Although the AMP-23R's dress code is new, it's obvious how the same outfit responsible for Bakoon Int.'s spectacular visuals is involved. The new exterior is lighter on color tone, white silkscreen replaced orange and the logo is new. Attention to detail, perfect assembly, top machining and freedom from visible bolts remain. The chassis grew more massive yet simpler, remains pretty to look at and is more stable when connecting heftier cables. Bakoon Int.'s Urushi-lacquered multi-function knob and twin rows of volume LEDs are gone. Now a push button on the Enleum's forehead cycles through inputs if pressed shortly and engages power on/standby upon a longer press. Two white dots just below highlight which input is active and the IR eye a hair lower talks to a responsive wand. Upon turning the large volume knob, its white dot traverses 21 circular openings. Spot-on friction and firmness make this faceted affair pleasant to use and far easier on reading its setting than the AMP-13R's LEDs. It feels and operates like an analog pot to which it in fact connects but slightly delayed resistor clicks upon turning tell us that attenuation happens elsewhere. More on that in a moment.

There's no separate headphone circuit. The auto-sensing 6.3mm out and speaker taps share the same advanced circuit and output stage. That makes Soo In's latest effort a beast for headfi jobs no matter how tough. It only excludes electrostatics and Raal Requisite's ribbons so types that demand specialized drive. The AMP-23R's ribbed cheeks, front panel, clean top and remaining surfaces form a large heat exchanger for the output devices within. A view under the hood reveals a roomier interior surrounded by separate walls bolted together versus the more tightly packed tunnels and compartments machined into the discontinued AMP-13R's unibody. The latter's extruded chassis might seem fancier but it did limit the size of certain critical component parts. The replacement's larger dissipation surface and simpler frame run noticeably cooler and $1'000 lighter on the wallet. Although some will find the original's less conservative attire sexier, the Red Dot committee already awarded its successor all the same.

The business end houses a 100-240VAC auto-adaptive power IEC inlet that wants T4AL/T2.5AL fuses for 100-120/200-240V respectively. Luckily that fuse compartment is now external as opposed to the AMP-13R's which required diving under its bonnet. Cardas binding posts between perforations near the upper ledge are mirrored. So are 2 x 10kΩ voltage inputs on RCA below. Current-mode 10Ω BNC equivalents baptized ENlink invert the usual low input impedance driven by a high-Ω source output à la Audio-GD's ACSS or Krell's CAST. To exploit that interface and reap associated benefits awaits Enleum's pending DAC. My loaner's lower left corner showed its serial number, then the words design in California and Korean assembly. Its underbelly showed multiple bolts, four tiny standard-issue rubber bumpers and three circular shallow recesses with threaded openings for the optional anti-vibration barrels tailored by South Korea's TAKT specifically for the AMP-23R's mass. Their ball bearings create some lateral play without springy action which effectively makes them hard resonance sinks.

Although the AMP-23R's feature sets implies an integrated affair, at its core it is really a stereo power amp with multiple inputs and true variable voltage gain. Each step on its knob-coupled resistor matrix sets a discrete amplification factor thus signal strength. Hence this circuit doesn't create fixed gain first which is then resistively decimated. It makes the AMP-23R a perfect candidate for optional preamps. It also removes resistance losses introduced by attenuators, maintains constant S/NR at all SPL and explains why under the natty controller we see the word gain not volume. To simplify, if the usual integrateds rely on attenuating fixed voltage gain to create the desired volume, Soo In's latest uses 1'024 steps to set the desired voltage gain without attenuation.