Daniel D’Agostino. Dan for friends. A man of almost mythical stature. From his first designs in the 1980s, consciously or unconsciously, he shaped a completely new audio culture. Exceptionally stable audio amplifiers with extreme power, often in Class A design. Back then, still under the umbrella of Krell Industries, now, for 15 years, proudly signed with his own name. Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems. Dan is celebrating his impressive history and fifteenth anniversary with a prestigious project that looks forward as much as it does back. An elegant display of power – the Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Momentum Z Mono Power Amplifiers!
After parting ways with Krell Industries, Dan D’Agostino launched a new brand, entirely focused on his own desires and experience. Not guided by commercial guidelines or metrics, but by the very best and most beautiful designs he could create. This marked the beginning of Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems. The Momentum M300 formed a turning point in Dan’s career and firmly positioned him at the pinnacle of Ultra High End Audio engineering. Now, 15 years and four complete Master Audio Systems product lines later, the Momentum series remains Dan D’Agostino’s core philosophy. But as an audio veteran with an open mind, Dan continues to challenge himself and his team to constantly raise the bar. He searches for the limits of what is possible, where technology completely moves out of the way and simply turns into music. The result is the new Momentum Z, which, interestingly enough, perhaps bears more resemblance to Dan’s pioneering days at Krell Industries than you might expect.
The Momentum Z is instantly recognizable as a fusion of Dan’s Momentum M400MxV and his Relentless Epic uber-power amplifiers. The shape of the solid copper heatsinks with their distinctive fins provides the foundation for extremely efficient heat dissipation. The copper is not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional; copper conducts heat better than conventional aluminum, ensuring a more consistent temperature for the thermally coupled transistors. These transistors can thus be kept within their ideal operating range and more easily pushed to their maximum performance limit, without thermal issues. Lower distortion is the immediate result.
During his years with Krell, Dan was the mastermind behind perhaps the most oversized powerhouses of their era. Built to remain stable under the most extreme loads, the Krells were simply immune to the erratic impedance curves a loudspeaker can present to the speaker terminal. Built to remain completely in control, even at extremely low impedances and the associated current peaks. According to Dan, that is the key to musicality: complete control of the interaction between speaker and amplifier. It’s not about the last watt, but about the first. Krells, or rather, Dan’s FPB power amplifiers, were and remain revolutionary in some respects. In terms of power specifications, but especially in their technical footprint. The FPBs were based on an active, regulated power supply rail for the output stage. A technology that has always kept an important place in Dan’s engineering heart and is reviving with the Momentum Z.
Kenetic Drive Regulator
The output stage is the actual power source for the low impedance of the connected speaker. All transistors in the output stage rely on a regulated DC voltage—after all, they don’t conjure power out of thin air, but draw it directly from the power supply. In the vast majority of cases, this power supply is formed by a transformer that steps down the 230-volt alternating current (AC) to a lower voltage. This AC voltage is then rectified (DC) and smoothed (minimizing ripple) using a combination of diodes and capacitors. The capacitors thus form the buffer for direct current delivery to the output transistors. The more stable the power supply, the more stable the output signal, period. Even the largest buffer capacity, however, suffers from fluctuations and delays in the constant voltage-current relationship. During his Krell years, Daniel therefore developed a unique concept that actively controlled and compensated for this power supply rail to ensure the most consistent power supply possible. Although the “Regulated Output Stage” concept was completely unique at the time, Dan also saw where this system compromised his ideal. The control over the speaker was phenomenal, the bass and drive superior to anything on the market at the time. Yet, there were also sonic effects that Dan was less happy with. The life of an engineer is not easy and full of compromises…
Until today. Technological advances in components, often (or almost) never intended for audio, sometimes find application in our niche audio market because they have specific properties that create new possibilities. This is also the case with the Momentum Z. Dan recognized that the limitation of his ‘Regulated Output Stage’ was the result of inertia; the system simply wasn’t fast enough. New components, coupled with renewed technical insights, result in a regulator that does exactly what Dan always envisioned. The result is the Kinetic Drive Regulator and the true core of the Momentum Z. The crucial link between the two 1200VA toroidal transformers, bridge rectifiers, the enormous stack of buffer capacitors, and the output stage. Current and voltage are constantly and instantly available without any drop-off in relation to the other, regardless of the output requirements. As the ideal mix between brute force and effortless speed. A characteristic for which Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems is generally praised, elevated to perfection. A technical innovation so strong that we wouldn’t be surprised if it found its way to both the top and bottom of the Dan family!
New Momentum
The Momentum Z clearly aligns visually with the M300 mono amplifiers, the amplifiers that sparked Dan D’Agostino’s ‘Master Audio Systems’ dream. Yet, the Z is noticeably more massive with a more organic design. The heatsink and front panel are reminiscent of its larger siblings in the Relentless line. The Momentum Z therefore falls perfectly between the current Momentum M400MxV and the Relentless Epic 800. The beautiful M400MxV power amplifiers remain in production, but the Momentum Z dethrones them as the “best” possible in a Momentum chassis. Also noteworthy is the evolution of the Meter Output, which is now not analog, with a physical dial and magnetic field, but “digital” via a fully programmable LCD display. This allows it to communicate much more information and be configured to individual preferences.
The processor-controlled needle, displayed on the LCD screen, reaches peak power outputs of 600 watts. The actual power figures are just as impressive as its appearance: 500 watts at 8 ohms, 1000 watts at 4 ohms, and 2000 watts at 2 ohms, delivered from a relatively compact footprint of 32 centimeters wide, 13 cm high, and 54 cm deep. However, the Momentum Z tips the scales at a hefty 45 kilograms. Size doesn’t matter, weight does!
For us, the Momentum Z is more than a statement. It’s a reflection on 15 years of Dan D’Agostino’s Master Audio Systems and many years before that. A man with the clear conviction that more isn’t necessarily better, unless you know how to channel it correctly. That wisdom is ingrained in DAN’s DNA. Together with a group of fantastic engineers, they build masterful amplifiers that, as they move forward, also look back. The technical evolution that makes the Momentum Z what it is forms a living example of this. We’re already saving up to bring them to Almere and are keeping our fingers crossed that the innovative Generation Z won’t be saved for this brilliant Momentum.
