Serblin Performer and friends

The name of the company is actually Serblin & Son, although I've taken the liberty of playing with words to introduce what comes next. An umbilical cord links this Italian brand, with deep roots in the hobby and the minds of all fans of the world of audio, with the person writing these lines. We'll leave that for later.

When the Serblin family gathers at a wedding, at a high table, having a vermouth or a snack, uncle and nephew must talk about high fidelity issues. Uncle Franco and his nephew Fabio are the visible and recognized faces of Sonus faber and Serblin & Son, no less. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Like almost all brands, they make a version with lower features and a lower price in order to reach a wider audience. This is not a reduction in objectives, but an added problem for them, since they must preserve the quality and sound signature of the brand, with lower-priced components. Usually, the amount of power delivered, or extra functionality, such as additions in more generous and varied inputs or integration of streamers or similar, are the victims of these price cuts. But the spinal cord of the product is the sound and the quality of the sound. Or that should be the case for any enthusiast reading this text right now.

The basic characteristics of this product are as follows:

Class A/B technology, power output 2x 60w/ch 8 ohm, 2x 100w/ch 4 ohm.
Original Fase / Serblin & Son circuitry.
Inputs: Phono MM/MC 3x line level, 2x S/PDIF digital
PRE-OUT output.
USB-A 5V socket for powering external dongles.
Standby power consumption < 0.5 W (in accordance with the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC).
Power supply (220-240v/50-60hz).
Infrared remote control
Dimensions in mm: 430 x 254 x 89 (WxDxH), including protruding parts.
Net weight: 8kg

A brief introduction to help you understand what I want to say. On the YouTube channel of Amigos HiFi, the age range of the viewers of the videos is 45 and above. In the demonstrations of music systems that are done in stores, white hair or the almost absence of it is the fashion in hairstyles. Therefore, these small screens, with small letters, are useless when it comes to watching... anything. Most of the humans who have walked on Earth before the Woodstock concert or the arrival of man on the Moon do not read the lyrics. As the potentiometer or the source selector has no visual aid, we never know what we have activated or at what volume.

Another issue that I don't quite understand is the logic of it; the minimum volume of the integrated amplifier is a bit high for my taste. In a normally quiet room, I need to increase the power level delivered from the starting point only slightly. I must remind my readers that I am passionate about moderate volumes due to my hearing sensitivity. This does not mean that I hear better than others, but that I reach the same point as others with less volume. There are sound frequencies that are amplified with greater intensity in order to be perceived by the ears; therefore, the greater volume and intensity of the same, generates the sensation of greater reception of all the signals and an increase in their quality. Although the signals are emitted with identical quality from the amplifiers, the only thing that changes is the individual appreciation of each person.

Equipment used in the tests

Sound source:
» iFi Audio Zen DAC v.3
» iFi Audio Zen One Signature
» Roon Server
» Qobuz Studio
» EMT 948
Power amplification:
» Serblin & Son Performer
Speakers:
» RadioTehnika Giant FS-100N
Cables:
» Wires4Music for cabling:
    » Horus Hybrid RCA interconnection
    » Evolution in loudspeakers and mains power
Rack HiFi:
» Artesanía Audio Exoteryc Rack PRO

Tomás Gutiérrez, the Spanish distributor for this brand, is well aware of my musical tastes, which is why I think he sent me this integrated amplifier. Talking about it will be the easiest thing for me, as its sound is the blood brother of my Bow Technologies Wazoo XL. With only very small differences that I will comment on throughout these lines.

If we compare the Performer with the Wazoo XL there is a clear difference in size between the two, the former being very easy to place anywhere, while the latter is not comfortable unless it is in a dedicated rack. If we relate size and weight to quality, we could say that in a virtual comparison between the two, only in the bass management part, in the deepest part of the bass, Performer does not quite reach the same level. Although if we look at what we achieve in the rest, we can feel more than satisfied. The personal feeling I have had when listening to various musical tracks has been that they have preferred to "cut" something at the bottom so as not to lose the balance in the rest of the frequencies. This cut gives the instruments important dynamics and clarity.

It is a very intelligent solution and deserves a big round of applause from the fans, as it naturally delivers everything that we expect from music and does not compromise the clarity of the signal by adding extra power to the sound that it might not be able to handle.

It is a stereo amplifier, designed to be stereo. What do I mean by that? Within the hybrid market, that is to say, that can be used for both home theater and stereo systems, the stereo always comes out the loser. In Home Cinema, understood as it is today, a dish falling on the floor is an earthquake of 5.5 on the Richter scale. And a door slamming easily exceeds 7. For those who are thinking right now that I am exaggerating, I must tell you that a well-known brand of subwoofers advertises its product with the phrase: it generates earthquakes in your home. Nothing more to add, your honor.

For the aforementioned reasons, for not sacrificing the purity of the sound image for the sake of going where it doesn't belong, the Performer is an integrated amplifier conceived and designed with the purest logic possible. And following the continuity of the principle, the umbilical cord that unites everything, it was confusing for me to hear my integrated amplifier in most of the musical time, when it was really on a shelf collecting dust and Serblin & Son Performer was resting on Artesanía Audio's Exoteryc rack running quietly.

It has a built-in DAC that I connected to the Toslink input of my CD player. Unfortunately, the CD player with Toslink output is a very weak part of my system that I hardly ever use, and in the tests I carried out with some CDs and their streaming version from Qobuz, they came out losing, but I insist, it would not be fair of me to give a personal verdict knowing that I have not matched the opponents correctly.

It also has a pre-input that I was unable to test, as my spectacular EMT 948 turntable has an XLR line output and not a Phono one. This is a recurring shortcoming in my case, until some kind manufacturer or distributor sees fit to solve this problem.

And I have left to the end a point that left me very thoughtful. The amplifier's connections to the speakers are banana type, but instead of having the typical connection terminal of more or less high or elegant quality, we find an internal connection. It had been a long time since I had seen this input on a quality product. I was stunned to see it. And once I had tried it, used it and enjoyed it, it left me pensive, very pensive. Honestly, I haven't reached any conclusions yet, but there are moments in life that make you rethink things from the beginning to see if at some point in life you have lost your way.

The sound and human quality of this track has my heart captured. The most reflective Bruce of recent years, the early 2000s, questions the reality shown to the eyes of men. He wonders if that reality is true or invented, he asks with statements and statements that challenge the listener. At the sound level, it is easy to interpret, although not so easy to make you feel the intensity of what is inside. A different tone of voice, a bit of a cold sound and everything, everything is lost. Devils & Dust is the Boss's public homily, as he bows down before his people and tells them he is confused. He's not talking about cars or young girls, he's talking about his personal confusion, and in this scenario, the micro-details of every note, of every cadence, are vital. Each one of them telling a story. I only use this track on rare occasions to test a system, as I don't want to get bored with it. It's a staple in my life, hence my reservations.

And I was sure it would work with Performer, as it is capable of filling the room with music and showing all its details and nuances of slow guitar, of a caught voice and bass creating atmosphere. Only the lowest and deepest note is lost. The entrance of the harmonica, with its lament, makes your hair stand on end. As I said before, it is easy to interpret at the reproduction level, however, there is a plus that is called emotion, which one either has or does not have. In this case, it does exist.

The intelligence of knowing how to cut frequencies correctly is an art. The lowest (sub) bass notes of a composition can literally drain the energy from the rest of the spectrum. We are faced with a dark sound scenario, devoid of life. If we limit the amount of energy to that area, we can end up with cold and shrill scenarios. I think you are beginning to understand my satisfaction with the final result.

Throughout this article I have been comparing the sensations of this integrated amplifier with a top-level one from the late 90s. As it is based on transistors and Class A/B, an area where there have been no major changes as there have been in Class D, it is, without a doubt, a great compliment.

The affinity of the sound has meant that I have hardly noticed the change in the electronic attack in my room, something that has never happened to me before and, therefore, I emphasize it greatly.

There is a higher-end version, the Frankie, which may well be closer to "my sound". But for its price, its features and its quality, it is a first-rate purchase.