Boulder Amplifiers has announced the immediate release and shipment of the 1160 Stereo Power Amplifier. The 1160 is the successor to the 1060 Stereo Power Amplifier and the first product in the new 1100 Series to debut.

The 1100 Series is Boulder’s mid-level product line, combining new technology and performance with reduced size, power and cost. Boulder say that: “The 1100 Series offers a substantial advancement over the previous 1000 Series, with improvements in sound quality by way of better thermal management, ground paths, noise floor, and circuit layout. The increased use of surface-mount technology, manufactured on Boulder’s own surface-mount manufacturing machines and ovens, has also yielded improvements in noise radiation, propagation delay, parasitic capacitance and the elimination of lead inductance in affected circuits. It also offers improvements in unit-to-unit quality and consistency and long-term reliability”.

Also new for the 1160 is the use of a 64-bit, multi-core ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) processor for all supervisory functions, including management of protection circuits, AC line monitoring, power, thermal detection, error notification, and HTML- or IP-based external control. This ARM processor will also enable the use of Boulder Net, an IP-based unit-to-unit detection, system layout, and communication architecture available to external control systems such as Savant or Crestron and application-based system controls. For units that are network connected, an HTML setup and control page is available by simply logging into the amplifier’s IP address via a browser.

Gain stages within the 1160 are Boulder’s proprietary 983, which are unique to the 1100 Series. 983 gain stages feature surface-mount mechanical design with board-mounted heatsinking and provide the initial 20 dB of gain in a multi-stage design. They combine discrete and monolithic design with a high-current output. The 1160 utilises 56 bipolar output devices (28 per channel), 48 filter capacitors and 2 toroidal power transformers to generate power output of up to 300 watts per channel into any load. The physical design of the 1160’s external casework has evolved, with the heatsinks’ hard corners and chamfers being replaced with small radii and curves. The front panel has also been changed to reflect Boulder’s local geography. The layered front panel design is actually a reproduction of the topographical map of Flagstaff Mountain, located directly west of Boulder, Colorado.

Continuous power output of the 1160 is 300W per channel into 8 ohms, with peak output power doubling into 4 ohms (600W), 2 ohms (1200W). All audio circuitry is full differentially balanced. Outputs include dual connections for bi-wiring. Full specifications for the 1160 are as follows:

Continuous power, 8, 4, 2 OHMS: 300W

Peak power, 8 ohms: 300W

Peak power, 4 ohms: 600W

Peak power, 2 ohms: 1200W

THD, 8 ohms, 300W: 20-2 kHz: 0.0009%, 20 kHz: 0.0048%

THD, 4 ohms, 300W: 20-2 kHz: 0.0016%, 20 kHz: 0.0071%

THD, 2 ohms, 300W: 20-2 kHz: 0.002%, 20 kHz: 0.0130%

Equivalent Input Noise (EIN), 20 kHz BW: 1.5 μV

Magnitude response, 20 to 20 kHz: +0.00, -0.04 dB

Magnitude response, -3 dB at: 0.015 Hz, 150 kHz

Voltage gain: 26 dB

Signal-to-noise ratio (RE: 300W/8Ω): -127 dB, unweighted, 20 to 22 kHz

Input impedance: Balanced: 100k ohms, unbalanced: 50k ohms

Common mode rejection (balanced only): 60 Hz: 90 dB, 10 kHz: 70 dB

Input connectors: 3-pin balanced XLR

Output connectors: Two sets of 6 mm / .250-inch wingscrews

Crosstalk, L to R or R to L: Greater than 120 dB

Weight: Amplifier, 140 lbs. (63.5 kg); Shipping, 220 lbs. (99.8 kg)

Power requirements: 100, 110-120, 220-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz

Power consumption: 15W Standby, 240W Nominal, 3600W at Maximum output

The suggested US retail price for the 1160 Stereo Amplifier is $28,000. Export retail pricing will vary by country.