SUGDEN CELEBRATES 50TH WITH MONOBLOC

British manufacturer Sugden has released a monobloc Class-A power amplifier to mark its 50th anniversary. Dubbed the ‘Grande’, the new amplifier uses pure Class-A circuitry in floating bridged mode. ‘ The amplifier circuit is best described as an instrumentation-quality, Class-A, floating bridge design that’s d.c.-coupled with current feedback and includes full output stage protection,’ said George Neophytou, of Neophonics, which distributes Sugden in Australia.

Each Sugden Grande has a custom-designed 430W mains transformer with four separate windings and the power supplies to the floating bridge output stage are smoothed by two specially-developed audio-grade capacitors, having a combined capacitance of 40,000μF. The output stage uses 12 output devices, each with a current rating of 17-amps for a claimed power output of 100-watts into 8 and 190-watts into 4 .The amplifier’s input stage has switching for use with balanced or single-ended inputs, plus there’s a 6dB attenuation facility for input signal matching.

For those concerned about the high power consumption of pure Class-A amplifiers, and the heat that’s produced, the Sugden Grande offers an ‘Eco Level’ setting, which it claims reduces power consumption by up to 75 per cent and results in the amplifier dissipating far less radiant heat. ‘ This setting is perfect for low-level listening where listeners are still able to take full advantage of a fatigue-free uncompressed massive sound stage,’ said Neophytou. Available now, the Sugden Grande Monoblocs retail for $46,500 per pair (RRP).