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First there’s principle. Nobody puts the volume control on the back just because you’ve also got a remote control. Hey, I’m not handing out ideas pro bono. Two, not everything with standby on it has standby in it.


To keep it honest, the 9200 really ought to add "still sucking 50 watts from the wall even though the inputs are muted". Should it be called mute instead? Clearly the amp is not in standby when standby is engaged.


Whilst on mute, Plinius gives us a switch for that. On the back. Because that’s not a vital function it didn’t ruffle my feathers but bizarre it still was.


What normal person would ever use it there?* Why have it in the first place then? It’s a mystery especially because the remote has its own mute plus the obligatory +/- volume.
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* It would come in useful whilst changing cabling without powering the amp down - Ed.

Pop quiz. What dimensions does a remote need to accommodate three buttons? 27 centimetres long perhaps and weighing 475 metal grams? Our Kiwis respond with a loud yes! I’m clearly not from there but their base price does include this bobby bat where many other makers add a few hundred quid for such excessive accessories.


On other features there’s still more joy. The Plinius has plenty of i/o ports in four line-level inputs and two complete tape loops. The CD input also offers a choice between RCA and XLR. There’s even a phono stage whose internal gain jumper supports both MM and MC though impedance/capacitance adjustments are not accounted for. The back adds a quartet of RCA sockets called processor loop by which you can insert a surround processor into the signal path. There are also bi-wire speaker terminals. Other nice touches are the ground lift switch and four externally accessible fuse holders. No need to pop the lid or flip a wig if you blow a fuse. The quality of socketry is praiseworthy too.

What type of amp is the 9200? Technically it operates in class AB but the bias current is set pretty high. This means idle gets quite warm. Plinius claims special attention was placed on the generously dimensioned power supply with "extremely low" impedance to control even challenging loads with short-term peak current of 40 amperes. The input/driver stage runs Fets, the push/pull output stage six bipolars per side for 200/300w into 8/4Ω.


What musical type is the Plinius? Neo-soul diva Erykah Badu’s sexily grooving fare with its firm and defined bass met its mark. On already the first disc the 9200 proved a major hit. More often than not first hifi gear impressions stick. They touch on something essential. Perhaps that’s because any first audition is virgin ground and tabula rasa to register sonics without the ballast of expectations? Test psychology aside, my first impression of the 9200 was bloody well done rhythmically, with excellent timing and gorgeously stoic articulate and highly dynamic bass. This was no mama’s boy. Fittingly the CD spinning in the Luxman was Mama’s Gun. Should you cue up "Bag Lady" or "Time’s A Wasting" with lesser amps, all manner of things are bound to happen. Either power is insufficient to deliver synth bass and drum beats with proper insistence; or grip is lacking to control the woofers. The latter degenerates into boom which routinely compromises the midband with smudges and veils. Sometimes amps sin on both counts.


Not so the Kiwi. Beats turned to hits as physical attacks not of lumbering sideward swings but straight fast punches to the chin faster than I could see. There was no hesitation. The Plinius married power with clarity not merely for momentary impulses but also sustained infrasonics. The e-bass on "Bag Lady" for example had menacing growl and seductive purr. Fantastic. Clearly the 9200’s bass prowess demanded attention. This didn’t affect tonal balance. There was no more than was proper, just well above average PraT. Tonally the Plinius proved quite neutral. Speaking only of tendencies, it was easy to detect a penchant for the light, crisp and clear over the deliberately fulsome or even bullish. None of it was pronounced enough to interfere with variables of room acoustics or systems voicing.