Goldmund Telos 590 Nextgen II

"If the recording is done properly, then this amp is capable of thumping out large-scale dynamic swings with venom"

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While the product's name is certainly a mouthful, the Telos 590 Nextgen II promises high-end enthusiasts all the sonic benefits of a traditional purist separates approach, while packing preamplifier, power, digital module and a carefully honed power supply all in a single, chunky but reasonably compact case. We can't ignore the reduced cable count either.

Many have tried this condensed approach in high-end hi-fi, but few have succeeded in convincing us that it hasn't resulted in a compromised performance. This Goldmund integrated is one of those few exceptions.

The headline specifications aren't anything special for this level. This Class A/B amplifier produces a useful 215 watts per channel into 8 ohms, but increases that only modestly to 280 watts per side as impedance is halved. So, on paper at least, this isn't a powerhouse. On the digital side, the onboard DAC can handle PCM files up to 32bit/384kHz and DSD64 natively, though DSD128 is on the menu when it is packaged in a PCM wrapper. Decent specs, but easily matched by most outboard digital-to-analogue converters on the market.

The Goldmund has an ultra-wide bandwidth electronic circuit that is designed to preserve phase relationships as well as minimise any time and intermodulation distortions. Output impedance is claimed to be extremely low, which on paper suggests that it will keep a really firm grip of the speaker's cones. This Gen 2 model is also claimed to be even more responsive to the input signal than the previous version thanks to power supply updates, changes in circuit-board layout and improvements in components and their positions.