RRP: $499.99, $317.31 at Amazon.com

Lars & Ivan’s PA-40Ti Hybrid tube amp is an interesting looking beast that you are either going to love or hate. Available in silver, black or white, the Hybrid PA-40Ti tube amp is house in a semi-circular aluminium chassis that will certainly stand out from the crowd. The front panel has a source control, a volume control, a power button, and headphone jack. The tube amp will support four separate inputs, including your iPod, a CD player, and two auxiliary devices. There is also the option of connecting a subwoofer and a video out so that the amp can connect your video enabled iPod to a television. Speakers are connected to two sets of binding posts to the rear. The iPod dock and two tubes are found on the top panel, although the tubes themselves are not displayed to full effect, being submerged into the unit itself. The unit comes with a remote control that will control an iPod from the couch.

The amplifier itself has a 40w power output so should easily power most speakers options. In order to test the amp, we connected a pair of Wharfdale Diamond 9.1’s and powered her up. Soundwise, the Hybrid PA-40Ti does indeed improve the otherwise cold iPod output. It boosts the low and mid ranges and adds warmth to proceedings, as would be expected from any tube amp. The soundstage is relatively wide, if not that deep and there is room for the music to shine through. While this is all well and good, it must be said that we were not blown away by the musical performance. While the iPods’ bass and mids are much improved, they will not stop you in your tracks. When it comes to power, the amp is not lacking but at higher volume levels, some distortion begins to creep in and the sound hardens to some degree. This is not unusual for tube amps in this price range, and the extra power is something that many competing amps lack. When we connected a CD player, in contrast, the Hybrid PA-40Ti performed well, and as such, the amp would provide a decent centre-piece to a home entertainment system. One factor that we definitely approve of is the Hybrid PA-40Ti’s very competitive pricing. At under $400, the Hybrid PA-40Ti will appeal to many people who would baulk at the higher prices of some of the other tube amp/iPod dock combos on the market. What it will boil down to for many is whether they enjoy the unique styling of the product, or prefer the more traditional amp designs reviewed elsewhere on this site.

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