ELECTROCOMPANIET AW250 R STEREO AMPLIFIER > Stereonet review – Applause Award

CLOSE UP
Electrocompaniet has two parallel product ranges – the EC Living Line and the Classic Line. The former offers compact, convenient systems and/or speakers, while the latter – from which the AW250 R stereo power amplifier is taken – is an old school, unreconstructed range of hi-fi separates. This two-channel dual-mono design puts out a claimed 2x 250W RMS per channel into 8 ohms of Class AB power. Thanks to its stiff, so-called Floating Transformer Technology power supply, the power doesn’t fall away into lower loads; it punches out 2x 380W into 4 ohms, 2x 625W into 2 ohms and a surprising 2x 1,100W into 1. Boom!

THE VERDICT
Don’t be put off by the out-of-time looks – Electrocompaniet’s AW250 R is a hugely impressive stereo power amplifier. It gives a taste of serious high-end sound at a mid-fi price. I used it with an MF Audio Passive preamp and also via my Chord Hugo TT2 DAC’s balanced outputs, and in both cases it delivered musical fireworks, with a bold, gutsy and vibrant sound, cloaked in a smooth, dark tonal wrapper that suited my speakers down to the ground. Factor in serious build quality, and it’s hard not to like.

Link to product: Electrocompaniet AW250 R
Link to review: StereoNet