Hey Nico72,
I'm wondering how you are getting on with the A800? Any opinion about sound and build quality?
I would define the build quality of the A800 as "solid". It's pro kit and i suspect in can handle a little abuse. The finish is decent, but the A800 is not a looker, with the two large volume knobs and the coloured level LEDs flashing up when it goes loud. Hi-Fi kit is definitely better looking. The LEDs in particulr can be annoying in an AV setup, but that is not an issue for me.
Initailly I was looking at a half width amp with digital inputs for my bedroom, and I was considering Quad Vena, Audiolab M One and Yamaha WXA-50 (the latter is also class D). However I was a bit concerned of pairing these amps with low efficiency speakers like the Neat Iotas (84 dB and 6 ohm). Also the Iotas come to life when they go a bit loud, and they are not the most involving at low volume.
An AVForums member recommended plugging the variable output of my DAC in the A800 instead.
The A800 is full width but half the depth of normal hi-fi kit. It is also very light at 3.2 kg and runs cool, so i was able to hide it away on top of a wardrobe. The two volume knobs (one per channel) go all the way down to silent, so they can be used to control the volume, but that is impractical. I keep them in a fixed position, and i find them handy for fine-tuning the balance, as my DAC cannot do that.
The A800 is a class D amp and it has power on tap: the more you need, the more it gives. I know some people don't like the sound of class D amps, and some claim that class D watts are not the same of class AB watts. Based on my experience with the A800, I have no idea what they are talking about. The A800 sounds powerful and it controls the Iotas with authority. I can recommend the A800 in a hi-fi setup. In terms of watts per pound, it is hard to beat it.
Having said that, I suspect a less powerful class AB amp like the ones mentiond above would have been fine powering the Iotas in my small bedroom 99% of the time.
There is a review of the A800 on ASR, and it mesured decent. There are also a few treads on here from people using pro amps like the A800 and Crown for AV and hi-fi.
What speakers are you thinking of pairing it with?