* Effortless power. * Transparent, but without the edge that afflicts most solid-state amplifiers * Neutral, no significant sonic signature * Sounds equally good at low and high volume with no obvious tonal shifts * Looks stunning in silver, mechanically very well built. * Class A/AB switch is a very useful option. * Mute switch that turns off both the input and outputs that in conjunction with the class AB mode allows amplifier to be safely left in standby mode. * Power and mode LEDs brightness can be adjusted. * Amazing value in New Zealand (at least half the price of any comparable amplifier). * Reliable - no issues with both the SA100MKIII and SA250MKIV

* Mmmh, only thing that really annoys me is that I have to ask for help in moving it about because of the size and weight. * Some mechanical transformer noise.

System Front-end: Sony SCD-777ES, Sony CDP-XA555ES (re-clocked) Preamplifier: Sony TAP-9000ES, Proceed PAV Amplifiers: Plinius 250MKIV, Marantz PS17SA, Gainclone Loudspeakers: Jamo D830 (formerly known as Concert 8) Interconnects: Kimber + WBT connectors Loudspeaker Cables: Audiotruth/Audioquest Forest + WBT connectors Room: 6m wide, 4.5m deep, 2.3m high, concrete floor, nominal acoustic treatment, system positioned midway along wide wall Mains Filter: DIY: Surge protection and capacitor noise filtering I owned the SA250MK4 for just over year. It replaced a SA100MK3 that I also owned for about a year. I have not taken advantage of the SA250MKIV update which apparently reduces the overall distortion further and is mostly noticeable in the treble. This review is therefore without the advantage of this update. Sound Quality While it is possible to identify the SA100MK3 sound signature due to the small change in quality from the smooth midrange to the slightly sharper treble, the sound signature of the SA250MK4 is elusive. Every time I thought I nailed it, a change of another component, room acoustic treatment or music selection left the SA250MK4 as the most neutral component in my system. The only time an obvious sound signature can be identified is just after switching from class AB to class A mode, the sound is initially a bit thick, but then slowly loosens up until an hour later it is fast and responsive. Overall the amplifier is neutral, the bass is deep and powerful, the midrange smooth as butter and the treble is accurate without edge. One aspect of the Plinius SA250MK4 performance that is very important to me is the excellent sound quality at low volumes. I listen often late in the night and it is critical for me to enjoy the sound at low volumes without waking up the kids. This is one amplifier where it does not need be cranked up to make it come alive. This was an unexpected improvement over the SA100MK3, anecdotal evidence normally favours less powerful amplifier. Class A/AB mode One unique feature is the class A/AB mode switch, which allows the amplifier to be used for casual listening in class AB mode without the penalty of heat and power consumption required for class A mode. There is also a Mute switch that disconnects the input that allows for cable changes. The SA250MK4 takes this a step further by also disconnecting the speaker outputs. The class A/AB switch is an excellent option that allows casual listening without unnecessary power consumption and heat generation associated with class A mode. The most important advantage for me is that in conjunction with the mute option, the amplifier can be left on for extended periods that reduce the warm-up period. There is a big difference between class AB and class A modes. Anybody that listens to a fully warmed up SA250MK4 in class A mode for a few minutes, and then switches to class AB mode will notice the significant diminishing of the image body and tonal quality. It is bit like the difference between LP and CD tonal quality when I have done the rare comparison. But despite the difference, the class AB mode is still very good, and unless ones does the direct comparison, most folks will wonder the all the fuss is about class A. Conclusion This has been the most consistently neutral performing component I have had in my system. It favours no music style. It is sufficiently transparent to show up any flaws in other parts of my system.

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SA100MKIII In every respect the SA250MK4 was an improvement over the SA100MK3. The bass - perhaps a touch more depth, midrange - a bit more transparency, but it was the treble range where the SA250MK

Incredible bass, highs, mids, effortless power! Musical! The msot incredible amp I have ever heard this far!

NONE, especially for the price (and double or tripple that...)

During the past decade or so I have tried to improve my audio syustem's sound in any way I could. I have gone through several amps (Carver M 1.0T, Bryston 4B, Threshold S/500, Classe), preamps, (Carver, Aragon 24K, Chiro preamp/processor and finally my Classe SSP-75) and speakers (B&W 330DM, Polk Audio SRS 2.3, Eggleston Andras) various sources (CAL, EAD, Sota to name a few). The last few years the upgrade bug kind of left me and I have been enjoying the music and sound that my audio system/HT was giving me. I have always been a little infatuated with big limitless power amps from Krell, Mark Levinson, Classe and others. I always had this feeling that my relatively inefficient speakers could really use some more power for playing deeper and cleaner and bring me closer to the real thing. I came across the Plinius name from ads in Stereophile and Absolute Sound but never really saw one for real. Through Audiogon I met a new friend that prety much re-awakened my "upgrade fever" when I listened to his own system. I started going around town to any Hi-End store I could find and started listening to various amps in order to make up my mind on one. I loved the Krell FPB 300 bass but listening to it with various systems I found the mids a bit lean to my taste. The same prety much goes for the older Mark Levinsons I found and heard. While auditioning a pair of Avant Garde speakers at an new friends house we got into the discussion of power amps for my system (he uses low power Cary Audio monoblocks for his...) and he casually commented on the Plinius having one of the best sound in the market for a SS amp. Needless to say I spent weeks researching this gem from New Zealand until I found one that I could afford and bought myself. The amp came in an huge crate and after some serious sweat, pounding and with the help of my audio buddy I had it connected to my system. I can tell you this amp is a real beauty: Big, Silver, shinny, built like a tank and heavy as it can be: 155 lb net so please watch your back trying to move it around by yourself! Firing it up it came on w/o any glitches and I was holding my breath for the results. Even w.o any warm up (right off the truck) the differences with my Threshold were breathtaking: BASS, real bass, bass I never new my speakers could master. The highs were aethereal and extended and the mids were to die for. Diana Krall's voice in :All or nothing at all" was breathtaking. Morvin Gay was actually in my room singing for me and my friend. And all this with the amp in class AB. I then put the amp in pure class A. Within 15 minutes the unit became really hot and the sound became smoother, warmer and more life like. Voices had this "you are there" quality, bass kept being tight but even more evolving with more "character" of the specific instruments played than before. The highs became even clearer, smoother, more life like. Whatever this amp brought to my system was taken up a few extra notches in class A. The sound became so envolving that I found myself listening deep into the night w/o wanting to lose even for a night's sleep the breathtaking experience that my music became. Watching movies and using the Plinius as my main speaker amp prety much made the use of sub all but useless. Well recorded soundtracks sound pristine, engaging and life like. Even special effects like explosions and stomping Dinos took on a new life through this amp. The most telling quality of the Plinius 250 MK IV is that it really makes music envolving as if it were real. Cd after Cd sounds this much more envolving through this amp. Not that it makes bad cds sound good. Not at all but it makes them so more life like that they take on a new life! If you are in the market for a monster like this and have been contemplating a krell or the likes make yourself a favor and audition the Plinius 250 before you make any decisions. You never know it might also take your breath away!

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Threshold, Krell mark levinson, Classe

Absolute winner until 16K price SS amps. Deserved the six stars.

NON

Soundless reward to PLINIUS... My audio system: 1. Accuphase DP-75 CD player (I don''t use preamp so enough 2.5 V max from adjustable XLR & RCA line outputs). 2. Plinius SA-250 mk IV amp . 3. B&W 801 Matrix series III speakers. 4. Maughanbox ListenUp BAF for B&W 801''s. 5. TaraLabs XLR and speakers cables.

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Only Plinius

Um, where to start....Immense power reserves (seems capable of comfortably exceeding its 250 wpc rating in Class A operation, and far outstrips such a rating in Class AB); breathtaking resolution of detail and room-physics-defying imaging in Class A operation (it's more conducive to priapism in this regard than is Viagra, I suspect); warm, luscious, "lathery" sound, approximating that of -- sigh -- the better tube amps.

Monolithic. Weighing in at over 165 lbs., I'll wager that the SA-250 was used as a model for the original Borg cube by Star Trek the Next Generation's design team.

(I accidentally posted the following review for the vanilla SA-250; I, of course, intended to post about the SA-250 mk IV.)

One of the finest solid state power amps I've ever heard. I own an Aragon 8008BB, and was very happy with it -- still am, actually -- until I heard a relative's recently acquired SA-250. Several long listening sessions later, I'm hooked. I hope to pick one up within the next year, actually, budget permitting.

There seems to be *something* to this New Zealand sound, and the Plinius pulls off the philosopher's stone of audio double-entendres by marrying a lulling, tube-like warmth with an almost rapacious -- and decidedly solid state-esque -- performative bent. Speaking of Viagra (see my comments above), the SA-250 isn't likely to suffer from the embarrassment of performance anxiety, and has more than enough potency to mate successfully with just about any loudspeaker complement. Aural pleasure is its specialty par excellence.

I heard it driving a pair of Vandersteen 3A Signatures, and it did wonders for them. I've never been particularly fond of the Vandersteen sound, but the SA-250 seemed not only to breathe new life and detail into old recordings (heard as new through the 3As), but squash once and for all the nasty rumours that the Vandys lack a bit in low-end "omphh." Brother let me tell you, the "omphh" was there and it was orgasmic. I had to check myself, even.

That said, the SA-250 has its finicky streak. It likes clean, well-conditioned power (I suggest feeding it raw oysters to increase its potency), is very sensitive to RF and to other types of interference, and demands the finest in interconnect and speaker cables. It was ecstatic when coupled with a pair of AudioQuest Ruby (RCA) interconnects, but acted like a 165 lb. antenna for all things RF when mated with a poorly shielded pair of Goertz Alpha-Core interconnects.

To rate the SA-250 at anything less than five stars is to do a disservice to a remarkable product. I understand that New Zealanders still fight duels over this kind of (perceived) insult, so please do be cautious.

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Adcom GFA-5802, Aragon 4004 mkII, Aragon 8008BB

Ability to switch between AB and A at flick of a switch.
Ability to mute input and speaker outputs for cable changes.
Open soundstage, great bass delineation, smooth highs if on the recording. An open window to your system. If marginal gear precedes it in the chain it will be exposed.

If marginal gear is in your system, it will be exposed. In Class A it runs HOT!!!

I have several Carver amps that now run the rear channel in a home theater system. I replaced one with a Bryston 4BST, a
clearly superior amp than the Carvers (more detail, but also more revealing of system weak links.) I next bought a Plinius SA250 after demo of the SA100 (I thought I needed the extra power after having the Bryston-250wpc). The whole sound was more musical, but paradoxically, I also had a fatiguing character to the mid and high frequencies. It turned out that it revealed limitations in my digital front end and interconnects. After appropriate upgrades the sound was excellent. Opportunity allowed me to trade in the SA250
(I believe a MkII-circa 1995) for a MkIV. The Mk IV is all that the MkII was PLUS: quieter, more silken, more refined and less forward. I have heard Mark Levinson and thought it was very nice sounding, but cooler and more detached sounding than the Plinius which is warmer and more involving. I have heard several Krell amps, but find them very electronic sounding. They may have excellent bass, but the mids and highs are IMHO not standard-setters. On the contrary, the Bryston I replaced did mid and highs better. I also heard BAT VK500 w/ BAT-PAK, but I found that amp colored sounding (though Victor and Steve from BAT are extremely consumer friendly and will take calls for questions.)
Current system:
Plinius M16 pre, Plinius SA250 MKIV amp
Electrocompaniet EMC1 CD player,
Dunlavy SC-IV spkrs, Siltech and Ensemble interconnects,
Top Gun, Ensemble, and Shunyata King Cobra Power Cords,
MIT MH-750 Shotgun,Alpha-Core MI2 Veracity,& FMS Waveguide
speaker wires (I am currently choosing one.)
Dedicated 15 amp circuit for front end, and 15 amp circuit for amp.
Vinyl to come....

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Bryston 4BST

Superb dynamics, resolving power and soundstaging plus the ability to make CD's sound musical!

None that I can detect

This is a review of the Plinius M16 preamplifier combined with Plinius SA250 IV and Plinius SA100 III amplifiers via an electronic crossover. The system is, in a word, superb.

TAS recently had a critical comment about net reviews of equipment by "amateurs" such as myself and this has validity. It is valid from the point of view of a critic who is familiar with a variety of items and gives the honest reviews that TAS does. However not all reviews by "professionals" are completely honest under advertising pressure so it is useful to read critiques from grass roots consumers as long as the context of such articles are kept in perspective.

So what is the context of this review?

Over the decades I've listened to music (not hi-fi!) with the aid of various high profile brands such as Leak (my last flirtation with tubes - I could not be bothered with constant fiddling with bias etc that the latest gear requires), Quad, Levinson, Luxman, Audio Research, Rotel, NAD, Forte, Threshold, Wharfedale, KEF, B&W, Celestion, Rogers …. At times I could detect improvement with an "upgrade" although this was not always evident to my long suffering wife. I have attended live concerts so know how music should sound. However the change to Plinius has been dramatic. Never have I experienced such a quantum leap in clarity etc of reproduction and, to underline this, my wife is as enthusiastic as myself and freely admits so. We both find the Plinius sound awesome.

Before proceeding further with the Plinius side a word about the listening room etc. We recently designed and built a new house with the music/lounge room the hinge point of the whole plan. The basic design criteria for the room were no parallel surfaces, a high cathedral ceiling and 32 foot of clear path in front of bass speakers to allow for clean LF sound. The final shape was an irregular pentagon. LP's, LD's & books are on shelves on the 20 foot rear wall behind the main 9.5 foot high electrostatic speakers. 33 ft side walls fan out to the listening area which is in front of two bay window walls angled at 150 degrees to one another. The centre beam of the ceiling is 14 ft high and total room volume is estimated to be 6300 cubic feet. Walls are plastered over double brick, the floor is carpet covered concrete and the cathedral ceiling is covered in special compressed mineral tiles (from Japan) which have inherent sound absorbent as well as fire resistant properties. The equipment is set in a wall between this room and another with rear access to it all from behind in that room. Because of the heat emitted from the Plinius amps they are located in the room next door on a metal stand for maximum ventilation.

My philosophy is to strive for simplicity in the 2 channel path and add subtle ambient sound as a separate entity. . I have been a fan of added ambient sound for some time, starting with the interesting but flawed Audio Pulse systems many years ago. The trick is to create a subtle effect and to keep the rear channel at an appropriate level. I'm horrified by the current trend towards complex controllers with everything converted to digital & then back again to analog. There is no way that approach can achieve the sound quality reproduced by the Plinius M16 preamplifier.

At Peter Thompson's suggestion, the main interconnects are Sitech. The audio sources are Koetsu/Fidelity Research/Townsend for LP's, Theta Data III for CD's & LD's into a Theta DSPIIIa for digital + Yamaha tuner + video signals from satellite & tuners. Surround sound (Dolby prologic only) is via a Fosgate 2 with only the side, rear & sub channels used. The 2 channel signal goes into the Plinius M16 preamp, from there to a Dahliquist LP1 electronic crossover (about to be replaced with a Bryston 10B) with above 80 hz to the Plinius SA250 IV to the big electrostatics and below 80 hz to the Plinius SA100 III's to large solid sealed bass bins each housing Alpine DDW-F30A drivers (superb bass drivers designed, inappropriately in my opinion, for in car use). The side speakers are Celestion SL6's and the rear ambiance drivers AR6's. The sub signal from the Fosgate feeds to KEF B139's in transmission line enclosures. The Fosgate is cranked up for appropriate movie viewing (we have a BARCO VSE40/BARCO 808s video projector also but that is another story) but it is kept down for audio only use.

We use the system a lot for viewing opera & ballet on LD's (& now DVD's) with musical taste in our 3000 LP collection covering most classical fare of instrumental, chamber, orchestral, choral, opera plus jazz and some more modern vocal artists, excluding heavy metal & rock. The CD collection is limited mainly because of the extensive repertoire already there on LP and, up to now, dissatisfaction with digital sound.

But digital sound through the Plinius equipment has been a revelation. On first hooking it all together I proceeded to start sampling various items to see how it sounded. My first sample was a CD of "Pictures at an Exhibition". The sound which came forth from relatively cold and "green" amplifiers set in class A/B bias mode was electrifying! So much so I could not stop listening. Here was clean string sound, superb harmonics from woodwind, hard hitting tympani, deep clean bass…… Result was I heard the whole work with the hair on the nape of the neck bristling throughout. WOW!

If the class A/B biased amplifier sound is good then the class A biased item is even better. I can distinctly hear the edge going off the digital sound as the A bias cuts in and the amps warm up. For some time now I have decried the digital sound of tenors on some laserdiscs in our collection. Put Plinius to class A bias and the sound loses its unpleasant bite.

The penalty of class A amplifier biasing is weight and heat. These amps are very heavy and run very hot in class A bias mode. To my eye they are beautifully sculptured although are not aesthetically pleasing enough for my wife to allow on display in the lounge. The remote has a phase reversal switch and it really does make a difference to the soundstage on some recordings. The volume control is designed with a gentle action on first press so minute changes are possible. Clever.

Away from the mainstream and living in the peaceful and beautiful island State of Tasmania, Australia, I have not had opportunity to hear many of the excellent amps of today so cannot give any definitive comparisons. I leave that to TAS. However I can describe the sound coming from the Plinius preamp and amp system thus - absolute silence using RCA connects (even with the phono cranked up full), brilliant soundstage, superb dynamics, absolute clarity and resolution on complex orchestral passages and organ music (which on lesser equipment sounds jumbled and somewhat incoherent), awesome bass, and a breakthrough for me in digital sound with raspiness and previous unpleasant artifacts minimised or gone. I am still coming to terms with this and find it hard to believe. It is contradicting one of my long held prejudices about digital sound.

About the only downside to report about the Plinius equipment is that it makes one very intolerant of other amplified sound. Most commercial theatre sound is too loud & generally awful and I have become super critical of other systems. Most amazing is the price being asked for some very flawed equipment. I attended the Hi Fi show in Los Angeles in 1998 and could not believe the mediocre sound coming from a pair of $US100,000 speakers. Unfortunately some appear to correlate price with quality and may look down on Plinius equipment because the price tag for it is reasonable.

In all of the above do not lose sight of the M16 preamp. I feel this is an essential part of the system. A lot has been (justifiably) written about the glorious Plinius amplifiers but I sense the M16 plays a pivital role in what we hear in our system. I also have the M14 phono amp but feel my 20 year old Koetsu Oynx might be in need of another refurbishing so I feel unable to give a fair appraisal of the M14 at this stage. Problems of VTA etc make critical vinyl listening a much more complex challenge. I'll keep you posted when I come to conclusions about the M14. In the meantime ignore mischievous (commercial sabotage by someone?) postings by the MrB's giving Plinius low ranking. Plinius must stand at least equal, if not above, the best equipment available today. Congratulations to Peter Thomson, Gary Morrison (responsible for the majority of the circuit design) and the rest of the New Zealand team for producing a series of outstanding preamplifiers and amplifiers. May the force remain with them!

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the only weskness i could think of is my own . as this amy is very heavy and a crane works best. due to its hugh power supplys.

this amp is the finest amp i have heard in years without burning a hole in your pocket. not that the amp is not costly but for the class a power and the new silteck wiring. it worth a listen. thanks for listing and happy listing for those audiophiles like me.

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wadia 861, goretz speaker cables, cary pre amp and the 801s. this is my combo like i said above this amp is packed with great sound. it works well with a really good tube amp and a good set of silver audioquest extreme interconnects.

great soundstage, imaging, dynamics & clarity

none detected

The Plinius SA250 may be the best stereo amplifier on the market for many reasons:

It is extremely musical, neutral, present and clear with astonishing sound stage.

It is extremely powerfull and will held without problem all the speakers I know.

It is extremely quiete: no noise!

It is extremely well finished: build quality is superior to all the Krell, Levinson or Cello amplifiers.

It is not expensive for a 2*250 W CLASS A amplifier.

Finally, Peter Thomson (manager of Plinius) is a real gentleman always ready to help the customer.