@gestalt Hi Colin. Do you know how long the batteries should last? Also, is it easy/obvious to replace them?
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
186 responses Add your response
Hi Howard, yeah I recommend replacing the batteries at the same time you replace the tubes. They’re in easy to swap/pop-out-with-fingers holders right next to the tube sockets. |
@grannyring I'm using yours! I think Colin might bring some speaker cables to try out when he is out to set up the speakers. Also possibly some power cords and interconnects. |
@gestalt - Thanks Colin. I am going back and forth with myself if I want to make a trip up and take a longer listen to the A200 than I did when I was at your place in August. For that matter also thinking the Neodio A2 . I'll decide after the holidays and contact you if I'd like to listen to either or both |
@grannyring Your speaker cables are excellent and I am using your interconnects as well. I’d like to hear the Hijiri speaker cables and maybe Tchernov cables. I have Hijiri Nagomi power cords on my amp and preamp and would like to get some for the Mojo EVO Pro DAC and Deja Vu server after I recover from the speaker purchase. @facten Colin told me that Absolute Sound was doing a review but I haven’t been able to find it. Is it online? If you have a link, please send.Thanks! |
| Post removed |
@hchilcoat I get the hard copy magazine |
I'm very interested in the Circle Labs A200. My speakers are Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage, which are keepers. If I may, I'd like to ask my fellow 'philes two questions: -Is anyone pairing their A-200 with speakers which are similar to my GH's? -Has anyone either heard or possibly compared the Circle Labs A-200 to the Aavik 1-180? At present I'm using a Luxman 550AXII and a Conrad Johnson CAV-45-S2. I'm not at all unhappy with either component, but like many, I'm very curious about some new-to-me gear which has gotten excellent reviews by owners. My listening room is small, and I don't play music much louder than 75db. Musical taste: primarily Classical, Jazz, "World" Electronic, and more- I like to explore pretty much any genre other than hard rock, metal, etc. I stream using Qobuz and a Gold-Note DS-10. I still play vinyl but not frequently. Thanks very much. Happy Holidays and best for 2023. Ps |
Hi @ps I would reach out to Colin of Gestalt Audio Design in Nashville. He is the A200 importer/dealer. He also sells/sold Luxman so he could help you better understand the A200 sound vs your Luxman. I love my A200 on my Fyne F704 speakers as well as my previous Dali Epicon 6s. |
Hi @Grannyring, Thanks very much, Bill. I've already spoken to Colin. In fact I bought my Lux from him, as well as the excellent Gold Note DS-10. 😄 I suspect I'd be very happy with the A200. One of the most appealing things about my Luxman is its comprehensive functionality and silky musical presentation. What it comes down to is that I miss the sound of my vintage tube gear but I sure don't miss the trials and tribulations involved and can't quite wean myself from tubes. Best, Ps |
Those who own, or are considering purchasing an A200, note that I found vibration mitigation to make a big difference in performance. I belatedly added four Stillpoints under my A200, and the results were much greater than I was anticipating. I don't know if this is typical of amps which utilize tubes, and/or if there was excessive vibration coming through the solid teak sideboard on which the amp was sitting directly, but in any case, I thought that my experience might prove useful to some. |
Thanks Bill. Yours are certainly less expensive than the Stillpoints, though I was able to get mine at a nice discount. I did a fair amount of research prior to the purchase, as I had (remarkably, perhaps) never previously used anything more expensive than Herbie's Tenderfeet for vibration control. I chose Stillpoints not only because of various reviews and recommendations, but also because Ansuz, a company for which I have a good deal of respect, also employs ceramic balls in their (more expensive) products. It was a big step forward in getting the best out of the A200, and revealing the potential of the other associated components. |
that's unfortunate... clearly nice gear, and clearly a good retailer... these are small businesses on both ends, an ocean apart, and people are people...don't always get along |
A small, related coincidence. When I was first thinking of possibly buying a pair of FinkTeam KIM speakers, my local trusted dealer in Lisbon was a distributor. They were awaiting a new pair for me to audition, and word came down that they had experienced a falling out with Karl-Heinz Fink, and were no longer going to carry his line of speakers. But on the basis of a strong recommendation from one of the men who worked at the dealer, whose judgment I trust, I took a leap of faith and bought a pair of barely used, but nicely discounted KIMs from a Swedish dealer, and had them shipped. I have been using them to excellent effect with the A200 ever since, and, ironically, have had nothing but positive experiences communicating with Karl-Heinz about issues such as positioning, etc. My point being that one shouldn't assume that a falling out between a dealer and manufacturer necessarily reflects poorly on the latter. |
I am sure Circle Labs is great gear, given the experiences I have had with the dealer who used to distribute them I am not the least bit surprised there was a falling out. I’ve been in hifi for longer than I care to share, certainly longer than they have been in business and would never deal with them again on any level. Dealers come and go, quality brands tend to stick around no matter what. Good for Circle Labs finding the right fit. |
| Post removed |
Looking for some input from Circle Labs A200 integrated amplifier I have recently purchased a low hours A200. The seller estimated 40 to 50 hours use. I am curious the character of sound after 200 hr mark per manual for full break in. There is much to like if the sound now . However I find the mids a bit closed in . Not very expressive. Will the change for the better upon full break in?
|
When I purchased mine, I corresponded with Krzysztof Lichoń, the designer of Circle Labs amps. He wrote this (English is obviously not his first language):
FWIW, I would not characterize the mids as being closed in in the A200, but I have changed associated gear since the initial break-in.
|
The system in my living room currently is CD sourced I have upgraded Jas 2.1 player with nos tubes rectifier and output A isolated circuit with a good matching power cord Jos labs superconductor 3 interconnects feeding the A200 The integrated amp is powering Fyne audio 502sp speakers using audioquest gilbraltor I |
Nice system @oldcar63 ! I've heard and really liked Fyne Audio speakers but not that model. |
Yes I believe grannyring is currently using Fyne audio 703s in his system Also I should have mentioned that I have also have been using an Line magnetic 805ia integrated. It sounds very good in my setup however it puts out a lot of heat. This is why I wanted to try the A200 in hope I can get similar sound minus the heat. I will certainly give you an update after full break in |
