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Amarra review stereophile11/15/2023 Perhaps even more impressive are the 711’s peak power rating of 6000W and its current rating of 120A - the combination of these specs indicates that the 711 will never run out of steam when reproducing the full dynamic range of your favorite music, regardless of which speakers you use. ![]() The 711’s power outputs are 150Wpc into 8 ohms, 300Wpc into 4 ohms, and 600Wpc into 2 ohms, vs. Soulution is clear about the advantages of these power-supply upgrades, and not shy about showing their measurable benefits. The 710’s 250,000♟ of filter capacitance becomes, in the 711, a gargantuan 1,000,000♟ - a whole Farad (1F). That’s because Soulution has shed the 710’s two large, heavy, 1000VA toroidal transformers and replaced them with four 600VA switch-mode power supplies. The Soulution 711 measures 18.7"W x 10.8"H x 20.9"D and weighs 143 pounds - 33 pounds less than the model it replaces, the 710. But I think you’ll be interested to read what I have to say about the 711 nonetheless, because there are some unique attributes that, well, you really should know about. That’s pretty much what I have to criticize about the Soulution 711, which I know kind of gives away the review. I think the Dan D’Agostino products are the polar opposite - they demand attention with their gleaming copper and watch-face meters - but even Boulder Amplifiers, and certainly Gryphon Audio Designs, bring more defining exterior design elements to the fore. It is not, however, the audio equivalent of a Rolex watch - it lacks enough visual bling. It’s certainly built well, with close tolerances, excellent fit’n’finish, and tasteful appearance. I have come to admire the 711’s understated appearance. You could certainly make the case that something like the Benchmark Media Systems AHB2, at $2995, is far more relevant to the vast majority of audiophiles. That’s far beyond what any normal person could ever afford. This led to experiments with a PC music library/player running Linux, controlled by a Handspring PalmOS device connected to the stereo system via a Sound Blaster 16 card.There are some things I don’t like about the Soulution 711 stereo power amplifier, and the first is the astronomical price: $65,000 USD. I did beta testing and editing work for early-days Audible, and around that time, I started loading up home-ripped MP3 files on a pocket-sized Rio MP3 player (which by then had replaced Audible's proprietary player), using it in place of a portable CD player. ![]() Never mind Napsterthe first subscription audio "streaming" service was one you probably wouldn't think of: Audible, the audio book service now owned by Amazon, which started up in 1995. That wasn't streaming exactly, or not in the current sense, because the files needed to be downloaded, stored locally, then either played out of a computer or loaded onto a portable player, but from that point forward it was a steady march to the streaming-dominated present. But it was already brewing during the late 20th century, with people illegally downloading low-bitrate MP3 files made from CD rips and coming close to killing the recorded-music industry. The concept of streaming digital music files over distances great (as with internet-streaming services like Spotify, Qobuz, Tidal, etc.) and small (from a home-PC hard drive, NAS, or networked music server) became mainstream only recently.
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