AirPulse A80
Hi-Fi Choice|Yearbook 2022
KEY TO THE A80’s neat melding of approaches rests with the power and sophistication of its 16-core XMOS XU216 digital signal processor, which uses XMOS xCore200 architecture.
AirPulse A80

This joins Class D amplification from Texas Instruments with 40W devoted to the 114mm aluminium cone mid/ bass driver and 10W to the aluminium diaphragm ribbon tweeter. AirPulse claims that the 768kHz PWM carrier frequency (twice the 384kHz of traditional Class D amps) is ideally suited to the ribbon and results in a smoother top end.

The rear panel has connections for Aux, PC, USB, optical and Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX alongside controls for volume, bass and treble tone. Thoughtfully, AirPulse bundles a pair of special acoustic isolation pads for desktop use that tilt the speakers back by 8° to angle the drivers toward the listener.

This story is from the Yearbook 2022 edition of Hi-Fi Choice.

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This story is from the Yearbook 2022 edition of Hi-Fi Choice.

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