The Stereoindex Editor’s Amplifier Shortlist for Different Systems

The ELEMENT 110 is intended for systems built around separate monophonic power amplifiers, particularly where loudspeaker impedance can fall sharply.

It is rated at 150 W into 8 ohms, 300 W into 4 ohms, and 600 W into 2 ohms, while Merrill Audio specifies operation with loads down to 1 ohm.

A published damping factor of 4,000 further emphasizes the design’s focus on speaker control. Its seven-inch capacitive touchscreen is unusually comprehensive for a power amplifier, providing mute, brightness, and VU-meter functions.

Arcam’s A25 is a practical choice for listeners seeking a modern integrated amplifier without moving to separate components.

Its Class G implementation is rated at 100 W per channel and operates in pure Class A up to 20 W per channel before transitioning to Class AB operation.

Compared with its predecessor, the A25 introduces a redesigned exterior, Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C, and a rotary source selector. A front-panel mini-jack headphone output and included compact remote add everyday convenience.

The Timekeeper Voyager is a compact Class AB power amplifier for systems that prioritize high-current operation over low idle consumption.

It delivers up to 200 W per channel into 4 ohms and runs at a high idle current to keep its transistors within what Burson describes as their most linear operating range.

The design combines an enhanced MCPS power system, Silent Power 02 regulators, a discrete input buffer using Supreme Sound V7 Vivid operational amplifiers, and an EXICON MOSFET output stage. Prospective owners should note that idle consumption exceeds 100 W.

This entry is not an amplifier recommendation but a survey of loudspeakers that use unconventional materials for their cabinets or drive units.

Examples in the supplied material include Le Pavé Parisien, a compact wireless speaker with a reinforced-concrete enclosure and built-in 20 W Class D amplifier, and the three-way BetonArt Arrivato Active, which combines a concrete cabinet with ribbon, ceramic, and aluminum-diaphragm drivers.

It is relevant to readers interested in loudspeaker construction, but it should not be compared directly with the amplifiers elsewhere in this guide.

The Musician GEMINI is aimed at systems that can make full use of a balanced XLR signal path.

This Class AB stereo power amplifier uses a fully balanced, discrete architecture that processes the positive and negative signal phases independently.

Its power supply is built around a shielded 600 VA toroidal transformer, 36 storage capacitors, and fast Schottky diodes. Four pairs of high-current output transistors are fitted to each channel, with the supplied material specifying compatibility with both 8-ohm and 4-ohm loudspeaker loads.

The NAD C 388 brings several system roles into one chassis.

Its custom Hypex UcD Class D modules are specified to deliver more than 150 W per channel into 8 ohms, while the integrated DAC addresses digital playback.

Vinyl users receive a low-noise moving-magnet phono stage with an accurate RIAA response and a subsonic filter designed to suppress infrasonic oscillation. NAD also provides a separate low-impedance, high-voltage headphone amplifier rather than deriving the headphone output from the bridged speaker-output stage.

The Holo Audio Serene is a dedicated preamplifier for listeners who already have a suitable power amplifier and want precise analog level control.

Its fully balanced, discrete design separates the left and right channels into independent amplifier modules and uses a separate power-stage structure for the audio circuitry.

Volume is controlled through an 84 dB analog stepped system covering minus 78 dB to plus 6 dB in 1 dB increments, with a stated channel-matching error of plus or minus 0.1 dB. Both balanced XLR and single-ended RCA connections are provided.

The Leema Pulse IV is the most connectivity-focused integrated amplifier in this selection.

Its 80 W output rating into 8 ohms is accompanied by an ESS-based 32-bit/384 kHz DAC, XMOS USB input, DSD support, Bluetooth, and six conventional digital inputs split between optical and coaxial connections.

Analog support is similarly broad, with five line-level inputs and a phono stage compatible with both moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges. A front headphone jack and multiple rear-panel outputs strengthen its credentials as a central system hub.

The Sabaj A20A offers unusual configuration flexibility for a Class D amplifier.

It can operate as a stereo unit rated at 170 W per channel into 4 ohms or 90 W per channel into 8 ohms, or be switched into bridged mono operation.

RCA and XLR inputs are joined by a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver, and the amplifier also provides a dedicated mode for subwoofer control. There is a specification inconsistency in the supplied source: the headline states 340 W in mono operation, while the article body and specification list state 350 W in BTL mode.

Circle Labs takes a deliberately focused approach with the AS100, emphasizing its internal architecture rather than a long feature list.

The integrated amplifier is built in dual-mono form, with an individual toroidal transformer for each channel.

Its volume control uses a 63-step relay-switched resistor ladder populated with 0.1 percent tolerance resistors, an arrangement intended to improve channel matching and repeatability over a conventional potentiometer. Low-noise Burr-Brown J-FET devices serve the input stage, while bipolar output transistors and 200,000 µF of total filter capacitance support the output and power-supply sections.