All
Sugden Audio
Website:https://www.sugdenaudio.com/
Est. year: 1967
Sugden Audio is a British amplifier maker founded in 1967 by James Edward Sugden in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, and based in Heckmondwike since 1981. It is credited with pioneering class A amplification in domestic hi-fi. The Si 402 was built to avoid the crossover distortion of class B solid-state designs, and the cheaper A21 that followed in April 1968 at GBP 52 became the product the company is still best known for.
Range & what it's known for
The current catalogue has three series. The A21 Signature series covers the A21 and A21SE integrated amplifiers and the A21 Stage Two phono stage, all based on a pure class A single-ended voltage rail circuit refined over five decades. The Masterclass series, in production for more than seventeen years, includes the ANV-50 integrated amplifier, the IA-4 integrated, the LA-4 preamplifier, the PA-4, SPA-4 and MPA-4 power amplifiers and the DAC-4 converter, with newer additions such as an entry power amplifier and a headphone preamplifier. At the top, the Sapphire series pairs the FBA-800 power amplifier with the DAP-800 digital-analogue preamplifier, built around the in-house VCV circuit, and the LPA-800.
Who owns it and where it's made
The business trades as J E Sugden & Co Ltd, a private limited company. In its early days Sugden worked with loudspeaker maker Richard Allan, and the first amplifiers were sold under the Allan name before production moved to Sugden's own premises. Each Masterclass unit is handmade at the Yorkshire factory by a single technician.
The lineup in this catalog
Amplifiers, with the cheapest near GBP 2,000 and the pre and power combinations reaching over GBP 10,000.
Who it's for
Sugden is meant for a listener after a class A amplifier with a long production history and factory service in England, used with reasonably sensitive speakers, since the class A designs favour purity over high output. The A21 costs least, the Masterclass ANV-50 and IA-4 offer more refinement, and the Masterclass or Sapphire pre and power combinations are the upgrade path.
Range & what it's known for
The current catalogue has three series. The A21 Signature series covers the A21 and A21SE integrated amplifiers and the A21 Stage Two phono stage, all based on a pure class A single-ended voltage rail circuit refined over five decades. The Masterclass series, in production for more than seventeen years, includes the ANV-50 integrated amplifier, the IA-4 integrated, the LA-4 preamplifier, the PA-4, SPA-4 and MPA-4 power amplifiers and the DAC-4 converter, with newer additions such as an entry power amplifier and a headphone preamplifier. At the top, the Sapphire series pairs the FBA-800 power amplifier with the DAP-800 digital-analogue preamplifier, built around the in-house VCV circuit, and the LPA-800.
Who owns it and where it's made
The business trades as J E Sugden & Co Ltd, a private limited company. In its early days Sugden worked with loudspeaker maker Richard Allan, and the first amplifiers were sold under the Allan name before production moved to Sugden's own premises. Each Masterclass unit is handmade at the Yorkshire factory by a single technician.
The lineup in this catalog
Amplifiers, with the cheapest near GBP 2,000 and the pre and power combinations reaching over GBP 10,000.
Who it's for
Sugden is meant for a listener after a class A amplifier with a long production history and factory service in England, used with reasonably sensitive speakers, since the class A designs favour purity over high output. The A21 costs least, the Masterclass ANV-50 and IA-4 offer more refinement, and the Masterclass or Sapphire pre and power combinations are the upgrade path.
