Wattson Audio Madison LE Amplifier
Compact – Capable - Configurable
When Wattson Audio visits familiar audio territory, the results are generally anything but familiar. The Madison LE Amplifier is no exception.
While the thinking behind and topology of amplifier circuitry has been resolved and refined over many years, the execution and engineering of those circuits, the design and operational choices within them, still offer significant latitude for innovation and optimization.
Compact – Capable - Configurable
When Wattson Audio visits familiar audio territory, the results are generally anything but familiar. The Madison LE Amplifier is no exception.
While the thinking behind and topology of amplifier circuitry has been resolved and refined over many years, the execution and engineering of those circuits, the design and operational choices within them, still offer significant latitude for innovation and optimization.
Small can be beautiful
Not surprisingly, the Madison LE Amplifier is more compact than you might expect. The chassis is milled from solid, offering optimum shielding and mechanical characteristics. Locally machined, the petite proportions consume fewer resources in terms of materials and energy, the product leaving a smaller carbon footprint in its wake.
Inside, the amplifier is a carefully balanced mix of the established and the esoteric. The Class AB circuit is a low-feedback design, built around twin transformers and a substantial, linear power supply with custom made capacitors. The audio circuit itself is fully symmetrical and built entirely from discrete components, from input buffer to output. It offers a choice of balanced XLR or single-ended RCA inputs while the output stage employs a single pair of carefully selected, high-power, bi-polar devices per channel.
Switchable operational topology
So far, so conventional – and so sensible: This is a well-trodden and well-proven path to a successful, articulate, dynamic and musically engaging amplifier design. But what sets the Madison LE Amplifier apart from the crowd is that it’s configurable to meet different or changing system requirements.
Delivered as a load-tolerant, 50 Watt stereo amplifier, it can be manually switched to bi-amp or high-current mono mode allowing you to upgrade your amplifier or speakers, maximizing performance with zero redundancy.
Selecting the bi-amp mode routes the incoming signal from a single input socket to both output channels – perfect for vertically bi-amping without having to invest in a second set of interconnects, enabling you to significantly improve the performance of existing bi-wirable speakers, or upgrade to larger, more ambitious speakers without trading in your amp.
Selecting high-current mono mode dedicates the entire power supply to a single output channel, increasing load tolerance and the range of available, matching speakers, future-proofing your amplifier investment against future speaker upgrades.
The Madison LE Amplifier might look simple from the outside, but from the carefully executed circuit and exhaustively selected or specified components, to its switchable operational modes, there’s more here than meets the eye. This is a product that’s designed to preserve and project your music just as it preserves and protects your investment, allowing your system to grow and growing with it.
Performance
Input impedance: 200kΩ balanced, 100kΩ single-ended
Output power: 2 x 50W /8Ω, 2 x 80W /4Ω in stereo and bi-amp modes
1 x 60W /8Ω, 1 x 100W /4Ω in mono mode
Bandwidth: 2Hz to 500kHz (-3dB) at 1W into an 8Ω resistive load
Signal to Noise Ratio: > 120dB (unweighted)
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise: < 0,1%
Mechanical characteristics
Dimensions (W x D x H): 8,6 x 11,4 x 34in (215 x 290 x 85mm), binding posts not included
Weight: 15,43lb (7kg)
