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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
128x128grannyring
whipsaw
758 posts
 
@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
metaldetektor
159 posts
 
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.
hchilcoat
152 posts
 

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.

 

whipsaw
758 posts
 

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.

hchilcoat
152 posts
 

@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. 

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