T+A AMP 8: Power amplifier designed to handle heavy loads

The AMP 8 power circuit is based on the solutions used in the PA 3000 HV. The input stage is a cross-coupled J-FET cascode amplifier, and the voltage amplifier is a Class A Hawksford FET cascode. The output stage, responsible for current...

T+A AMP 8
T+A AMP 8

The AMP 8 power circuit is based on the solutions used in the PA 3000 HV. The input stage is a cross-coupled J-FET cascode amplifier, and the voltage amplifier is a Class A Hawksford FET cascode. The output stage, responsible for current amplification, contains high-quality ThermalTrak transistors with stable characteristics and high speed. Moreover, the voltage and current amplification circuits are separated from each other and have separate power supplies. This design minimizes the influence of the feedback effect, i.e. the reverse influence of acoustics on the voltage amplifiers responsible for sound quality is reduced to zero. As a result, it was possible to achieve a signal bandwidth exceeding 200 kHz. The company calls this concept an “isolated current amplifier” (ICA). In those areas of the circuit that are critical to sound quality, T+A engineers installed selected audiophile components: Vishay non-magnetic resistors and ELNA and WIMA capacitors.

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T+A AMP 8 is a power amplifier designed to work in conjunction with the proprietary DAC 8 DSD model, which includes a high-quality DAC and preamplifier. T+A AMP 8 has an all-aluminum body, in which there is no hint of the use of ferromagnetic materials. The chassis and top cover of the amplifier are made of 6 mm thick aluminum plates. The sides and front panel are elegant black profiles made using sophisticated extrusion technology. The body rests on damping feet. There are only 3 LEDs on the front panel, indicating that the power is turned on, Auto mode is activated and a signal is sent to the speakers.

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The T+A AMP 8 power supply is designed to handle heavy loads and includes a toroidal transformer capable of generating up to 400 W of power. The amplifier can cope with even the most demanding acoustics. The power supply of the left and right channels is separated, which minimizes their mutual influence on each other.

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The T+A AMP 8 amplifier has balanced and unbalanced inputs. There are two pairs of gold-plated screw terminals. There is a CTRL trigger jack for connecting a DAC 8 DAC for remote control of the amplifier on/off. The sound of the T+A AMP 8 can be described as energetic, dynamic and high-resolution, but at the same time delicate, transparent and truly audiophile. The DAC 8 DSD and AMP 8 duo set new standards for high-quality sound that go far beyond their price range.

Specifications T+A AMP 8

Input sensitivity/input impedance 0.7 V/10 kOhm (RCA), 1.4 V/5 kOhm (XLR)
Nominal output power: 2 x 80 W (8 Ohm), 2 x 110 W ( 4 Ohm); peak: 2 x 110 W (8 ohms), 2 x 130 W (4 ohms)
Frequency range 1 Hz – 200 kHz (0 dB, – 3 dB)
Signal-to-noise ratio 103/110 dB
Channel separation 81/65 dB
Harmonic distortion 0.009%
Damping coefficient more than 170
Inputs balanced XLR, unbalanced RCA
Other switching input trigger connector CTRL
Output to speaker systems 2 pairs of gold-plated screw terminals
Cooling low-noise cooler, controlled by a microprocessor
Protection system microprocessor
Power consumption 400 W
Power consumption in standby mode 0.2 W
Dimensions (WxHxD) 270x95x270 mm
Weight 7 kg (without power supply)