Power AmplifiersPower Amplifiers
Emotiva XPR-1 Monoblock Power Amplifier
- Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
- Published on 06 May 2013
After releasing a 500 watt monoblock power amplifier, the XPA-1, Emotiva didn't stop there. The newest addition to their monoblock power amplifier line is the XPR-1, which delivers 1,000 watts RMS into 8 Ohms. It may strain your back to move it, but it will set you back only $1,500.
Burson Soloist Headphone Amplifier
- Written by Stephen Hornbrook
- Published on 04 February 2013
Burson Audio hails to us from Australia, bringing its own design philosophy, "Less is More," to high-end headphone amplifiers. They gained notoriety with the successful HA-160 headphone amp, a pure class A design with an output of 250mW. Here, we review the Burson Soloist Headphone Amplifier, with a specified output of 4 watts.
Jones Audio PA-M300 Series 2 Monoblock Power Amplifier
- Written by Jason Victor Serinus
- Published on 19 September 2011
Imagine my surprise when Secrets' Editor-in-Chief, John Johnson, asked me if I would review a pair of Jones Audio's 300W solid-state monoblock power amplifiers. "Now that would be quite a switch," was the first thought that popped into my head.
Parasound Halo A 31 Three-Channel Power Amplifier
- Written by Chris Heinonen
- Published on 05 December 2012
Parasound has been making their Halo line of products for quite a few years now, but they are not one to make updates for the sake of change. Their A21 and A51 amplifiers have been unchanged since they debuted and remain a mainstay. The A 31, reviewed here, is a three-channel (250 watts x 3) power amplifier.
Earthquake Sound Cinenova 7 Multi-Channel Power Amplifier
- Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
- Published on 22 August 2011
Earthquake Sound, besides manufacturing very powerful subwoofers, also offers very powerful amplifiers for your home theater. The massive Cinénova Grande 7 is rated at 500 watts output per channel (seven channels) into 8 ohm loads. At $6,000, it is one of the most powerful multi-channel amplifiers in the world. But, many consumers don't need that much power, either because their home theater is small, or they just don't watch movies and listen to surround sound music very loud. So, Earthquake Sound has introduced the Cinénova 7, a seven-channel power amplifier, which is rated at 150 watts output per channel into 8 ohms.
Mark Levinson No533H Three Channel Power Amplifier
- Written by Chris Heinonen
- Published on 19 June 2012
Mark Levinson has been one of the most well know high-end audio brands for decades now. While usually associated with two-channel stereo, they also have a line of home theater amplifiers and electronics for those that want Mark Levinson with their multichannel system as well as their stereo.
Parasound New Classic 5250v.2 Multi-Channel Power Amplifier
- Written by Jared Rachwalski
- Published on 15 August 2011
Parasound builds many audio products such as amps, tuners, preamps, and products for custom installations. As well their products can be found in many movie studios, including Lucasfilm and Pixar, you can even see their name in the credits for Star Wars. As well they are known for their highly regarded stereo products designed by John Curl. Their New Classic line has been around for many years and Parasound has released an updated five channel amplifier from this line, named the 5250v.2 which is a powerful and rugged THX Ultra-2 Five channel amplifier.
Anthem P2 Two-Channel Power Amplifier
- Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
- Published on 11 May 2012
Anthem's statement multi-channel power amplifiers are called the P series. They come in two versions, a five-channel (P5) and a two-channel (P2). My home theater test lab has a 200 watt x 5 amplifier which works great for the majority of applications, but it is driving electrostatic speakers (ESLs), and for a handful of Blu-ray movies, the amplifier will go into protect mode when at high volume, because ESLs typically have a very low impedance (1 ohm) in the high frequency range.
Mark Levinson Nº 531H Monoblock Power Amplifier
- Written by Jim Clements
- Published on 12 June 2011
Mark Levinson is one of the world's great high end audio manufacturers. They make a wide variety of electronic components, including pre amps, DACs, CD transports, SACD players as well as a surround sound processor they call a "Media Console". Levinson has also teamed with luxury auto manufacturer, Lexus so you can take their audio products on the road. Nonetheless, Mark Levinson is almost certainly best known for their very large, very powerful and very expensive power amplifiers. They enjoy a well deserved reputation for making some of the best - if not the best - solid state power amps around. The Nº 531H is the subject of the current review, and it delivers 300 watts RMS into 8 ohms.
Pass Labs X1000.5 Monoblock Power Amplifier
- Written by John E. Johnson, Jr.
- Published on 13 February 2012
We have reviewed several Pass Labs products in the past, and I finally decided to get a pair of what they call "Room Heaters", i.e., the X1000.5. These monoblock power amplifiers are rated at 1,000 watts rms into 8 ohms. They are similar in physical design to the XA200.5, but the XA200.5's are biased into Pure Class A, while the X1000.5's are biased about 80 watts into Class A, with the rest as AB.
Primare A30.7 Seven-Channel Class D Power Amplifier
- Written by Jim Clements
- Published on 28 April 2011
This new seven-channel Class D power amplifier comes to us from the Swedish high fidelity brand, Primare. The engineers at Primare designed this amplifier from the ground up with some fresh ideas on how to optimize this burgeoning amplifier topology. Will this compact multi-channel amp be able to muster the chutzpah to power your home theater? Will it be able to deliver this power with the grace that is missing from so many other Class D amps?
