When Jim Austin offered the Plinius Reference A-150 stereo amplifier ($14,995) for review, it felt like a welcome blast from the past. Plinius has, lately, maintained a low profile in the US, likely due to several changes in US distributorship.
When was the last time I’d encountered a Plinius product? I found no talk of the 40-year-old New Zealand brand between a brief mention in a 2015 column by John Marks1 and 2022, when Robert Schryer spied a Plinius component at the Montréal Audio Fest.2 The most recent Stereophile review of a Plinius component was Erick Lichte’s 2011 take on the SA-103 power amplifier,3 in which he concluded, “The Plinius SA-103 offers a natural, neutral tonal balance, just the right amount of musicality, superb bass performance, plenty of current to drive the most piggish speakers, functional and tasteful design. It is (dare I say it) a good value at its price, considering its performance.”
Under the auspices of Ralph Abramo and California-based Plinius Audio Sales and Repair, Plinius’s US profile seems to be rising again.
The Reference A-150, which Plinius refers to as the RA-150, isn’t especially new. It was released in 2019, but it took a while to gain a substantial presence in the US market. One notable feature: It is bridgeable for use as a powerful monoblock. When so bridged, its rated power more than doubles; see below for details.
When I first communicated with Abramo, he had a single RA-150 available for review. After I mentioned my current status as a serial monoblock reviewer, he offered to send a second RA-150 a bit later, once the second amplifier had accumulated a couple hundred hours of break-in time.
In consultation with Editor Jim, I decided to do something unique in my reviewing history. First, I’d listen to a single RA-150 in stereo via its
