The October 19th reveal of the specs raised some questions whilst answering others. 8Ω power delivery at 1% THD+N is 175wpc. Shifting the distortion decimal by two, we're given <0.08% THD for a 30Vrms output. Unloaded IMD before clipping is said to remain below 0.02%. Max power consumption lists as 700 watts despite the disappearance of the outer heat sink familiar from the 225/250 models. That's because the power Mosfets biased in Class AB have been relocated. Now they exploit the entire casing for heat shrugoffity. As usual, Goldmund publish no 4Ω or 2Ω ratings to warrant petulant asking. A more aghast ask should be prompted by many after they spot the seemingly Masonic handshake to disguise digital volume control. The specs say, "A/D conversion for DSP correction" in conjunction with the single analog input. Could there be any other conceivable reason to digitize analog? Surely the amp wouldn't apply wholesale amplitude correction on all incoming signal. But what about the time domain? It's Goldmund's signature obsession usually controlled by their Alize processor.

Goldmund's Metis 7 integrated bears a striking external resemblance to the Job INTegrated.

Unloaded noise lists as less than 10µV from 20Hz to 20kHz, dynamic range as better than 100dB. Voltage gain is once more Job's typically high 35dB, with 1kHz/8Ω damping factor a useful 220. The switchable line-voltage selector for 117/234V incorporates ±10% allowance. That makes one universal model with some over/under tolerance. Published response of 20Hz-20kHz ±0.5dB however doesn't suggest the type of wide-bandwidth circuit Goldmund have championed for decades. Was this amplifier fundamentally different from Goldmund's Telos circuit? And still more questions. Why no pre-out for a subwoofer; or a headphone amp, for users who might be keen on multi-tasking the internal DAC? I emailed my contact Rodolphe Boulanger. He makes his home in France's beautiful Annecy—the town where Mark Levinson used to live—to do the short commute to Goldmund in Plan-des-Ouates each day. Rodolphe promised to rattle engineering for the nitty gritty.

A dealer shot of the Metis 7's innards.


By November 13th, nearly a month had passed. A traveling Rodolphe was back in Geneva. "We'll have a 4Ω measurement before the month is out". And, "the INTegrated isn't a downscaled Job 225 circuit. It's something a bit different like a different architecture. I guess this will enable us to add more features when the time comes." He conveniently sidestepped most all my questions. The one he engaged remained shrouded in the vaguest possible terms. I explained how for any company as deeply invested in engineering as Goldmund say they are, 4/2Ω power specs tend to be part of the design process, not require special tests to figure out a month after the first batch has shipped. On the 17th, "we list 8Ω output power at 1% THD in the IEC60065 standard just like the Job 225 so the INT makes 50wpc more. Under the same tolerance, its 4Ω output becomes 215wpc.

Except for the power switch which the Metis 7 moves to the back, the Job INT's assets look identical.

"About our frequency response spec, digital processing limits response at 20kHz but the amplifier section itself is not limited. Perhaps we'll explain this more clearly later. A/D conversion for DSP correction of the analog input applies digital volume control to all inputs equally. The preamp section is op-amp based. The INT remains a DC-coupled machine." Rodolphe wanted to know "what makes you think there is correction on the analog signal?" I pointed at their phrasing. Verbatim it said DSP correction of the analog input. I explained that I hadn't before come across digital volume being called DSP correction. Most people tend to think of some form of amplitude EQ or phase/time optimization when they hear DSP correction. Lost in translation and all that. Whilst power scaling of 175 to 225 watts, between 8Ω and 4Ω, was unusually modest to point at a power supply far too small to come anywhere near power doubling into lower impedances, one remembers that this machine goes for $1'695 delivered; that its 8Ω rating actually has gone up over the same-priced stereo amp; that an active linestage, DAC and remote were added; and that Goldmund's similar Metis 7 sells for €12'500. It pays to maintain perspective; especially when this much value has been piled on.