TECHNICS SU-R1000 Integrated Amplifier > Review in Stereonet

Fundamentally, it's a large, powerful integrated amp that delivers a claimed 150W RMS per channel into 8 ohms or 300W into 4 ohms. In addition, it offers lavish Japanese 'battleship' build quality, a built-in digital conversion, plus an excellent MC/MM phono stage. But what really sets the SU-R1000 apart is the role digital plays in the design. Technics' Chief Technical Officer, Tetsuya Itani, calls this a 'full digital amplifier' rather than just regular Class D. While it does feature a switching output stage, it works in the digital domain throughout, without the need for a traditional DAC.

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THE VERDICT

This amplifier is exceptional in my view, as it offers outstanding sound quality. In terms of clarity, detail, naturalness, and dynamics, it's among the best I've ever heard. It really is remarkably good. With many recordings played – whether LP or CD – I've never heard them better, and some of these I've known for fifty years. By 'better', I mean fresher, clearer, and more effortlessly detailed and dynamic, as if you were listening to the original master tape. It's also highly musically engaging and involving. The sound isn't just superior in a technical sense; it's communicative and emotionally rewarding to listen to.

But can Technics really Bamba with the big boys? Faced with classy alternatives from high-end specialists such as Copland, Devialet, Mark Levinson, McIntosh, or Pass Labs (to name but a few), is anyone honestly going to choose the SU-R1000 in preference? My answer is a definite yes. Agreed, a lot depends on what you're looking for in an amplifier, but if you favour a neutral, open, natural, effortlessly detailed sound, then the SU-R1000 is as good as it gets. And for vinyl fans, in particular, the SU-R1000's built-in phono stage is really something special.

For those on a restricted budget, Technics' SU-G700M2 offers much of the technology found in the SU-R1000 at less than a third of the price. It's a tad less transparent and dynamic, but otherwise, it sonically offers around eighty percent of the bigger amp. With both, you really need to listen without prejudice – using your ears rather than your eyes. This still isn't 'the' perfect amplifier, but for many people, it comes surprisingly close.
- James Michael Hughes, Stereonet

Technics SU-R1000
Stereonet