Technics SU-R1000 Integrated Amplifier
REFERENCE AUDIO – WITHAM ESSEX
BOB’s Review Series - No 59 – Technics SU-R1000 Integrated Amplifier
Introduction – sitting listening to music on a typically rainy March afternoon I was daydreaming about all the cars I have owned over the last few decades, and it occurred to me that whilst I have owned and driven many different makes there are a few notable omissions from my list. I’ve never owned or driven anything from Mercedes or Volvo, nor from Vauxhall or Volkswagen. The same goes for cameras, I’ve always been a Canon follower and never been tempted by Nikon, I’ve owned Pentax, Praktika, Fuji and Sony but never Olympus. When it comes to Hi-Fi there are many brands that I have owned over the years but there are some notable omissions such as Linn and Naim, Exposure and Harbeth and, Yamaha and NAD and many other well-known brands from the UK and the rest of the world. When it comes to Japanese audio I’ve always been a Sony and Teac fan but never owned anything by Technics even though they are one of the oldest audio brands around. Or have I? Yes, wait a minute I did once own a Technics SL-10 parallel tracking turntable back in the 70’s, the one that came in an enclosure not much bigger than a 12” LP sleeve, I’d almost forgotten about it. Since then, nothing from Technics has crossed my path which is a real shame as they have always been innovators of turntables and amplifiers, and they have some impressive products in their current range worthy of any decent home audio system. Their current top of range turntable, the SL-1000R comes in at £19k including arm but sans headshell or cartridge, right up there with some of the very best available today. To put this lack of Technics in my life right I decided to take home a SU-R1000 integrated amplifier to hear for myself how it performs in the home rather than in our demo rooms. It’s priced at £7,999, so it has some serious competition. I first became aware of the SU-R1000 at the Munich high-end show in 2022 and this led us to taking them on as a brand at Reference Audio.
Technology – The SU-R1000 is a chunky amplifier measuring 191mm high, 430mm wide and 459mm deep and weighing in at a not inconsiderable 22.8kg. The front panel is dominated by a large central volume control knob and those traditional Technics VU meters. The front is also home to an on/off button, 6.3mm headphone output and source selector, it also has a small display screen confirming the source selected. The rear panel is much busier and is packed with inputs and outputs as well as two pairs of chunky speaker terminals. It includes 2 inputs on RCA, 1 on XLR and 1 phono input for MM or MC on RCA and a MC phono input on balanced XLR together with a tape in on RCA. Outputs include a pre out and a record out. On the digital side it has inputs for 2 Optical and 2 Coax plus 2 USB. It caters for digital data on PMC from 44.1 to 384kHz and DSD from 2.8mHz to 22.4mHz. So, it is comprehensively equipped. The power amp puts out 150w into 8ohms and doubles that into 4ohms. To reduce jitter the clock generators are battery driven, not something I’ve come across very often. Rather than use the more common ESS Sabre chips the SU-R1000 uses AKM chips for the Analogue to Digital (ADC) inputs and I assume therefore that AKM DAC chips are also used although I couldn’t see a reference to this on their website.
System Components used in this Review:
Streamer: Innuos Statement (Pre the Next Gen PSU upgrade)
CD Player: Gryphon Ethos
DAC: Gryphon Ethos and Technics SU-R1000 onboard DAC
Streamed Sources: Tidal HiFi Plus, Qobuz Hi-Res Audio and Roon Management
Speakers: Marten Mingus Quintet (Mk 1)
Cables: Jorma Mains, Interconnects and USB cables throughout
Mains Protection: By IsoTek
Performance – This is a beefy amplifier that leans towards the dynamic and detailed rather than the more relaxed and warm sound that valve or Class A amplifiers deliver. Its internal DAC is of sufficient quality to warrant its use but there are of course better stand alone DACs out there for when an upgrade comes to mind. I tried it with a Chord Qutest and this combination did sound overly bright at times whereas using a B.audio DAC gave a warmer and more involving sound. For me the SU-R1000 was a pleasure to use but having come from using a 50w Class A amplifier it did sound a bit on the bright side for me but whether it does for you is something only you can decide.
Conclusion – Our demo unit came in black finish and for me this looked a whole lot more sophisticated than the silver versions, but you may disagree, and it’s good to have the choice. It’s definitely worth a demo if you are looking at integrated amplifiers with a budget of around £10k in mind. Some may find it a little on the clinical side of detailed and for others it will be just what you are looking for. It is superbly made and should last a lifetime as part of a sensibly assembled system.
Bob – Team Reference Audio – April 2023