AybsSound ASX-1000

$10,000.00 USD is not an unfair amount to pay for a power amplifier.

The AybsSound ASX-1000 reminds us of our M&K MX-150 plate amplifier. (M&K's MX-350 was the best). We had the amp and the subs, but never put it together. It's a good beast.

The name, AybsSound is conjugal. As written, it summons up the abyss. And yet, with an apostrophe, it could be Aby's. Or with an apostle, also, Abbey's. Or perhaps it's just about abs.

At 150 lbs, it's a great weight.

Ab was the nom-de-plume of Benjamin Franklin, and if we are talking about Franklins, here's how we say it is fair. Ab is also not a great note, but we'd say that Bb is better.

$870.00 will get you the Clous de Selle gloves from Hermes Canada. They are indisputably nice gloves, and you get the same little logo as the on-off switch on the ASX-1000. That's Canadian, so with tax, just shy of $1000 CDN. All little less, US.

To be interested in audio, you'd have to say that an amplifier is worth 10 ten pairs of gloves. It's a judgement of value.


The creator of the amplifier, Julian Studnicki, has a handsome name. A conjugation of Julian Assange, Stud, and Nick, in reference to Old Nick. We like the Burberry scarf he's chosen indeed.

Going further, we like the interior of the AybsSound ASX-1000 power amplifier. It's green. There are cloud-like traces, aesthetically, and as an object, it's rather beautiful. There's not much to digest, visually.

It reminds us of our Parasound HCA-2200II power amplifier, although aesthetically and musically-accessory, we would place it with the likes of Holm Acoustics' AMP-1 and Balabo's BP1-II. It's a man's game.

We should mention that despite the 1500W power supply, there are 180 watts on tap, or 360W, if you use a 4-ohm speaker as we typically do ourselves. A remarkable fact is that there are 35 Watts of Class A power. Spending $125,000 USD on an AudioNote Kegon pair will only get you 22 watts indeed.

You will find the quality of construction and design far higher than the Absolute Sound approved Odyssey Audio amplifiers by Klaus Bunge.

You can get class A power at a cheaper price with a pair of Emotiva XPA-1L amplifiers. They will push out 35W in Class A, also (or 250W/500W if you prefer.) We'd like to review them, as we'd like an AybsSound ASX-1000 in our stable.

The product is manufactured in Poland to a high degree of quality.

We'd like to see it paired with a speaker like the Totem Element Earth or Metal.

Product: AybsSound ASX-1000 Power Amplifier
Price: $9500.00 USD
Value: $62.50 / watt

For: Attractive Case Design, Well Chosen and Laid Out Components, Superior Aesthetic
Against: A little too Tall, Fins too Thin, We Like Everything in It!

Interesting Competition: First Watt F2.