Encel

Brains Integrated Amplifier

AUD $799 | NZD $899 RRP

This slimline, family-friendly amplifier has just the right amount of real-world appeal. Created to work perfectly with Encel's Gelati bookshelf speakers that won a StereoNET Applause Award last year, you could say that the Brains has the smarts needed to connect sources for a complete system. Although the combination is a great match, the amplifier on its own is a worthy inclusion to anyone's shopping list. It's aimed at users who don't want complicated setups and is simple and enjoyable to use. The Melbourne-based company has a full and rich history in the Australian hi-fi scene, and has designed the Brains with a specific vision and purpose in mind.

Sam Encel, said:

It's important that Encel customers - who are often moving into their first serious hi-fi system - know that an amplifier's role is vital. Most industrial design on the market doesn't convey that message well, though, with amps often being nondescript black boxes. So I wanted it to look beautiful. It also needed to be solidly built and timeless, containing a range of inputs to deal with everyday audio sources, and having a sonic profile suitable for a breadth of speakers and musical genres.

UP CLOSE

Measuring 73x430x347mm [HxWxD], this full-width design won't look out of place on most cabinets. The chassis is made from steel, with a sandblasted front face made of 7mm aluminium. As an interesting alternative to the usual silver or black options, Encel gives you the choice of either a black chassis with white dials and buttons or a white chassis with black dials and buttons, and both look wonderfully fresh and modern. A yellow power button completes the picture. The styling is minimalist – the volume dial is larger and centralised, with separate balance, bass and treble controls to the left and the input buttons to the right. A 3.5mm headphone jack is provided for personal listening.

Connectivity includes a moving magnet phono stage, three line inputs, and coaxial and TOSLINK optical digital inputs for streamers, TVs or CD players, as well as Bluetooth aptX HD. The unit is said to be capable of decoding PCM signals up to 24-bit, 192kHz via the fitted Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz PCM5102 DAC chip. 

A small slider switch at the rear allows for three modes of power control, where the amplifier can automatically power off/on according to a detected signal, automatically enter into standby after twenty minutes without use, and there's a fully manual mode. Inside, you'll find a well laid-out design with a large central circuitboard. Through-hole components are used, with large capacitors bonded to the main board to stop vibration. Much of the 5.9kg weight comes from the toroidal power transformer, which is large for the stated power output of 40W RMS per channel into 8 ohms. 

The manufacturer says that Class AB operation was chosen because it sounds better than Class D, which is increasingly used by rivals. Thermal and over-current protection circuitry protects the amplifier against accidental damage in the event of extreme or faulty operating conditions. The protection circuits control switching relays that are independent of the audio signal, so they cannot affect sound quality, the manufacturer says. 

This amplifier feels like a mature, well-designed and safe product that is pleasant to use. A comprehensive remote control is included with standby power, mute, volume and input selection. One surprise is the inclusion of a dim function with five brightness levels; this dims the indicator lights and is activated by holding down the mute button for three seconds each time. 

For this review, I used a Bluesound NODE as a source, streaming Spotify and HD Qobuz and Tidal tracks, with Encel's own Gelati bookshelf speakers on solid stands. I also used the much more expensive but transparent B&W 705 Signatures for further listening tests to get a handle on the amplifier's character. 

THE LISTENING

I am always more impressed by what can be achieved at a modest and affordable price than with an open chequebook. The Brains does a great job of sounding very good, balanced and harmonious in almost every way. Playing The Beat Hotel by Allan Taylor provided a reasonably colourful sound, with vocals coming across as suitably textured and gravelly. The pairing of the Encel Brains and Gelati proved a great combination with real fluidity and musicality. The midrange is where all the magic happens, and the pair delivered instruments like the guitar and saxophone politely, without any cause for complaint.

One of my go-to tracks when listening to new equipment is Royals by Lorde, as within the opening minute or so, it can tell me how the equipment will perform with further testing. Who could complain? The Brains gets it right with good bass weight, realistic vocals and good rhythm snap. With just 40W of power per side on tap, you can't ask too much from this amplifier – especially if you have a large listening room – but what it does deliver is certainly fun. 

Bass was reasonably tight and extended, but this partially depends on the loudspeakers being used. Treble was smooth and inoffensive and didn't immediately get harsh as I wound up the volume. Encel encourages the liberal use of the bass and treble controls to tailor the sound to the source you're using. That's what they are there for, and despite me being somewhat of a purist, I found that some tracks did actually benefit from an occasional slight tweak.

I found that this amplifier offers a satisfying amount of detail. No Sleep Till Brooklyn by The Beastie Boys was rendered with all the rhymes intact, and I could easily discern the individual voices of the rappers. The track is about having fun, though, rather than obsessing about hi-fi matters such as transparency – the fun dial was turned right up! 

The better the source being used, the larger and more immersive the Encel's soundstage gets. Hi-res tracks from Qobuz sounded bigger than the equivalent lossy Spotify track. Bluetooth, which incidentally took all of about fifteen seconds to get playing, sounds correct and almost identical to a wired source tonally, but is shallower in terms of stage depth. For instance, Bad Guy by Billie Eilish nicely filled out the space between the speakers but had less front-to-back perspective.

To Be Alone by Hozier has a deep kick drum that sounded appropriately impactful through the Brains. There is enough speed and dynamic ability from the amplifier to make it enjoyable, even with a good amount of volume in a larger listening room. Watching a movie and using the optical input from the television proved effortless and superior to the TV's internal speakers. There is plenty of power to fill a room with clear dialogue and explosions, or whatever other sounds help to make the movie experience rewarding.

COMPARISONS

I compared the sound quality of the Bluesound source being fed into the line level aux input alongside the optical digital input, and the results were close. The latter was a touch more open with more separation and bass impact, proving that the onboard DAC is capable and well-sorted. Putting the Encel up against a NAD C316BEE V2 – which is similar in price and offers similarly rated power outputs – I found the Brains acquitted itself well. Kraftwerk's The Model had a more open, organised sound with greater coherence. The NAD had a slightly darker presentation with a greater emphasis on the bass and the rhythm, and a less upfront midrange. 

Using an inexpensive Audio Technica MM cartridge on a vintage turntable made me appreciate the popularity of vinyl again, as it sounded better than expected, with quiet backgrounds and impressive musicality. Neville Marriner with The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields playing Mozart's Symphony No. 29 proved that strings can be enjoyable even at this price point. Acoustic instruments were smooth, refined and dynamic, and there was a more room-filling soundstage than expected.

I tried the amplifier's 3.5mm headphone output with a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones and was greeted with clean flowing music that was punchy and well-balanced. I liked that there was heaps of gain from the Brains, and it gave me confidence that it should be able to drive most headphones without difficulty.

THE VERDICT

Anyone searching for a well-built, competitively-priced amplifier should not look past the Encel Brains. The sound quality is excellent, considering its modest price, and it's versatile enough to meet the needs of most users. With a fine-sounding phono stage, decent Bluetooth connectivity and diminutive styling, this little integrated should be capable of providing musical enjoyment for many years to come.

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