German company T+A elektroakustik is one of the most successful and technologically innovative electronics and loudspeaker manufacturers in Europe.

With top-class engineers, including dedicated teams for software and DSP development, and with the critically acclaimed HV flagship series. Its official name T+A stands for Theory + Application - a name that doesn't exactly fall from the sky, hence the unforgettable acronym T+A. To paraphrase J.M. Smucker's slogan, "With a name like T+A, it must be good". Fortunately, it is much more than 'good'. Theory and application may be what goes into every T+A component, but what emerges is serious and faithful music reproduction.

The PA 2500 R integrated amplifier is positioned between the entry-level E series and the flagship HV series. In a historical footnote, R was also the first series in the company's product line.

The R series includes two integrated amplifiers. The 100 Wp PA 2000 R is the more conventional in appearance. The PA 2500 R discussed here is the highboy integrated amp, twice as large and equipped with more power and connectivity. T+A says the basic circuit layout is identical to the PA 2000; however, the PA 2500's machined, shielded, non-magnetic aluminium chassis houses two of T+A's new high-performance power supply units, with a larger heatsink. It delivers more than 140Wp into 8 ohms, and twice that into 4 ohms.

La conception de l'amplificateur est une configuration double mono, entièrement équilibrée, de classe AB, avec une forte polarisation de classe A pour les 20-25 premiers watts. Sa conception haute tension découle de la série HV, où tous les étages de gain actifs sont alimentés par des rails d'alimentation à très haute tension. Selon T+A, "cela permet à chaque composant de fonctionner dans une partie beaucoup plus petite, plus linéaire et à faible distorsion de sa fonction de transfert totale". Il en résulte des circuits d'amplification discrets qui se comportent plus comme des valves que des conceptions à semi-conducteurs typiques.

The amplifier design is a dual mono, fully balanced, Class AB configuration, with a strong Class A bias for the first 20-25 watts. Its high-voltage design is derived from the HV series, where all active gain stages are powered by very high voltage power rails. According to T+A, "this allows each component to operate in a much smaller, more linear and low distortion part of its total transfer function". The result is discrete amplifier circuits that behave more like valves than typical solid-state designs.

High-quality components abound in the R series, including low-loss mica capacitors with silver electrodes, zero induction resistors, low-noise precision audio resistors, and gold- or rhodium-plated nickel-free terminals specially made for T+A. The company uses only relays - for example, relay-switched resistor network volume control - which are more expensive than semiconductors but more free of noise and distortion. Many of these components have been developed for military applications and therefore meet very strict quality and durability requirements.

All the control circuits of the machines are embedded in the solid aluminium faceplate, where the shielding effect is remarkable. In fact, you won't find much plastic on T+A components. The company makes a conscious effort to avoid its use, especially PVC. Metal is more easily recycled and offers better shielding for delicate circuits.

The style of the R series is both classic and contemporary. Classic" applies to the top panel window, which reveals the electronics and components.

The front panel is sleek and touch-sensitive, with a luminous VFD display and an aluminium rotary knob that controls the volume level and, with a long press, brings up the balance control.

The display uses software that scales the fonts for easy viewing from a distance. It also makes it easy to navigate the array of functions in the on-screen menu.

In addition, there is a sophisticated adjustable loudness control that can be adapted for loud or soft listening depending on speaker sensitivity and room size, as well as basic bass and treble tone controls.

Another internal development is a new, fast data bus for data exchange between T+A components, allowing seamless control of an entire system. For example, after adding the MP 2000 R, both components can be controlled with a single F 100 remote control or using the T+A app for iOS (or Android).

There is also a jack that automatically engages when headphones are connected. There are two phono card options for the R series, mm or mc, which are pre-installed at the factory where they are set according to the sensitivity, capacitance (mm) and impedance (mc) of the cell.