A bit of what you fancy

Copland’s CSA150 integrated is a tube/ transistor hybrid that’s more than the sum of its parts, says David Price

- David Price

DETAILS

PRODUCT Copland CSA150

ORIGIN Denmark

TYPE Integrated amplifier

WEIGHT 15kg

DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 435 x 165 x 370mm

FEATURES

Quoted output power: 2x 150W RMS (8ohm)

6922 double triode line stage voltage driver

ESS Sabre 9018 DAC

Moving-magnet phono stage

DISTRIBUTOR Absolute Sounds

TELEPHONE [phone]

WEBSITE copland.dk

There’s a lot to like about hybrids. In the past three decades I’ve tried valve, Class A solid-state, Class AB solid-state, and a combination of the first and last. Going totally thermionic is a big commitment because you have to pick your speakers carefully; they need to be efficient and/or generally horn or reflex loaded. If not, you can hear the output transformers straining at higher volumes. And lovely as valves can sound, they can be high maintenance. In my experience, a valve preamp – or indeed a solid-state pre with valve buffering – plus a solidstate power amp is a good place to be. And it’s something that Copland has been doing since long before it became fashionable.

Since the mid-Eighties, this Danish company has been going its own way. Founder Ole Møller is still overseeing the design and development of Copland amplifiers, and the CSA150 attempts to be a bit of everything. Inside, a single 6922 double triode acts as the voltage driver for the line stage, after which chunky MOSFETs take over to deliver a claimed 150W RMS per channel of Class AB power.