Интегральные усилители — AVM Ovation AS XL

The Ovation AS XL is an integrated amplifier with streaming from AVM, designed and built at the company's manufacture in Malsch, Germany. It belongs to the Ovation S series and was presented to mark the 40th anniversary of the brand, which is where the name comes from - XL is the Roman numeral for 40, and AVM was founded in 1986. The name also refers to the physical size of the unit. Price at launch in July 2026 was EUR 35,549. It combines analogue amplification, digital signal processing and the X-Stream Engine in one chassis.

Key specs that matter

The power amplifier works in Class A/AB and uses 24 MOSFETs per channel. It is built on the same technology platform as the MA 8.3 S and SA 8.3 S power amplifiers, with tube input stages and fully balanced circuitry. Its supply is built around a low-stray 1,000 VA toroidal transformer with separate windings, backed by over 270,000 uF of filter capacitance. Conversion is done by an S-DAC module using the ESS 9038 PRO in a double-quad arrangement, and it handles PCM up to 384 kHz and 32 bit as well as DSD 256. Analogue connections are one RCA and one XLR high-level input, together with one RCA and one XLR output. The chassis measures 430 x 250 x 420 mm and weighs 50 kg.

Engineering and use context

Four digital inputs are fitted on the rear, two coaxial S/PDIF and two TOSLINK optical. A USB-A socket reads external hard drives, while a USB-C port accepts a computer as a USB audio source. An HDMI ARC input connects a television directly, so its sound runs through the amplifier without a separate converter. Through the X-Stream Engine the AS XL streams from Qobuz Connect, Tidal Connect MAX and Spotify Connect and plays internet radio, and it is Roon Ready. AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth 5.0 cover phones and tablets without a network library. Buyers choose a silver or brushed black front, or the CELLINI version with its chrome fascia.

Pairing

AVM positions the AS XL for demanding loudspeakers, and the large transformer and filter bank are intended to supply the current such loads require. The XLR and RCA outputs let a second stereo power stage be added, and a television connects over the HDMI ARC input. Because the analogue section offers only one input of each type, a record player has to be connected through an outboard phono preamplifier.

Alternatives

AVM's Ovation AS 8.3 S is the other streaming integrated amplifier in the Ovation S series.