Tonewinner AD-1PA+ Review: A $4,000 Class A/AB Beast

A 43kg switchable Class A/AB power amplifier paired with a fully balanced preamp - 100W Class A or 500W Class AB into 4Ω with serious bass control and golden-hued mids.

Verdict: Highly Recommended - 9.0/10. Price: $3,999.

What's good

Massive 43kg overbuilt chassis with side heatsinks

Switchable Class A / Class AB topology

Fully balanced differential input and BTL output stages

8 pairs of Hi-Fi transistors per channel - 60A capacity

1200W toroidal transformer + 180,000μF capacitance

Stable down to 2Ω - drives demanding speakers

Matching AD-1PRE+ preamp with built-in phono stage

Tactile, milled-metal volume knob with notched rotation

Worth knowing

Significant heat output in Class A mode

Class AB sounds drier and more clinical vs Class A

Notes start/stop more abruptly - lacks tube fluidity

43kg is hard to move - placement is permanent

Up to 1200W power draw from the wall

No automatic Class A/AB switching

Read the full Tonewinner AD-1PA+ review on The Audio Stuff