Infigo Audio is a relatively new, very high-end audiophile electronics manufacturer based in British Columbia, Canada. Hans Looman is the founder and head designer of Infigo products. He has ties that run back to Resonessence Labs, which was an offshoot of ESS Technologies, creator of the highly-regarded Sabre digital chips that are found in some of our favorite DACs today. The Infigo portfolio of audiophile components range from innovative power amplifiers, a DAC that is really cool, a full-feature high-end preamplifier (review pending), an upmarket streamer, and even their own audiophile cables.
The Infigo Method 3s are their flagship mono amplifiers, priced at $55,000 per pair. They are Class-A amplifiers, by design, rated at 200 watts into eight ohms doubling to 400 watts into four ohms. Traditionally, Class-A amplifiers are extremely heavy and large, due to the massive heat sinks required to dissipate all the heat that comes with Class-A designs. Uniquely, the Infigo Method 3 does not follow this recipe, due to what Infigo calls Low Temperature Class-A. More on that later, but few, if any, audiophiles have run into a world-class Class-A amp that doesn’t create a very noticeable amount of radiating heat.
What Makes the Infigo Method 3 Class-A Amplifiers So Special?
- The Method 3 Mono Amplifiers bring a very unique low-temperature Class-A technology, only offered by Infigo Audio. Class-A amplifiers are highly sought-after for their linearity and lack of crossover distortion. At the same time, Class-A amps are also inefficient and typically have lower power than a comparably-sized Class-AB amplifier. By design, they use basically all of the power that comes out of the wall all of the time. The process of creating power this way also creates a lot of ambient heat. The key difference between Class-A and Class-AB amplifiers is that the full sinusoid of an audio signal is amplified by a single transistor in a Class-A. The Class-AB amplifier uses one transistor for the positive half of the waveform, and a different transistor for the negative half of the waveform, essentially doubling the voltage output. The drawback, however, is at the crossover point, when the signal hands off between the two transistors, there is always a fraction of time in which both transistors are in a very non-linear area of operation where one goes towards switching off while the other switches on. This creates so called cross-over distortion. To get high power from a Class-A amplifier requires lots of transistors that remain on all the time, which requires big heavy heat sinks and generates a lot of heat. Infigo has apparently solved this problem with their design, a complementary symmetry push-pull class A amplifier, which works just like a class AB amplifier for each half of the waveform, except it will never switch any of the transistors off and always keep all of them in linear portion of their operational range, from zero to full power. This keeps the chassis cool and allows for less heat sink and therefore a smaller size, which is easy to live with.
- The Method 3 Mono Amplifiers utilize DC Bias Adjustment to balance output DC without effecting low-frequency response. Many amplifiers have capacitors in their output circuitry to protect speakers from damaging direct current that may occur. The servo loops do a wonderful job of stopping DC. However, they also modify the audio signal and can affect the phase of the signal, not a good thing. The Infigo Method 3 has no servo loops and utilizes their proprietary DC Bias Adjustment to protect speakers without coloring the sound in any noticeable audio way.
- The Infigo Method 3 Mono Amplifiers offer a clear top to let you look at the internal circuitry. This is one of the coolest features I’ve seen on an amplifier, thus I spent lots of time peering down into the circuitry during my review. Every Infigo product has this same type of audiophile sunroom-like design feature. Everyone who came into my home seemed compelled to walk over and look into the amps as they glowed with the blue LEDs on the circuit boards. If this is too much bling, Infigo provides matching metal covers that can be installed to cover the guts of the amp, but what fun is that? Some of the biggest McIntosh amps, like the MC1.25KW monoblocks that Jerry Del Colliano just reviewed, offer a similar feature, and we think it adds a lot of fun factor to your audiophile system. It is like looking at the V8 under plexiglass in a brand-new Ferrari, in that you get to see the most important working part of your investment.
- The Infigo Method 3 Mono Amplifiers are highly customizable. In terms of color, they are available in silver, gold or black, or any combination that you might like. You want a gold chassis with black heatsinks? You got it. My units were all black with a silver faceplate, and looked great. You can also choose the internal interconnects from pure copper, or have them plated with rhodium or gold.
- The Infigo Method 3 Mono Amplifier has unique styling that can be understated or bold. The amplifier face has machined lines that mimic the sample points of an audio signal, which I think looks great. The center sample is actually a transparent power switch, which glows either red or blue, depending on the state of the amplifier. The colored lighting can be dimmed or completely disabled with the included remote control. I left mine off.
Why Should You Care About the Infigo Method 3 Mono Amplifiers?
The Infigo Method 3 amplifier is one of those products that is unique in a recently crowded field of uber-high-end amplifiers. It offers high-power Class-A performance in a relatively small package that doesn’t consume gobs of electricity or heat your room. The cool Class-A technology that Infigo has designed into the Method 3 is a game-changer. Seriously.
Infigo includes other meaningful innovations to maximize sonic performance. Consider the design of the heatsink which, according to Infigo, has a shape that eliminates resonances from finding their way into the circuitry. Eliminating vibration is crucial to achieving maximum performance from your system, and particularly important when the amplifier is placed next to a speaker. Infigo also attacks vibration with custom-designed footers, which are comprised of two round platforms with ball-bearings between them, isolating the amplifier from the floor. The footers are also height-adjustable to make leveling simple.
Some Things You Might Not Like About the Infigo Method 3 Mono Amplifiers
- I found that the binding posts were positioned a little close together for my liking. The binding posts were very high quality, made of solid metal, and offered excellent grip on my speaker cables. However, I was always a little nervous that if the spades were to slip and rotate, there was the chance that they could short the output. I would love to see some sort of insulator between the two posts. Certainly not a deal-breaker, and I never had any problems, but details like these give me anxiety when thinking of damaging a pair of $55,000 amplifiers – especially ones that I don’t own.
- The Infigo Method 3 Mono Amplifiers are XLR (balanced) input only. If you have single-ended interconnects, then you’re likely going to be shopping for a new pair if you are going to be rocking some Infigo monoblocks. If you find yourself in this situation, however, I’d recommend you audition the Sparkle XLRs from Infigo, which I used. They were clearly designed to work together and sounded great.
Listening to the Infigo Audio Method 3 Amplifiers…
My current system consists of a Lumin U1 mini streamer, a Weiss Helios DAC, a CH Precision L1 preamplifier (review pending), and CH Precision M1.1 amplifier and Rockport Avior II loudspeakers. The Infigo Method 3 Mono Amplifiers were connected to the CH Precision L1 preamplifier with excellent Infigo Sparkle XLR cables, which Infigo Audio graciously sent with the amplifiers. My current Wireworld 10 Series XLR cables aren’t long enough to accommodate these mono power amps for how I needed to install them.
“The Ghetto” by guitar prodigy and singer George Benson (QoBuz) is one of my favorite reference tunes for a host of reasons. First and most importantly, it’s a great song, with an infectious groove yet a chill vibe. The vocals and guitarwork from Benson are topnotch, not to mention that the recording is excellent. Benson’s smooth and soulful voice leapt from my speakers with texture and realism. The guitar is what you would expect from one of the top jazz/fusion guitarists, which is to say flawless. The tonal quality of each note was rich and warm, with a long slow decay. “Effortless” was a word that continued to enter my mind as I listened. The midrange and treble were particularly beautiful, without a hint of harshness. Details were layered upon more details, letting me hear deeply into the music. The openness and transparency of Class-A amplification was on full display. Drums, most notably the congas, were fast and articulate, with excellent detail. The Infigo Method 3 amplifiers are supremely musical, and some of the best I’ve heard.
“Walk on the Wild Side” by Lou Reed (QoBuz) is one of those wholesome classics about drug dealers, cross-dressers, prostitutes, and other colorful characters in New York City. This track is a classic rock standard that still sounds great 50 years after its release. The bass guitar is the star of the track, and listening to it through the Infigo Method 3 amplifiers was a treat. It played full and detailed, while digging deep into the lowest frequencies. It’s impossible not to get into the groove while listening to the amazing bass work of Herbie Flowers. David Bowie played acoustic guitar on this song, and his quiet strumming was the perfect background to Reed’s vocals. I want to highlight the outro baritone sax solo, which really showcased the Infigo Method 3 amplifiers and the magic of their Class-A design. The saxophone sounded simply gorgeous. It was full of richness and weight, with harmonics that seem to go on forever. The sax performance connected with me in a very emotional way, which is the point of music, after all. I pressed the replay button on this track more times than I can remember. It sounded simply fantastic with the Infigo mono amps powering my system.
“Tuesday’s Gone” by Lynyrd Skynyrd from the album Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd (Tidal) is a bluesy Southern rock ballad that you’d hear in a biker bar around last call. Don’t be fooled, however, as the band is packed with outstanding musicians whose songwriting has been historically underrated. Again, I noticed vocals presented with next level realism and texture as I listened to Ronnie Van Zant’s unmistakably gravelly voice. Gary Rossington’s iconic guitar solo was powerful and gritty, just as it should be. I couldn’t help but turn up the volume on this classic, much louder than I should have, but the Method 3 amplifiers never got aggressive, harsh or shouty. The Infigo Method 3 amps stayed perfectly well-behaved, and the music presented itself with a realism and that in-the-studio sound that so many audiophiles dream of when they drift off to sleep, thinking of what they would do with their pending Powerball or MegaMillons winnings.
Will the Infigo Audio Method 3 Mono Amplifiers Hold Their Value?
Infigo Audio is a boutique ultra-high-end audio manufacturer that prides itself in using as much locally sourced materials and manufacturing as possible, which is quite admirable. Infigo is a somewhat new brand to audio, so there isn’t a generations-deep reserve of well-earned consumer demand, but the excellent press and staggeringly good sound being made at consumer shows is more than enough to create demand for such an exotic, high-performance audiophile component.
What is the Competition for the Infigo Method 3 Amplifiers?
The first competitors to the Method 3 amplifiers that come to mind are the Pass Labs XA200.8 mono amplifiers. At $44,000 per pair, these are a lower-priced option when compared to the Infigo Method 3 amplifiers. The Pass Labs amps are power hogs, however. consuming 760W and smoldering at 127 degrees, so you may need to spend that savings on an air conditioning upgrade to enjoy them in the summertime. They are very highly-regarded reference-level amplifiers that also produce 200 watts at eight ohms. Nelson Pass’ designs are beautiful to look at and include the Pass trademark blue bias display meter. They sound pretty fantastic, too.
The Accuphase A-300 mono amplifiers are another option I would consider if I were looking for mono amps. They are priced at $51,900 per pair, but produce less output than the Infigo Method 3 at 125 watts at eight ohms. The Accuphase A-300 amps double their power each time the impedance is halved, and are rated at 1,000 watts per channel output at one ohm. This tells me there is a serious power supply to easily deliver on with such difficult loads. Be aware, however. that they only produce the first 60 watts of power in Class-A, before downshifting into Class-A/B operation. The Accuphase aesthetics are classic vintage Japanese high-end, finished in light gold, which I personally love.
Final Thoughts on the Infigo Method 3 Mono Amplifiers …
I found the Infigo Method 3 amps beguiling, and a joy to listen to. Being able to leave them turned on all the time without concern for my electric bill or the temperature of my room meant they always sounded their best. They had no problems at all driving my Rockport Avior II speakers (read my review), which can challenge lesser amplifiers, due to their four-ohm nominal impedance, and dip to between three and five ohms from 17 to 850Hz, and get very close to two ohms at 200Hz. Throughout my listening sessions, they remained only slightly physically warm.
The Infigo Method 3 amplifiers made beautiful music in my system. They were clear and detailed, yet always somewhat relaxed-sounding. There was sonic authenticity about these unique amplifiers that kept me engaged and always looking for the next song to experience with them. The Infigo Method 3 amplifiers projected a wonderful soundstage that was wide and deep and full of subtle details that got me closer to recordings. As someone who is rocking a comparable CH Precision amp at about the same lofty price, let me tell you that I could easily live with these sonically luxurious, ultra-high performance audiophile amplifiers.
