Grandinote Solo Integrated Amplifier

We are excited to introduce our latest product, the Grandinote Solo integrated amplifier, the result of an extensive period of design and development. We have concentrated years of hi-fi experience into this new creation. We improved not only the audio quality and power (now 60W in Class A), but also introduced a new design with a 9" display packed with features such as VU meters, spectrum analyser and more. Grandinote stands for technology, innovation, flexibility, design and absolute audio quality.

Magnetosolid® Technology

Magnetosolid is a unique Grandinote technology, designed by engineer Massimiliano Magri and a true expression of Made in Italy. Since its first versions in 2002, it integrates two elements in its name: Magneto and Solid. Magneto for its ferromagnetic components and output transformers, and Solid for its solid-state components. It is a circuit that combines the best of tube and solid state technology in our amplifiers. Like tube systems, the circuit is as simple and straightforward as possible, but with all the qualities of solid state. The main advantage of tubes over solid-state devices is the absence of parasitic capacitance. Our Magnetosolid technology has even overcome this obstacle by delivering a sound that is absolutely true to the source with no loss of detail and with the ability to drive any loudspeaker. The frequency response of Magnetosolid amplifiers is the best on the market, outperforming tube or solid-state systems. All the components of the sound message are in place: detail, presence, total dynamics and control, thanks also to an absolute reference damping factor.

In the Solo amplifiers and the new Grandinote Magnetosolid amplifiers, the audio circuitry has been further improved over previous models such as the Shinai, with even richer and oversized voltages and biases. An increase of more than 50% from 60V to 96V while maintaining unchanged signal purity.

Power Supply

Grandinote's new Magnetosolid amplifiers are now equipped with a switch-mode power supply, with electromedical standards and a new concept. All circuits are pure Class A with an always constant current. The absorption does not depend on the signal, which means that the power supply will always deliver the same current. Importantly, our switching power supplies never modulate the current depending on the signal. The development of our new switching power supplies has gone beyond the paradigm of the toroidal transformer as the only solution. With our design, they are now qualitatively on a par with toroidals and perfectly integrated with Grandinote's Magnetosolid circuits in pure Class A. With our new power supply, we can choose the supply voltages for the output stages and select the Solo bias depending on the nominal impedance speakers. Solo is now optimised for 8 or 4 Ohm speakers, avoiding unnecessary power losses and with higher overall performance. We have also increased the size of the heatsinks, which are now 10% larger than on the old Shinai, allowing the Solo to deliver more power with less heat and be more comfortable to use in hot weather.

Volume Control

We now have resistors combined with reed relays. Reed relays are the best contact there is because they operate in vacuum, without impurities, without parasitic capacitances as in solid state relays, and guarantee the passage of every smallest nuance of the signal, without limiting its frequency response, without any distortion! The configuration of these resistors is a pure "ladder" with two blocks of resistors, only in parallel with each other. This configuration uses the same principle as the rotary switch volume controllers, full of resistors, but with 2 major improvements: No rotary switches. The world switch has the same contact quality as a reed relay (vacuum): these switches have only a few steps, a far cry from the 68 steps + 0 of our regulator. The Shinai has only 33 steps plus 0.

Specifications:

- No capacitors in the signal path.

- Two output transistors (single push-pull)

- No negative feedback or backlash

- Dedicated power supply for each device

- Integrated stereo amplifier

- Power per channel: 60W

- Frequency response: 2 Hz - 240 kHz

- Damping factor: 150

- Two unbalanced RCA inputs

- Two balanced XLR inputs (fully balanced)

- XLR convertible balanced unbalanced inputs

- Pure Class "A

- Vumeters and spectrum analyser

- Two output transformers

- Internal Celio pre-phono expansion boards or Volta DAC streamers

- Adjustable colour and brightness display

- Power consumption: 270W

- Dimensions: 36 cm (W) x 210 mm (H) x 450 mm (L)

- Weight: 34 kg

- Warranty: 5 years warranty, backed by Grandinote