Integrated Amplifiers

A comparison between our inside pictures, and a few moments on the lab bench, reveals the clear connection between the design of the 5510, the 3510 [HFN Nov ’21] and its predecessor, the 3010S2 [tested for HFC Jul ’13]. The maximum +41.1dB gain and slightly below-average 80.7dB A-wtd S/N ratio are largely unchanged, but this remains a white noise rather than invasive hum, so the subjective impact is benign. The 5510’s power output is also identical to the 3510’s at 2x135W/ 8ohm and 2x225W/4ohm – Exposure feeling confident to ‘uprate’ the specification from 2x110W to 2x120W here – but the newcomer’s ability to drive low impedance loads has been significantly boosted. While the 3510 offered 166W, 318W, 546W and 762W into 8, 4, 2 and 1ohm loads under dynamic conditions (<1% THD/10msec), the 5510 ups the ante with 167W, 320W, 560W and 820W, respectively [see Graph 1]. Maximum current is lifted from 27.6A to 28.5A, though either figure is massive for a ‘mere’ 100-watter!

Exposure’s revised output, with DC servo, is reflected in the reduced 0.009-0.011ohm source impedance (20Hz-20kHz) and extended sub-bass response where the –3dB limit is now 2Hz rather than the 3510’s 5Hz. The HF response is unchanged at –1dB/20kHz and –16dB/100kHz while distortion now has a slightly different profile – higher at lower power (0.007-0.05% vs. 0.003-0.05% re. 1W, 20Hz-20kHz) but lower at higher power (0.003-0.03% vs. 0.006-0.051% re. 10W). Importantly, these changes mean that distortion is now more consistent with output so, even at 100W, the 5510 holds to 0.01-0.085% [re. 20Hz-20kHz; see red trace, Graph 2 below]. PM