L'Esoteric Grandioso S1X is the Class A stereo power amplifier of the flagship Grandioso series: 50 W per channel into 8 ohms in class A and 100 W into 4 ohms, with setting dual mono from the input stage to the final stage. It inherits from the monophonic Great M1X the use of large bipolar transistors and a very generous power supply, combining the typical purity of class A with fast transients and great openness of the soundstage.
The new pilot stage is a simple five-pair push-pull in parallel of large bipolar transistors. The signal path is as short as possible: compensation of fase The single-pole design features a coil-less power amplifier with minimal feedback to preserve harmonics. Thermal compensation is optimized to quickly stabilize the quiescent current, a crucial aspect in a Class A amplifier that heats up considerably. 105 µm copper wire, seven 1 mm OFC bars in the power stage, large-diameter bolt-on cables, and MOSFET switches on the speaker outputs reduce internal impedance and provide a smoother ride even for large-diameter woofers.
The power supply uses the toroi transformersdali larger than the chassis can hold, mounted without a cap. Next to the main stage transformer there is one dedicated to the pre-piloting stage, which handles the weak signals coming from the preamplifier, plus an R-core transformer for control: three transformers in all. The rectifiers are dual mono, with six custom Grandioso 10.000 µF capacitors per channel. A new balanced amplifier receives the input signal; FET switches on all switches and the module IDM-01 of the C1X preamplifier take care of the finesse of the sound grain.
Can two Grandioso S1Xs be used together? Yes: in addition to normal stereo operation, the mode selectordalità provides for the bi-amp, in which each unit becomes a monoblock power amplifier with two speaker outputs to separately drive the highs and lows of multi-way speakers, always at 50 W into 8 ohms. With multiple power amplifiers, the power is controlled by the Grandioso C1X preamplifier via DC trigger (cable with 3,5 mm mono mini jack not included). The input ES-Link Analog, together with XLR and RCA, receives the current signal from the preamplifier. ES-Link Analog is the proprietary Esoteric link to trasmissionand current: with an output of about 1 kohm and an input of 0 ohm it makes a current flow in the cable about 100 times higher than that of a normal voltage connection and makes the signal independent of the impedance of the cable.
The mechanics are those of the Grandioso: aluminum block casing, semi-floating lid with the characteristic double honeycomb grille , two overlapping grilles of different thicknesses that improve the heat dissipation of the class A and disperse vibrations, patented feet with integrated spikes and base and heat sinks with wavy fins.
