Усилители мощности стерео — Gold Note PA-10 EVO

The PA-10 EVO is the stereo power amplifier of Gold Note's compact 10 Series, priced at GBP 1,699, USD 1,999 or EUR 1,750. It is fully balanced, can be bridged to mono, and two units can operate as monoblocks through Gold Note's GN Link, all in a case only 200 mm wide.

Key specs that matter

Stereo output is 140 W per channel into 8 or 4 ohms, and in bridged mono 280 W into 8 or 4 ohms. A switch selects the damping factor, High at 250 or Low at 25. Inputs are RCA and XLR, with an input sensitivity of 2.5 V RMS and input impedance of 3.6 kohms on RCA and 7.2 kohms on XLR. Frequency response is 5 Hz to 50 kHz at -3 dB and THD is 0.01% at 1 W. The case measures 200 x 80 x 260 mm and weighs 3 kg, in black, silver or gold. The manufacturer does not state the amplifier class.

Engineering and use context

Because the circuit is fully balanced, each channel already handles two opposite signals, and bridging uses both halves on one loudspeaker to raise the mono output. With GN Link, one PA-10 EVO acts as the master and a second as the slave, so a stereo pair of monoblocks is controlled as one system. The damping factor switch changes how strongly the amplifier controls the woofer, with the High setting giving ten times the control of the low setting. For full power, the source or preamplifier must reach the rated input sensitivity. The rated output stays the same into both loads instead of rising at the lower impedance, and the XLR input impedance is twice that of the RCA input. The light, narrow case means the PA-10 EVO can stand on a desk or shelf with the other 10 Series units, and the same case is used for the CD-10, CD-5 and HP-10. The frequency response extends well below the audio band.

Pairing

The DS-10 EVO streaming DAC, with its variable outputs, and the PA-10 EVO form a compact two-box system, and the HP-10 can serve as a preamplifier in the same way. With the same power into either load, the amplifier drives most bookshelf and many floorstanding loudspeakers, and two bridged units provide more power for demanding speakers. Loudspeakers such as Gold Note's own Diana I sit comfortably within its output.

Alternatives

The Gold Note PA-1175 MkII is a larger stereo power amplifier in the Gold Note range, rated at 200 W per channel into 8 ohms.