MAGAZINE
They occupy a special position: the hybrid integrated amplifiers from Danish brand Copland. In them, tubes drive potent power transistors, which is supposed to create an ideal combination of sound and power. With the new CSA 70, however, founder and chief designer Ole Møller strays from this path and equips the amp exclusively with semiconductors. Available as usual in both silver and black, the device features the typical Copland design and offers, in addition to three high-level inputs, a line output with fixed level that can be used for a recorder, for example. A preamp output with adjustable volume, a 6.3 mm jack for headphones and a phono MM preamp come on top of that. The four digital interfaces – coax, 2 x optical and USB – furhermore turn the CSA 70 into a universal control center for all kinds of sources.
Copland states a continuous power of around 70 watts per channel, with the design of the CSA 70's output stage largely corresponding to that of the larger models CSA 100 and CSA 150. According to the manufacturer, a special design of the negative feedback ensures a wide frequency response with correspondingly fast signal processing, which is supposed to deliver low distortion and natural colors. On top of that, the amp is said to easily work with speakers that are difficult to drive.
The CSA 70, which can of course be controlled via remote, has a motor-driven precision volume potentiometer that requires no electronics in the signal path. The amplifier is also protected against DC components, overcurrent conditions and thermal overload and is available now* for 2990 euros*.
*Availability and price for Germany.
