The Absolute Sound's 2017 Golden Ear Awards

Ypsilon Hyperion monoblock amplifier

Demetris Baklavas, the head honcho of Ypsilon electronics, has been steadily refining his products over the past decade. The results speak for themselves.

His latest creation, the 400-watt monoblock Hyperion, named after the Titan god of heavenly light, is a high-powered, hybrid amplifier that combines the finesse and alacrity of his previous low-powered designs with tremendous clout.

The transparency, detail, and delicacy of this amplifier are indeed quite devine, but its ability to control the bass also rivals, and may even exceed, some of the most high-powered pulely solid-state designs. The depth of soundstage is stunnning and the treble region is seldom less than seductive.

If you've always yearned for high power, but shied away from it for fear of sacrificing refinement on the altar of high wattage, the Hyperion may prompt you to think again. With the first 120 watts running in pure class A, sonic purity is almost a given, but it is also the case that Hyperion inevitably runs quite hot. (Review forthcoming)

- Jacob Heilbrunn