Speaker not wife swapping showed it to be a true all'rounder as well. Aside from Tannoy's Turnberry Gold Reference, I also leashed up the compact Quadral Rondo and the small Nubert nuBox 101 which normally serves up our telly consumption via a Trends Audio TA 10.2. The Mk4 got on swell with either. I particularly noticed stupendous stage depth with the small Nubert boxes and the finely gradated definition of their stereo panorama. Even if the raw math of pairing speakers with an amp of 20 times their cost seemed insane, the Accustic Arts didn't out its 'lesser' partners with overt displays of limitations, i.e. a thin lean bass typical for small compacts. Instead, I heard a symbiotic gain of positives like capacious staging. Under 'lost and found', I'll still mention that you ought to experiment with the inputs. My C.E.C. CD5 clearly favoured RCA whilst the B.M.C. Audio PureDAC did better on XLR. I/o Ω matching issues? No clue but you're well advised to try both. Finally, the headphone output kicked ass. This wasn't a mere convenience feature but clearly a dedicated circuit that sounded clean, open and transparent. Bravo.


Conclusion. Like its predecessor, the Accustic Arts Power 1 Mk4 is a bona fide do-it-all. Even during massive assaults of music intended to descend into inchoate chaos, it remained stoically in charge. Just so, minimalist fare came off brilliantly with micro detail and nuance. To me the perhaps most exciting forté of this integrated amp was found in its ability to be neutral and informative without salting the wounds of lesser productions, sources or speaker mates. It seems to be a contradiction in terms but in this instance, the Power 1 Mk4 was both highly resolved and kind as though it 'amplified' only the good and not the ugly.



The new XLR inputs were a lovely addition. And, I believe that the slight tilt of its tonal profile versus the Mk3 suits the Mk4 very well. That's particularly apt on older leaner albums which sound noticeably better without lacking anything on high. There'll be amps with more personality or sonic peculiarities but those will always mandate greater care when matching their ancillaries. To put it blatant for emphasis, with the Accustic Art Power1 Mk4 you can commit blind (but please, do listen to it regardless). I can't imagine any risk of a mismatch with an existing system. That's taking this option to a truly solid bank!


Psych profile of the Accustic Arts Power I MK 4…
  • Impactful, sonorous but not thick yet well extended bass which exhibits astonishing control and clarity.
  • Fine mids which make it a delight to hear voices, guitars and assorted acoustic instruments in undistorted clarity
  • Open, free and ultimately resolved treble without rawness or grain. On the very top neither overcast nor crisp but the proverbial golden mean.
  • A more deep than wide stage albeit well separated.
  • Pure macrodynamics – this amp can rock out.
  • Brilliant microdynamics – sotto voce sounds gorgeous and complete and serves in proper contrast to the loud.
  • Equally suited for hifi whisperers and bangers.
  • Top-class fit, finish and tactile quality.
Facts:

  • Concept: Transistor integrated amp
  • Weight and dimensions: 22kg, 482 × 450 × 145mm WxDxH
  • Trim: silver or black
  • I/o: 3 x RCA in, 2 x XLR in, 1 x RCA out, single-wire terminals, 6.3mm headphone out
  • Power output: 135/200wpc into 8/4Ω
  • Idle consumption: 60 watts
  • Warranty: 2 years
  • Website

Accustic Arts website