Audio power amplifiers provide the juice or alternating current for our speakers to move in and out, creating positive and negative pressure (Sound). This electromagnetic induction
relies on the marriage of speaker drivers, cabinets, crossovers, and, of course amplifiers. While various amplifier topologies exist, designing one that accurately portrays music can be a challenge. Channel Islands Audio, has been cooking up high-quality audio designs for over 18 years, and I recently had the opportunity to audition a pair of their 500 watt monoblock amplifiers. The Channel Islands Audio D500 MKII mono block power amplifiers currently in their 2nd iteration have been powering my system for a couple months now.
The Class D design of this audio amplifier allows it to run very efficiently. In fact, they run cool to the touch. I can recall many class A amplifiers that raised the room temperature by several degrees, add a room full of studio equipment and you get a hot and sweaty audio engineer- no fun.
Each amplifier and massive power supply is housed in a separate steel frame and aluminium chassis. Don’t think you have room for monoblock amps? With a height of 4 inches and a tidy footprint of just 8.5 wide by 13.5 inches deep, these amps will tuck away more easily than you think. The casework is tight fitting aluminium with non-magnetic steel hardware and an On/Off push button with a blue LED surround.
Rear XLR or unbalanced RCA inputs, speaker binding posts, trigger, AC
Moving to the business end, the D500 MK II provides XLR or RCA line-level inputs, 5-way speaker binding posts, trigger inputs, and an IEC power inlet. For my listening, I connected to each amplifier via balanced XLR connectors from my monitor controller. I used a pair of 2-way (1st order xover) speakers for listening and a well designed room at a hollywood mastering studio. As far as after market power cables go, we found these amps sounded best/most balanced with the cord supplied (i.e. nothing fancy).
After warm up, we fed a variety of studio quality masters through these monoblock amplifiers. I started with a favorite, Muddy Waters Folk Singer. In this hard panned early stereo recording very distinct tracks of guitar, vocal, bass, and drums can be easily distinguished. A great recording true, but the dynamics of the vocal really stress the ability of amp and speakers to communicate the space (echochamber at chess records) and impact of this album. The CI Audio amps did not let me down. Not only was the control over the music’s dynamic fluctuations handled well, but they did so with ease and lightning fast response. Hearing the space around the music is important for feeling an honest connection to the performance. No where is it so obvious as with Mumtaz Muhal, a stereo recording done in a chapel with three musicians. This recording features Taj Mahal performing songs like Stand By Me with Indian classical instrument accompaniment. The Mohan Vina, a slide-like sitar follows the vocal massaging of Taj Mahal like a second voice gently ascending. The natural space of this recording is preserved and replayed over the CI Audio monoblocks with all the emotional connection and tone intact.
Playing back a 24/96 transfer of Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life showed how these little beasts grip your speakers and provide extended tight bass. Listening to the track I Wish showed off these amps ability to clearly portray all the tracks in this loaded mix. A wide and appropriately deep soundstage was achieved using the D500 MK II amplifiers. Even when the overall sonic energy of a song’s mix was full, these amplifiers reproduced clearly and without any strain. Side Note: I’ve been playing these amps for over 8 hours and they are cool to the touch!
Listening to full orchestral pieces from Beethoven’s 9th symphony truly showed off these mono block amplifiers ability to further handle complex and dense musical passages. The quietest passages arose from a black background and when the double bass stepped in, it did so with stride and control usually unheard in my small speakers. Through the roll of the timpani and onward, the full orchestra was handled with an even and accurate tone. Localization of instruments was obvious and portrayed the stereo microphone technique clearly.
For a wider variety of instruments and sounds I pulled out Beck’s Sea Change and Tom Wait’s Swordfishtrombones. Reproducing the raspy voice of Waits or the somber melancholy stylings of Beck, The D500’s were true to all the fleshy midrange detail. Moving up the frequency range, even the extended response of cymbals was smooth and never overly bright or etched.
While we did not have other speakers to directly power from the CI Audio amp, we did have several other systems in place for monitoring audio. The Lipinski Sound amps and speakers were compared to the Channel Islands Audio amps and GMA Eos HX speakers. Myself and other engineers concluded that the sound of each system were both resolving and usable. The Channel Islands D500 MK II proved to be a clear musical amplifier with a place in the audiophile as well as professional markets. Happy Listening!
Channel Islands D500 MK II Specs:
Power Output 500 watts @ 8 ohms/800 watts @ 4 ohms Bandwidth 50kHz
Frequency Response10Hz – 20kHz, +0dB/-0.5dB
Damping Factor>1000Input Impedance100k ohms Gain 38db or 32db
Dimensions 8.5″w x 4.0″h x 13.5″d
Weight 28 lbs (each)
Warranty 5 Year Parts & Labor
Associated Equipment: Crane Song Avocet, SADIE, Lipinski Sound, GMA Eos HX
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