Интегральные усилители — TEAC AX-505

The AX-505 is a stereo integrated amplifier from TEAC with balanced input capability, housed in a full-metal body with an A4-sized footprint of 290 x 81.2 x 264 mm and a weight of 4.2 kg. Its power stage is a Hypex Ncore module that TEAC has tuned itself rather than using the standard version, and TEAC USA sets its price at USD 2,499.99.

Key specs that matter

Maximum output is 90 W per channel into 8 ohm and 130 W per channel into 4 ohm (1 kHz, JEITA), while rated output is 70 W and 115 W at 0.8% THD. Distortion is 0.002% at 12.5 W into 8 ohm, S/N reaches 110 dB (IHF-A) and the response spans 10 Hz to 50 kHz (-5 dB). Inputs are one XLR pair accepting up to 3 Vrms and three gold-plated RCA pairs accepting up to 2.5 Vrms. Speakers from 4 to 8 ohm are supported. Power consumption is 110 W, with standby at 0.1 W or less in auto power-saving mode.

Engineering and use context

MUSE op-amps sit in the analog section and the volume control is a ladder-resistor type. A toroidal-core transformer of high capacity feeds the supply, and Schottky barrier diodes in the rectifier cut rectifier noise. The circuit and cabinet layout allow natural heat removal, so no cooling fan is needed. Front, top and side panels are fixed to a steel inner chassis. On the rear the connectors are spaced widely for bulky plugs, and the diagonally offset screw speaker terminals accept AWG8 cable and banana plugs. The headphone section uses a CCLC coupling capacitor-less circuit feeding a 3.5 mm 4-pole jack with a ground-separate connection, rated at 360 mW per channel into 32 ohm with a 5 Hz to 150 kHz response, 0.003% distortion at 30 mW and a 115 dB signal-to-noise figure. A machined aluminium knob sets volume, a toggle switch powers the unit, and the aluminium-topped RC-1332 remote steps volume in 0.5 dB increments at moderate levels. Twin level meters have a 4-step dimmer and a +20 dB sensitivity option, and can be switched off, while the toggle position still shows from a distance whether the amplifier is on. The package includes a power cord, two AAA batteries and the owner's manual.

Pairing

Sources with XLR outputs connect over the balanced pair, and TEAC notes that the amplifier can start in a desktop computer audio setup and grow into a full hi-fi system through its three RCA inputs.

Alternatives

For a smaller setup TEAC offers the AI-303 integrated amplifier, which adds a built-in DAC, HDMI and Bluetooth.