Integrated amplifiers — BC Acoustique EX-714

The EX-714 from BC Acoustique is an all-in-one stereo system in a standard hi-fi chassis, combining an integrated amplifier with a slot-in CD drive, a radio tuner and a Bluetooth receiver. It was announced in November 2022 alongside the EX-234 amplifier and EX-614 CD player, while the earlier EX-214 amplifier was described as the founding model of the EX series. BC Acoustique, a French company founded near Paris in 1993 by Christian Avedissian and Bruno Roux, sells the system at EUR 749 in France. The amplifier section is rated at 2 x 45 W RMS into 8 ohm and 2 x 70 W into 4 ohm.

Key specs that matter

Total harmonic distortion is below 0.01 percent and signal-to-noise exceeds 100 dBA. The tuner section covers FM, AM and the digital DAB band and stores up to 40 stations. The slot-loading disc drive also reads discs burned with MP3 or WMA files, and a front-panel USB port handles digital music files from a storage stick. Wired inputs include RCA line inputs, a phono input for moving-magnet cartridges, and one optical plus one coaxial digital input. Digital conversion is done by a Texas Instruments PCM1606E chip rated for 24-bit and 192 kHz linear PCM. The chassis measures 430 x 80 x 356 mm and weighs 7.5 kg.

Engineering and use context

A 220 VA toroidal transformer feeds the amplifier, and the maker credits it for the higher rating into low impedance loads. Bluetooth reception is built in, with a stated range of about 10 metres, so music from a phone or tablet can be played without extra hardware. Front controls include a volume encoder, tone adjustment, a display and playback buttons. The standard full-width format lets the unit sit on ordinary hi-fi furniture next to other components. Because the CD player, tuner and amplifier share one box, a complete system needs only a pair of passive speakers, and the unit replaces three separate components with a single mains connection. A 6.35 mm headphone jack on the front panel allows private listening.

Pairing

The speaker terminals accept banana plugs. An RCA subwoofer pre-out lets an active subwoofer be added, and a turntable using an MM cartridge plugs into the built-in phono preamp. The optical and coaxial inputs take a television, a streamer or a games console with digital output.

Alternatives

BC Acoustique also offers the EX-712.2, an earlier amplifier and tuner combination from the same EX range.