That's Entertainment

T4-A may make equipment that is „;.. exactingly engineered, but that doesn't stop it from being fun to listen to as Ed Selley discovers

- Ed Selley

National stereotypes are pernicious things. Whatever grain of truth might exist at their core, they generally

omit some of the more significant caveats. Perhaps the most unfair of any I’m aware of is that the citizens of Germany are somehow lacking in a sense of fun. Anyone who has had a night out in Berlin will be all too aware that this statement is entirely without foundation. The Germans are in fact, very keen on fun. It is simply the case that they take the business of having fun very seriously.

This rigour is no less apparent with hi-fi. What you see here is a system comprised of phenomenal engineering. It has an incredibly flexible spec and some lovely design touches, all directed solely at your enjoyment. T+A has been ploughing its own furrow since its founding in 1978. Unusually, it doesn’t limit itself to a specific category of products. Across several ranges, it makes almost every type of equipment and does so almost exclusively in house.

The R Series is the longest-running range and the MP 2000 R MkII multisource player and PA 2000R integrated amplifier look like the archetypal classic combination, but there is more to them than meets the eye. The MP 2000 R MkII can be utilised not only as a compact disc player, but also houses a streaming module with internet radio, additional digital inputs and Bluetooth all linked into the same sophisticated DAC that has a 1-Bit conversion mode for DSD. With Roon compatibility also built in, it is a deceptively ingenious piece of kit that can work with an owner as they move away from optical disc.

Input friendly

The PA 2000 R is notionally a little more straightforward, but looks can be deceiving. It offers six line inputs, three RCA and three XLR, one of which can be converted to a phono stage, and provides 100W into 8ohm for all of them. It is an elegant riposte to the idea that high-end integrated amps have to be the size of a freezer.