Pathos Inpol Remix MkII

Pathos's Inpol Remix MkII is an easy amplifier to underestimate.

- 

It's about the size of a child's shoebox and has a modest claimed power output of just 25W per channel into 8 ohms. That's the kind of figure normally associated with budget stereo integrateds, and is easily surpassed by most price-comparable alternatives, which typically deliver around four times as much.

Then there is the appearance. High-end hi-fi is a pretty conservative world packed with plain-looking, usually bulky, black or silver rectangular boxes. The Inpol Remix MkII is different. Just take a look at the photos on these pages and enjoy the juxtaposition of shapes and colour contrasts - there are more than a few interesting stylistic touches here.

Whether you like it or not, this unit has a striking design - one that demands your attention and is sure to be a point of conversation for anyone interested in this hobby of ours.

There is a choice of finishes from the metallic matte black of our review sample to lacquered and wood options.

SUBSTANCE AS WELL AS STYLE

Don't be fooled though. There is real engineering substance behind that extroverted external design. The Inpol Remix MkII is a hybrid valve/transistor design. In theory, the combination of these technologies promises the best of all worlds, blending the naturalness and sweetness of valves with the muscle, grip and power of transistors.

Sadly, that hasn't usually been our experience. Most hybrid amplifier designs we have tested have never quite gelled to produce musically engaging results, tending to sound soft and pretty undynamic.

This Pathos amplifier uses a pair of small ECC88 valves in the preamplifier stage. These can be seen nestling on the top panel. The signal is then passed on to the company's patented Inpol power-amplifier design, which works in Class A and is fully balanced in nature.