Electrocompaniet's AW 800 M marks the Norwegian manufacturer's 50th anniversary and 25 years since the introduction of the now legendary AW600 NEMO's launch.

First seen at High End Munich this year, the AW 800 M sports Electrocompaniet's distinctive design and boasts 800 watt output into 8 ohms as a monoblock amplifier which, at the flick of a switch, can also be run in stereo mode (8Ω load: 2 x 300 W), as well as in bi-amping mode.

Weighing in at 55 kg and measuring 300 mm x 410 mm x 490mm (HxWxD), Electrocompaniet says the AW800 M features improved sonic performance whilst retaining the unique design philosophy and signature sound, for which the company is renowned around the world.

Made in Norway in Electrocompaniet's factory, the new power amp features the company's direct coupled high open loop bandwidth topology, further enhanced with high slew-rate and high bandwidth amplifier stages.

Additionally, there is a brand-new output stage designed to shield the input and driver stages from the load, making the output extremely stiff and unaffected by the connected load, says the brand. We are told that this also significantly simplifies the workload of the feedback system resulting in vanishingly low distortion figures with Electrocompaniet quoting THD+N of 0.0006 % and SNR of 95dB @ 1W/8Ω load, 20-20 kHz and 122 dB @ full power out, 20-20 kHz.

The output stage incorporates 32 high bandwidth, high current bipolar output transistors that can comfortably deliver very high currents to the load. Furthermore, the power supply to the output stage has been thoroughly updated and has a total of 210000 uF supply filtering. We are also informed that mains power input is both DC and RF filtered.

The twin toroidal wire gauge upgraded transformers are magnetically and electrostatically shielded to prevent noise from intruding; meanwhile, the oversized internal ground reference is kept free of rectifying and output currents.

The result is said to be a very clean, noise-free output signal regardless of output power, providing a very stable sound stage with the blackest background possible at any sound level.

We applaud the AW 800 M's ability to switch between mono, stereo and bi-amping operating modes, enabling you to upgrade your system or change your configuration while retaining your initial investment.

Finally, you can also select via a switch whether the AW 800 M auto powers down as well as control the feature lighting and trigger input-output.

The Electrocompaniet AW 800 M is available from November for $22,500 USD per unit.

Visit Electrocompaniet for more information