A-2
$7,999.00 *Price subject to changeINTEGRATED AMPLIFIER – available in Premium Silver / Premium Black
Every SOULNOTE technique has been lavishly incorporated into the current culmination of our perfectly balanced non-NFB technology. This integrated amplifier is loaded with a variety of monaural drive and power amplifier modes, like the new BTL/bi-amp setting.
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POSSIBLE USE CASES:
Stereo pre-main amplifier, BTL monaural pre-main amplifier, Bi-amp monaural pre-main amplifier, Stereo power amplifier,
BTL monaural power amplifier, Bi-amp monaural power amplifier
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Perfectly balanced, discrete non-NFB channels
SOULNOTE's original perfectly balanced non-NFB channels have been fully optimized and incorporated to put give sound quality the highest priority. Voltage feedback has been completely eliminated in the output stage, the voltage amplification stage, and in the power supply circuits. Because of their impact on sound, DC servo circuits and current mirror circuits have been eliminated, while both the constant current circuits and the bias circuits in the voltage amplification stage employ simple circuitry layouts that only use constant current elements (2SK209) and constant voltage elements (LEDs) carefully selected for utmost sound quality. The power amplification stage is perfectly balanced all the way through the emitter follower output. All this in relentless pursuit of vibrant, expansive, clear, and lush music playback.
Relay-switching balanced attenuator
The volume isn't controlled by electronics or a rotary slider, but instead incorporates SOULNOTE's original relays in a balanced attenuator system that switches high-precision resistors. This dramatically increases clarity, and allows the sound image to emerge in three dimensions. It also significantly improves quality at low volume levels without fear of gang errors.
An ideal construction
The input signal line has been rationalized by concentrating the input terminals, input selectors, volume, and the non-NFB voltage amplification stage onto a single multi-layered board. The board does not use even a single shield or filter that could negatively impact the sound in order to eliminate every factor that reduce sound quality, such as the effects of vibrations from connecting cables, inductance components, radiation noise, etc. This ideal construction has been achieved thanks to the relay-switching balanced attenuator.
4-layer board with 70 micron thick copper foil
Composed of the output stage and the main power supply, the power block features an inner layer stratum of 70 micron thick copper foil as the power supply bus bar and thus minimizes high current loops in the commutating capacitor>>output transistor>>speakers + terminals>>speaker terminals>>commutating capacitor cycle. Eliminating inductance components in high current lines creates outstanding frequency characteristics and stability.
Contactless wiring
Connectors have been eliminated in the power supply lines as well as the signal lines, and cables are instead soldered directly to the boards for contactless connections.
Chimney-style heat sink
The heat sink uses a newly developed chimney shape that provides extremely efficient cooling with less vibration.
| Rated Output | 100W×2 (8Ω), 200W×2 (4Ω), 400W (BTL MONO 8Ω) |
| Total Harmonic Distortion | 0.03% (50W, 8Ω) |
| Frequency Characteristic | Speaker (8Ω, 1W): 3Hz to 240kHz (±1.0dB) |
| Input Sensitivity/Impedance | LINE1, 2, 3 (balanced): 700mV/16kΩ, LINE4, 5, 6: 700mV/8kΩ |
| S/N Ratio | 110dB (IHF A network) |
| Maximum External Dimensions | Main unit: 455 (W) × 162 (H) × 423 (D) mm |
| Weight | 20.5kg |
| Included Accessories | Remote control, Spikes, Power cord |
Soulnote is a high-end home audio brand by CSR, Inc. headquartered in Kanagawa, Japan. CSR was founded in 2004 by the former members of Marantz Japan. It has around 50 employees now. Hideki Kato, the Chief Sound Manager since 2016, has his long professional career since late eighties, having deeply involved in the development of the legendary A-10 amplifiers by NEC as well as the LHH series by Philips, but having kept himself staying behind the scene. Soulnote's first launch into Europe was a couple of years ago with the models SA300 / SC300 / SD300 / SC710 / SA730. However, the current line-up is based on totally different design concept from that of the previous models. — Through his long carrer as a designer of audio equipment both in analogue and digital areas, Kato has been struggling to find out the reason why the improvement in static performance and the sound quality in playback did not always correspond. Kato made a hypothesis about a counter-concept which he called dynamic performacne. The adoption of the NOS (non-oversampling) mode for PCM playback in digital-to-analogue conversion as well as a non-NFB (without negative feedback) circuit in amplifiers come from this hypothesis. Indeed these worsen the measurement result in static performance, but a remarkable improvement can be recognised in dynamic one. Soulnote believes dynamic performance keeping accuracy of the original waveform on the time axis as the most important for music playback, which is, however, still unmeasurable by any of the conventional methods. At Soulnote, only listening dominates the determination and improvement of circuit, selection of parts and mechanical construction. This approach is a kind of antithesis against the supremacy of static performance.
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