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
Link to Circle Labs site,
http://www.circlelabs.eu/a200_en
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.
Hope you find this helpful fellow Agoners.
Bill
@jjss49 If you move to Europe, it'll be cheaper! 😄 |
what is the price of the a200 again pls? i looked back in the thread did not see it... thanks also does not say on @gestalt_hifi's site... or somehow i missed it |
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. |
@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. |
Thank you. Anyone interested in the KIMs will likely find this (pdf) review by Martin Colloms to be very interesting: https://www.finkteam.com/wp- I am excited about them, and will of course will report on them, and their synergy with the A200, after they arrive. |
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 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. Bill |
@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. |
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. |
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.
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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. |
@jjss49 I actually look forward to composing a fairly thorough review, but will need some time to allow the amp to reach its full potential. Having said that, there will be some qualifications, given a) my current, far less than ideal listening space and b) that I will be comparing from memory, rather than in real time |
@whipsaw 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! 😅😅😅 |
@hchilcoat Thank you. 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? |
@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. |
Thanks @grannyring 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. |
Hi 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. Cheers, Tony |
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 |
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! |
@jjss49 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 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. |
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. |
I should be receiving mine no later than next week. Bill's review catalyzed my initial interest, and I think that I've found and read all of the related Polish material. Interestingly, there is a GATO sub-forum on one of the Polish audio sites, and some comparisons were made by listeners to the same amp that I currently use (AMP-150). Some even preferred it. I am prepared for the possibility that the A200 would be a "diminishing return" purchase, but I also have two weeks to auction it at home before keeping it. I'm excited about it, in any case, and look forward to listening to it. |
I placed an order for the A200 with Colin at Gestalt Audio, which I hope to receive in the next couple of weeks. Look forward to comparing to my TRL Dude/KR Audio Kronzilla combo. In addition to the reviews in High Fidelity and Positive Feedback, I found this interesting review on a Polish website, which you can read using Google Translate: https://www.audiostereo.pl/magazyn/recenzje/recenzje-wzmacniacze/circle-labs-a200-r1098/ It came out about a year ago and there are some interesting comments, particularly about the 50% price increase after it the A200 was initially available in Poland. Although the translation of the review is a bit clumsy, it provides interesting details that I didn't see in the other reviews. You can find some other reviews in Polish as well. |
Wanted to update folks on a new power cord I purchased based on it’s wonderful synergy with the Circle Labs A200. The Hijiri Nagomi power cord. Colin of Gestalt Audio Design is the importer/dealer for these cords. I tested many power cords both from Colin and other sources ranging in price from $400 - $4000. In the end, the Nagomi was magic on the A200. Great depth of soundstage and natural tone that drew me in even deeper. There are some reviews online as I understand many of us may have never heard of this Japanese brand. |
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This has me thinking more about my time with the A200. It is not the sort of amp that wows the listener in the first minutes of listening with sonic feats of strength. Some amps will do this initially, but over time other imperfections begin to reveal themselves. This strikes me as an important distinction, and is well-stated. That's not to say, of course, that some listeners shouldn't prefer amp A to amp B, but I suspect that it is a goal of most audiophiles to find the sort of happiness that Bill is apparently experiencing with the A200. |
I should mention my speakers are 5 ohm and 89db efficient. My room is large being 24 feet wide by 32 feet deep with 10 foot ceilings. The A200 drives the speaker and room to listening levels beyond most any audiophile needs. As I have mentioned, I really enjoy hearing the musical nuance and details at lower listening levels with the A200. |
This has me thinking more about my time with the A200. It is not the sort of amp that wows the listener in the first minutes of listening with sonic feats of strength. Some amps will do this initially, but over time other imperfections begin to reveal themselves. With the A200 I find myself listening to more music than ever before. I am also listening to new artists and engaging in music more as a whole. I find this aspect of having more fun with music an interesting outcome of owning the A200. I find myself growing more fond of the amp with each passing week. So the A200 is all about a longer term relationship as opposed to a one night fling 🙂. |
