Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This is a review of the 8200 MKI, which I bought on sale as at the time Plinius had just released the MKII. The biggest thing I noticed was it takes a good month or more for the bass to fill in. As some of the other reviewers have mentioned it gets noticably better over that first couple of months. I have only listened to the MKII and the 9200 models in the shop and they were not run in so I can't really make any comparisons. However I have had a good listen to an old Plinius SA50 and by comparison it had a much weighter, smoother sound; although the soundstage seemed lower than my 8200. These amps are absolute bargins in New Zealand. The only downsides is the remote which only works from close quarters and is rather too mechanical in operation. Also the mute button on the amp would be better on the front.

Strengths:
The quality of sound and build. Bargin price.

Weaknesses:
Remote and odd location of mute button.

Price Paid:  $1600.00 from demo

Summary:
I lived quite happily with the 8200 for about 6 months. I use it with Maggie 1.6s.There is really nothing this amp does wrong. It is an honest amp. I've had the pleasure of Rowland Concentra I and II, Classe CAP150, Rega Mira, and recently Continuum Unison. The phono stage is quite good. It controls the bass with a firm grip. It lacks the harmonic richness of the Concentras, but that may be an unfair comparison, given the price discrepancy. For me, it was more than adequate. Now I've upgraded to Coda's Stage amp and the changes are remarkable, not at all subtle. The depth and width of soundstage has improved. Detail and bass have improved. It moved me to upgrade to 3.6s. For the money and all that you get, the 8200 is very nice. I would be interested in hearing the MK II, which has much greater current capacity.

Strengths:
Honest presentation

Weaknesses:
A bit closed in. Lacks a certain magic.

Similar Products Used:
Concentra I and II, Classe CAP 150, Continuum Unison, Rega Mira.

Price Paid:  $2800.00 from Singapore

Summary:
After several serious auditions, I decided to consider integrated amp. Yes, like many, I'm skeptical about Integrated & would only want a pre/power separates. But I reckoned that a good quality built pre/power separates tends to come from the higher end category; not really good value for the money, after all, it got to be good when you pay so much more. Then my perspective change when I audit the Plinius 8200. It's like having an expensive pre/power separates all-in-one. The standard of integrated has certainly improved & the 8200 is really a class higher than most amps (such as Krell, Masterclasse, Myryab, etc) I know. Once thoroughly run-in, I'm captivated by its open, clean & natural sound reproduction. Oh, that sweet sound reproduction really makes music ticks! When I played various classical tracks (such as Beethoven Symphonien Nos 5 & 7, Yundi Li Encores, etc.), every nuances remained & so revealing. The result is simply terrific! I play mostly jazz music vocal, especially female vocalist like Izzy, Laura Fygi, Diana Krall, Wang Hong Yin, etc. & ST4 units exhibited superb imaging, richness, details of this materials very well, or I should say again terrific! The mid-bass thickness & transparency are of very good quality where you only can find it in higher end of audio units. The sound quality is really warm & very "tube-like" which matches my 'bright' NHT very well. The 8200 seems to always able to play with most materials with greater authority, richer sounding & makes most recordings sound more realistic with greater sense of stage depth. I can't seems to stop playing my CDs now & all my previous CDs (old recordings) seems to have injected with new lease of life & all played with greater musicality.

Strengths:
very detail, smooth & rich sounding with greater ambiance and stage depth. This is one high end integrated that you find only in the higher end audio pre/power separates. Very value for the money!

Weaknesses:
Require thorough run in. Remote controller tends to be bulky & a hassle to change battery.

Similar Products Used:
Arcam, Rotel, Sucgen, Perraux, etc.

Price Paid:  $3000.00 from Private Dealer

Summary:
This review is for my Plinius 8200 Mk-II. Even though both the Mk-I and Mk-II are designated 8200 series, there are significant differences between these amps. This is my third Plinius! I've owned the 8150i and the 8200 Mk-I. Perhaps I spend upgrade money too easily, but I like the Plinius sound and the Mk-II is better than the Mk-I. As another audiophile friend says, the 8200Mk-II sounds like a supertweaked 8150. Where the 8150 has a lush mid-range sound without microdetail, and the 8200Mk-I has a superdetailed sound with out the lush mid-range, the 8200Mk-II seems to have both. The sound is more ravishing and astonishing than ever. I've also tried out the new 8200's phono section, and it's even better than the 8200Mk-I's. Incredible detail and holographic presentation. However, I will say that most people would be 95% happy with the 8150 or the 8200. If you can get either of these used at good prices, I'd jump at the chance. However, if your're a persnikety audiophile and only want the best for your ears, the 8200Mk-II is your baby. Note: This integrated amp needs honest speakers -- if you have faults either before or after the unit, you will hear them.

Strengths:
Detailed presentation that still preserves accurate and beautiful mids.

Weaknesses:
Bass, if anything (probably my powercord and lack of a dedicated circuit).

Similar Products Used:
Other Plinius amps

Price Paid:  $1500.00 from Local dealer

Summary:
The Plinius replaced my NADC370. Both amps are very good but the Plinius has that much more refinement over the whole frequency band. The 8200 has enough power to drive my Dynaudio Audience 70 with both punch and refinement. With the Rega Planet 2000 feeding the signal, the system has a good balance of pace and rhythm without losing definition and the touch of vocal warmth and emotion. The 8200 needs to be kept on all the time to sound best. Really opened up the qualities of the dynaudios.

Strengths:
Power with refinement. Very good build quality. Came double boxed with a individual inspection certificate. Build with a lot of pride.

Weaknesses:
Perhaps not for absolute bass slam.

Similar Products Used:
Arcam Alphas, Rotels, NAD C370 (a very, very good amp at the price).