Editors’ Choice: Power Amplifiers $50,000 to $100,000

Constellation Taurus

$50,000/pr.

Part of Constellation’s trio of Revelation series solid-state electronics, the Taurus monoblocks make musical magic. Sonic compromises such as accurate-but-analytical, silky-but-smeared, musical-but-veiled simply don’t apply. You get it all: lifelike tonal balance, refined resolution, expansive soundstaging, fantastic dynamic range and control—all woven into a compelling musical whole. The Taurus mono amp puts out 500 watts and sounds more powerful than many similarly rated products. Though housed in less elaborate casework than its more expensive brethren, the Taurus delivers much higher-level Constellation magic at a less lofty price. 

Absolare Hybrid Stereo, Signature Edition

$52,000

Absolare has managed to capture much of the magic of its reference-class products in the Hybrid Stereo power amplifier. The Hybrid combines tubes in the front end with a 275Wpc (4 ohms) solid-state output stage. Yet there’s no hint of transistors in the Hybrid’s sound; it has astonishing liquidity of timbre, is utterly grain-free, and projects that elusive sense of midrange presence that is the hallmark of the best SETs. The Hybrid creates a directness of musical expression—of hearing nothing between you and the music—that is unique among solid-state amplifiers, in RH’s experience. 

CH Precision M1.1 

$54,000; $104,000/pr.

Winner of TAS’ 2015 Product of the Year award for cost-no-object amplifier, this deluxe, Swiss-made, bridgeable (or adaptable to stereo use), high-current, high-power, 200W, Class AB amplifier—authored by the same engineers, Florian Cossy and Thierry Heeb (the C and H of CH Precision) who designed Goldmund’s distinguished electronics back in the day—seems to have some of the sonic DNA of another Swiss company’s, Soulution’s, world-class electronics. Indeed, JV reports that he would be hard put to choose between the M1 and Soulution’s 711 in every regard save for the bass, where the Soulution still holds an edge in weight, power, and color. When it comes to resolution, however, it is a different story. Indeed, with a slightly less dark (i.e., “bottom up”) balance, the CH Precision draws ahead in detail. 

Soulution 501

$55,500/pr. 

By joining a state-of-the-art switching power supply to its already state-of-the-art, high-speed, high-current Class AB circuitry, Soulution managed to add simply incredible bass power, grip, and color to products that were no slouches in this regard in the past and that already boasted fabulous resolution, transient speed, and low noise. The result was a transistor monoblock amp with uncommonly beautiful and liquid timbre, tube-like three-dimensionality, vast soundstaging, and jaw-dropping realism. Despite its mere 120W power rating, the 501 was also the most unstintingly powerful amp (of any topology) JV had (up till then) had in his system, refusing to give up or out on even the widest dynamic swings at the highest listening levels. Co-winner of TAS’ 2013 Solid-State Amp of the Year. 

T+A M 40 HV

$59,000/pr.

T+A’s monoblock hybrid amplifier boasts the kind of power you need to ride on the sonic equivalent of the Autobahn. (T+A’s accompanying P3100HV preamplifier is also extraordinarily incisive.) The M 40 produces an immense soundstage that almost allows you to count the members of an orchestra row by row. It also seems to be virtually grainless. Raise the volume and there is no sense of strain. These 550W amplifiers, whose input stage is based around a pair of 6SN7 tubes, can be run in either high power or high current mode, with the latter providing a richer sound. This amplifier offers not simply rock-solid, but also invariably seductive performance. 

Zanden Audio Systems Model 9600mk2

$64,350/pr.

For those of you who own speakers that don’t require the very last word in power and that are well-damped in the bottom end, it is difficult to imagine a more appealing amplifier than this drop-dead-gorgeous-looking Class A/AB tube monoblock from the great Japanese engineer Kazutoshi Yamada of Zanden Audio Systems. Powered by twin 845 triodes, the 60W in Class A (and 100W in Class AB) Model 9600 Mk2 is a veritable model of neutrality, producing a near-divinely natural tonal balance from the top almost to the bottom (where it becomes a little big), without any hint of excess darkness or brightness. Gobsmackingly detailed and lifelike, the Model 9600 Mk2 is simply one of the best medium-powered tube amplifiers JV has heard. 

MBL 9008 A

$68,000/pr.

The massive, high-current, high-bandwidth, high-power (440W into 8 ohms, 840W into 4 ohms, 1000W into 2 ohms), very-low-distortion, Class AB 9008 A monoblock amplifier sits just behind MBL’s even more massive and powerful 9011 monoblock in the company’s Reference Line. Both amps were designed by Jürgen Reis, which is tantamount to saying that both amps are bullet-proof technical and sonic marvels. Built using the finest parts, the 9008 A is a beast with a velvet voice. Seemingly inexhaustible speed, power, and plumb-the-depths resolution are here mated to a dark, rich, beautiful tonal palette. The result is something very like what you hear with Soulution’s finest amps—a gorgeous bottom-up presentation with the solidity of an ebony pillar. Perfect for any of MBL’s own speakers, including the 101s and the X-tremes, and swell with anything else. One of JV’s references. 

Audio Research REF 750 SE

$70,000/pr.

For many music lovers, these massive amplifiers will be the final word in driving any full-range loudspeaker. You would expect effortless power from an amplifier sporting 16 KT150 output tubes, and that is exactly what you get. Even with difficult-to-drive loudspeakers, there is an ease of presentation and lack of compression that opens a new level of realism for all music source material. But the most surprising feature of the 750 SEs is their finesse and delicacy on relatively simple musical material (such as piano and cello duos), even at low listening levels—not unlike what you would expect from single-ended amps. Their cost is substantial, but if you value natural and effortless music reproduction, the REF 750 SEs are truly satisfying. 

VTL Siegfried II

$75,000/pr.

The VTL Siegfried is not simply one of the most powerful and musical tube amplifiers in existence; it is also one of the most reliable. It features a wealth of features designed to make it user-friendly and avoid breakdowns. A fault-sensing system shuts down a tube before it can damage the amp. In addition, a precision regulated power supply regulates the output tubes, helping to produce a pure, fast, and very enticing sound. The Siegfried lands on the (slightly) warmer and more burnished side of the sound spectrum, and its immense power reserves endow recordings with real heft and weight. A visceral and emotional experience that is not soon forgotten. 

Soulution 711

$75,500

Like Soulution’s 501 monoblocks (but even more so), this massive, seemingly inexhaustible stereo amplifier is capable of virtually unlimited current and amperage regardless of load. Slightly dark and very rich in tone color, blessed with tube-like dimensionality and bloom, sweet and subtle in the treble, standard-settingly powerful and well-defined in the bass, ultra-fast on transients, excellent at resolving inner detail, with a soundstage the size of the Ritz, the 711 hasn’t any obvious weaknesses. JV has never heard a solid-state amp that is more thrilling powerful or ravishingly beautiful or consistently realistic than this beastie boy from Zurich. TAS’ 2014 Overall Product of the Year Award winner.

D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Momentum M400 MxV

$79,950

One thing is immediately apparent upon listening to the Momentum series: Dan D’Agostino has seriously upped his game from earlier designs. In particular, the earlier version of the Momentum amplifier lacked the finesse and sheer gumption of this M400. D’Agostino has taken several steps to improve the monoblocks, including redesigning the driver stage to ensure that it is fully complementary. This almost doubles the current that the output stage sees. The amp also doubles up on power delivery as the impedance halves, generating 1800 watts at 2 ohms, which means that it’s essentially unflappable. The sonic result is a remarkable degree of control and an ability to disentangle complex musical passages with great fidelity, thereby rendering them easily intelligible to the ear. The D’Agostino M400 will give you both refinement and a dose of rocket fuel. 

Berning 211/845

$80,000/pr.

In the 211/845, David Berning has created the most ambitious realization yet of his brilliant ZOTL circuit that allows a tube amplifier to operate without an audio-output transformer. The 211/845 offers 60W of pure Class A triode tube power (via either 211 or 845 output tubes) with no feedback. The 211/845 conveys the beauty of instrumental timbre and voices with a stunning realism and immediacy. The impression that everything between you and the music has been stripped away is astonishing. In this regard, the 211/845 simply has no peer, tube or solid-state. Surprisingly, the bass is well defined and tuneful, although not the last word in dynamic impact. The highish output impedance and limited current delivery dictate that the 211/845 be matched with a loudspeaker of appropriate sensitivity and impedance. But when given the right load, the Berning 211/845 is nothing short of magical.

Pass Labs Xs300

$85,000/pr.

AHC has been using Pass amps as one of his references for years, and he had real doubts whether this newer design could sound all that much better than what he was used to. Well, the devil lies in the details, and the Xs300 monoblocks provide those details in as neutral and accurate a manner as any amplifier he’s heard. Outstanding in all the usual areas for a reference-quality amplifier, but its deep bass and transition from the upper bass to the midrange truly enhance the musical experience. So does a level of dynamic life and detail that must be heard rather than described in words. Capable of driving even the most demanding speakers, the Xs300 produces 300 watts into 8 ohms and 600 watts into 4 ohm and has a maximum output current of 60 amps. 

Tidal Ferios

$85,000/pr.

This beautifully built middle amplifier in Tidal’s three-product range is brimming with clever design touches delivered with elaborate execution. The parts-quality, attention to the smallest detail, and fit ’n’ finish are as good as they get. This monoblock delivers 300W into 8 ohms (680W into 4) and sounds like a powerhouse. The bass is robust and well defined, and the midrange has a remarkable sense of transparency and presence. One of the most immediate and least-colored solid-state amplifiers RH has heard.

Air Tight 3211

$89,500/pr. 

This beautiful and beautifully made all-tube monoblock, powered by a pair of Chinese 211s in a push-pull configuration, generates 30W of Class A power and 120W of Class AB. If you’re thinking that these storied, directly heated triodes make for a voluptuously colored sound, you couldn’t be more wrong. The 3211 is a neutral, transparent, effortlessly powerful amplifier with simply superb bass (none of the usual “for a tube amp” qualifications needed), superb transient response, and superb resolution. It is not often that JV has come across a piece of electronics that strikes him as an “instant classic”; this genuine masterpiece from Air Tight is an exception: an amplifier that can hold its own among the very best tube designs of the past and of the present day. 

Ypsilon Hyperion

$93,000/pr.

The Ypsilon Hyperion monoblock amplifier is a hybrid that features a tube input stage and a solid-state output stage. The tubes add a dollop of warmth and sinuosity to the affair, while the solid-state output provides grip and transparency. Ypsilon designer Demetris Baklavas has created some musical magic with this latest design, which outputs a healthy 450 watts. The trademark Ypsilon sound—a lack of an electronic signature—is fully apparent in the amazing purity of the notes. The Hyperion does not have quite the slam in the lower bass of its purely solid-state brethren, but it possesses a pitch definition that is pretty much unrivaled. 

Constellation Centaur II

$99,000/pr. 

These 500W monoblocks feature the same circuit topology as the mighty $190,000-a-pair Constellation Hercules monos but with a less elaborate implementation and half the output stage for “only” 500W of output power. The beautifully built Centaurs have ravishing tone color, are exceptionally detailed, and most significantly, are extremely transparent to sources. They are also lightning fast but without a sense of etch. Outstanding dynamics and seemingly unlimited power delivery round out the presentation of this highly appealing amplifier.