Integrated Amplifiers

Consumer Electronics products are traditionally marketed on the basis of progress and technological improvement, and the hi-fi scene is no exception. Amplifiers were already a mature technology in the early 1980s, following big advances in low noise circuitry, robust complementary power transistors, DC coupling and high-speed operation. With these fundamentals in place the larger manufacturers turned their attention to exotic power supplies, remote controls and system integration, equalisers and frequency spectrum displays, special inputs for CD players and, of course, ever more output power to entice customers to upgrade.

Two years ago, when Musical Fidelity relaunched its Nu-Vista hardware line with the four-box PRE/PAS amplifier system [HFN Mar ’23], owner Heinz Lichtenegger – whose Audio Tuning company had acquired the brand in 2018 – confirmed plans for two sibling integrated amplifiers. The first of those, the 800.2, surfaced a few months later [HFN Aug ’23]. Now, perhaps belatedly, comes the turn of what Lichtenegger told us would be the ‘lower-power’ Nu-Vista 600.2.

French audio marque Devialet has been on quite a journey. Its first product, in 2010, was the D-Premier [HFN Apr ’10], an innovative integrated amplifier showcasing the ADH (Analogue/Digital Hybrid) topology of designer/company founder Pierre-Emmanuel Calmel and colleague Mathias Moronvalle. Eye-catchingly designed, thrillingly innovative and a sonic marvel, Devialet’s amplifier was a shot in the arm for the hi-fi industry.

Shall we first dispense with the debate about what constitutes ‘expensive’? Just as ‘luxury’ means anything more than you need, ‘expensive’ means anything more than you’re prepared or able to spend. I’m not about to gloss over the fact that £18,000 for a stereo amplifier isn’t chicken feed to most of us, even in a world of amplifiers costing 30 times that amount.

This pre/power system from the boutique UK marque benefits from its designer’s attention to detail and tube know-how, says Dave Berriman

Every so often, you stumble across something a bit special. Well, ‘stumble’ is perhaps not quite the right word, but I did hear a rather captivating sound coming from the GATE room at one of the UK’s smaller audio shows a year or two ago, and then again at the Heathrow-based Hi-Fi News Show last year.

PS Audio’s new Stellar Strata MK2 amplifier looks – at first glance – identical to the original Stellar Strata [HFN Mar ’21], save the ‘MK2’ lettering now added to its fascia. The slender chassis, offered in silver or black and a feature of all Stellar series hardware, is retained, as is the slim text display, right-side volume rotary and headphone output of its predecessor. So from the off, it’s clear that any changes made for this second-generation design are under the hood.

Headquartered in Kanagawa, Japan, Soulnote has created a trio of product ranges in just ten years. Its mid-range Series 2 comprises a phono stage, DAC and the A-2 integrated

Soulnote’s A-2, available for £6300 in silver or black, is an integrated amplifier with an air of the ‘old skool’ about it. No network or digital connectivity, just analogue all the way, and only line-level too, as the Japanese manufacturer prefers to keep its phono stages separate. There’s no form of system control (ie, 12V triggers), and the user experience is very much plug-in-and-play, aided by an elegant remote and even simpler front-panel display.