High End Amplifiers

About Amplifiers

The power amplifier has the challenging task of taking the audio signal that comes in and muscling your speaker into reproducing it at whatever volume your heart desires. Ultimately, it is responsible for making sure that the speaker drivers move about their business as quickly and accurately as possible, all while not introducing any distortion. Whether your cup of tea is solid state or tubes, we have a variety of superb-sounding amplifiers to complement your system.

● Arcam

Arcam makes high-value, high-performance music and home theater audio components. The Arcam P7 multichannel amplifier is shown at the left, below the AV8 surround sound processor.

Arcam makes digital components,  preamplifiers, surround sound processors, amplifiers, and tuners.

● Audio Research

Founded in 1970, Audio Research is the oldest high end electronics company that still produces true high end components—and many feel that they founded the modern high end era. They have been famous around the world for their tube designs—and the VT-100 Mk III is the first of the new affordable high end tube designs from Audio Research. Along with the VT-50, VT-200 Mk II and the newest VT-200M, there is now a range of high value tube amplifiers to fit different budgets and power requirements.

For those lucky few for whom price is no object, the REF600 Mk II Mono Reference Power Amplifier is available. It has enough power to drive any conceivable speaker system and is obviously designed and built to an absolutely cost-no-object level. Also, a 300 watt per channel version, the REF300 Mk II (pictured at left) is now available which is a "best buy" in ultra-high end tube amplification—as most systems would never need more power than what this has to offer.

Audio Research also makes digital components,   preamplifiers, and cables.

● Boulder

Boulder also makes digital components, pre-amplifiers, and surround sound processor.

Boulder amplifiers have immense power reserves, terrific dynamics, bass power galore―and yet are sweet sounding and delicate. The 300 watt / channel stereo Boulder 1060 is pictured at the left.

● Halcro

Halcro also makes digital components, pre-amplifiers, amplifiers and surround sound processors. The dm68 is pictured at the left.

● Linn

Linn makes three ranges of products: high performance audio/video products, including speakers, custom installation products which allow house-wide music, and one-box music or movie components.. Within these ranges, Linn makes phono components, digital components, preamplifiers, amplifiers, speakers, surround sound processors, cables, and tuners. The Linn 2250 amplifier is pictured at the left.

● Musical Fidelity

Musical Fidelity makes turntables, digital components, preamplifiers, amplifiers, and tuners.

The A3.5 integrated amplifier are pictured at the left.

● Nagra

Nagra makes digital components, pre-amplifiers, and amplifiers. The Nagra MPA power amplifier with RCMI preamp module is pictured at the left.

● NAD

NAD has just released the new M2 which will play all PCM sampling rates. Not only does it function as a D-A converter in that it takes in digital signals and outputs analog, but the M2 functions as a complete digital integrated amp and has an analog input as well. NAD makes analog preamps as well as analog power and integrated amps.

The NAD M2 is shown on the left.

● Naim 

Naim makes digital components, preamplifiers, amplifiers, and tuners.

They also feature their very attractive multi-room solution which is termed their NaimNet IP-based system.

The NaimUniti all-in-one audio player is pictured.

Naim

● Parasound

Parasound makes tuners, pre-amplifiers, surround-sound processors, and amplifiers. The Parasound Model 5125 amplifier is pictured at the left.

● Quad

Quad makes digital components, pre-amplifiers, amplifiers. speakers, and tuners,

The 909 power amplifier is pictured at the left.

● Simaudio Moon

Simaudio makes the Moon line of electronics.

Simaudio also makes digital components, pre-amplifiers, amplifiers, surround processors, tuners, and power conditioners.

● Soulution

Soulution makes digital components, pre-amplifiers, amplifiers.

A pair of Soulution 700 mono power amplifiers are pictured at the left.

Note: Soulution is a manufacturer that recently started making high end audio electronics and we do not have this new line on display at the store. The reason that we have included this new line in our line listings here is that the Magico Ultimate II speakers are extremely efficient—and at over 110db efficiency it is nice to have the quietest amplifier possible in terms of circuit noise both at system idle and during the quietest passages of music. (Of course this particular aspect is not normally of consideration with the vast majority of speakers which are in the 85-95db efficiency range.) We have heard the Soulution amps on the Magico Ultimate II's and so we know that the amps are a good match for the speakers. If you are interested in knowing more there are links below.

● Spectral Audio

Founded in 1977, Spectral is one of the most respected names in high end audio today. Spectral Audio makes wide bandwidth, extremely fast, high resolution amplifiers. Their amplifiers use many smaller power supplies, rather than one big one. This locates a power supply (capacitors, rectifiers, regulators, and secondary windings) closer to each FET output device. Spectral amplifiers have a very transparent sound, with excellent settling (the ability of the amplifier to stop the speaker after a transient).

Note: Whereas other Spectral Audio components (i.e. their preamplifiers and digital source components) may be used with any other brand of equipment, Spectral mandates that their non-Universal amplifiers be driven by a Spectral preamplifier to ensure reliable operation. Spectral Universal amplifiers however may be driven directly by any brand of preamp, D-A, or surround sound processor. In addition, Spectral amplifiers need to be used in conjunction with the proper Spectral-approved MIT interconnects and speaker cables. These usage guidelines are now a condition of Spectral's warranty on their amplifiers. There are several reasons for these guidelines:

1. Because of their wide bandwidth, Spectral amplifiers can amplify high frequency signals in the MHz range at massive power levels. Therefore radio frequency noise must be kept out of the amplifier. The MIT interconnects contain RF protection, and Spectral preamplifiers are stable at these high frequencies.
2. Unlike most all solid state preamps, Spectral preamplifiers are true discrete designs, are DC coupled, and can output the high current that the (non-Universal) Spectral power amps are designed to be driven by. Other brands of preamplifiers often use integrated circuits or other devices which will probably not be able to drive the amplifier properly.
3. As part of their stability design, Spectral amplifiers use an output network found in the proper MIT speaker cables. (Spectral has found that by placing this network close to the load, i.e. the speaker, they can achieve superior results.)

What will happen if you don't follow these guidelines? Well, it's a probability thing. You may not encounter any problems—or you may encounter premature failure of some components in the amplifier. Or (worst case) your amplifier may suffer severe RF problems, and you will have to pay to have all the output devices replaced (which is expensive). Therefore, we highly recommend that you follow Spectral's warranty and operational guidelines. If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to call us as 781-893-9000.

So why would anybody bother using an amplifier that needs such precise conditions to be operated properly?  Because for music lovers who value linearity—i.e. who truly wish to hear what the musicians played in an acoustic space on a recording—Spectral offers an incredibly transparent window on recorded musical events. And for the many satisfied Spectral clients, nothing else meets their demanding criteria for emotional involvement with the music.

Spectral also makes digital components and pre-amplifiers.

Pricing on Spectral products is available by contacting us directly.

● Theta

Theta makes digital components, surround sound processors, and amplifiers. The Theta Dreadnaught III is available in black or silver (pictured at the left). You can find owner's manuals in pdf format here.