Boulder Amplifiers 1110/1161 Pre-Power Amp’s: Full Review
Boulder Amplifiers 1110/1161 Pre-Power Amp’s: Full Review
Hello everyone! Today we will be examining not one but two units from Boulder Amplifiers in Colorado. Since my 866’s brief description of Boulder Amplifiers hasn’t altered in the interim between evaluations, I’ll duplicate it below.
The name Boulder Amplifiers comes from the company’s original location in Boulder, Colorado. Currently, nevertheless, they are headquartered in Louisville, Colorado, at their new production facility.
audio apparatus. They reportedly have five separate product lines and create everything in-house. The series consists of 500, 800, 1000, 2000, and 3000 numbers. I would strongly advise looking over their products on their website, www.boulderamp.com. They have everything from tiny phono stages to colossal monoblocks that need a special power line (the 3050’s).
enormous monoblocks (the 3050s) that need a special power line
The 866 is one of their integrated amplifiers from the 800 series that I previously had and evaluated. The items I’m writing about today are really from the 1000 series, which is the series that comes before the 800 series. Currently available in the 1000 series are the 1110 preamp, 1108 phono preamp, 1161 amplifier, and the bigger 1160 amplifier.
I had owned an integrated 866 for a few years, and I was really interested to know how the individual parts from the line above the 800 series would sound.
I had owned an integrated 866 for a few years, and I was really interested to know how the individual parts from the line above the 800 series would sound. The 1000 series: is it superior? Absolutely, in my experience, without a doubt.
Arriving together in two distinct cardboard boxes, the 1110 and 1161 were double-boxed for added protection. Thankfully, the 1110 and 1161 don’t require wooden crates for shipment because of their lower size in comparison to the bigger 1160 amplifier, which weighs 135 pounds unboxed.
This makes things a little simpler and saves money on delivery. It also implies, and this is important, that one person can move the equipment. Moving the 1160 would probably need two people, and it would be more difficult if I ever needed to relocate the amp for cable swaps or other purposes.
The preamp has the pattern on the side but no actual heatsinks, which makes sense given that it doesn’t get very warm because it’s a preamp rather than an amplifier. In my experience, the amplifier never gets hot and usually settles around “warm to the touch” when in operation.
The 1110 features five inputs, two primary outputs, and a number of auxiliary outputs. It comes with a solid aluminum block remote control that is both sturdy and simple to operate. The volume control on the preamp itself is digitally controlled yet analog-based, employing an infinite rotating chrome “knob” (really a disk).
. You may also set volume limitations in the 1110’s settings if you want to avoid getting too loud. I believe that most users would use the remote control rather than the preamp’s real front panel, and this will be a non-issue, but I thought it would be prudent to note it just in case.
The 1161 has somewhat fewer inputs and outputs. It contains one set of XLR inputs and a pair of left and right speaker connections. Essentially, everything you require and nothing you don’t. If you want to utilize a single-ended preamp with the 1161, you may easily use a pair of RCA-to-XLR adapters, such as one that is tube-based.
Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals of the units, let’s speak about the most crucial aspect: sonic performance. Throughout my testing, I discovered that the overall tonal balance and technical performance of the two devices were quite comparable, so I’ll explain both in this part. If there are any specifics concerning a particular unit, I will try my best to highlight them.
In terms of tonal balance, the 1110/1161 is quite close to the 866. I’d characterize them as being dead neutral. However, like I stated in my 866 review, I mean completely neutral. I believe that when a piece of gear is defined as neutral, it conjures up images of being bright or chilly, which the Boulders are not.
The 1110/1161 bass is extremely quick and much more powerful than its 866 counterpart. It possesses a mix of deftness and rapidity that I have never heard before from any device. Again, the bass level is neutral, rapid, accurate, and strikes like a Mack truck. In terms of speed and neutrality, the 1110/1161’s midrange closely resembles the bass.
One thing I’d want to attempt in the future is a more “romantic” and warm tube preamplifier in conjunction with the 1161 amplifier, since I believe it may be a really fascinating combo for a distinct taste of sound.
It straddles a tight line between a deeper, slightly muted tone and being too bright and harsh. This results in an exceptionally detailed treble area, making transients appear rapid and accurate.
Now that we’ve discussed the general tonal balance, I’ll try to explain the distinctions between the 1110/1161 and the 866 integrated. As previously said, the overall tone balance is quite similar. The changes stem from technical performance, and while they are positive advances, they demand more evaluation.
. I discovered that inferior recordings, as well as utilizing brighter headphones or speakers, make such characteristics more noticeable. In this regard, I felt the 866 to be more laidback and user-friendly.
I believe that if you are contemplating upgrading to the 1000 series or higher, there are likely to be beneficial characteristics that will help you acquire greater insight into your music. The 1110/1161 are without a doubt the most capable, detailed, clear, and neutral equipment I’ve had the pleasure of utilizing.
The 1161’s power rating is as follows:
- CONTINUOUS POWER: 8, 4, 2 OHMS (150w)
- PEAK POWER, 8 OHMS – 200W
- PEAK POWER, 4 OHMS – 350W
- PEAK POWER, 2 OHMS – 450W
I believe this will be plenty for the majority of speakers, but if you have more difficult-to-drive speakers, the 1160 increases the amount of power available. The only issues would be the increased cost, size, and weight. Although I haven’t heard the 1160 directly, I assume the sonics are very comparable, with the only variation being the amount of power available for harder-to-drive speakers.
I’ve used the 1110/1161 to drive a variety of speakers and headphones (see the comment below about headphone usage), and the pair has stayed consistent across all transducers. They were extremely skilled and unaffected by any load I put on them.
When utilizing headphones with the 1110/1161, keep in mind that this is essentially a speaker amplifier, therefore it has higher power and gain than the normal headphone amplifier. This is ideal for some of the difficult-to-drive headphones on the market today.
I have not heard them sound better. I’m particularly interested in how the new ModHouse Tungstens sound, as I believe they’re the most difficult-to-drive planar magnetic headphones available right now. You may absolutely use easier-to-drive headphones with the 1110/1160, but if they are really sensitive, you may experience some low-level hiss owing to the increased gain compared to a standard headphone amplifier.
Overall, my experience with the 1110/1161 has been excellent. The 866 integrated from Boulder was the greatest amplification I’d ever used, and it’s still a really appealing and terrific integrated solution. The 1161 has ample power for most amplification applications, but if you have a very difficult-to-drive set of speakers, the 1160 is always available as an alternative.
The 1110/1161 are both really well-built and look fantastic (and I typically like black gear!). Overall, I cannot recommend the 1110/1161 combo or Boulder Amplifiers as a brand strongly enough. Very nicely done, Boulder!
