The Soulution 330 integrated amp which I reviewed last November remains a standout in the field of integrated amplifiers that have come through the Barn.
After spending 2 months living with and listening through the Soulution 330 integrated amplifier, I’ve come to understand that we learn about refinement from gear like the Soulution because in some important ways it presents music unlike most every other amplifier I’ve had the pleasure of living with in Barn.
I’ll let Soulution tell us about the main difference the 331 brings, “More power reserves and less phase shift in the audioband make the 331 sound even more lifelike than its predecessor.” This I want to hear as the 330 was pretty damn lifelike.
More from Soulution:
Four new cutting-edge switched-mode power supplies modules deliver 1,200 VA of continuous power for the power amplifier section with a peak power capability of up to 4’200 VA for more than 5 seconds. They feature high performance filtering at the input and output, and high speed soulution voltage regulators to deliver considerably more stable power than any conventional, transformer-based technology.
The review sample Soulution 331 came with the optional DAC which adds 4 digital inputs (SPDIF, AES/EBU, Network, USB) as well as the optional MC Phono Stage that join the standard 4 analog inputs (2x RCA, 2x XLR), 1 pair of balanced XLR out, and a set of speaker binding posts. That LAN input supports DLNA/UPnP, no Roon.
From the outside, the 331 and 330 look like twins:
Which is fine by me as I enjoy the clean lines and minimal amount of visual stuff. That said, there’s a long list of configuration and functional options that are accessed via the included remote or the front panel buttons. I recommend a long look at the 331 manual for that whole story.
Power specs remain the same as the 330—120 Watts into 8 Ohms, 240W into 4 ohms; 480W into 2 ohms—but we all know specs are not the entire story when it comes to what we hear and how we feel about it.
I can’t wait to dig in.
Soulution 331 Integrated Amplifier
Price: $44,475 | optional DAC +$4275 | optional MC Phono Stage +$7225
Company Website: Soulution Audio
US Distributor: AXISS Audio
Specifications
Mains: 100 – 240 V (50 – 60 Hz)
Power consumption: < 0.5 W Standby, idle 110W
Analog inputs: 2 × balanced (XLR), 2 × unbalanced (RCA)
Input impedance: 5.8 kΩ balanced (XLR), 4.9 kΩ unbalanced (RCA)
Phono input (optional): 1 × unbalanced (RCA)
Termination impedance: 20-1260 Ω
Digital inputs (optional): 1 × AES/EBU, 1 × SPDIF, 1 × USB, 1 × Network
LINK (remote turn-on): 2 x phone jack (3.5mm)
Pre-Out: 1 x balanced (XLR)
Loudspeaker: 2 pair loudspeaker binding posts
Power output:
120 W @ 8 Ω
240 W @ 4 Ω
480 W @ 2 Ω (< 5 sec.)
Output current max: 30 A
Gain line inputs: – 53 to + 26 dB
Gain phono input: +17 to + 96 dB
Frequency response (– 3 dB): 0 – 800 kHz
Phase shift @ 20kHz: < -3°
THD: < 0.0005%
Spot noise (input related): < -140 dBV/√Hz
Damping factor: > 5,000
Dimensions (WxDxH): 430 x 490 x 142 mm
Weight: ~18 kg
