Some amps require extra.
In the case of the 176 lb Pathos InPol Heritage MKII Integrated Amplifier, extra care and equipment was needed just to move this beautiful beast around.
Namely a long overdue addition to Barn hardware, a 500lb capacity hydraulic lift table cart. Still, it took my friendly and helpful neighbors to help lift the InPol Heritage onto that lift. Woof!
Vital stats include 2x 80 Watts of output power from this dual mono hybrid Pure Class A integrated amp double INPOL technology.
From Pathos:
InPoL (Inseguitore Pompa Lineare – Linear Pump Follower) is a system patented by Pathos Acoustics which has enjoyed great success and won many awards.
Inpol devices have a special sonic personality obtainable only by means of this particular circuit design – fully balanced in Class A using a single solid state component in follower configuration, with high current gain and with voltage gain together. The valve amplifier amplifies the input signal voltage and InPol supplies the current to drive the loudspeakers without any further amplification. In this way the signal is entrusted to the valves and becomes a true copy of the original, with all the quality, purity and harmonic content of the original.
Those valves, we call ’em tubes, include 2x Tung-Sol ECC803S and 2x Sovtek 6H30x while the output stage is MOSFET based. Frequency response is rated at 2Hz – 200KHz (± 0.5db) so yea, plenty of swing.
Inputs include 5x single-ended RCA and 2x balanced XLR with both RCA and XLR Pre Outs with adjustable Gain and Phase and two pair of speaker binding posts. The review unit came equipped with the optional HiDac Mk2 board that adds an internal ESS SABRE 9018K2M-based DAC and digital inputs (USB, Coax, Toslink). That Ethernet post is for system stuff as are the 2x USB Type-A inputs (i.e. there’s no streaming capability).
Those company named heat sinks give the InPol Heritage a Fritz Lang Metropolis vibe which is all right by me as are the bight red mega-capacitors standing at the ready behind the tubes. This mix of elements—that thin strip of Padauk wood on the bottom of the front face, matte metallic black, silver, and meters (!)—is a lot but this there’s a lot of amp real estate to fill. I’m digging it all but this unusually deep beauty (27.3″) may have to sit sideways on my rack.
Pathos Acoustics was founded in 1994 by Gaetano Zanini, Gianni Borinato and Paolo Andriolo, in the northeast Italian city of Vicenza.
I’m very much looking forward to getting the InPol Heritage off the lift and onto my rack for some serious music time. Stay tuned!
Pathos InPol Heritage MKII Integrated Amplifier
Price: $18,995, w/HiDac Mk2 board +$19,754
Company Website: Pathos Acoustics
US Distributor Website: Harmonia Distribution
Specifications
Type: Pure class A, double INPOL technology, fully balanced digital bias/gain set technology
Tubes: 2 x ECC803S Tung-Sol, 2 X 6H30 Sovtek
Output power: 2 x 80 W @ 8 ohm
Frequency response: 2 Hz – 200 kHz ± 0.5 db
Max input voltage: 10 VRMS
Input sensitivity: 780 mVRMS
Input impedance: 20,000 ohm
Volume regulator: Purely resistive relays
THD: 0.1% @ 80 W
S/N Ratio: > 100 dB
Gain: 33 db unbalanced, 39 db balanced
Analog inputs: 2 x XLR, 4 x RCA line inputs
Digital inputs (only with optional HiDac Mk2 board): 1 x USB B , 1 x S/PDIF coaxial, 1 x S/PDIF optical
Outputs: 1 x pre out RCA, 1 x pre out XLR. Four levels of output gain, phase selection
Dimensions (WDH): 18″ x 27.3″ X 9.1″
Net Weight: 80Kg / 176 lbs.
