Home  Hi-Fi Audio Reviews  Audiophile Shows Partner Mags  News       

 

Enjoy the Music.com

Issue 158    April 2018
Amplifiers Are Getting Far More Complex
Editorial By Alan Sircom

 

Hi-Fi+ Issue 158 April 2018

 

  Every year the amplifier gets that little bit more complex! The amplifier used to have just two jobs to do – select the right source, and then make those small signals large enough to be played by a pair of loudspeakers. Increasingly, however, the humble amplifier is more of a complete digital nexus, having to cope with new formats and streaming standards and a whole lot more. Fortunately, there are some clever audio designers who are very good at combinations.

It's a mark of resilience that the amplifier hasn't changed quite as dramatically as it could. Notionally at least, a modern amplifier could be almost entirely digital, operating in Class D, and about the size of a roll of sticky tape. And although such things do exist, many chose not to go there and still prefer their amplifiers a little more traditional. Sometimes very traditional, but most of us meet somewhere in the middle, with amplifier systems that feature inputs new and old.

I'm buoyed by the diversity on offer in the amplifier world. We've happened across digital phono stages, DACs as preamps, Class A, Class D, and Class AB designs. We've seen amplifiers that weigh as much as a car engine, and some that weigh as much as a paperback book. And yet, even though some claim to mark the end of amps as we know them, people just keep coming back and buying integrated amps, preamps, and power amps.

 

Hi-Fi+ Issue 158 April 2018

 

It's interesting to ponder just where the next great change in amplifier design will come from. For my part, I reckon the future will continue to be diverse, with valve amps from the earliest days of audio at one extreme, and state-of-the-art designs at the other.

I do suspect integration is the way forward, both in terms of integration into networked audio systems and ultimately into home automation. The idea of Control4 codes driving devices around a home may seem like a bridge too far for today's enthusiasts, but we live in a world of HomePods and Alexas now, and the next generation of amplifiers will need to learn how to speak to them. Not all amps, and such a change is certainly not for everyone, but in the same way 10 years ago most audiophiles still used CD and now those numbers are declining, I suspect there will be more call for greater integration in the coming years.

Congratulations to John Robinson of the USA, who wins an outstanding Chord Electronics Hugo2 and to Adrian Hull in Wiltshire, UK who wins the excellent Gold Note PH-10 phono stage from our competitions in issue 154. Well done to both of you!

 


Alan Sircom, Editor Hi-Fi+

 

 

Subscribe!
Click here to subscribe to hi-fi+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
 

Quick Links


Premium Audio Review Magazine
High-End Audiophile Equipment Reviews

 

Equipment Review Archives
Turntables, Cartridges, Etc
Digital Source
Do It Yourself (DIY)
Preamplifiers
Amplifiers
Cables, Wires, Etc
Loudspeakers/ Monitors
Headphones, IEMs, Tweaks, Etc
Superior Audio Gear Reviews

 

 


Show Reports
HIGH END Munich 2024
AXPONA 2024 Show Report
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Report

Southwest Audio Fest 2024
Florida Intl. Audio Expo 2024
Capital Audiofest 2023 Report
Toronto Audiofest 2023 Report
UK Audio Show 2023 Report
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Report
T.H.E. Show 2023 Report
Australian Hi-Fi Show 2023 Report
...More Show Reports

 

Videos
Our Featured Videos

 


Industry & Music News

High-Performance Audio & Music News

 

Partner Print Magazines
audioXpress
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine
hi-fi+ Magazine
Sound Practices
VALVE Magazine

 

For The Press & Industry
About Us
Press Releases
Official Site Graphics

 

 

 

     

Home   |   Hi-Fi Audio Reviews   |   News   |   Press Releases   |   About Us   |   Contact Us

 

All contents copyright©  1995 - 2024  Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.  All rights reserved.