Amplifiers
A hi-fi amplifier takes the signal from a turntable, streamer or CD player and gives the loudspeakers the power and control to bring the recording to life. Audio Lounge presents amplifiers in every form, from integrated designs to pre and power separates and streaming models, by Naim, ARCAM, Rega, Sugden, LUXMAN, Lyngdorf, Yamaha and more. Enquire about an audition on Wigmore Street with loudspeakers close to your own.
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Price range: £799.00 through £928.00Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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£1,199.00Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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£2,199.00Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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- Original price was: £2,599.00.£2,499.00Current price is: £2,499.00.Reserve & Collect This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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- Original price was: £3,199.00.£2,699.00Current price is: £2,699.00.Reserve & Collect This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
What an Audio Amplifier Does
Every audio amplifier performs two tasks: one stage selects the source and sets the volume, and another supplies the current that drives the loudspeakers. Yamaha describes the integrated design as the preamp and power amp, often with phono equalisation and tone controls, combined in a single component.
A stereo amplifier carries both channels of a recording, left and right, and the hi-fi amplifiers in this collection divide that work in different ways, from a single chassis to a separate unit for each stage. The choice shapes how a system grows, how much power is on hand and which sources connect directly.
One Chassis or Separates
An integrated amplifier keeps both stages in one chassis, the simplest route to a complete system, while a streaming amplifier adds network playback as well. Separates divide the work between a preamplifier and a power amplifier, and Yamaha notes that hobbyists favour separates because upgrading is easy.
In the C-5000 and M-5000, Yamaha keeps the signal floating and balanced through both units, and the Naim NAP 500 DR, a bridged design regulated locally in ten stages per channel, is assembled by Naim technicians in Salisbury.
Class A, Class AB and Digital Amplification
Sugden, handcrafting in Britain since 1967, runs the Sugden A21SE Signature in pure Class A and explains that a high standing current keeps the output ready to act instantly on any signal. LUXMAN builds the LUXMAN L-509Z with fully discrete pre and power sections in Class AB and a LECUA-EX volume control that switches fixed resistors for each channel independently.
ARCAM designs the ARCAM A50 Signature in Cambridge as the brand’s first dual-mono Class G design, with a built-in Class A phono section for moving magnet and moving coil designs. The Lyngdorf TDAI-2210, assembled by Lyngdorf in Denmark, amplifies entirely in the digital domain and adapts the loudspeakers to the room with RoomPerfect, while Rega builds the Rega Aethos as a dual mono design around a custom-wound toroidal transformer. Designs from ATC, Goldmund and Plinius complete the collection.
Choosing the Best Stereo Amplifier for Your Speakers
Start with the loudspeakers and the room, because sensitivity, impedance and the size of the space decide how much power and control the amplifier needs, and the refinement of a high-end amplifier is best judged through loudspeakers able to reveal the difference.
Then list the sources: a turntable calls for a phono section, a streaming service for network playback and a television for an HDMI connection, as on the A50 Signature with HDMI eARC. Hearing stereo amplifiers with your own loudspeakers settles more than any specification, so enquire about a demonstration at Audio Lounge, alongside advice on hi-fi speakers and cables.
Questions About Hi-Fi Amplifiers
What is the best hi-fi amplifier for my speakers?
The best hi-fi amplifier is the design that suits your loudspeakers, your room and the sources you play, so the shortlist changes from system to system. Power here runs from 30 watts per channel into 8 ohms for the Class A Sugden A21SE Signature to 140 watts for the Naim NAP 500 DR and 150 watts for the ARCAM A50 Signature, both into 8 ohms. Share the make and model of your speakers with Audio Lounge for a recommendation.
How powerful should a hi-fi amp be?
Power should suit the sensitivity and impedance of the loudspeakers and the size of the room rather than follow the largest figure. The LUXMAN L-509Z develops 120 watts a channel into 8 ohms and 220 watts into 4 ohms, the Rega Aethos 125 watts into 8 ohms and the Lyngdorf TDAI-2210 105 watts into 8 ohms. Audio Lounge can advise on a match for your speakers.
Should I choose one chassis or separate units?
One chassis keeps a system compact, with every stage matched by the designer, while separates let each stage be chosen and upgraded independently, which Yamaha describes as easy. Yamaha’s C-5000 and M-5000 stay balanced throughout the signal path, and Naim’s NAP 500 DR is assembled by hand in Salisbury. Ask Audio Lounge to compare both approaches with your loudspeakers in mind.
Can an amplifier compensate for my room?
Room correction is part of the Lyngdorf TDAI-2210, which uses RoomPerfect to adapt the loudspeakers to the acoustics of the room. The TDAI-2210 amplifies digitally and streams with Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, Roon Ready and Google Cast, and Lyngdorf assembles each unit in Denmark. Ask Audio Lounge about hearing RoomPerfect with loudspeakers like your own.
Which amplifiers here play records or digital sources directly?
Several handle sources as well as amplification. The ARCAM A50 Signature plays records through a Class A phono section and connects digital sources through an ESS ES9039Q2M converter with USB-C and HDMI eARC inputs, the LUXMAN L-509Z and Yamaha C-5000 include phono equalisers for both cartridge types, and the Lyngdorf TDAI-2210 streams over a network, with an MM phono module as an option.