When it comes to high-quality nearfield studio monitors, the Amphion One18 will be an ideal choice to go for. They may not be as famous as some other reputable brands but the One18s’ sound quality is no slouch. The Amphion One18 are been used by top professionals, producers, and engineers so you can expect high sound quality and performance coming from these studio monitors. As they are passive loudspeakers, the One18s will still need a matching amp to power them up.
There are plenty of amplifiers to choose from and you can pick those which will fit your requirements but we also find it more important to go for amps that will provide us with complementary effects when partnering with the Amphion One18 studio monitors. By learning more about the sonic characteristics and specifications of the One18 speakers, we can then match them with the right amplifier and even fine-tune the sound quality to our likings.
Table of Contents
Sonic Characteristics and Merits of Amphion One18
The Amphion studio monitors have an iconic speaker design and one look at the Amphion One18, you will immediately notice the 1″ (25mm) titanium tweeter with a striking high-density Corian waveguide. Right below the tweeter, you will find a 6.5″ (180mm) aluminum woofer. Another notable speaker design feature will be the rather large passive radiator located behind the speaker cabinet. This nearfield studio monitor has a nice balance when it comes to aesthetics, and should look nice in most modern studios. The Amphion One18 would also fit nicely in a small listening room but would be a bit too big for a desktop sound system.
They have a frequency response of 45Hz to 20kHZ (+/-3dB) and are pretty impressive for a studio monitor of this size. The recommended power starts from 30 Watts all the way up to 150 Watts and has an impedance of 8 Ohms. The Amphion One18 speaker sensitivity is low which is at 85dB and we should look at high powered amplifier to drive them. By looking at their specs, we probably should go for amps that have around 100 Watts per channel output power (8 Ohms). This does give us quite a long list of amplifiers to go for and we won’t be going for high-end amps though.
More Details at Amazon – Amphion One18 Studio Monitor
These studio monitors are very revealing, able to retrieve a massive amount of music details and produce them out in spades. The Amphion One18 has astonishing clarity and a sense of scale which creates a convincingly spacious soundstage without much emphasis. It is a highly accurate loudspeaker and doesn’t show any mercy to bad recordings, if it is poorly recorded, the Amphion One18 will let you know clearly. This helps to provide a very faithful music presentation and doesn’t color the overall sound reproduction or to a level that we can detect. It is the type of honesty critical for professional audio mixing and mastering work.
The Amphion One18 bass reproduction is very accurate as well and tightly delivered. The One18s do seem to have a slightly stronger low-end presence than the smaller models but the agility and speed are still very similar. There is no over-emphasis on the bass delivery which is great and they don’t overstay their welcome, giving us smooth bass transients. The overall accuracy of the Amphion One18 is certainly exceptional and with this, you will be able to complete your work at a faster pace. They might not be ideal for casual music listeners though but is still worth a listen.
The Amphion One18 is a very neutral-sounding studio monitor and almost characterless. Furthermore, they are quite easy on the ears where it allows us to listen to them for hours without listeners’ fatigue which is good for professionals who need to work/mix for very long hours. If you like incredibly detailed and faithful music presentations, the Amphion One18 is definitely one of the absolute best to go for and at this price point, it is really difficult for us to nitpick them. With this information and data we have gathered, we are able to prepare a list of the best amplifiers to go for. These amps will be some of the finest to match with the Amphion One18 studio monitors.
Amphion One18 Specifications
- Speaker Type: 2-Way (Passive Radiator)
- Drive Units: 1″ (25mm) titanium tweeter, 6.5″ (180mm) aluminum woofer
- Frequency Response (+/-3dB): 45Hz-20kHz
- Power handling: 30-150 Watts
- Impedance: 8 Ohms
- Sensitivity: 85dB
- Dimensions (H x W x D): 381mm x 191mm x 305mm | 15″ x 7.5″ x 12″
- Weight: 12kg (26lbs)
Best Amps to match with Amphion One18
The Parasound Halo A23+ is one of the best amps to pair with the Amphion One18 studio monitors. It is a high-performance stereo power amplifier with an output of 160 Watts into 8 Ohms and 240 Watts into 4 Ohms with both channels driven which is more than enough to fully drive the One18s. The A23+ uses high bias Class A/AB operation to provide high-quality and clean power to your passive studio monitors with plenty of headroom left to handle music peaks. This is a sanely priced 2 channel power amp that can deliver high-resolution music presentations and has a wide dynamic range.
The Amphion Amp100 is probably the best amp to match with your Amphion One18 since they are both designed by the same company and should share similar sonic characteristics, allowing them to work together seamlessly. This is a stereo power amplifier with a power output of 100 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and is sufficient enough to drive the Amphion One18 studio monitors efficiently. The Amphion Amp100 focuses on transparency so as to ensure very accurate sound reproduction which will be ideal for professional mixing and mastering work. It has a polished background too.
More Details at Amazon – Amphion Amp100 Power Amplifier
The Monoprice Monolith Two-Channel Power Amplifier will be another amazing stereo power amp to go with your Amphion One18 passive monitors. It is a highly rated stereo power amplifier that uses Class AB design with 2 toroidal transformers. The Monoprice Monolith stereo amp is considered very powerful for the price, it can go up to 200 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and 300 WPC into 4 Ohms which is more than enough to drive the Amphion One18 studio monitors. The overall sound reproduction of the Monolith stereo power amp is clean and clear without compromising the sonic details, not to mention, it can land quite a punch as well.
More Details at Amazon – Monoprice Monolith Two-Channel Stereo Power Amplifier
For listeners who are going for mono-block power amplifiers which will not break the bank and don’t want to compromise the sound quality then you might want to take a look at Wyred 4 Sound mAMP and match them with your Amphion One18. The mAMP mono-block uses the latest generation of ICEPower technology (ASX2) to drive your speakers with a power output of 250 Watts into 8 Ohms and a whopping 430 Watts into 4 Ohms. This is a highly regarded power amp praised by both audiophiles and discerning critics. Furthermore, it is compact in size and will fit well with studios that have limited spaces.
More Info at Amazon – Wyred 4 Sound mAMP – Monoblock Power Amplifier
If you have a tight budget and don’t want to compromise power output, the Crown XLS1002 is an excellent choice to go for and to drive your Amphion One18 studio monitors with lots of headroom to spare. This is an extremely powerful stereo power amp with a very modest price tag, the XLS1002 uses a Class D amplifier to output 215 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and can go even higher when it is bridged (Mono). With this level of power, the Crown XLS1002 can easily make the Amphion One18 speakers sing. If we were to nitpick then it will be the background noise which is not as low as would have liked but at this price point, the XLS1002 power amp is worth every penny invested.
More Details at Amazon – Crown XLS1002 Two-channel Power Amplifier
For integrated amps with a plethora of features, the Peachtree Audio Nova150 will be an ideal choice to go for and will match well with the Amphion One18 studio monitors. It is a very high-powered amplifier with a power output of 150 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms. Comes with features such as a built-in SABRE32 DAC (9018K2M), MM Phono Stage, Home Theater Bypass, and more. If you prefer an integrated amplifier that uses high bias class A/AB amplification technology then the Parasound Halo HINT 6 will be the better option. This is also a very powerful amplifier and is loaded with modern features to accommodate modern-day audiophiles.
More Info at Amazon – Peachtree Audio Nova150 Integrated Amplifier (Piano Black)
To Sum It Up
The price points of these power amplifiers are quite closely matched with the Amphion One18 studio monitors and we highly suggest you audition them first before seriously considering them. These are some of the best amps on the market and are all worthy of your time to at least have a listen. If possible, you should arrange the auditioning of these amplifiers at your own studio/home together with your own Amphion One18 studio monitors for a more accurate result.
