The words "affordable" and "accessible" have never been remotely associated with any Dan D'Agostino gear – and despite the company's latest integrated amplifier being referred to as 'entry-level' and their least expensive, it'll still set you back a cool $15,000 / £18,000 / AU$29,995.
Compared to the company's usual 'price on request' territory though (and even its priced products can range anywhere from £25,000 to £125,000), the new Pendulum Integrated Amplifier is a veritable bargain.
Representing D'Agostino's effort to reach a broader audience of audio enthusiasts while maintaining the performance standards associated with the brand, the new amp introduces a re-engineered version of the JFET input circuit topology originally developed for the company's Momentum C2 Preamplifier.
Dan D'Agostino Pendulum Amp
(Image credit: Dan D'Agostino)
Delivering 120W per channel into 8 ohms and doubling to 240W into 4 ohms, the Pendulum's power derives from a custom 750VA toroidal transformer and 25,000 μF capacitor bank – substantial specs for a unit of its relatively compact dimensions.
This robust power supply implementation also incorporates sophisticated filtering to eliminate RF noise from AC powerlines, and address issues like asymmetric power waveforms – details that will appeal to serious audiophiles concerned with clean power supply.
On the connectivity front, the standard configuration provides four analogue inputs – one single-ended RCA and three balanced XLR connections (including a theatre pass-through for home cinema integration), with balanced preamplifier outputs for subwoofer integration.
And if you want a little extra, you can add a phono stage (£1150) with 60dB of gain for moving coil cartridges, or a comprehensive digital module (£2850), offering optical, ethernet, Wi-Fi and HDMI connectivity.
The latest hi-fi, home cinema and tech news, reviews, buying advice and deals, direct to your inbox.
Dan D'Agostino Pendulum Amp
(Image credit: Dan D'Agostino)
The digital module supports PCM signals up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD signals up to DSD256 (11.2MHz) natively. It also features streaming services including Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify, while offering MQA decoding for compatible files, and will receive Roon Ready certification to boot.
Aesthetically, the Pendulum maintains D'Agostino's distinctive design language, featuring a central LCD display that digitally mimics the Swiss watch-inspired analogue meters found on the company's higher-end models.
This display serves multiple functions beyond volume indication, providing real-time updates on unit status, functions, and even metadata from digital music sources. The amp also comes with a Bluetooth-enabled remote control crafted from Delrin, which mirrors information from the main unit on its own LCD screen.
Now shipping globally in silver or black finishes (with custom painted options available by special order), it will be interesting to see how the Pendulum's five-figure price tag lends itself to potentially more adoption by deep-pocketed audiophiles.
MORE:
Best stereo amplifiers: 9 class leaders chosen by our review experts
Get a whopping £500 off one of the best hi-fi amps we've reviewed
Best AV receivers: the top home cinema amplifiers we've tested