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Icon Audio have just released the Audio Stereo 25 a £499 valve amp. Icon Audio are located in Leicester, UK, and are devoted to the development and manufacture of valve amplification and associated hi-fi equipment such as loudspeakers, headphone amplifiers and phonostages.

Designed by David Shaw, founder of Icon Audio, the Stereo 25 delivers all one would expect from an Icon Audio amplifier: a wide bandwidth, smooth and natural dynamics and a very musical performance. In common with other Icon Audio amplifiers, the basic design is a hand-built, point-to-point wired circuit, inspired by those of the late H J Leak. The combination of carefully selected modern and classic audiophile components and custom hand-wound transformers produce an exquisite amplifier set to please the eyes as much as it will delight the ears.

The Icon Audio Stereo 25 produces 2 x 30 W RMS continuous power output and has a class A triode. The class A triode front end feeds an output stage which uses the excellent EL34 output valve operating in ‘Ultralinear’ mode which delivers the 30 W RMS, capable of driving the majority of loudspeakers to impressive levels.