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| Power Amplifiers |
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| AMC 2200 | £150 | Mar 99 | Super value separate with first-rate sound staging. Midrange subtleties sometimes suffer but at this price .! |
| Arcam 9P | £400 | Dec 96 | A detailed and open sound gives great atmosphere to all types of music. |
| Arcam Alpha 10P | £600 | Jul 98 | This power amp lags behind the best of the competition, and the build is flimsy. |
| Audio Analogue Donizetti | £575 | Apr 98 | As smart as an Armani suit, they sound powerful in a natural, organic manner |
| Aura PA100 | £749 | Mar 97 | A smooth, sweet powerful sound free from the rough brightness that afflicts many solid-states. |
| Creek A43 | £399 | Mar 99 | Shows what a skilled designer can do, even when hooked up with a passive pre. A very realistic approach. |
| Cyrus Power | £449 | Feb 96 | The Cyrus Power is simply impressive in all respects. |
| Cyrus SmartPower | £600 | Jan 01 | Confident, musical and a joy to use. The competition is tough but they stand their ground admirably. Great upgradability. |
| Exposure 2010 Power | £599 | Jan 02 | A fine sounding, powerful and musical combination, but faces stiff competition. |
| Linn LK100 | £650 | Apr 98 | Well built, but judged purely on a musical basis they fall short. |
| Linn LK240 | £750 | Aug 97 | The LK240 plays tunes exceptionally well, tonal colour and image precision are not its forte though. |
| Meridian 505 | £795 | Aug 97 | Crisp, clear images are set in a broad spread between the 'speakers but the 505 lacks stage depth and grunt. |
| Monarchy SM-70 | £595 | Jan 99 | The Monarchy is a smooth, warm amp most at home with 'speakers that are easily driveable. |
| Moth 30 Power | £249 | Mar 99 | Refined approach with the lighter acoustic music but lacking a little in overall clout. |
| Moth Stereo 60 | £549 | Dec 95 | This power amp unfortunately suffers from sharp sounding treble and poor depth. |
| Munrio MP1 monobloc | £600 | Jun 00 | Solid and dependable way to monobloc a system. Fast and powerful solid state sound. Slightly metallic with small scale works. |
| Musical Fidelity X-A50 | £500 | Jan 98 | Very smooth, sweet and musical performers, not over-analytical but very involving. |
| Naim NAC 122 Pre &
Naim NAP 150 Pwr |
£625
£750 |
Jun 01 | A more gripping and thrilling sound at this price you will not get, but this combo won't be to everyone's taste. |
| Quad 77/67 | £600 | Jul 96 | With good punch, speed and attack its not bad at all but can be a little uninspiring. |
| Rotel RB-971 | £225 | Mar 99 | 70 Watts a channel helps give lucid presentation with deep sound staging. Perhaps on the bright side. |
| Shearne Phase 3 | £689 | Apr 97 | The Phase 3 possesses impressive clarity, detail and dynamics. |
| Sony TA-FB904R UK Special Edition | £280 | Oct 00 | Strong forward sound with plenty of clout which could ultimately be a tad tiring. |
| Talk Tornado 1 | £500 | Jun 97 | A flexible power amp with a strong, controlled sound, but won't suit all tastes. |
| Technics SE-A1000 | £400 | Feb 97 | Smooth, warm sound has plenty of grunt when needed and is very enjoyable to listen to. |
| Thorens TTP 2000 | £500 | Jul 95 | Its best feature is the key on/off switch, otherwise its a case of poor sound quality and engineering. |
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| Chameleon Ruby | £995 | Jan 96 | Well specified and powerful, but dry and short of life. Suits Rock on bass-heavy 'speakers. |
| Chord SPM 400 | £1325 | Mar 98 | This amp has it all - detail, transparency, slam and rhythm. In a word, excellent. |
| Crimson CS630C | £800 | Nov 98 | These monoblocs have a tonal richness and bass speed rare amongst powerful amps. |
| Croft Series V | £800 | Jun 96 | Fast, clear and detailed sound will win friends in both the transistor and valve camps. |
| Delph Da Capo | £1469 | May 95 | Quality bass and a clear midband but the treble can be harsh at high volume. |
| DPA 200S | £1245 | Jul 93 | Serious audiophile product at an affordable price. Well constructed, pleasant to use and fine sounding. |
| Galactron Power | £1200 | Nov 95 | Smooth sound but dull balance make the Galactron suitable for bright systems. |
| HD Audio Duo | £1185 | May 95 | Not dissimilar to the Audiolab monoblocs, the sound has a sweet top and amazing clarity. |
| Heybrook Signature II | £1051 | May 97 | Not quite as transparent as it could be but impresses with its smoothness and tonal colour. |
| Meridian 556 | £950 | Nov 99 | Impressive with high octane music, but lacks that bit of warmth to bring out the best in laid-back material. |
| Meridian 557 | £1400 | Dec 96 | Great control and dynamics allied to seductive smoothness. A rare combination of power and delicacy. |
| Musical Fidelity A3cr Pre & Power | £999
each |
Apr 00 | A corking duo that set a new sonic standard at the price. Listen and weep! |
| Musical Fidelity X-A200 | £1000 | Aug 98 | Hugely powerful and controlled, the X-A200s are still superbly musical. |
| Musical Fidelity A300cr | £999 | Oct 01 | Power dynamics and transparency by the bucketload, although treble can be a little bright at times. |
| MVL Integral A2 | £895 | May 99 | An excellent performer with any music. It is hard to imagine the A2 being beaten at the price. |
| Myryad MA120 | £1000 | Apr 96 | The sound is a somewhat acquired taste and a little rough in places. |
| Omak Jewel One | £899 | Jul 95 | A lot of amplifier for the money. Big, warm, sweet sound places it ahead of most. |
| Quad 707 | £800 | Jul 97 | The 707 embodies a rare blend of grace and power in its sleek grey casework. |
| Rothwell Rubicon | £949 | May 99 | Low on power at 8 watts but fairly musical for all that. Good resolution of detail and texture. |
| Sumo Polaris III | £898 | May 96 | More valve-like than transistor in sound; highly competent if not spectacular. |
| TAG McLaren 60P | £850 | Nov 98 | Fully justifies the cost with a very musical and revealing performance. |
| VRR Adur | £1495 | Jun 95 | Lovers of light piano-based fare and Baroque music will appreciate this ampís delicacy. |
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| Audiovalve Avalon | £2195 | Aug 02 | Good power, rthymic muscle and bass extension for a valve amp, but not the last word in warmth or transparency |
| Audiovalve LC8 | £1995 | Mar 95 | Eschews the traditional lavish tube sound for a brighter and leaner approach. |
| Canary 301 | £3055 | Nov 98 | The 301 puts the 300B's traditional virtues to good use in a push-pull design that will drive most loudspeakers. |
| Cary 300B SE | £3975 | Feb 95 | Cary have a winning amplifier that is a prime example of how a 300B can sound. |
| Cyrus aPA7 | £2000 | Jul 99 | There's no shortage of clarity and control here, but the aPA7s don't come cheap. |
| Etalon Ampli | £2925 | Feb 98 | Very natural, substantial presentation with lots of power on tap |
| Final Music 6 | £1500 | Feb 99 | Battery powered amp puts convincing scale and three-dimensionality into suitably sensitive loudspeakers. |
| Focusrite Red 5 | £2057 | Feb 96 | Powerful, smooth and detailed sound. Not as clinical as some professional amplifiers can be. |
| Gamma Aeons | £4999 | Apr 97 | Sound quality of these monoblocs is impressive but marred by a rather obvious hum. Build could be better. |
| Linn Klimax Twin | £5000 | May 02 | One of the finest examples of a solid state power amp around. Clean sounding and very powerful, it's also super sleek and physically discrete. Get a listen!! |
| Marantz 9 | £8000 | Mar 97 | These monoblocs are superb, producing a beguiling performance of great control and verve. |
| Michell Alecto | £1989 | Oct 98 | The new Alecto is crisper, cleaner and more controlled than earlier incarnations. |
| Musical Fidelity NuVista 300 | £3300 | Dec 99 | Simply beautiful sound and inexhaustible power. Higher price than usual for MF gear - limited edition product. |
| Musical Fidelity HT600 &
Musical Fidelity HTP |
£1999
£1999 |
May 01 | Great sounding and looking A/V combination that's ideal for music and movies alike. Lacks a little bass grip and a tad expensive though. |
| Orchid RC750 | £6600 | Aug 96 | A powerful grip on music, but articulate and detailed too. A rare combination. |
| Quad QC 24 pre & Quad II 40 power | £3999 | Jan 01 | A classic combination of the old and the new. A big modern valve sound with space and depth matched with styling that harkens back to the golden age of the vacuum tube. |
| Renaissance Audio
RA-01 |
£6000
pair |
Dec 01 | Expensive but of exceptional quality. Sweet, timbrally excellent and sophisticated, a treat for classical listeners. |
| Rogue Audio M120
monoblock |
£2695
pair |
Mar 02 | Dark and powerful, the Rogues have plenty of bass and drive if not always tip top control. Work best when cranked up! |
| Samuel Johnson PPA 100 | £2585 | Jul 00 | Very creditable solid-state amplifier with well-maintained power. Clean and full musical sound. Slightly expensive but stylish. |
| Sharp SM-SX1 1-bit amp | £3300 | Apr 01 | Suffers from lack of power and coldness, especially at high volumes, but still manages low level detail. |
| Shearne Phase 1 | £1999 | Oct 94 | Good sound quality and an impressive tonal balance. |
| Sugden Masterclass Pre
Sugden Masterclass Pwr |
£2100
£3150 |
Nov 01 | These are serious amps albeit at a serious price. Beautifully built with a smooth sweet valve-like quality but with plenty of power. |
| Sugden Masterclass Monoblocs | £5995 | Jul 02 | Expensive, make no doubt, but at the very top of the pile when it comes to mucial enjoyment. One of the best sounds to be found in solid state audio |
| Sugden Symetra | £1550 | Oct 96 | The Symetra monoblocs impress with their grip. They run hot and sound warm. |
| Tube Technology Genesis | £2599 | Jun 94 | Valve monoblocs that produce explosive bass, midrange as clear as a bell and shimmering treble. |
| Unison Research Smart 300B | £4250 | May 98 | Powerful, neutral sounding amps thanks to their modified 300B valves, but a little expensive for the same reason. |
| Unison Research Power 35 | £1525 | Aug 98 | A great compromise between delicacy, power and practicality. Very musically satisfying, too. |
| Unison Research P30K Power & C5P Pre | £1750
£1195 |
Jun 02 | Fine sounding and classy looking valve combination with both refinement and power. Unusually deep bass for a parallel single ended. |
| Vadis S15 | £2350 | Jul 98 | The S15's purity and clarity are impossible to beat for the money. Bass is not brilliant, but still better than most. |
| XTC POW-1 | £2000 | Nov 96 | This power amplifier is smooth and seductive, although a little pricey. |
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