Eclipse TD-A502

Launch price £875.00

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Stuff says

So is it a work of madness or genius? That really depends on your outlook…

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Stuff.tv hot buy

This extraordinary amp from Eclipse represents one extreme of the options available at this price point. Flexibility and connectivity are not central to the TD-A502’s modus operandi: it features just one pair of line-level inputs, a 30w per channel output and one set of speaker connections. That’s your lot – no remote, no tone controls, nothing.

Mind you, the bald facts on paper don’t begin to describe the A502 experience. Its three-piece design (beautifully die-cast power supply beneath, amplification in the middle and gloriously tactile, under-lit volume control on top) is elegantly simple, and the single switch (the power button) works with well-damped precision. Standing just 30cm tall, it’s the perfect size to be used on a desk or shelf, on display as a conversation piece: this certainly isn’t an amplifier you’d ever want to hide away.

Conical ally
While the Eclipse undeniably has the makings of a style icon, there’s substance behind the style; go behind the show. It’s been designed as the perfect partner for the company’s unusual egg-shaped loudspeakers, with their single driver and innovative engineering, and the company claims the same principles inform the design of the amp itself. The conical shape, for example, renders it less susceptible to resonance or internal standing waves that might be excited when it’s used in close proximity to speakers, as it might well be in a desktop set-up.