU, two S/PDIF, one for Audia Flight's SACD/CD transport, and a USB port that will be able to handle 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DS128 data.Ī swept-wing OLED screen and a large Volume knob dominate the sculpted front panel. Soon to be released is the DAC board ($2000). The review sample came with the MM/MC phono preamplifier card installed ($1000). The rear panel leaves space for the optional phono preamplifier and DAC boards. The FLS1 can be switched among three unbalanced (RCA) and two balanced (XLR) inputs, with both balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) outputs, as well as a fixed Record output (RCA). The FLS1 ($6995) is a fully balanced, dual-mono (each channel on a separate board), feature-packed preamplifier with a built-in headphone amplifier that outputs 12Wpc RMS into 8 ohms.
The FLS series is their newest, priced below their cost-no-object Strumento line Consumers accustomed to the convenience of audio/video processors now demand it on every price tier of two-channel hi-fi, though purists who think sound quality is commensurate with inconvenience can have that if they want it.Īudia Flight, founded in 1996 in Civitavecchia, Italy, on the Mediterranean, not far north of Rome, makes a wide range of high-performance electronics with convenient operating systems, at a variety of price points. Today, home theaterlike operating systems, with their fluorescent-screen hells and microprocessor-controlled functionality are commonplace, even in the highest of fi. Not that many years ago, even remote control was considered a sign of electronic moral decay certain to degrade sound quality. Our conservative two-channel audio world doesn't easily accept change.