Audiophile Power Amplifier Reviews

Audiophile power amp reviews, mono block amps, stereo solid state amplifiers, Class-D technologies (GaN, Hypex, Pascal etc…), tube amps, multi-channel amps, affordable power amps and more.

Audiophile Power Amplifier Reviews

Anthem STR Integrated Amp installed

Anthem STR Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The Anthem STR (buy at Crutchfield) is a midrange option in the world of audiophile integrated amplifiers with a price tag of $4,999. Anthem has chosen to take a very audiophile route with this integrated amplifier. What I mean by this is that, instead of… Read More »



More Audiophile Power Amplifier Reviews


The Pass Labs INT-250 at Jerry Del Colliano's House

Pass Labs INT-250 Integrated Amp Reviewed

One of the most affordable and, in this case, powerful ways to rock your audiophile system is to look for a high-end integrated amp for your power needs. The Pass Labs INT-250 is one of many strong options in the $10,000-plus price… Read More »


The Benchmark AHB2 stereo amp in silver has both pro audio as well as audiophile consumer appeal.

Benchmark Media Systems AHB2 Stereo Power Amplifier Reviewed

For years, the audio world acknowledged one main contender (at least at sub-five-figure pricing) for the quietest, cleanest, most neutral power amplifier around. That was the Benchmark AHB2 ($3,499 – buy at Amazon), whose specifications are still, for all practical… Read More »


Pass Labs X250.8 (photo by Lee Shelly)

Pass Labs X250.8 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed

If there is anything that seems patently obvious about Nelson Pass, it may be reasonably said he loves designing audiophile amplifiers. Additionally, his company has one of the best reputations in the industry of doing so with magnificent results. Whereas many… Read More »


Cambridge Audio EVO 150 DeLorean Edition Integrated amp is a jaw-droopingly gorgeous bit of industrial design that also sounds FANTASTIC.

Cambridge Audio EVO 150 DeLorean Edition Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The Cambridge EVO 150 DeLorean Edition marks a refreshingly unique marketing choice by the folks at Cambridge Audio. They have taken their EVO 150 product which comes with the same built-in steaming features, 150 Watts of class D power into… Read More »


SPL s1200 power amp in red with its silver, magnetic front faceplate. Very cool looking.

SPL Performer S1200 Power Amp Reviewed

Professional audio products sometimes have a somewhat strained relationship in the audiophile hobby, but they shouldn’t. The people who actually make the music that we love are some of the best-equipped to design or inspire the best-performing music playback equipment.… Read More »


AtmaSphere's Class-D amp is one of the most high end examples of GaN technology in the audiophile space today.

Atma-Sphere Class-D GaN Mono Amplifiers Reviewed

It’s no secret that we at Future Audiophile are big fans of Class-D power amplifiers. We’ve reviewed many, and while not every Class-D amplifier is superb, some of the most neutral, smooth, and transparent amplifiers being made today are based… Read More »


No brand since Halcro has come on to the very high end market like CH Precision has.

CH Precision M1.1 Amplifier Reviewed

Switzerland is a country known for many things, such as political neutrality, incredible chocolate, fantastic skiing and, most notably, the finest watches on the planet. We likely should add ultra-premium audio into the list of fantastic things that come from… Read More »


Most uber-audiophile amps don't weight 22 pounds. This Boulder is lightweight in non-sonic terms. It is heavy duty once a song starts playing

Boulder 861 Power Amp Reviewed

There is a lot of exotica in the audiophile hobby and, when it comes to power amplifiers, Boulder is likely to land at the front of the pack. Jeff Nelson’s team in Boulder, Colorado designs and builds some of the… Read More »


HIFI Rose is makes some of the most stunning looking audiophile gear on the market today in terms of industrial design

HiFi Rose GaN Integrated Amplifier RA180 Reviewed

Let’s face it, not every audiophile has the room or desire for separate components for their electronics. The HiFi Rose RA180 integrated amplifier (buy at Crutchfield) was built specifically for this group of audiophiles who prefer a one-box approach, but… Read More »


The retro-looking yet affordable Outlaw Audio RR2166 integrated amp installed.

Outlaw Audio RR2160MkII Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The RR2160MkII (yes, that is a mouthful) is an integrated amplifier from the direct-to-consumer brand Outlaw Audio. If you’re not familiar with Outlaw Audio, they are a Massachusetts-based company that was founded in 1999, and has been making fine audiophile-grade products ever… Read More »


Chord's Anti desktop, audiophile integrated amp is built as well as the best gear the world knows.

Chord Anni Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The Anni from Chord Electronics is a small form factor, desktop-style integrated amplifier. This small but powerful integrated amplifier features both a 3.5 and a quarter-inch headphone jack, as well as 10 watts into eight ohms of Class AB amplification… Read More »


Orchard Audio's Premium GaN monos with their slanted front face plate.

Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Premium Amps Reviewed

The world of semiconductor-based amps has been the most wonderfully disruptive category in the audiophile hobby, and Orchard Audio is one of the main brands behind the movement. We discussed this matter in depth in this featured news story. A… Read More »


The LEAK Stereo 230 is a new player to the old-school trend of legacy audio components.

Leak Stereo 230 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The Stereo 230 from Leak is a modern take on a heritage design from the English audiophile brand Leak, which has been making high-performance components since 1934. This $1,695 integrated amp is designed to look similar to the Stereo 30,… Read More »


It is hard not to be impressed with the big LED screen on the HiFi Rose RS520 integrated amp

HiFi Rose RS520 Network Streamer and Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The RS520 from Korean brand HiFi Rose is a what the company calls a “All-In-One Network Streamer.” In this case, all-in-one means it has a built-in network player, DAC and amplifier, and I can tell you that is just scratching… Read More »


This looks more like a $1,400 amp - not a $400 one...

Monolith by Monoprice M2100X Stereo Amplifier Reviewed

Few mainstream electronics brands offer such a vast array of products and yet still manage to maintain a reputation for quality, customer service, and value as the California-based Monoprice. Looking for a couple THX-certified dual 15-inch 2000-watt subwoofers for your… Read More »


Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Amps are small physically but pack 150 watts per channel of class D GaN power

Orchard Audio Starkrimson Mono Block Amplifier Reviewed

Orchard Audio is a six-year-old audiophile electronics company that is the brainchild of an electronics engineer named Leo Ayzenshtat. Leo has earned his stripes by designing digital electronics for satellites. Yes, the ones that orbit the Earth and cost more… Read More »


The Peachtree Audio GaN 1 is an amp designed for streamers who want that Class-A or "tube-like" sound without all of the grief/heat that comes with tubes and/or Class-A amps.

Peachtree Audio GaN 1 Gallium Nitride Power Amp Reviewed

I have been fortunate enough to experience GaN amplification since it first dropped into the audiophile world about five years ago. I have even replaced a trusty Parasound A21+ amplifier) that was  in my audiophile gear collection for over a… Read More »


Buckeye Amps Hypex NCx500 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed

Buckeye Amps Hypex NCx500 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed

If you’re not a modern-day oligarch audio, times may seem uncertain, money a little tight. But if you’re also an audiophile, you still have your system hopes and aspirations. Your dream might be to own an audiophile power amp that… Read More »


Adcom GFA-555ms is the latest version of the legendary Nelson Pass designed amp priced at $1,395 today

Adcom GFA-555ms Power Amplifier Reviewed

Adcom was once one of the most dangerous audiophile creatures on the planet back when the dinosaurs roamed the Earth—when sporting a Sony Walkman was quite stylish. This era predates my audiophile journey by about a decade, but I have… Read More »


The NAD M33 is a Master Series product and capable of more audiophile feats than most other components in the market today be it DAC, Preamp, power amp, room correction and more

NAD M33 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The NAD M33 (buy at Crutchfield) is so much more than an integrated amplifier that it’s a shame that we have it listed in our audiophile amplifier category. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Swiss Army Knife of Audio Components category… Read More »


The Boulder 1160 is one of the lower end amps in their lineup priced at $36000

Boulder Amplifiers 1160 Stereo Amp Reviewed

Nestled slightly south east of Boulder, Colorado, is a high-end audio company whose name is synonymous with world-class, high-performance gear: Boulder Amplifiers. In fact, Boulder is generally considered by many savvy audiophiles as one of the best overall electronics brands available… Read More »


NAD C 3050 is a retro-looking but forward thinking integrated amp with every cool feature we could hope for at a very fair retail price

NAD C 3050 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The 3050 may be NAD’s newest audiophile integrated amplifier, but it takes little more than a casual glance to see that it’s been inspired by some of their most meaningful legacy products – ones that helped guide the first steps… Read More »


The Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra 2.0 Gallium Nitride amp is the latest new player in the GaN amp game

Orchard Audio Starkrimson Ultra 2.0 GaN Amplifier Reviewed

Few industries have a wider range in terms of the sizes of companies creating products for public consumption than does the audiophile market. Some companies, such as Harman and Sony, are multi-billion-dollar conglomerates. Others, such as like Orchard Audio, are… Read More »


Pass Labs XA25 Class-A amp reviewed

Pass Labs XA-25 Audiophile Power Amplifier Reviewed

How many people back in the day really knew how special a car designed by Enzo Ferrari was? Today, years after his death, an Enzo-era design from Modena is almost always more than a million-dollar investment. When it comes to… Read More »


Marantz Model 30 Integrated amp reviewed

Marantz Model 30 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

Marantz’s Model 30 integrated amplifier ($2,999 buy at Crutchfield) has a blend of old-school features and design with modern technology, but perhaps not in the way most audiophiles might anticipate. The Model 30 has a classic, old-school interface and feel,… Read More »


Classe Delta Stereo amp reviewed by Jerry Del Colliano

Classé Delta Stereo Amplifier Reviewed

Long before Classé became part of Masimo Consumer (the parent company that also owns Polk, Definitive Technology, Denon, Marantz, and Bowers & Wilkins), the company was making some of the highest-performance audiophile components in the market. I’ve owned past versions… Read More »


The Fosi BT20A integrated amp is almost impossibly priced at $99.

Fosi Audio BT20A Pro Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The first review published in Future Audiophile was an SMSL integrated amplifier (read the review) that cost less than $175. It is a great little amp with an extensive input and feature set in a small chassis. Today, I’m going… Read More »


The AGD Productions Tempo GaN amp reviewed by Michael Zisserson

AGD Productions Tempo di GaN Amplifier Reviewed

Have you heard of Gallium Nitride (GaN) audiophile amplifier technology? If not, let me let you in on a little audiophile secret: unlike loudspeakers, which haven’t benefited from a major technological breakthrough in generations, GaN amplifiers represent a total rethinking of how… Read More »


The Music Hall a.25.3 audiophile integrated amp reviewed by Andrew Dewhirst

Music Hall a25.3 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The a25.3 is the latest integrated amplifier from Music Hall. This $650 integrated amplifier produces 50 watts of power per channel into 8 ohms, and 75 watts per channel into 4 ohms, and it comes equipped with Bluetooth, a moving… Read More »


SVS Prime Wireless ProStreamer reviewed by Michael Zisserson

SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase Reviewed

Welcome to the age of the modern audiophile, where products like the SVS Prime Wireless Pro SoundBase (buy at Crutchfield) make it possible to buy an entire audiophile system for under a grand. Manufacturers have been clamoring to make one-box… Read More »


The Amped America AMP 2400 Class D audiophile power amp reviewed by Michael Zisserson

Amped America AMP 2400 Amplifier Reviewed

From my latest experiences, it is high time we stop discounting Class D amplification (learn more about Class D here) as a serious high-fidelity  option. Like the screaming metal-dome tweeters used in loudspeakers from the 1980s era that have been… Read More »


PS Audio Stellar 300 amp reviewed

PS Audio Stellar S300 Stereo Amplifier Reviewed

The PS Audio Stellar S300 stereo amplifier is PS Audio’s entry-level two-channel amplifier (buy at Amazon) targeted at those thinking of upgrading from a receiver or integrated to quality separates. Make no mistake, though: entry-level or not, this is a… Read More »


Pass Labs XA 60.8 mono-block audiophile class A amp reviewed

Pass Labs XA60.8 Class A Monoblock Amplifiers Reviewed

If you’re an audio hobbyist, you are probably aware of Pass Labs, its founder Nelson Pass, and the company’s reputation for innovative audiophile amplifiers, preamplifiers, and integrated amplifier designs. All the company’s amplifiers are solid-state designs (meaning that transistors amplify… Read More »


NAD C 338 Networked Audiophile Integrated Amp Reviewed

NAD C 338 Hybrid Digital DAC Amplifier Reviewed

The NAD C 338 Hybrid Digital DAC Amplifier (buy at Crutchfield) is a budget friendly $799 integrated amplifier from one of the industry’s most storied audiophile brands. Its power section provides 50 continuous watts of output into both 4 and… Read More »


The Bricasti M30 audiophile mono block amplifier reviewed

Bricasti M30 Amplifier Reviewed

The Bricasti Design M30 monoblock audiophile amplifier is a rack-friendly version of the company’s beloved M28 amplifier, which is also a mono amplifier. The difference between the two is their form factor. The M30 carries the same award-winning differential amplification… Read More »


PS Audio Sprout 100 integrated amp reviewed by Andrew Dewhirst

PS Audio Sprout100 Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

The PS Audio Sprout100 (buy at Amazon) is an entry level audiophile integrated amplifier made by the folks at PS Audio. Packed into one tiny little package (and I mean tiny) it measures at 6.2 inches wide by 1.9 inches… Read More »


Anthem MRX-8 Audiophile power amp with ARC Room correction reviewed

Anthem MDX-8 Distribution Amplifier Reviewed

You can’t find a product in the audio/video space that says “custom installation” more loudly than the Anthem MDX-8 distribution amplifier. It is an eight-channel power amplifier that has up to 200 Watts-per-channel of Class-D power waiting for any number… Read More »


Parasound A 21+ audiophile power amp reviewed

Parasound Halo A 21+ Amplifier Reviewed

For several years, the Parasound Halo A21 reigned as the amplification king in my listening/design space. It was an affordable monster that could drive any speaker one could throw at it. I shorted the outputs of the A21 several times… Read More »


Pro-ject MaiA DS3 Integrated amp reviewed

Pro-Ject MaiA DS3 Integrated Amplifier Review

An integrated amplifier doesn’t have to be physically large to be high performance and fully featured. When I read the initial press release for the Pro-Ject MaiA DS3 I thought, “There’s an amplifier that seems to fulfill all the requirements… Read More »


Anthem MCA 225 power Amp Reviewed by Andrew Dewhirst

Anthem MCA 225 Gen 2 Power Amplifier Reviewed

The Anthem MCA 225 Gen 2 (buy at Crutchfield) is a two-channel class A/B audiophile power amp from Anthem, which also has three- and five-channel siblings in the 325 and 525. It puts out 225 watts per channel into eight… Read More »


SMSL DA-8S Integrated Amp Reviewed

SMSL DA-8S Integrated Amplifier Reviewed

Most affordable Bluetooth or powered speakers simply don’t provide the musical experience that gives you the goosebumps. There is a point for many music fans who are looking for a more visceral audio experience when they need to upgrade to… Read More »


T+A A3000 HV amp reviewed

T+A elektroakustik A 3000 HV Power Amplifier Reviewed

German audiophile manufacturer T+A has built a reputation for creating sophisticated and technologically advanced audio equipment designs ranging from the mid to extreme levels on the audiophile product spectrum. The A 3000 HV audiophile power amplifier reviewed here falls more… Read More »


Sony STR DH-190 Reviewed

Sony STR-DH190 Stereo Integrated Amp Reviewed

When one embarks on their  audio journey – everybody needs a place to start. The Sony STR-DH190 integrated amp is a very reasonable starting point for nearly every aspiring audiophile. It’s not necessarily the sexiest piece of audio equipment, but… Read More »


NAD M10 Integrated amp delivers an all-in-one solution including streaming, a preamp, a Hypex power amp, room correction and more.

NAD Master M10 Amplifier Reviewed

(originally published in The Audiophile Voice Magazine in print, December 2019) As I have mentioned before in recent reviews, modern audio is increasingly a world of streaming music. Now, as the subject for this review, here is another interesting new… Read More »