Riviera Audio APL01SE and AFM100SE – Special Edition Flagship Amplifiers from Italy

Italian high-end audio manufacturer Riviera Audio Laboratories has presented a new generation of its flagship preamplifier and monoblock power amplifier models. The APL01SE preamplifier and AFM100SE monoblocks in Special Edition form are currently Riviera Audio’s top-tier models.

According to the developers, the Riviera Audio APL01 Special Edition preamplifier represents the highest expression of Riviera’s preamplifier expertise. Every aspect of the design has been optimized so that musical performance takes precedence over purely technical specifications. The unit is fully tube-based and employs a Class A, Zero Feedback configuration, delivering exceptional musicality and impressive technical performance. The SRPP circuit is optimized to produce a specific type of distortion with a so-called “auditory” harmonic distribution, ensuring absolute transparency to the human ear – a hallmark of Riviera designs.

The preamplifier’s power supply is a linear design built around a transformer rated at approximately 200 VA. It was engineered with musical goals in mind and uses unusual and elegant solutions such as a dual inductive π-filter and a parallel stabilizing circuit for regulating the anode supply. In total, the APL01SE uses six separate regulated power supplies.

The balanced inputs are equipped with high-quality transformers featuring a μ-metal core and external μ-metal shielding. Volume control is implemented using a high-end motorized TKD potentiometer with an internal “ladder” configuration that has no analogues on the market. The result is comparable to the finest stepped attenuators, while retaining the precise adjustment characteristic of a potentiometer.

At the output, the audio signal passes through specially developed transformers of exceptional quality – for both balanced and unbalanced outputs. This ensures that both output types provide the same reference-level performance. Riviera believes that the mechanical characteristics of the device, especially the preamplifier, have a substantial influence on the final sound. Therefore, great attention has been paid to the mechanical construction. The Riviera APL01SE preamplifier weighs more than 25 kilograms, and many parts are milled from solid aluminum. Everything in this unit is designed to achieve an exceptional-quality result.

The Riviera Audio AFM100 Special Edition power amplifier is a reference Class A monoblock that brings together all key values of Riviera amplifiers. The AFM100SE also operates without feedback, features a hybrid architecture (tubes for voltage gain, semiconductors for power), and a pure Class A operating mode. The new model delivers 100 W into an 8-ohm load in Class A (200 W into 4 ohms) and is capable of driving loudspeakers with the highest possible fidelity.

Voltage amplification is handled by a pure triode operating in Class A in the most linear mode possible, while the output stage uses a total of twenty transistors, each capable of delivering 150 W of power.

The output stage power supply is built around a large power transformer rated at over 500 VA and includes a sophisticated inductive π-filter (pigreco). Total filter capacitance exceeds 130,000 μF. The deliberate отказ from current-limiting systems ensures amplifier stability even with complex loads. Thanks to its level of refinement and control capabilities, the amplifier is suitable both for single-amplifier systems and for multi-channel/multi-amping configurations.

Distinctive features of the Riviera Audio APL01SE preamplifier:

– Fully tube-based circuitry

– Class A, Zero Feedback

– Solid-state power supply with a dual π-filter, stabilized using non-standard circuit solutions

– Five unbalanced line inputs (RCA)

– Two balanced line inputs (XLR) (transformer-coupled)

– 1 × configurable Aux input

– Record device input/output

– Transformer-coupled outputs

– Two balanced + two unbalanced line outputs (suitable for bi-amping)

– Gain: 10.5 dB

– Input impedance: 47 kΩ

– Installed tubes: 2 × 6350/6463

– Remote control

– Dimensions (W × H × D): 49 × 19.5 × 44 cm

– Weight: 27 kg

Distinctive features of the Riviera Audio AFM100SE monoblock:

– Power: 100 W (into 8 ohms)

– Class A, Zero Feedback

– Hybrid circuitry

– 1 × unbalanced line input (RCA)

– 1 × balanced XLR input (transformer-coupled)

– Gain: 22 dB

– Input sensitivity: 220 mV RMS for 1 W/8 ohms (2.83 V RMS); 2.2 V RMS for 100 W/8 ohms (28.3 V RMS)

– Input impedance: 47 kΩ

– Installed tube: 1 × ECC82/12AU7

– Dimensions (W × H × D): 27.5 × 26 × 58.5 cm

– Weight: 35 kg