Circle Labs A200 Integrated amplifier review - It will appeal to both tube and SS lovers……
This review is a reflection of my desire to help those looking for purity of sound in the convenient package of an integrated amplifier. In other words, an amplifier that transcends the usual boundaries of tube vs solid state. The A200 integrated is a unique design and one that I don’t recall seeing before--more on that in a moment. I called my local dealer here in the Nashville area, Colin King of Gestalt Audio Design, and told him I wanted to look into an integrated amplifier. I had too many boxes with several LPS’s, switches and such on the floor next to my Sound Anchors rack. It did not look good in our living room, and since I live with THE Audiophile’s Wife, I decided I better simplify and tidy up our space before she took to the blogosphere and wrote about my slovenly ways.
I also liked the integrated amp concept, in general, as they can offer stellar sound at lower prices than competing separates. I knew Colin carried the Luxman brand, and it has always intrigued me, but to my surprise, he suggested the Circle Labs A200 made in Poland. I had not heard of it, but he felt it would fit my sonic priorities better. In a nutshell, I like beautiful tone and realism and am less concerned about sonic feats of strength that impress initially, but over time don’t immerse me in the music. I guess, for me, an integrated amp appeals to the heart and soul--not just the mind.
Prior to the A200, I had a wonderful sounding $15,000 Mark Levinson 532 preamp and two nice amplifiers. Here’s a little backstory on that:AMPS: One of the amps was a 50-watt per channel, pure class A solid state Clayton Audio amplifier. The other was a 1200-watt per channel, unique class D amplifier. Both appealed to me in different ways.PREAMPS: I recently built a very robust 6sn7 tube preamp that I enjoyed but ended up giving to my stepson as a housewarming gift. In addition to that, I owned a highly modified/upgraded Audio Valve Eclipse tube preamp that was also quite enjoyable.
Suffice it to say the integrated had a significant sonic hurdle to clear to make it onto my audio rack. On paper, the A200 seemed ideally suited to my sonic preferences. The design combines a tube preamplifier and a single ended, pure class A, solid state output stage. While hybrid integrated amplifiers are not new to the scene, one with a single ended, pure Class A output was unique in my experience. In addition, the builder was passionate and intensely focused on short signal paths and keeping the parts count to an absolute minimum. The end goal was sonic purity, in other words, the accuracy of the tone and overtones needed to be precise to the vocals and the instruments. It needed to correctly address the nuances of the recordings like the inflections of the voices, the emotion of the vocalist and the subtleties of each instrument.
The A200 is rated at 100 watts per channel into 8 ohms and doubles to 200 watts into 4 ohms. It uses the rather inexpensive Siemens ECC8100 tube--one per channel and they will last some 10,000 hours. You can read more about this amp online at the Circle Labs site as well as viewing several online reviews of the unit.
This design goal, in my estimation, delivers the sonic purity I find elusive in many pieces of audio gear. This hybrid is different from other hybrid amps I have owned from Blue Circle, Monarchy Audio and Aesthetix Audio. Their designs are wonderful in their own way. They have sonic strengths in areas like warmth, stage size, high power and such. In my opinion, the A200 stands out from the other hybrids in purity of sound and inner detail. The sound reminds me of the “illuminated from within” sound I heard on my past pair of 2a3/300b monoblock SET amps from George Wright. The A200 sonic strengths boil down to a wide open sound, purity of tone and a positively arresting revealing of inner detail and nuance. The bass of the A200 is stellar in both articulation and fullness. If the recording has a meaty foundation, the A200 delivers it, and this is a must for me to enjoy music. The amp does not homogenize recordings based on my experience. Every recording is delivered with its intended sound and personality.
Another aspect I really appreciate is how engaging this amp is at low to moderate volume levels. I think this is simply a reflection of its sonic purity. In the end, the A200 cleared my sonic hurdle, and then some, because it drew me into the performances time and time again. One additional note is the A200 is just plain fun. My wife joins me for pleasure listening, and it scores very high marks on the fun factor.
I have heard amplifiers with more exacting leading edges and crisper highs. I have heard amplifiers with more gut-hitting dynamics at high volume levels, though I suppose if you pair the A200 with highly efficient speakers you would achieve this. I have not often heard the purity of sound and overall illumination of the performance that this integrated delivers. Approximating it would typically require SET tube amplifiers of the 2a3/845 and OTL variety-- at least in my experience.
Colin is the importer and dealer located in Nashville. The retail price is $8995. He is easy to work with, no-pressure and very laid back. I liked my experience with him greatly, and The Audiophile’s Wife has said, and I quote, "she plans to adopt him into our family if one of our biological children goes missing."
System notes:
Circle Labs A200 on Townshend Pods and with QSA blue fuses installed Dali Epicon 6 speakers with highly upgraded crossovers Mojo Audio Evo dac with most all the upgrades including Lundahl Amorphous chokes Innuos Zenith 3 server Hapa Audio ICs and Aero USB cable Acoustic BBQ power cord and speaker cable Purist Audio jumpers Network Acoustics ENO ethernet cables and filter English Electric 8Switch Several linear power supplies for modem, router switch Puritan Audio 156 and Groundmaster conditioning/grounding Townshend Pod products under speakers and gear Sound Anchors rack Dedicated twin 20 amp lines Various tweaks from Mad Scientist, PerfectPath Audio
I should add I listen to most every major genre of music including jazz, folk, female jazz vocalist, classical, acoustic instrumental, solo piano etc…. I love Van Morrison and Rickie Lee Jones and would say they are my top two favorite artists.
By new I meant a unit with some hours on it vs none. Both the Harbeth and Audiokinesis are great sounding speakers! I will need to read up on those Fink Team Kim. Not familiar with them. I think after a week of play time the A200 will reflect a great big dose of its fully broken in sound. I will let Colin chime in on his experience. My guess is the design principles behind the A200 of minimal parts necessary and short signal paths will shorten the time needed for burn in.
Thanks! I am very hopeful that this will be the end of the road.
The truth is that the GATO sounds very good indeed, but I was tempted by the design and feedback relating to the A200, and also prefer it from an aesthetic standpoint. I've never owned any tube gear, but like the concept of hybrid amps, and especially this execution.
No, in fact, I have heard very few hybrid amps, and not owned any. But as I have always leaned a bit towards the sweet/warm side of solid state, I expect that a well-designed amp like the A200 will tick the right boxes.
This purchase is out of character for me in another respect, in that I very very rarely buy new components. But I have the impression that the A200 punches above its price class, and hope to enjoy it for a long time to come.
I will be moving fairly soon to a new home, but will be able to compare to my previous two amps, as I will listen to it in the same space, and with the same associated components, for at least a couple of months.
@jjss49 I think it's important to mention the A200 doesn't sound like a traditional hybrid amp; it offers a unique topology with a surprisingly short signal path and has, to my ears, an immediate authenticity that is rare for an amplifier that makes 200 watts into 4 ohms.
I have owned many hybrid amps over the years. Monarchy Audio made some fine ones, Aesthetix Atlas, several from Blue Circle Audio, Butler Audio and another one that I can’t seem to remember. All were smooth and had a touch that tube sound we like.
As Gestalt Audio stated, the A200 is a different animal. It has the immediacy, transparency and a nice portion of that magical realism found in some SET tube amplifiers. It does not sound like a typical high wattage SS or hybrid amp. I think you will love the tone and musical perspective of this amplifier!
Good day folks, New to this group and hoping soon to be new to Circle Labs and my own A200, can’t wait to audition this amplifier. I will be pairing with Audiovector R3 Arrete speakers, which already sound great, but I’m hoping magical things will take place one I have the A200 connected. I have already gone through these posts which have me even more excited bu Any recommendations from current owners would be truly appreciated. Thanks so much, Chris
Welcome to the small, but apparently growing CL A200 fan club! I literally received mine on Sunday evening (wild, eh?), and wasn't planning on making any public commentsso quickly. However, I can say this: while the designer claims that the sound will improve noticeably over the first ~200 hours of use, I am highly impressed even at this very early stage.
Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.
Good for you! Looked up your speakers and they look most interesting. I also own Danish speakers - Dali Epicon. 6’s. I can confidently say the A200 is a very special sounding piece. Keep us updated.
So happy for you! You are hearing what I hear and enjoy! What are you using for a power cord on your A200? I have the Nogami from Hijiri that Colin turned me onto. Oh boy, this cord mates perfectly with the A200.
I am using an older Shunyata design, the Black Mamba CX-HC. I admittedly haven't done much comparing, but it was, and remains highly regarded, and they don't even appear on the secondary market very often. I had to wait months to find one!
The Hijri cords look superb, but I would probably be inclined to upgrade my speaker cables next.
@whipsaw Great to hear your preliminary feedback. My A200 is supposed to ship from Poland Friday, so I hope to have it in the next week or two. Really looking forward to hearing it, especially since my KR Audio Kronzilla needs repair and I am without an amp right now. I am expecting delivery of Mojo Audio Mystique EVO Pro DAC and Deja Vu server very soon too so plan to audition them. First I'll try the A200 with my current digital set up (Innuos Zen MkIII and Lampizator Big 7) and then add the Mojo Audio component one at a time.So exciting times ahead once the A200 is here.
I wonder how the Circle A200 would compare to the Linear Tube Audio integrated amps. Although the LTA integrated use all tubes and a very different topology, reviews of these Berning designed OTL amps are very consistent with reviews of the A200.
I won’t be of much help regarding comparisons to the Linear integrated amplifiers, though they do look interesting. In some of the reviews I see an emphasis on tonal accuracy, and that is something that does stand out to me about the A200 thus far.
Your incoming DAC sounds exciting indeed. What speakers do you use?
great that you are loving the new amp with your mon 30's
as it breaks in further and takes full form, it would be great if you could try to describe what is different (and better/worse) in terms of how it works and how it sounds in comparison to your gato and hegel 160 before it!
we are going to make a professional review out of you yet! 😅😅😅
Thanks for the review. One of the Polish reviews put this in the same conversation as Leben, which is high praise indeed. I use an integrated with some big-picture similarities -- i.e., tube pre, SS amp in pure class A -- and to simplify things, it feels like emotion and reason are unified in a very satisfying whole. I'll consider the smaller Circle Labs integrated if and when I build a second system. Enjoy.
I ended up getting the Circle Labs separated versions of the A200 just before Christmas. These consist of the P300 preamp and M200 amp and just wanted to provide some quick impressions for now and hope to provide more detailed info later.. Right now I am listening to them with the Mojo Audio Deja Vu streamer and the Mystigue EVO Pro DAC, which I have added very recently, the DAC.just last night!. I am using Duke LeJeune’s Audiokinesis Jazz Modules, which I have been enjoying for the last 15 years.
With this set up, the Circle Labs separates sound incredible. The P300/M200 combo showed a lot of potential before I added the Mojo Audio components and the addition of the Deja Vu and EVO really allowed them to move much closer to their full potential. Of course, the caveat is that I only listened with the EVO DAC for a few hours and I would expect things to only get better. However, that was enough to make me feel like I had reached a level of audio nirvana that I had never experienced previously. Obviously, I don’t want to claim that the Circle Labs duo was completely responsible for that. Before adding the Mojo EVO DAC, I had had many magical evenings with a wide and deep sound stage generally set back behind the speaker line. Instruments and voices were full bodied with a great deal of musicality. The Circle combo controlled bass nicely and sounded quite neutral across the frequency spectrum. Dynamics were excellent (eg, the percussion on Buena Vista Social club El Cuarto de Tula really popped, while allowing the vocals to come through clearly with able distinct voices that blended harmoniously). With the Mojo Audio equipment in the system I could really see what the with Circle Labs combo could do. Bass was low and solid but very textured, mids full bodied and satisfying. Highs very crisp and clear. I previously had a KR Audio Kronzilla amp and TRL Dude preamp. I was was very satisfied with the sound of that and had no intention of getting anything else. Unfortunately it kept shutting down and I haven’t had it repaired yet. So unfortunately I can’t compare the difference with the P300/M200 directly. From memory, it is clear that Circle Labs separates are more dynamic, bass is certainly more impactful and musical, there is more transparency and higher level of resolution (with my original digital equipment). I was waiting for the Mojo Deja Vu and EVO, which I planned to use with the Dude/Kronzilla, but that was not in the cards.
I had been meaning to provide initial comments on the P300/M200 earlier but procrastinated.So finally getting around to share my initial impressions. Hope to do so more extensively in the future. There are a couple of reviews from Poland, from High Fidelity http://highfidelity.pl/@main-1140&lang=en and Sound Rebels https://soundrebels.com/circle-labs-p300-m200-3/ that I think are quite accurate. The translations from Polish to English can sometimes make it challenging to really understand exactly what the reviewers mean. At first I thought that the P300/M200 might be a bit analytical compared to the musicality of the A200 integrated as described in Grannyring’s and other published reviews. Initially they did sound a bit lean, but with a few days of break in really opened up and started to show what they could do. As much as I enjoyed my previous tubed preamp and SET amp I have to say that I don’t find myself looking back but look forward to my journey with this new set up.
Congratulations, @hchilcoat, and thank you for your interesting impressions. I've never heard your speakers, but on the basis of some quick research, they appear to be excellent.
I wouldn't worry at all about any differences between the A200 and your separates, as I am sure that they are very close in SQ.
The designer suggests ~200 hours of use before the A200 can be expected to sound its best, so you probably have further blossoming to enjoy over the coming weeks.
I continue to be impressed with the A200, but am awaiting a set of FinkTeam Kim speakers, and an impending move to a new home, before writing a review.
@Whipsaw, glad you are enjoying your A200 and look forward to hearing more about your impressions. I'll have to look into those speakers.
The reviewers at High Fidelity, who had high praise for the A200, indicated that "the separates system does not sound so impressive at first as the A200" but "offers a much more sophisticated, more nuanced, and thus less 'tangible' sound than the Circle Labs' integrated". What I can say is that, based on my very early impression with my new set up, I am delighted with the P300/M200 in my system.
Wow! That is some great new gear you have! That Circle Labs preamp is said to be very pure and imparts no personality of its own on the music. This is a good thing!
I imagine the amplifier is very refined and special.
I love my Mojo Audio Evo dac. Did I say I love your system?!
My A200 is just a joy to listen to day in and out. Happy for you.
@grannyring Glad to hear your are enjoying your A200 and thank you for steering me in the direction of Circle Labs amps. I second your comments about dealing with Colin King and Gestalt Audio Design. He is an amazing person to work with. I originally was going to get a A200 but there were some issues including a unit damaged by UPS during shipping. As an alternative to waiting for a new A200, Colin said that he had the P300/M200 in house and offered them to audition. So I ended up getting them. The P300 preamplifier is fully balanced and I didn't have any interconnects with XLR connectors, so I also got a Hijiri HGP-balanced cables as well. Using your interconnects from DAC to preamp and Network Acoustics digital cable.
I love your system too, although it is hard to keep up with all your updates and tweaks. Did you end up getting the Fyne speakers? How did they work with your A200?
Look forward to hearing more about your experience with the FinkTeam KIM speakers. The great thing about the Circle Labs amps is that they can work with a wide range of speakers. I am very happy with my Jazz Modules but have been intrigued by single driver speakers. One concern is that the damping factor on Circle might to high for some speakers, such as Cube Audio Nenuphars although I contacted them recently and they said they were coming out with a new model that would be more compatible.
Thanks. It is interesting, and apparently serendipitous how you came to the separates!
I agree that the Circle Labs amps appear to be fairly versatile in terms of the speakers that they match well with. I have no worries about the KIMs, but do agree that those speakers which are designed to excel with low-powered tube amps would likely present the greatest challenges.
I owned the Dali Epicon 6s for 5 years and liked them! I now have some 475 hours on my new Fyne 704 speakers. I could not be more happy. Colin came over to listen and helped me set them up perfectly. The A200 is a wonderful amp on these big Fynes. Perfect!
@gestalt - I've never had a hybrid integrated amp , the review notes the following
"The bias for the tubes is provided by CR2032 batteries."
Is it typical of hybrid amps to have the preamp tubes biased; and if so, biased in this manner? Is there an advantage to the method employed in this amp? How often do the batteries need changing, and is there ease of access to them?
@factenColin can answer your other questions specifically, but the (two) linestage tubes and associated batteries need only be changed once every several years. The tubes have a ~10,000 hour life expectancy, and the batteries should be replaced at the same time.
Is it typical of hybrid amps to have the preamp tubes biased; and if so, biased in this manner?
In my experience, no, this is fairly unique and one contributor to what makes the A200 sound like it does.
Is there an advantage to the method employed in this amp?
I’m not an amplifier designer and can’t speak to the precise "why". All I can offer is the amp sounds good, so I think the "why" worked.
How often do the batteries need changing, and is there ease of access to them?
The batteries and the ECC8100 triodes both are rated for 10,000 hours and should be swapped at the same time. The CR2032 battery is one of the most common coin cell batteries in the world and can be found at e.g. your local grocery store. They’re mounted in easy access/pop-out-with-fingers terminals on the same board as the vacuum tubes and the whole process can be completed in about 5 minutes at low cost.
Colin answered your questions and I will only add this. All tubes, both preamp and power tubes, must be biased. If they are not, then they will burn up! The method used by Circle Labs is quite ingenious. Being a geeky tweaker I have done a little fooling around with gear. I am a DIY novice at best! The battery is used to supply the needed voltage to the grid of the tube to maintain proper bias. The bias is fixed in that you don’t have to adjust or mess with it in any way. The battery is only supplying low, low voltage and no current so it will last years. This ingenious circuit helps keep parts count to a minimum. This is a very good thing as it helps simplify the circuit, reduce parts count and maintains a short signal path. All this equals better sound when executed well as Circle Labs has done. As Colin stated, you don’t often see this method of biasing.
Thanks for the responses - @whipsaw@grannyring@gestalt. I am hands on familiar with biasing power tubes in 2 of my 3 integrated amps, frankly never thought about if or how preamp tubes were/are biased in those 3 amps or a tube preamp I have. Been more focused on tube rolling to tweak to the sound I want.
You have some nice amplification! Just looking back at your system and see the Line Magnetic and Finale Int amps. You also have some Modwright separates. Yes, you need another intergraded amp sir 🙂.
Lol.Never know about these things especially if one is an impulse shopper like me.
Have an Ayon Audio integrated as well in my 2nd system.
BTW - " I am a DIY novice at best" - I think from my personal experience with the double helix cables you made me, and reading your posts about your preamp build, upgrading your Mojo , mods that you’ve done to Orchid DACs for other , advice you give folks on mod questions, etc. that you are being unnecessarily modest😐
Yes, I should probably clarify that statement. I was really referring to designing gear. I am good with a soldering iron, understanding parts and how they sound, and know how to build very good sounding cables for reasonable money. However, I am not a designer! The preamps I have built from scratch used a 6sn7 circuit I learned from a talented designer with my separate learnings on how to built robust power supplies.
Fun for me. I like upgrading gear with parts I know will deliver the sound one is looking for. Kind of like tube and fuse rolling…kind of 😊.
I did an image search for Audiomat amps, and the (aesthetic) similarities are very superficial. The A200 is far more elegant, and the detail are finer, and more impressive.
Having said that, virtually all industrial designs are derivative to some extent. The A200 remote is very similar to the remote that came with the Jeff Rowland Concentra, though cased in aluminum, rather than plastic.
Like any good (sick?) audiophile, I like to peruse reviews of components even if I am not in the market for them. Somewhat like men having their heads turned on the street, even if they are very happy with their partners.
So today, I stumbled across this review of the Riviera Levante hybrid integrated:
and couldn’t help but notice some striking similarities between its topology, and that of the A200. There are differences, for sure, not least of which are the option to run the Levante in pure Class A, and a built-in headphone amp. But looking at the internals, and reading about the designer’s approach, there are both interesting and obvious parallels, including the use of very similar tubes.
Those interested can read about the designer’s thoughts on the topology employed here:
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