Sugden A21SE Special Edition Signature Integrated Amplifier

Sugden A21SE Special Edition Signature Integrated Amplifier 

The A21SE Integrated Amplifier is a single ended solid-state pure class ‘A’ design.  The pre-amplifier has a cascode input stage, current feedback with the input and output being in phase.  Other design points include high input impedance, high voltage gain in the first stage with low distortion, wide bandwidth, low noise and very low output  impedance.  Left and right line stages have current shunt power supplies from a dedicated transformer winding.  The input signals are relay switched reducing signal paths to a minimum.

The A21SE is capable of producing music in its most natural and organic form.  Free from crossover distortion, power can be delivered smoothly without the high frequency ‘pain’ associated with so many transistor amplifiers.

PERFORMANCE

James Sugden,widely accredited with producing the world's first Class "A" amplifier under the name of Richard Allen,a most famous brand of English loudspeakers in the 1960's,went on to bring his own name to his amplifiers after 3 years of production for Richard Allen.SUGDEN were established in 1967 founded by James Edward Sugden who designed and manufactured the worlds first pure class A solid state commercial amplifier. Since then they have been exporting their products to many countries around the world and winning prestigious awards.

In the vinyl analogue tradition Sugden Audio is truly a founder and icon of what has made analogue technology famous for it's natural and atmospheric sound that envelops the music listener in a three dimensional holographic experience.It is an extension of the analogue renaissaince that continues to reintroduce us to what was engineered but for vaying circumstances not introduced to the wider music-loving audience.The fact that they have transcended several decades to be here to compliment the resurgence in the atmospheric sound of analogue and vinyl is a testament to their truth and depth of their passion and technology.

The natural question here is what is a Class "A" amplifier? In simple terms a Class "A" amplifier has all output devices conducting at all times as against a Class A/B design which switches the conducting devices on and off as required.For the music listener this results in the Class "A" amplifier being available to reproduce the dynamics and nuances of the music more readily resulting in a more realistic musical performance.

This is only the beginning of the Sugden story.They have been creating Sugden amplifiers in the same Yorkshire factory for a long time,and their operation is reportedly so self sufficient that they still manufacture their own casework and solder their own circuit boards......in other words.....they are hand made.Sugden employees are well described as craftsmen and craftswomen.

The Sugden A21 was the first commercially produced Pure Class "A" solid state amplifier launched in 1967 and is still offered today.The A 21 has changed a lot over the last 50 years due to the improvement of electronic components but the simplicity of the Class "A" circuit has remained.

The heart of the A21 series is the pure Class ‘A’ single ended design. Both the A21a and A21SE share the same output stage in dual mono configuration. The A21SE has a totally different pre-amplifier design and a 50% larger power supply. While both models have the Sugden Signature sound the A21SE is less loudspeaker dependent with its greater power output and higher current delivery. On the other hand, the A21a has a more forgiving and slightly smoother sound with most loudspeaker configurations.

In 2011 The Absolute Sound and Hi-Fi+ included the Sugden A21 in its list of the ten most significant European Amplifiers of all time. In the prelude it said: “Europe has a rich heritage of audio, and picking ten of the most significant products is always going to be an exercise in omission…. But arguably – and such things are argued in perpetuity – these 10 amplifiers have changed the face of audio significantly in their own right”.

Facilities:

Inputs – Five line level operated by relays.

Ouputs – Pre-out (variable), tape out (fixed), one pair of stereo multi-way binding posts and LTVS supply for A21SE Stage One Phono Amplifier.

Remote Control – Volume up/down.

Specifications:

Line Input sensitivity – 110mV for maximum output.

Power Output – 30 watts pure Class ‘A’ into 8 ohms both channels driven.  40 watts pure Class ‘A’ into 4 ohms both channels driven.

Frequency Response – 20Hz to 20kHz +/- 0.5dB.

Bandwidth – 12Hz to 141kHz +/- 3dB.

Signal to Noise – >84dB.

Packed Weight – 14 kgs.

Dimensions – 115mm x 430mm x 360mm (HWD).