Audio is all about good times. At least, it should be. Yes, I'm like everyone else in this silly hobby, poring over the mysteries of phono cable capacitance or trying to squeeze gear the size of a Mennonite hope chest into a room too small for much hope to fit. Still, at the risk of losing my Audiophile Animal ranking, I know that almost all of us yearn for a simple solution to listen to music as it should be heard. Consequently, after a wonderful winter season eating cinnamon Santa cookies and writing about the Gold Note PH-10 phono stage and Mediterraneo turntable, I eagerly anticipated spending time with the new Gold Note IS-1000 integrated amplifier and streamer.
The Gold Note IS-1000 functions seamlessly as a Class A/B integrated amplifier, a phono preamp, a DAC, and a streamer. As noted in my review, the Gold Note PH-10 phono stage and Mediterraneo turntable share the elegant lines and sophisticated audio qualities that one usually associates with Italian audio products. Could Gold Note achieve the same sound and symmetry in a product category typically dominated by cheap landfill-grade AV gear? Prospects looked good, as Gold Note has already staked its claim for contemporary relevance by issuing a number of digital devices. The company's aim for the IS-1000, however, is much loftier than simply offering a machine built for convenience. Their goal is to employ a revolutionary design incorporating features and sound that will please "contemporary audiophiles who appreciate music reproduced in the best possible way."
Well, for starters, you don't have to worry about not getting a full raft of features. The Gold Note IS-1000 is completeness personified. Believe me, after a recent remodel project cursed by every obstacle known to mandarin and machine, I was more than ready to embrace a one-box tonic for musical escapism. It should be noted that I recently blew a grand on an AV amp, also designed to do almost everything. And it does, if by everything, you mean spraying unfocused sound throughout the room like a Jackson Pollock soundscape. To be fair, this supersonic wall of confusion can be cranked up to sound mighty, mighty loud. More of this kind of auditory dis-integrated noise, I don't need.
I needn't have worried. The Gold Note IS-1000 makes mincemeat out of my "highly rated from an iconic manufacturer" AV amp in both style and sound quality. Streaming with the IS-1000 can be done via the Ethernet or wirelessly. That is, for most people. Apparently, I paid good money for a brand new, hard-wired system of… inter-not. While waiting for the Ethernet to be fixed correctly, I used a small screwdriver to push in the tiny button located in the rear of the IS-1000, thus enabling it to communicate with my wireless router. Once the handshake was successful, I didn't have to do it again, and I never had any hiccups occur while streaming wirelessly. Later on, after a month of impatiently waiting, my install guy finally made ready the Ethernet option. I subsequently used the Ethernet cable supplied with the IS-1000 for the hard-wire connection. Although I preferred the Ethernet connection to wireless, I'm not sure that I could reliably choose one over the other in a Folger's taste test, so there you are. It's comforting to know that both wireless and hard wired options work really well.
There are two DAC options for the IS-1000. The standard DAC chip is a BurrBrown PCM1796, and the upgrade option features a BurrBrown PCM1792A chip (the latter being the chip included in my review sample). Keeping in mind the oft-repeated admonition that all audio chips can be tweaked to sound a particular way, it's still true that I've always preferred audio gear using BurrBrown chips. It's probably nothing about the chips themselves, but DACs using BurrBrown sound less processed and overly smooth than DACs employing other chips. Could be attributed to a million other things, I'm sure, but my experience has been pretty consistent.
Anyway, as a streamer, the IS-1000 features all the current audiophile must-haves: Roon, Tidal (with MQA), and Qobuz. Also featured are Airplay, Deezer, V-Tuner, and Spotify. If you stream often, you know that this Swedish smorgasbord of music content can be both a blessing and a distraction. Incessantly sampling the world of music, forty second snippets at time, can quickly degrade into an afternoon of name that tune. Rant over. In any case, no matter which streaming service I used, the sonic quality was consistently excellent and glitch-free via the IS-1000's streamer. Enjoying the Qobuz classical music playlist, I selected Vanessa Wagner's rendition of "Fur Fritz (Chaconne in A Minor)." I was impressed by the clarity of the tone from each key during the successive piano runs. Considering the fact that a convincing piano tone during quiet and delicate passages is often the death knell for most DACs (too hard, too soft, and almost never just right), I thought the IS-1000 stood up to the test very well.
Compared to my Schiit Uber DAC, the Gold Note presented a wider and expansive rendering (relative to my small listening room's limitations, it should be noted). The two DACs were fairly close in how well they delineated the sound of instruments and vocals. The Gold Note's DAC sound is not as clinically detailed as the Prism Sound Callia DAC reviewed here previously, but the Gold Note still gives an excellent window into the fine details of a recording. The Gold Note DAC gives a full and rewarding accounting of music. The slightly warmer tonal balance of the IS-1000 overall ensured that listening to streaming and digitally recorded music was pleasingly balanced, and always satisfying. By all means, use your current standalone DAC if you prefer a sound that is painstakingly revealing or, alternatively, richly sumptuous. Kind of defeats the purpose of an all-in-one, but who am I to deny the temptations of a superfluous audio option.
As a side note, when the IS-1000 first arrived, streaming required me to download the MConnect Control App on my iPhone. The app worked pretty well. Nothing fancy or wow-inducing, just a straightforward access to the usual categories: Player, Queue, Favorites, Browser, and Play To. I also used the new Gold Note app, which works about the same as the Mconnect app. Both apps are perfectly adequate for my uses, but those who are fully invested in the options of their favorite music players may hope for future updates to bring it all into completion. Aside from the minor app quibble, the IS-1000 streaming and digital player capabilities are a delight.
Digital inputs are the standard complement: 3 optical (TOS), 1 coaxial (COAX), 1 USB type A, I Ethernet LAN and Wi-Fi. For those of you with a large DSD collection, the USB input and Ethernet and Lan input convert DSD64 [.dsf] files to high-resolution PCM over UPnP protocol. The six digital inputs handle PCM up to 24-bit/192kHz. Whether the preceding means everything or nothing to you, just know that I was able to play my DSD files with no trouble. Connecting a flash drive to the IS-1000's USB A input in the rear of the amp enabled me to access all my files. It should be noted that the IS-1000 only reads FAT32 and NTFS file formats. Consequently, my Apple compliant hard drives couldn't be read. Fortunately, I ripped my music for both Windows and Mac. Analog inputs included 1 XLR balanced, 1 RCA line and phono MM/CC, and 1 RCA Lline/AV pass through. The Analog outputs include 1 RCA variable and 1 RCA fixed. Selecting functions requires pushing in a large knob on the front panel and selecting what you want. There is a large display on the front panel indicating the option selected. The whole process becomes easy enough to maneuver once you've done it a few times.
My experience with Gold Note's stellar PH-10 phono stage made me expect a similar sound from the IS-1000's phono stage. As it turns out, the phono stage in the IS-1000 is essentially the PH-10, minus the PH-10's cornucopia of features for adjusting EQ curves, load, and gain. No longer having the Gold Note Mediterraneo turntable on hand, I was curious to hear how the phono stage would pair with my vinyl set up of Vyger Baltic M turntable, SME 312 tone arm fitted with a Zu/DL-103 Mk.II cartridge, and sporting my new WyWires phono cable. Not having recorded the review phono stage/turntable gear, I'm hesitant to make direct comparisons between the two turntables. What I can say, however, is that the IS-1000 and Vyger turntable pairing produced music characterized by full body, sweet tone, and suitable depth. If I owned the Gold Note IS-1000, I wouldn't be pining for a separate phono stage option. I'm sure that the phono stage could be bettered at a much higher price, but the IS-1000 is a set and forget it deal, and an excellent one at that. The IS-1000's phono stage specs are as follows: MM= 200pF capacitance, 45 dB gain, and MC=470Ω impedance, 65 dB gain. Assuming your cartridge(s) is/are happy with these parameters, you can rely on the phono stage in the IS-1000 to deliver the same rich, dynamic, and authoritative sound that I heard from the PH-10.
At $5500 (plus another $700 for the DAC upgrade), the IS-1000 is more expensive than your Amazon AV amp, but much, much cheaper than purchasing a comparable sounding integrated amp, DAC, streamer, and phono stage. Looking back on my time with this Gold Note offering, I was struck by how often I thought to myself, "I could live with the IS-1000 and be perfectly happy. It has all the functions I'm likely to need, and it sounds wonderful." Again, I'm not immune to the restless search for something new and allegedly something better, but that chase is becoming increasingly less enjoyable and pointless.
Up to this point, I've been deliberately holding off on the contentious, "Well, is the IS-1000 better than buying each function as a standalone product?" conversation. Product comparisons are fun, but there are endless product combinations, and achieving system synergy is always a challenge. The IS-1000 is designed for each function to align for the best possible sound. The IS-1000 is a true high end product in build and sonic quality. It's convenient, yes, but it also certainly on par with separates or an integrated amp near or even substantially above its price point. For those who can relate to those sentiments, the IS-1000 is a beautifully styled, intelligently designed product that can satisfy the needs of all but the most critical listener. Gold Note continues to offer products that I have no problem recommending.
IS-1000 integrated amplifier and streamer
Retail: $5500
Gold Note
