FEZZ LUNA EVOLUTION AMPLIFIER REVIEW
Fezz Audio Evolution amplifier is an integrated amplifier from this well-known Polish brand and costs just shy of £2500. Oscar Stewart takes a listen for HiFi PiG.
Fezz are a well-known company in HiFi circles, hailing from Poland, they make a range of valve-based products that include integrated amplifiers, headphone amplifiers, power amps, pre-amps, phono stages, and DACs.
Their range is comprehensive, and all the products aim to offer a lot of sound for your money. The Fezz Luna Evolution being reviewed here costs £2495, and benefits from the optional MM phono-stage, let’s look at what it has to offer.
BUILD AND FEATURES OF THE FEZZ LUNA EVOLUTION
Starting with the build quality, this is quite a hefty amp and weighs more than it looks. This was apparent when unboxing and moving the amp into place. It’s a solid bit of kit and beautifully crafted too. The three-round transformer housings are distinctive, whilst the main chassis has smooth, rounded corners, making it look quite elegant. On the front, you have two silver knobs, one for volume, the other to turn the amp on/off and select the source.
Round the back you have the speaker terminals (with separate 4Ohm and 8Ohm taps), 3 x RCA line-inputs, 1 x RCA direct input, and 1 x RCA sub-out. This unit has the optional MM phono-stage fitted too. This is a nifty little feature of this amp, you can spec it with different expansion cards, there are a few modules available including a DAC, Bluetooth card, or MM phono-stage.
The amp uses Class-AB topology, and has 4 x EL34 for the power valves, and 3 x 12AX7 as the driver valves. It also has a switch on the back to change between Ultralinear and Triode modes – in Ultralinear, the amp outputs up to 40w per channel, which makes it usable with quite a range of speakers. That power halves in Triode mode to 20w, making that mode more suitable for sensitive speakers.
There is an IR remote in the box, which allows for power on/off, as well as source selection and volume control. It also comes with a valve protection cage (handy with kids/pets around). The amp has a pre-heating mode, meaning it takes around a minute before it’s ready to use, and as it’s a valve amp, it does run very hot, so be sure to place it in a well-ventilated area. The Fezz logo on the front is red in pre-heating mode, and turns white when ready to listen. It’s subtly lit, though, and I never found the light to be distracting, even in a dark room.
The Fezz Luna Evolution is a well-designed, and good-looking amplifier, with a contemporary design that will fit well into many systems.
SETUP AND USE
The Luna Evolution is an easy amp to setup and use; all the inputs and outputs are labelled and once plugged in it just works. I have been using it with my main Alchris TX-1 speakers, which are not the most efficient speakers, so I left the amp in Ultralinear mode with these.
I did use the MM phono stage with my Rega Planar 3 (50th Anniversary model) with AT-VM745xML cartridge. The Matrix Audio TS-1 streaming DAC was my main source, running RCA into the Luna Evolution.
As the amp was new when it arrived, I have made sure to run the valves in for over 100hrs.
SOUND QUALITY
Starting out with Know You by With Confidence, this amp hits you with a sense of warmth and body without missing out on the finer details. I’m used to more dynamic, precise, solid-state amps with these speakers, but what the Fezz does is inject a little bit of body and warmth whilst delivering detail aplenty. Kick drums sound less flat and a bit more rounded, vocals are delivered with excellent presence, and cymbals are crisp yet smooth. This amp works very well at lower listening levels here, with that sense of body helping the system sound a little more natural.
This is also apparent on Cold Blooded by Real Friends, a song of a similar pop-punk genre, that is a little more upbeat than the previous track. Snares are snappy, there is a good sense of rhythm and drive to the sound, with each instrument well separated. This is still a slightly fuller-sounding amp, though it’s an easy listen and nothing sounds strained or forced. There is an effortless ease to the sound at lower levels that makes it a very pleasing listen.
Where this amp really excels is with slightly more laid-back tunes, such as This Song Brought To You By A Falling Bomb by Thursday – a Piano ballad from these post-hardcore legends. Each key stroke has weight to it, whilst the honest, transparent vocals cut through with heavy emotion. Whilst not a long track, it highlights this amps ability to render natural instrumentation and clean vocals, little nuances ever-present, whilst maintaining a sense of scale.
Not dissimilar, The Man I Am by The Scene Aesthetic, is an acoustic track with dueting vocalists. These two quite distinctively different vocal pitches work well together and come across well separated, whilst the acoustic guitar occupies the space around them. The Fezz gives an excellent sense of space; it does a great job at projecting a wide and deep soundstage. The way this amp plays with acoustic music is pure delight, rendering realistic tonality and a smooth presentation, letting you really lose yourself in the track.
Before moving on to some vinyl, I will point out that due to my inefficient speakers, I can crank this amp to around 3 o’clock on the volume pot and it still may not be enough for bigger rooms. It’s a 40w valve amp at the end of the day, so pairing it with the right speakers in the right space is important. In my small flat it does a fine job at filling the room with sound, and even with movies and TV it never quite ran out of puff. Inherently, though, it doesn’t quite have the grip and control of my Keces S300+ power amp, that does a better job at delivering heavier, more congested music.
Using the internal MM phono stage (an optional extra) I decided to listen to one of my favourite albums, Two Conversations by The Appleseed Cast. The quality of this MM phono stage seems to be quite high, and it matched well with my turntable and cartridge, with plenty of depth and detail. It’s not quite as linear as the Hegel V10 I usually use, however, for most people it will be more than good enough.
Listening to the opening track, you get that wonderful, slightly full sound of the Fezz, mixing well with the more linear sound of the AT-VM745xML, for a natural and open sound. Amps like this require some careful system matching. Luckily, I have quite a small room, so everything works in harmony here, and it will suit quite a lot of people in normal systems and rooms.
I did decide to do a quick test in Triode mode when listening to this album, and it gives the sound a smoother, more laid-back signature. It works quite well on music like this, and would be great for efficient and brighter leaning speakers. In my setup, though, Ultralinear was my preferred mode.
The Luna Evolution isn’t quite like a warm blanket on a winter’s day, but it’s close, luckily the part that makes it different is it’s ability to deliver detail and nuance. This is a fuller sounding amplifier, yet you don’t miss out on depth and detail, which is what makes it such a pleasing amp to kick back and listen to.
QUIBBLES
Not the most bombastic or dynamic amp, yet it’s not necessarily designed to be.
CONCLUSION
If you have fancied dipping your toe into valve integrated amps, but don’t want a ton of faff, the Fezz Luna Evolution is a great place to start. I’ve always wanted to have one in my system, and after spending some time with this amp I have come to appreciate what it brings to the table, along with what it doesn’t. It’s affordable, relatively powerful for a valve integrated, and flexible – with a undeniably smooth and easy to listen to sound without coming across muffled or dull.
It isn’t a tight, punchy, powerhouse with limitless headroom, yet that really doesn’t matter when listening to certain genres. Ok, my tastes lean towards heavier rock music and that may be at odds with this amp and my speakers, it didn’t however stop me from enjoying what this amp delivers with some of the softer music I listen to.
Overall, I have really enjoyed having the Fezz in my system, and I can understand why someone would have this amp – as always, demo with your own kit if you can.
AT A GLANCE
Build Quality And Features:
Solid build, excellent design, smart features
Sound Quality:
Smooth, natural, and spacious
Slightly warm, and full, without sounding muffled
Value For Money:
Excellent – from the build to the sound and features, you get a lot of amp for the money
We Loved:
Ease of use, smooth, natural sound
We Didn’t Love So Much:
Limited headroom in my system
Lacking a little control and dynamics
Elevator Pitch Review: The Fezz Luna Evolution is a great valve integrated amplifier, in the right systems, and is well worth a demo if you fancy one in your setup. It offers up a warm, slightly full sound that works well with efficient speakers or in smaller rooms.
I have personally enjoyed my time with this amp a lot, it has been a pleasure to kick back and listen to, and the MM phono card is a great addition.
Price: £2495
Oscar Stewart
SUPPLIED BY THE APEX AUDIO DISTRIBUTION
SUPPLIED SPECIFICATIONS
- Model:
Luna
- Max. output power:
40 W (ultralinear) / 20 W (triode)
- Circuit type:
AB
- Output impedance:
4Ω / 8Ω
- Inputs:
3x RCA + 1x DIRECT
- THD:
(1 kHz at full power): <0,05%
- Frequency response:
16 Hz – 115 kHz
- Power consumption:
170 W (at idle); 250 W (at full power)
- Net weight:
20 kg
- Dimensions:
354x420x235 mm
- Tubes:
4x EL34 + 3x 12AX7
- Bias adjustement type:
Auto
- Options included:
sub-out, IR remote control, tube cage
