December 2000 Reviewed by Roger Kanno	Blue Circle Audio BC32 Multichannel Amplifier

Description Price: $2650 USD for five channels, $3050 for six channels (upgrade from five to six channels, $600) Dimensions: 17"W x 7.25"H x 16"D Weight: 40 pounds Warranty: Three years parts and labor	Features Power output: 130Wpc into 8 ohms Available in five- or six-channel version Optional mounting of RCA inputs on top of case Heavy-duty, angled five-way binding posts Detachable IEC power cord

Based in Ontario, Canada, Blue Circle is a relatively small manufacturer of amps and preamps of both the tube and solid-state varieties. Although not as well known as other Canadian hardware manufacturers such as Sonic Frontiers, Bryston, or Classé, Blue Circle has quietly built a reputation for itself amongst audiophiles and is a favorite of many SoundStage! reviewers.

However, like the last SoundStage! staffer to review a Blue Circle component, Ken Micallef, I was not too well acquainted with the sound of Blue Circle's products prior to receiving one for review, the BC32 multichannel amplifier. Like many smaller high-end-audio companies, Blue Circle has only recently entered the home-theater market, with this their first multichannel amp.

Description

The BC32 does not quite look like your typical multichannel amplifier. It sports a simple matte-black finish and the requisite connections on the back panel, but the front fascia is made of 3/8" clear Plexiglas. It also happens to be relatively taller than most amps of similar size. The Blue Circle logo is present on the front panel as are green LEDs for each of the channels, which glow dimly to indicate power status. According to Blue Circle’s Gilbert Yeung, the power-indicator lights, which are not readily visible in daylight, are intentionally dimmed so as not to distract viewers when watching movies in darkened rooms. Another interesting feature of the BC32 is the option of having the RCA inputs affixed to the top of the chassis instead of on the back panel, for problem installations. The speaker binding posts are also positioned at 45-degree angles rather than horizontally across or vertically up and down to ease speaker-wire connection.

Although Blue Circle manufactures both tubed power amplifiers and preamplifiers, like most multichannel amps, the BC32 is a solid-state design. It comes in either a five- or six-channel configuration, with each channel sharing the same large toroidal transformer. An upgrade of the five-channel to the six-channel version is available from the manufacturer. Even though the BC32 has several unique features and looks a little different from other multichannel amps, it is otherwise very similar to most amps. However, it does appear to be well designed and well built, with a clean layout inside and a plain but nicely finished exterior. The BC32 that I received was the six-channel variant, which I used in my home theater with a variety of speaker systems and powered subwoofers, thus utilizing only five of its six available channels.

About halfway through my listening tests, the power switch mounted on the front panel of the BC32 stopped working. Fortunately, the amp remained on no matter which position the switch was in, so that the amp was still functional. I subsequently left the amp on for the remainder of the review period (not really a bad thing as many people leave their amps turned on all the time anyway). After discussing this with Gilbert Yeung, he admitted that the toggle switch might be a little small for its intended purpose. Future versions of the BC32 will feature a rear-mounted toggle switch for the power, with the front-mounted switch remaining only to turn the indicator lights on and off. Other than that, the Blue Circle amp worked fine, never drawing attention to itself and emitting only a very low-level hum, which was effectively inaudible during use.

The sound

The BC32 arrived in my listening room just in time to be auditioned with the excellent Mirage HDT speaker system. The Blue Circle amp mated well with the Mirages, providing sound that was satisfying with both music and movies. For instance, watching DVDs such as the Jet Li thriller Romeo Must Die was a heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping experience, whereas listening to Eugene Istomin’s delicate performance on Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 [Reference Recordings RR-68CD] moved my spirit.

While two-channel music was well served, with a purity that is not often associated with multichannel amps, movie soundtracks were reproduced with enough power and force to provide a thrilling cinematic experience. Much of the credit for this excellent-sounding system must go to the Mirage loudspeakers, but the Blue Circle amp more than kept up its part of the bargain. The Mirages require quite a bit of power to really come alive, and the Blue Circle amp was up to the task. Never did I feel that more power was required from the amp, which remained composed even at extremely high volume levels. During the beach-landing sequence of Saving Private Ryan, the BC32 was able to play amazingly loud, yet it still retained the subtle nuance of the sound of individual shell casings being ejected from German machine guns. The same could be said for the lobby-shooting-spree scene from The Matrix, where low-level foley effects could easily be distinguished amidst the chaos of explosions, gunshots, and the relentless music track.

The BC32 also spent some time with my reference home-theater speakers, allowing me to more easily assess its sonic character. Its weaknesses were few. Other than slight richness and warmth, which were pleasing but ultimately detracted from its neutrality, there were few shortcomings to the sound of this amp. On the other hand, its strengths were many. The midrange and treble were exceedingly smooth, and the bass, while not the most potent, was articulate and tight. The hyper-detailed, artificial soundscape of A Bug’s Life came to life with a richly textured sound that many amps make sound flat and synthetic. The opening scene features chirping birds and crickets, the rustling of leaves, and bustling ants. This highlighted the Blue Circle amp’s ability to isolate extremely subtle individual sounds in a complex scene.

Finally, I inserted the BC32 into my reference two-channel system and found it to sound very similar in quality to my Krell integrated amp, even with the additional required set of interconnects. Imaging might not have been razor sharp, but very small details were still resolved, and the sound was robust and well fleshed out. Even though the Blue Circle BC32 is a home-theater amplifier, I did not have to make any excuses for it when listening to two-channel stereo. Music just sounded right. Whether it was the precise pitch and definition of percussion on Sting’s Fields of Gold [A&M 31454 0269 2] or the crisp, detailed vocals and acoustic guitar of Ani DiFranco on Up Up Up Up Up Up [Righteous Babe RBR013-D], the BC32 always sounded great.

Comparison

The Blue Circle BC32 outperformed my resident Anthem MCA5 amplifier, but this was not all that surprising considering that it costs nearly twice as much. Although the Anthem amp was its equal in terms of detail and power, the Blue Circle amp’s greater neutrality and depth placed it several rungs higher up on the performance ladder. When Doug Schneider compared the Simaudio HT-5 amp to the Anthem, he described it as having bell-like clarity, which the Anthem lacked. The same could be said of the Blue Circle amp, which exhibited a more natural timbre and a greater ability to sort out complex musical and film-soundtrack passages. The Anthem amp could play louder, but the BC32’s rated 130Wpc should suffice for most systems unless it's mated to very inefficient speakers or used in an extremely large room.

The aforementioned A Bug’s Life sounded more natural with the Blue Circle amp and less like a sterile, computer-generated soundscape. Romeo Must Die, which can sound bright at times, was reproduced with better imaging of the music and a smoother, more layered sound. In Chapter 35 "Fake War Casualties," the BC32 was able to create a more enveloping surround experience by resolving very subtle cues in this aggressive mix. Although not lacking in detail or impact, the Anthem amp simply could not match the Blue Circle amp in terms of depth or immersive qualities, which resulted in a less holosonic soundfield with the Anthem.

Conclusion

Like most good things in life, the Blue Circle BC32 is not cheap, but it offers good value. At a list price of $2650 USD (five-channel version), it has performance that is a cut above most home-theater amplifiers and offers sound quality that was unimaginable in multichannel amplifiers just a few years ago.

With most high-end-audio manufacturers now offering multichannel versions of their stereo amplifiers, audiophile performance is attainable in a home-theater setting, and Blue Circle is offering it at an attractive price. And with the BC32, I never felt as though I was sacrificing sound quality to obtain the additional channels necessary for home theater.

Manufacturer contact information

Blue Circle Audio, Inc.
RR 2
Innerkip, ON
N0J 1M0
Canada
Phone: (519) 469-3215
Fax: (519) 469-3782

E-mail: bcircle@bluecircle.com
Website: www.bluecircle.com

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