Apollon 1ET6525SA ST Amplifier Review

[Mnyb]

Are you saying that an amp may provide 100W of power, for example, but the xovers dissipate 20W due to internal losses, so the drivers receive 80W, hence the noise is less audible?

”Yes” but think about this way in many speakers the midrange and tweeter are much more effective than the bass especially the tweeter .
So in for example many two ways there is an Lpad ( series and parallel resistor ) to the tweeter to dampen it , say 6 dB or 10 dB compared to the bass driver that means noise is dampened in equal amounts . Similar for the midrange in some speakers.

But wait was not the tweeter more sensitive so sound level is the same ? The drawback comes in the active version where you attenuate before the amplifier,but the amplifiers true noise level will always reach the much more sensitive driver undampened .

And in the passive speaker the noise is also filtered to the bass driver by the xover . Makes it less audible, in actives there is full range noise to every driver .

In practice there may be variations having a series resistor to a tweeter even in an active speaker is doable as the power involved can be single digit watts for music and if it’s >100dB sensitive it works fine .

IMO you may want active speakers anyway because the many other advantages they have , but be aware of self noise when choosing them .
IME my the ones I have are quiet KEF LS60 , LSX and audiosmile .

Had fostex and Adam monitors with more hiss in the past.

 

[daniboun]

@Apollon Audio any news on a possible NCx1000 offering, preferably in the Lux case.

Note from hypex: The NCx1000 OEM is not for sale yet. However, we expect to ship it in Q3, 2026

Should be on sale very soon )

 

[Sokel]

I bet this speaker would easily accommodate a few Purifi modules without incurring an unreasonable power penalty cost. One does not require multi-kilowatt power dissipation for multi-kilowatt amplifiers.

Unlike our fixation to nice numbers and charts, Genelec probably has other priorities, like rock solid operation, proved track record, cost even.
The pair of amps that is used at 8381A would not be champions here, they have fans, etc. and Genelec rates them at 6kW (very short term probably and aided by the caps reserve, mains socket does not support that)

Different tasks.

 

[Ajax]

Many talk about 'desktop' amps which if I'm honest I struggle with that definition, even the latest reviewed Topping mini 300 given its power output. I've bought into the SINAD way of thinking (I have SMSL C200 dac/headphones amp and hifiman he 400se headphones, and other asr recommended iems)...

My question is... for average listening levels would the Apollon sound better or same as the Topping mini 300. I use tannoy xt6f floorstanders with a wim pro to stream to the SMSL and then an Arcam SR250 amp.

IE... at what point is SiNAD truly transparent and your limited by other components? (in my case probably the tannoys). I never want to listen at reference levels either, maybe just slightly loudish (whatever that means).

We need more info to advise you properly, such as listening levels, speaker sensitivity and music dynamics for a start.

FWIW I agree with Archimago that there is a point when a product is "good enough" ..... another way of sayng this is "the product is fit for purpose".

This is obviously a SOTA amplifier, however, the question to ask yourself is what level of performance do you require to say play music streamed from say Tidal at 85db with 95db peaks into a 87db sensitive speaker (which is very loud).

I believe the Wiim Amp Ultra, which delivers 100db SINAD with 100W will do this comfortably, plus you get a Streamer, DAC, PEQ and sub out HP crossover all for $530. If utilised the sub cross over will take pressure of both the amp and speakers so it will comfotably drive even inefficient speakers to high levels before clipping. I replaced a Sonos Connect, Benchmark DAC 2 and Hypex 252 amp with one and believe I cannot hear any difference.

This Wiim easily meet the needs of the average music lover and is therefore "fit for purpose".

 

[Ofty2002]

I currently am running a WiiM Pro Plus into an Audiolab 6000A (play) with Elac Vela BS403.2 speakers (86dB, 3.2 Ohm dip).


I'm considering this Apollon 1ET6525SA ST aplifier. Does the extra power and current actually provide better 'grip' or headroom for these Elac speakers, or is it a waste of money? Most importantly: will this make any difference in the real world, or is the Audiolab already past the point of audible improvements for this setup?

 

[Sokel]

I currently am running a WiiM Pro Plus into an Audiolab 6000A (play) with Elac Vela BS403.2 speakers (86dB, 3.2 Ohm dip).


I'm considering this Apollon 1ET6525SA ST aplifier. Does the extra power and current actually provide better 'grip' or headroom for these Elac speakers, or is it a waste of money? Most importantly: will this make any difference in the real world, or is the Audiolab already past the point of audible improvements for this setup?

For audible difference I would save the money for bigger speakers or improved room acoustics if not already attended.

 

[Matt_Holland]

I currently am running a WiiM Pro Plus into an Audiolab 6000A (play) with Elac Vela BS403.2 speakers (86dB, 3.2 Ohm dip).


I'm considering this Apollon 1ET6525SA ST aplifier. Does the extra power and current actually provide better 'grip' or headroom for these Elac speakers, or is it a waste of money? Most importantly: will this make any difference in the real world, or is the Audiolab already past the point of audible improvements for this setup?

You’ll certainly get more headroom (approx 6dB assuming the Elacs can handle 400W peaks!). Do you need it?

Not sure about grip. I think I know what you mean by the term. Both amps probably have plenty so it comes down to power and if there is an audible advantage in terms of noise and distortion.

 

[Sokel]

You’ll certainly get more headroom (approx 6dB assuming the Elacs can handle 400W peaks!). Do you need it?

Not sure about grip. I think I know what you mean by the term. Both amps probably have plenty so it comes down to power and if there is an audible advantage in terms of noise and distortion.

It's a classic 2-way, 6" mid-woofer/ribbon tweeter design with recommended 40-200W amps.
No amp will make a difference here, for a completely different feeling and audible upgrage not even a slightly bigger or better 2-way (excluding vintage big ones or horns) will cut it.

A 3-way, even not a big one will make a huge difference though, specially at sane levels, as odd as it sounds.

 

[unmutual]

Could you advise if you offer a trial period, say 30 days. Thank you.

I don't understand why anyone would need a trial period for a power amplifier? All the relevant performance specs are covered by Amir's review, except longevity - which a 30 day trial period won't help with evaluating.

 

[unmutual]

Smells like endgame again.

Endgame would be something like an amp with superconductors, submerged in liquid helium...

 

[Matt_Holland]

Endgame would be something like an amp with superconductors, submerged in liquid helium...

No. It would be 1000W into 4 Ohm (doubling into 2 Ohm) in the form factor of a JCALLY dongle.

 

[delta76]

I don't understand why anyone would need a trial period for a power amplifier? All the relevant performance specs are covered by Amir's review, except longevity - which a 30 day trial period won't help with evaluating.

there are reasons people want trial period, just for a peace of mind. It is easy to think "I will buy this and never worry about amp again". It is harder to feel that way. Maybe people jump on hype train and realize this does not provide any difference with their current amp, etc. etc.

allowing it or not (with a restocking fee etc.) is up to the dealer. In business it is a way to build lasting relationship - once people trust you, they will be customer for life. You risk small lost in short term and gain big in long term.

 

[rwtooley]

form factor of a JCALLY dongle.

 

[dan_uk]

I don't understand why anyone would need a trial period for a power amplifier? All the relevant performance specs are covered by Amir's review, except longevity - which a 30 day trial period won't help with evaluating.

Most HIFI dealers I've dealt with offer a 30 day returns for 100% refund no questions asked, so I guess that is similar to a trail period.

 

[Mort]

I don't understand why anyone would need a trial period for a power amplifier? All the relevant performance specs are covered by Amir's review, except longevity - which a 30 day trial period won't help with evaluating.

That's a fair point. I think it's more like a return option for any reason, not necessarily to confirm performance although many golden ears will think they are doing just that.

 

[delta76]

Most HIFI dealers I've dealt with offer a 30 day returns for 100% refund no questions asked, so I guess that is similar to a trail period.

there is a difference between return and trial, even though there is an overlap. In many cases the T&C states that you can return if the product is unopened and unused (in EU, right of withdrawal). Big companies like Amazon and Costco can be more relax on the state of return products, but smaller companies will be more strict as it hurts their bottom line. Returned products usually have to be sold at lower prices, even if you just open the seal and never used it.
Trial means it is opened and used for a period of time.

 

[「 ✦ JIM ✦ 」]

What's the reason to get a duel mono Apollon over this amp? Besides the individual power supplies, is it purely down to output power?

 

[dan_uk]

there is a difference between return and trial, even though there is an overlap. In many cases the T&C states that you can return if the product is unopened and unused (in EU, right of withdrawal). Big companies like Amazon and Costco can be more relax on the state of return products, but smaller companies will be more strict as it hurts their bottom line. Returned products usually have to be sold at lower prices, even if you just open the seal and never used it.
Trial means it is opened and used for a period of time.

Understand what you've saying, but every HiFi dealer I've ever dealt with has been more than happy for me to take the product home (once paid for), take it out the box and use it for a month... Then if I'm not completely happy, take it back for 100% refund.

 

[delta76]

Understand what you've saying, but every HiFi dealer I've ever dealt with has been more than happy for me to take the product home (once paid for), take it out the box and use it for a month... Then if I'm not completely happy, take it back for 100% refund.

definitely not universal as I have seen company that takes 10% restock fees, and you pay for shipping back yourself.
With that said, audio components are frequently sold with very high margin. Especially stuffs like cables - which allows dealers to take some hit.

in a way that's the only good contribution of those subjectivists. because they were paying the prices other customers get benefits of test it at home

 

[delta76]

What's the reason to get a duel mono Apollon over this amp? Besides the individual power supplies, is it purely down to output power?

normally you buy mono block for better crosstalk and power. this amp already has state of the art channel separation so yes, power.
and in worst case if something bad happens you still have one amp left