May 2004 Reviewed by Anthony Di Marco	Flying Mole DPA-M1616 Cascade Multichannel Amplifier

Description Model: DPA-M1616 Cascade Price: $5500 USD Dimensions: 18.3"W x 5.2"H x 19"D Weight: 31 pounds Warranty: One year parts and labor	Features 1-bit class-D digital technology Easily stackable design 85% total efficiency for power supply and amplifier High-impedance capability Low power consumption Up to 16 channels in one rack-mountable chassis Low heat output

A team of former Yamaha engineers, the Flying Mole Corporation of Japan has built what they consider to be the most efficient and flexible digital amplifier system available. The DPA-M1616 Cascade is a rack-mountable design that can contain up to eight single-channel or eight two-channel amplifier modules (the latter would provide a total of 16 channels). With 16 channels of amplification, the Cascade is capable of not only supplying a full 7.1-channel surround system, but of serving multiple rooms while doing so. In standard shipping configuration, each module outputs 100W into 8 ohms or 160W into 4 ohms. The fully stocked, 16-channel version I reviewed costs $5500.

Technology

Many digital amplifier designs rely on the Tripath class-T semiconductor. The DPA-M1616 Cascade uses a proprietary technology, developed by Flying Mole, called Bi-Phase Fusion. Bi-Phase Fusion combines the power-supply and amplifier sections in one compact circuit, which allows for a shorter signal path and fewer parts. The company states that the majority of digital amplifiers feed a digital circuit with an inefficient power supply. In these designs, only the efficiency of the amplifier circuit is measured. Flying Mole’s claim of 85% efficiency is based on the combined operation of the power supply and amplifier circuits.

The DPA-M1616 Cascade’s amplifier module is the same postcard-sized APS-M160IIG that is used in the company’s DAD-M100pro HT monoblocks. The difference is in the power supply. Each DAD-M100pro HT has a built-in supply circuit, whereas the Cascade’s modules are nourished by one communal supply enclosed in the DPA-M1616 chassis. Flying Mole claims that separating the power supply from the amplifier circuit improves sound quality by removing stray electromagnetic fields.

Construction

Because I’ve owned a number of high-end and mass-market audio products and have come to expect solid build quality, I found the DPA-M1616 Cascade’s construction and fit’n’finish disappointing. The stark industrial design has the appearance and feel of a first-generation prototype. The crudely assembled chassis of aluminum and steel gives the impression of its having been put together in someone’s garage, not with the latest in metal-fabrication technology.

I felt and heard the Cascade’s chassis flex and rattle as I removed it from its carton. On closer inspection, I noticed the chassis was no more than a lightweight skeletal frame with 14 flimsy metal cross braces running from back to front. The braces keep each module aligned in its bay, but do little to support the frame’s torsional rigidity. Covering the frame is a thin metal skin. As I eased the amp onto a shelf, the poorly bonded surface buckled and pinched my hands. The sample I was sent had been used at a trade show, so abnormal wear and tear may have explained some of this. Still, even the rigors of travel don’t explain the use of low-quality chassis parts.

The front of each of the eight two-channel modules has a power switch, a segmented LED meter, and a small black knob. The meter indicates the input gain, which is controlled by the knob. The single-ended RCA connections and power switches looked to be of low quality, while the binding posts felt as if they’d break under hand-applied torque. The substandard quality of these parts took away from the modules’ otherwise tight assembly.

Setup

Each Cascade module can be ordered with a variety of input and output options, including single-ended RCA and professional XLR inputs, and professional sound-reinforcement Speakon or consumer binding-post outputs. My sample came with four Speakon-equipped modules and four modules with binding posts. All modules had RCA inputs. The binding posts won’t accept spades, only thin bare wire and banana plugs. The Cascade doesn’t come equipped with remote turn-on.

The input gain controls were difficult to use. The sensitivity of the potentiometer and LED meter was not consistent. I decided to turn each control to its maximum position and adjust gain via my McCormack MAP-1 preamplifier.

Sound

The Cascade’s build quality hadn’t left me much hope for its sound, but my opinion changed the more I listened. It was not a powerful amplifier per se; rather, it conveyed confidence and control through its sweet, laid-back personality. The Cascade reproduced good detail across its frequency range, reproducing everything from voices to explosions with controlled authority. Bass response reached deep, albeit without the Herculean slam of some solid-state designs. The Cascade impressed me with its ability to throw a huge surround image, making it perfectly suited for home-theater applications. And it always remained no more than lukewarm to the touch, no matter how hard I pushed it.

My Canton Ergo speaker system complemented the Cascade. When I watched the freeway chase in chapter 23 of The Matrix Reloaded, with its dense sound effects, the Cascade didn’t deliver the drama of this well-choreographed sequence through "shock and awe" but by immersing me in the action. The dense, three-dimensional surround mix floated in my room. The ghoulish "twins" formed palpable images as they morphed from vapor to corporeal form, then back to vapor. Although it didn’t sound as substantial or as meaty as other amplifiers, the Cascade did create very tangible, vibrant images.

The music and mood of Monster’s Ball demonstrated how well the Cascade could handle more subtle sound designs. The Cascade reproduced all the atmosphere and tension of this emotionally exhausting story in a very organic way. Bass, midrange, and treble were smooth and well balanced. The coolness and anxiety of chapter 8 and the denouement felt disturbingly real. Room echo and the sound of rain were delicate and rich. Vocal intelligibility was excellent.

Voices had a sweetness that made up for a lack of texture and weight. For example, Patrick Stewart’s opening monologue in X2: X-Men United didn’t sound as commanding as I expected. On occasion, high frequencies were a bit edgy. The clash of adamantium claws, as Wolverine and Yoriko Oyama attempt to slice and dice one another (X2, chapter 30), sounded a little too bright.

The same touch of stridency turned up on Paul Simon’s extremely well-recorded You’re the One [CD, Warner Bros. 47844]. The legendary musician’s vocals and the percussion sounded slightly forward. This was exacerbated by the lightweight timbre I heard with film dialogue.

The DPA-M1616 Cascade had very good pace and rhythm. Both You’re the One and my old standby, Jesse Cooke’s Gravity [CD, Narada 63037], moved along with speed and acuity. Guitar and strings were warm without blurring harmonic structure.

The Cascade’s soundstage didn’t favor razor-sharp image placement with two-channel recordings, but produced a very good lateral image with shallow depth. The choir and elegant orchestra of Ennio Morricone’s The Mission [CD, Silva Screen 171] were well placed in the middle and to the sides of my Cantons, but the Cascade gave little insight into the cavernous breadth of this well-recorded soundtrack.

With the Cascade in my system, I found myself going back to film and multichannel recordings. Peter Gabriel’s SACD mix of Up [Universal 493388] and Beck’s latest SACD of Sea Change [Geffen 493537] seemed to bring out the amplifier’s best qualities: an enveloping, warm, and involving 5.1-channel image.

Comparison

The Anthem MCA 50 and the Conrad-Johnson MF5600 are two excellent examples of well-made multichannel amplifiers, both solidly constructed of excellent parts for their respective prices of $2000 and $4000. The Anthem and C-J are not the sexiest boxes in the world, but they do convey solidity. Both are screwed together to survive harsh transit, so long-term reliability should not be an issue. Suffice it to say that the DPA-M1616 Cascade’s construction is not in the same class. But in terms of sonic character, the Cascade sat squarely between the cool yet powerfully smooth Anthem and the C-J’s seductive, toasty-warm charm.

The Anthem excels at high-frequency detail and extension; what the C-J lacks in the frequency extremes it makes up for with an alluring warmth and sweetness in the upper midrange and treble that makes extended listens a joy. The Cascade sounded sweet, but lacked the Anthem’s refined high frequencies and the C-J’s harmonic richness while tempering the starkness of the Anthem’s midrange with a bit more texture. Of all three amplifiers, the C-J exhibited the best balance of soundstage width and depth. The Anthem and DPA-M1616 Cascade cast a flatter, more two-dimensional image.

Bass response varied, from the punchy authority of the Anthem to the rounded but well-controlled warmth of the C-J. The Cascade and Anthem had similar reach in the low frequencies, but the Anthem felt and sounded the most powerful.

While my Canton Ergos provided a relatively easy load for the Cascade, Paradigm’s Reference Studio 20 v.3 speakers sounded flat and lifeless. The C-J sounded punchier but too warm through the Paradigms.

The Anthem was the king of connectivity, offering both XLR and RCA connections standard. The C-J lacks XLRs altogether; they can be ordered for the Cascade as an option. The Anthem had more turn-on, remote-control, and hookup options when compared to the five-channel C-J; the Cascade has no option for remote turn-on.

The only area where the Cascade beat the C-J and Anthem was in its modularity and lack of heat. Although available in two-channel versions, the Conrad-Johnson MF5600 and Anthem MCA 50 are packaged as five-channel amplifiers, while the Cascade can be configured with up to 16 channels. The Anthem and C-J got pretty hot during extended listening; they require good ventilation so as not to cook their sensitive parts.

Conclusion

Flying Mole’s Cascade DPA-M1616 is a promising product with a few rough edges that need smoothing. Its ungainly exterior is in dire need of a facelift. And regardless of how efficient an amp is, the majority of home-theater installations demand that it can be turned off remotely.

The Cascade’s true beauty is in its sound. At a cost of a little less than $345/channel, that sound is very good indeed.

Manufacturer contact information:

Flying Mole Corporation
Waji-cho 5199-1, Hamamatsu-shi
Shizuoka-ken, 431-1115
Japan
Phone: (81) 53-486-6030
Fax: (81) 53-486-6033

E-mail: info@flyingmole.co.jp
Website: www.flyingmole.co.jp

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