SOLO 100W High Quality Monoblock Power Amplifier

Presenting the excellent SOLO monopower power amplifier that can drive any speaker load. Music as it has been recorded.

The SOLO is a monoblock power amplifier meant for the home theater or audio perfectionist looking for complete isolation between the speaker amplification channels. It should be compared to monoblock amplifiers costing many times the price. Our Crescendo-Systems partner through CurtPalme.com is able to reduce costs due to the lack of audiophile sales & marketing mark-up costs typically applied to high-end low-volume audio products.

With its high current drive capability, its low noise and low distortion, the 'SOLO' brings any recorded detail onto your loudspeaker. You might characterize the 'SOLO' by its strong and crystal clear sound, yet ... the 'SOLO' does not have a sound of its own. It just amplifies and adds nothing but power to your music. Loud and clear.

This is the result of a well-balanced straightforward design and the lack of electronic protection circuits as found on mass market designs. A slow-blow mains fuse and an auto-recovery thermal mains switch protect your amplifier. That's enough!

The 'SOLO' is conservatively rated to deliver 100W RMS into a 4Ω load. Unlike most mass market receivers that use shared power supplies, energy storage, and amplifier 'modules', the SOLO will deliver this rated wattage continuously. The result is that the 100W SOLO amplifier will play considerably louder and cleaner than a typical mass market receiver 'rated' at 200W/channel or higher. 

The low output impedance and high current drive capability of the SOLO make it a perfect choice for loudspeaker systems with complex multisection crossover filters. Usually the impedance of such speaker systems strongly depends on frequency and interferes with traditional protection circuits found in most amplifiers. The 'SOLO' doesn't employ these circuits. It drives any loudspeaker with an exact and powerful copy of its input signal. That's all!

The 'SOLO' uses a PENTAFET output stage that does the main amplification. An analog computational bias circuit accurately biases this output stage and reduces any distortion to below audible levels. It uses a Dynamic Class A design. 

The Solo has been designed by Anton Montagne and is manufactured in the Netherlands, in exclusive small series.

Looking for a more cost effective multi-channel solution? Consider the DPA5 5-channel amp instead.
 

Using the SOLO Monoblock power amplifier

One unit is required per speaker. For example, a two speaker stereo setup will require two SOLO monoblock amplifiers. A typical 5-speaker home theater setup will require five SOLO monoblock amplifiers.

Already have a home theater receiver with amps built in? You will greatly increase the sound quality of your home theater or 2-channel audio setup by bypassing the internal amps in your receiver by using the RCA connectors labelled 'pre out'. This will completely bypass the receiver's internal amplifiers. You'll be amazed at the sound quality difference from going from a cheap high-feedback integrated circuit amp found in all mass market receivers to the powerful discrete component based SOLO amp.

Many users will use 2 or 3 SOLO amps to increase the sound quality of their left/right (and possibly center) speakers and leave their receiver to power the rear speakers. With the shared power nature of the amps used in receivers, this also leaves more power for the rears, which also helps to increase the sound quality.
 

Features

• High quality sound, driving any type of loudspeaker (100W sine @ 4Ohm)
• Stable and powerful drive for electrodynamic, magnetostatic and electrostatic loudspeakers even with complex cross-over filters
• Ultra low distortion < - 96dB (0.0016%) @ 1kHz, 1 to 100Watt, 4Ohm
• High peak current drive capability > 60A
• Large frequency range DC - 200kHz
• Low noise < -126dB (DIN A weighted)
• High power, low distortion, high reliability PENTAFET output stage (PENTAFET: matched Dual N-FET and Triple P-FET Symmetrical High Power Output Stage)
• Dynamic Class A biasing (low standby power consumption < 30VA) using ABC&C (ABC&C: Analog Bias Computation & Control for Stable Dynamic Class A operation)
• Silent on/off architecture (guarantees silent on/off switching without the use of relay switches)
• Short circuit and thermal overload protections (Protection without affecting sound quality using a slow mains fuse and a bimetal thermal mains switch)
   

What is a 'Dynamic' Class A design?

Some of the best amplifiers in the world are what's called 'Class A' design where they consume as much power sitting idle as when running full load. This allows for better high frequency performance and less distortion. The disadvantage is power consumption. They are extremely inefficient.

The Solo does not run full Class A, it is instead a Dynamic Class A which offers all the benefits without the power consumption. In a normal Class A the full bias current for maximum output power is always present. In a Class AB there is much less bias current but at a signal excursion one way the bias current in the other transistors of the push-pull stage actually goes to zero. The dynamic Class A of the Solo keeps the minimum bias current in each PMOS/NMOS push-pull pair constant, thereby having the power dissipation advantage of a Class AB but the distortion advantage of a Class A.
 

Technical Specifications

Brochure/Datasheet

SOLO 100W High Quality Monoblock Power Amplifier datasheet (PDF format)
 

Pictures

Front view (blue finish):


Rear view:

SOLO in Stainless Steel finish:

A pair of SOLO amplifiers driving custom ESL-0.5 Electrostatic audiophile speakers:

Need more information? See our official SOLO forum thread
Visit the Manufacturer Discussion/Support Forum

Questions should be directed to Crescendo Systems at: kal@curtpalme.com