Customer Testimonials

" Hello John I have had my Bantam Gold for a month now and just wanted to let you know that I am getting huge enjoyment from it. It is being used for records,CDs and Internet radio.

For years I have put up with too much gain meaning I could only use the very bottom of the volume control, particularly with CD. You told me the Gold would sort this out and were absolutely right. On the low gain setting I can now go from quiet background to very loud with my preferred level falling right in the middle of the control which is ideal. I am now getting plenty of detail I wasn't hearing before with a great soundstage. There is clear separation with the 3-D depth you mention. These are qualities I associate with vinyl but have never managed to get from CD until now. The digital nasties of harshness and listening fatigue have also been banished.

The Bantam Gold is a revelation with digital sources while analogue sounds as good as ever. Many thanks for such a fine little amp.

- Mick Warne

" Hello, Thank you very much for sending me the Bantam Gold amplifier some weeks ago. Adding a very good interlink was a nice gesture! It's always tricky when a purchase is based solely on internet information, but I have to say I'm not disappointed! I suppose the modest down-to-earth choice of words and absence of outrageous claims on your website did it for me. Another thing in Bantams favour was the fact that I'd rather bring my money to real people than to faceless corporations.

After some weeks of 'burning in' and listening to a great number of cd's I would like to let you know how your BG fared. To put things in perspective: being someone of modest means, but at the same time craving for the best possible sound, I've always been what you could call a cheapskate. Fortunately living in an affluent western society that doesn't mean you have to settle for mass produced garbage; so much excellent gear is sold second hand nowadays that it's quite simple to get very decent equipment on the cheap - and sell with little or no loss when results aren't up to expectations. I have have had extensive experience with the Trends T-amp, which to my ears and in my system (hyper sensitive Altec Lansing Voice of the Theatre hybrids, ancient Sony cdp-x77 & Cambridge Audio DAC) sounded so much better than any of the amps I owned before. And some reputed names they were: Cyrus, Naim, YBA Integre, various Musical Fidelity's, Thule, Decware Zen, Dayens Ampino and even the apparently legendary Eico HF-81 tube amp. Not the ultimate gear cost-wise, but then I feel the law of diminishing returns is nowhere more valid than in the audio market after listening to much more expensive (and newer) systems that at best sounded only marginally better - and in as many cases even worse.

So, even though I haven't heard every T-amp on the market, as you claim to have done, I tend to agree with you. Even though it would interest me to know if you included Virtue Audio in your comparison, as that was my other option before ordering from Temple Audio. Being more than twice as expensive, I doubted it would perform twice as good. Anyway, Bantam Gold is here to stay! Especially after replacing the included PSU by a battery the sound quality expanded to a whole new dimension. It got so clean and detailed and spacious it's almost scary. I strongly recommend you and your customers to check it yourself, as the improvement has to be heard to be believed!

Thanks for a wonderful product which exceeded my expectations and keep up the good work. I would like to be informed when new developments arise. Of course you may use my message as you see fit.

- Best regards,
Jan Sennema, Amsterdam

" I'm using the Gold with a Little Dot CDP-1 CD transport into Cambridge Audio DacMagic (which I also connect to my laptop via USB for mp3 etc....) and through EB acoustics EB1 speakers (86dB sensitivity, 8ohms nominal/5.9 minimum) and set up in a small-ish room (about 4metres by 10).

The Gold replaced my dad's old Creek Audio 4040 which, despite being almost 30 years old, still sounded excellent....
I was sceptical that the Gold would be an upgrade at £180 and 10W less per channel!
You told me that the Gold would blow the Creek out of the water and it did....and then some!
I'm now 100% satisfied with my set up and I'm not sure there's a better review than that!
As others have said, it's beyond impressive that such an expansive sound comes from such a small box.
I've tested it with (what I think is) a diverse range of music and there's been nothing that it hasn't excelled at...jazz, classical, rock, metal, electronic.
Music is extremely detailed, dynamic and warm. The bass in particular is organic, articulate and defined. Transients sound effortless and punchy and overall the sound is transparent and above all extremely enjoyable to listen to!
Service and feedback was friendly and again, faultless and I'm trying to spread the word as much as possible....I genuinely hope that your company is successful!

- Thanks again
Neil.

" Hi, I just got my bantam gold amp this morning.
It`s really great looking and I started to burn it in, plugged into my Sonics Anima using my Thule Audio CD player (with additional tube line out).
At first I played "Time After Time" from Tuck & Patti`s Pure Album .
Her voice and his magical guitar were sounding wonderful on a perfect stage.

- Many thanks from Hamburg.
Thomas

" Hi there,
I just got my Bantam Gold Amp this morning. In 1 word Amazing!!
I can't believe how small it is as well. Fits on my desktop, under my monitor, and have it plugged into my Mordaunt Short Aviano 1's, using my PC with HRT MusicStreamerII+ USB DAC as the source. No interference whatsoever from my usb cable which was the one worry I had.

It's been at least 10 years since I have listened to audiophile quality components (audiolab 8000P/monoblocks/mission753) and I don't remember it sounding this good.
Thanks again.

- Keith, Ireland.

" Hi John,
just wanted to let you know that after receiving my Bantam gold on Saturday and hooking up to my Mordaunt Short floorstanders I am completely blown away by it's ability to deliver a big open soundstage with such clarity.
I played Imelda May singing Lilac Wine from Jeff Beck's 'emotion & commotion'.......wonderful!

Been walking around with a big grin on my face for day's.

Thankyou for producing such a sonic delight.

- Regards Roger
Llandovery, Carmarthenshire

" Hi John,
Just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with my pair of Bantam Golds.

My Quad 11L loudspeakers have fairly poor sensitivity at 86db, and are known for being a bit power hungry.
Fortunately the Bantams write their own rules. They offer the perfect amount of volume for my small living room without having to overpower my speakers.

What is incredible is the clarity on offer, even at low volume everything is still presented beautifully across the spectrum. The stereo imaging is superb, with clear space in between each instrument and the vocalist firmly planted in the centre of the room.

These are the cleanest amplifiers I have ever listened to. The way they just get on with their job with minimal distortion and sonic imprint is a revelation.

The finish is elegant in its simplicity and wonderfully crafted.
I'll stick my neck on the line and say that these amps are a design classic and I am proud to own such a fantastic piece of handmade British hifi.

- Many Thanks
Steven Angove

" Hello,
I've had the Bantam Gold for a week now and wanted to tell you how impressed I am.
It's just the perfect amp; small, well built, simple.
It's a remarkable piece of kit - apparently completely transparent (to my ears), no clicks or pops, turns on and off silently, no hiss or background noise, but what a sound that comes out of it! It's a rude little beast indeed :)

Can't get over the realism, depth and transparency.
I used to own an Arcam separates set up with Quad speakers which was too good in many ways as you couldn't do anything else when it was on it was so distractingly precise, but the BG is a lovely and surprising amp and for a fraction of the price (and i'm listening to highest quality mp3 out of a Mac).

You've done a great job, thank you.

- Regards
Simon Hillier

" Quite remarkable,
I have had to turn down the wick on the bass a bit from the preamp because it was going down to a level where the windows were starting to rattle.
I think the test is playing music I am familiar with, I now hear a spectrum of sound and definition I have not heard before, such clarity and depth of sound stage, a revelation, just like listening to your first hi fi system -
another triumph from the house of Sale.
I have heard amps costing thousands and they just don't compare with this for sheer detail.
I am running it into the restored Quad electrostatics and they sound better than I have ever heard them.

- Best Regards.
Simon Holt