HERE is something special from Emotiva, a company known for its bang-for-buck high-octane power amps. For a limited period, Emotiva is offering the Stealth SA-250 Limited Edition Studio Reference stereo power amp, which the manufacturer touts as a truly “iconic” amplifier.
Claimed to be equally at home in a high-end audiophile system or mastering studio, the SA-250 outputs a hefty 250 watts (into eight ohms, 400W into four ohms) and features a super heavy-duty power supply section with a 1200VA toroidal power transformer and 40,000uF of independent, low ESR energy storage for each channel.
According to the literature, the “fully discrete, highly optimised dual differential, high current, short signal path Class A/B amplifier’s modules deliver massive power with vanishingly low distortion and noise.”
The SA-250 also sports a heavy-gauge reinforced solid steel chassis with extensive internal bracing. The front panel is machined from a solid slab of aluminum and finished in jet-black. To minimise visible distractions, the power button is also black while the channel status LEDs can be switched off.
Other pro features include balanced (XLR and quarter-inch combo) and single-ended inputs, gold-plated audiophile-grade speaker binding posts, fully independent input selector for each channel, ground lift switch and gain control switch. The amp, available in 120V and 230V versions, comes with a detachable IEC power cord. It can control or be controlled by other standard trigger-enabled equipment.
The SA-250, which comes with a five-year transferrable warranty, is listed at at US$1,399 but Emotiva is offering special discounts for early buyers – the amp starts shipping at the end of December. Check out the website for more details.