Pre/Power Amplifiers

YBA describes its products as 'Designed in France, made with Passion', a novel twist on the 'Engineered in…' labelling seen on so many hi-fi products today. For though the company traces its history – and its name – back to its foundation by Yves-Bernard André in 1981, these days it's effectively owned by the Chinese 'Shenzhen Shanling Digital Technology Development Company', and in fact all its products, apart from the flagship Statement range, are made in China. André maintains a strong level of involvement with the brand, the 2009 deal which saw Shanling take a majority stake being intended to offer stability and an enhanced manufacturing capacity. The YBA brand was effectively relaunched in 2012, under the guidance of CEO Jacki Pugh (ex-Creek and Epos), and has grown to include the Design, Heritage, Passion, Signature and entry-level Genesis ranges.There are now no fewer than 18 models in the YBA catalogue, from amplification and CD players/DACs to phono stages and streaming products. To cap it off, YBA even has partnering 'Glass' and 'Diamond' interconnect and speaker cables.