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Category: Amplifiers

Living Sounds Audio Warp 1 View from above

Power Amplifier Test

Living Sounds Audio Warp 1 Review

Just another one hit wonder? It is somewhat appropriate to be skeptical of new manufacturers, as many products have disappeared from the market just…

| Michael Lang
Aavik I-180

Integrated Amplifier Test

Aavik I-180 Review

You call this Entry-Level? – With the integrated amplifier from the entry-level 180 series, Aavik took a radical turn: leaving behind heavy castles of…

| Michael Lang
SST Ambrosia/Ampzilla 2000

Pre-/Power Amplifier Test

SST Ambrosia/Ampzilla 2000 Review

Bongiorno‘s Legacy – James Bongiorno, the inventor behind such legends as Ampzilla, GAS Thaedra, SUMO The Power or SAE XXX1B, left behind more for the…

| Tom Frantzen
Vincent KHV-200

Headphone Amplifier Test

Vincent KHV-200 Review

Head & Soul – A first-class list of equipment combined with a clever technological concept in so-called hybrid design, i.e. the combination of tubes…

| Michael Lang
Aavik R-180

Phono Preamp Test

Aavik R-180 Review

Born to Invent – It seems as if Michael Borresen was born with a special passion for tinkering and inventing. With his smallest phono preamplifier…

| Michael Lang
Octave V 70 Class A

Integrated Amp Test

Octave V 70 Class A Review

The new Class A – In the field of tube amplifiers, innovations are rather rare. This makes the creativity of new concepts coming from Octave all the…

| Michael Lang
Lyngdorf TDAI-1120

Integrated Amplifier Test

Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 Review

Small Amp for Big Tasks – The TDAI-1120 is Lyngdorf‘s smallest integrated amplifier with room correction and streaming. Did they save money at the…

| Julian Kienzle
Mal Valve Headamp 3 MK IV

Headphone Amp Test

Mal Valve Headamp 3 MK IV Review

Peak Performance – five and a half years after we crowned the Mal Valve Head Amp 3 our reference headphone amp, it dethrones itself with the MK IV…

| Michael Lang
Accustic Arts Preamp III

Preamplifier Test

Accustic Arts Preamp III Review

Higher Goals … but how to hit them? With the new Preamp III, Accustic Arts wants to surpass their previous top model. STEREO tested whether they were…

| Matthias Böde
Hegel V10

Phono-Preamp Test

Hegel V10 Review

Plain and Simple – A high-quality reproduction of music is appreciated throughout Scandinavia. Although the Norwegian manufacturer Hegel has been on…

| Michael Lang
ARCAM SA 30 Frontal View

Integrated Amplifier Test

Arcam SA 30 Review

He's Got It All! – You don't win an EISA award "just like that". You indeed have to offer much more than the competition does – as is the case with…

| Michael Lang
Rotel Michi X3

Integrated Amplifier Test

Rotel Michi X3 Review

Behold the Power – Rotel's new integrated amplifier "X3" is the entry into their high-end "Michi" series. Does it have the perks of the even bigger…

| Matthias Böde
Cyrus XR

Integrated Amp & CD Player Test

Cyrus i9-XR and Cyrus CDi-XR Review

Xtreme Resolution – The British manufacturer Cyrus has a legendary status when it comes to incredible musicality, joy of playing and coherence coming…

| Tom Frantzen
Cambridge Evo 150

Integrated (Streaming-)Amp Test

Cambridge Evo 150 Review

Road To Perfection – Cambridge Audio recently dropped quite a bombshell. Not in the literal sense, of course, but the newly presented Evo 150 simply…

| Tom Frantzen
AVM Ovation PH 8.3

Phono-Preamp Test

AVM Ovation PH 8.3 Review

You can always get what you want – With the brand new Ovation PH 8.3, AVM launches a phono preamplifier of the highest class, which can also be…

| Michael Lang
Preamp NAD C 658 and Power Amp NAD C 298

Power Amplifier Test

NAD C 298 Review

Sleeping Beauty has Awakened – For a few years, it seemed as if NAD had lost some of its momentum. Behind the scenes, however, the company evidently…

| Michael Lang
Accuphase E-800

Integrated Amplifier Test

Accuphase E-800 Review

The Über-Amp – Accuphase crowns its line of integrated amplifiers with a super-sized amp. The E-800 shines with Class A operation and technical…

| Matthias Böde
Vertere Phono-1 MK II

Phono-Preamp Test

Vertere Phono-1 MK II Review

Magic Box – A device that comes at a reasonable price and yet is not ordinary, but different from others? Touraj Moghaddam, owner of Vertere Audio,…

| Michael Lang
Audionet Humboldt Integrated Amp

Integrated Amplifier Test

Audionet Humboldt Review

The Giant from Berlin – Around a quarter of a century has passed since Audionet came onto the market with the Amp1 power amplifier, which convinced…

| Michael Lang
Marantz Model 30

Integrated Amplifier Test

Marantz Model 30 Review

Marantz DNA – "Luxury You Can Afford" is what Joe Cocker called one of his albums. One might think that this legend of music from Sheffield, England,…

| Tom Frantzen
AVM PA / MA 30.3

Pre-/Power Amp Test

AVM PA 30.3 and MA 30.3 Review

The Follow-Up – AVM created the outrageously attractive "30" series for the company's 30th anniversary, and now extends it. This is done somewhat…

| Tom Frantzen
DSPeaker Anti-Mode X4

Preamp and Room processor Test

DSPeaker Anti-Mode X4 Review

Multiple Choice – The X4 preamplifier from Finnish manufacturer DSPeaker is as versatile as it is intuitive and aims to help any system achieve its…

| Julian Kienzle
Copland CTA408

Integrated Amp Test

Copland CTA408 Review

The Prince of Denmark – Four KT-150 high performance tubes with ultra-linear circuitry are supposed to elevate the new Copland CTA-408 to the top of…

| Tom Frantzen
NAD M33

Integrated Amp Test

NAD M33 Review

All Digital, of Course – With the M33, NAD is making the definite step from a classic integrated amplifier towards an ultra-modern and complex…

| Michael Lang
T+A HA 200

Headphone Amp Test

T+A HA 200 Review

A Perfect Pair – There is not really a more spectacular or successful way to enter a new segment than T+A did with their Solitaire P headphones – with…

| Michael Lang
AVM Ovation A 6.2

Integrated Amp Test

AVM Ovation 6.2 ME Review

Master Class – "Back in Business" could be the title of AVM's integrated amplifier Ovation A 6.2, as its traditional place in the portfolio of the…

| Tom Frantzen
Soulution 330

Integrated Amp Test

Soulution 330 Review

Although it is neither antique nor adorned with diamonds, the Soulutions 330 integrated amplifier turned out to be an exquisite high-end jewel. Of…

| Matthias Böde
NAD C 658

Preamp, Streamer, DAC Test

NAD C 658 Review

Only Looks Classic – The name NAD has for a long time been synonymous with good sound at a moderate price – at the affordable cost of limited…

| Michael Lang
Exposure XM CD, XM7 and XM9

CD Player, Pre Amp, Power Amp Test

Exposure XM CD, XM7 and XM9 Review

Tight Fit – In its "XM Series", Exposure offers a whole range of devices in the popular midi size. STEREO tests whether the smaller dimensions also…

| Matthias Böde
Accustic Arts' AMPII-MK4

Power Amplifier Test

Accustic Arts AMPII-MK4 Review

Refining a Monument – Only insiders could recognize that Accustic Arts has refined the prominent stereo power amplifier AMPII to the new „MK4“…

| Matthias Böde
Devialet Expert 210 Pro Dual

Dual Mono Amplifier Test

Devialet Expert 210 Pro Dual Review

Devialet Double – Devialet is one of the most innovative amplifier manufacturers out there, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they also offer…

| Matthias Böde
Primare I25

Integrated Amp Test

Primare I25 Review

Musicbox of Swedish Steel – The Swedes from Primare really know what they're doing when it comes to consumer electronics – as the I25 proves.

| Michael Lang
Lyngdorf TDAI-3400

Integrated Amplifier Test

Lyngdorf TDAI-3400 Review

Ahead of Its Time – Already in the late 1990s, Peter Lyngdorf was advocating Class D technology with the "Tact" millennium amplifier. 20 years later,…

| Michael Lang
Octave V 16 SE and Octave RE 320 (SBB)

Headphone Amp and Bi-Amping Test

Octave V 16 SE and Octave RE 320 (SBB) Review

March Separately but Strike Together – The combination of Octave's integrated amplifier V16 SE (Single Ended) and the power amplifier Octave RE 320…

| Michael Lang
Accuphase C-2150 & P-4500

Pre-/Power Amp Combination Test

Accuphase C-2150 and P-4500 Review

The Only Way Is Up – Like the gold price, Accuphase only knows one direction of development: upwards. With the new C-2150 and P-4500…

| Matthias Böde
Denon DCD-600NE & PMA-600NE

Integrated Amp/CD-Player Test

Denon DCD-600NE & Denon PMA-600NE Review

New "Gateway Drug" – With the DCD-600NE CD-player and PMA-600NE integrated amplifier, Denon offers a complete package for a total of less than 700…

| Tom Frantzen
Luxman PD-151, D-N 150 & SQ-N 150

Turntable, CD-Player & Integrated Amp Test

Luxman PD-151, D-N 150 & SQ-N 150 Review

"L" is for Lover – It is an audiophile declaration of love en miniature: Luxman's new 150-series player/amp combination. Together with the PD-151…

| Matthias Böde
NAD C368

Integrated Amp Test

NAD C368 Review

Bridge-Builder – At 1000 Euros, NAD‘s new C368 is the middle of a modern amplifier trio that combines the best of analog and digital amp technology.

| Tom Frantzen
Moon 600i

Integrated Amp Test

Moon 600i Review

The Moon from Canada – What sounds like the title of a childrens bedtime-story looks more like a picture book for adults. The Moon 600i is a dream of…

| Tom Frantzen
Pathos Kratos

Integrated Amp Test

Pathos Kratos Review

Eight cylinders with Power & Pathos – It‘s all in the name: with their new Kratos, the amplifier specialists from Pathos combine power with…

| Matthias Böde
Westend Audio Systems LEO

Integrated Amp Test

Westend Audio Systems LEO Review

Beware the Lion – 300B single-ended triode amplifier. This sounds frightening for some and makes other‘s eyes sparkle. What is it about the myth…

| Volker Pigors
Accustic Arts PLAYER I & POWER I | STEREO

Integrated Amp/CD-Player Test

Accustic Arts PLAYER I & POWER I Review

The Art of Naturalness – With the just renewed team of PLAYER I and POWER I, Accustic Arts increases the performance of their "Top-Series" - in a very…

| Matthias Böde
Clearaudio Balance V2 (Image: STEREO)

(Phono-)Preamplifier / Headphone Amp Test

Clearaudio Balance V2 Review

Phono-pre, preamplifier and headphone amp: Clearaudio‘s new Balance V2 combines three devices in one. How does it perform? We‘ve tested all the…

NAD M10

Integrated Amp Test

NAD M10 Review

The brand new NAD M10 is small and inconspicuous. However, it is anything but a toy and instead full of clever ideas and technology.

Pre-/Power Amp Combination Test

Luxman CL-38uC & MQ-88uC Review

For many hi-fi fans, the new retro looking Luxman tube-duo is guaranteed to be love at first sight. What about first listen? STEREO is testing whether…

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