Legacy Powerbloc2 Stereo Amplifier Preview

See the complete review for the Legacy Powerbloc2 Stereo Amplifier.

Having visited Bill Dudleston’s factory in Springfield, Illinois and seeing both the production line and listening studio, I’ve had the chance to hear several of Legacy’s speakers in his reference space. I have also reviewed the Legacy HD Monitors and the slim, wall mounted Silhouettes over the last few years in my own room. Seeing the amount of effort Legacy puts into voicing their speakers, it was probably only a matter of time before they designed their own amplifiers.

It’s no surprise to me that Legacy decided to forgo the class A/B design and employ a state-of-the-art ICEpower design that comes in two or four channels. I will be reviewing the Powerbloc2, a two-channel dual-mono configuration. Stable, even when driven hard, the Powerbloc 2 delivers high resolution from an ultrawide 1.5Hz-70kHz bandwidth that delivers just .005% THD at a rated output 325 watts into 8 ohms, and 650 watts into 4 ohms. Each channel has its own power supply. The inputs include two balanced XLR and two unbalanced RCA jacks. Outputs are a pair of gold-plated safety approved five-way binding posts with hand-soldered connections.

Being Class D, the Powerbloc2 is both slim and light, weighing in at 17 pounds. Because efficiency is so high, it runs very cool and quiet. There is no transformer noise or the sound of a cooling fan kicking in during extended music listening. I also noticed that it cycles on much faster than my Class A monoblocks. Having reviewed a Class D amplifier from Lyngdorf, I’ll be curious to see if the Powerbloc2 can meet that high standard. Look for my full review in the next few weeks.

See the complete review for the Legacy Powerbloc2 Stereo Amplifier.