I like your videos and I like when there’s a relevant story/entertainment part to reviews to provide context and substance. If I want an info dump I’ll read the spec sheet.

Another great video, no hype, no fluff, just good insights. As someone that has more than one analog source I probably won't be running out to get o e of these. Maybe the demographic is new and younger Audiophiles.

Wow, I didn’t realize the room correction on this was so well thought out. I been on the verge of some sort of room correction, being at that very nexus point of treatment/placement for a small listening space. Have really nice separates, don’t want to part with them, don’t want to fudge with even more equipment like Dirac (outboard). But keep wondering how the change to something like this (or a Lyngdorf ) would compare in the end! Anyway, really love your approach. Perfect balance of pragmatism and audio enjoyment 🙏🏼👍🏼

Great, no-nonsense, informative review. Seems like a dis-integration of their active speaker designs into a more traditional HiFi configuration.

Nice!

I have another question. I think you reviewed the NAD C399. It seems the Buchardt I150 runs the same amplifier as the C399. How similar are the two of them in terms of tonality/Sound quality? I'm currently doing a demo with the C399 and compared to the 9000a the C399 is awful in terms of overall tonality and fulness. If the I150 sounds the same as the c399 then I'm going to want to avoid it but I know that the I150 has a completely different preamp section which probably changes the sound of everything. Please let me know cause I want to pull the trigger on either the 9000a or Buchardt i150 and your comments would be appreciated!

Hey man! I really enjoy your videos and I think you do a great job! I'm currently trying to decide between two integrated amplifiers and I'm wondering if you could help. Audiolab 9000a or Buchardt I150 You clearly have experience with both. Your reference amplifier is the 9000a and it looks as though you have spent time with the I150. If the 150 is such an insane hi-fi value why did you go for the 9000a as a reference? What made you choose the 9000a over the I150? I'm basically making a decision between the two of them. I'm running a pair of Bowers 705s2 and Bowers DB4S subwoofer and streaming with Bluesound Node (Although I may get a WIIM pro plus to see how the 10 band EQ affects it. I guess my biggest complaint with the 9000a would be that the pre-out only put out 2 V which isn't enough for a powered subwoofer such as mine as the signal is so much lower than other pre-out. I'm looking for a Signal booster or I might be able to run the sub out of the Headphone jack which I know sounds ridiculous but it's actually a thing that people do. Some insight from you would be wonderful!

I have the i150 and S400MkIIs running for a few months now and super happy with it. The sound is incredible, especially with the room correction applied. I find I don't need the LLE even at very low volumes. The remote is great until you need to replace the batteries, which I already had to do 3 times. I wish they had a USB-C charging port and internal battery similar to the Apple TV remote. Also the remote is not infrared like most remotes and therefore you can't use said Apple TV remote to control the volume like you can with almost all other amps that use infrared remotes. I find that a big downside when using an Apple TV, since you always need both remotes. What should be mentioned as something you really need to adjust to is the rather unlinear volume curve. It means if you want to listen to music loud you really need to crank it up. Since they have a finite amount of steps in which to adjust the volume, they made it so that the curve is rather flat in the middle range of volumes. With the S400MkII I find I can turn it up to like 9 out of 11 LEDs and still be at reasonable volume, but then from 9 to 10 is a huge difference. I have to say I was kind of disappointed by the max volume. It's definitely not earth shattering. Then again, even at full volume the sound is super smooth with no hint of harshness, clipping or any other sound artefacts. A great piece of kit. Really nice review, btw!

Hi Matt, great review! You cover all the features terrifically. Your style is informative and direct and you know what you’re talking about. The room correction seems really cool. This device wouldn’t work for me because of the dearth of analog inputs as you pointed out. For the price, I think I’d rather look for something else, maybe something used. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to overcome my Class D bias as well. I should probably be called out for it. 😂

Nice review but you left out the price (again) unless I missed it? Price is always important but double so when you are dealing with high-end stuff like this. I already know what this costs (roughly) and its out of most people's budget. I'd also like to hear how this differs from other amps in the same price category and what this does cheaper amps you've used can't. Why should I choose this amp over something cheaper or a mid tier class AB Yamaha or Denon? Also, what was the impact of the room correction?, big deal, small deal, no deal? More also and, random aside, try to get your hands on the SMSL AL200, its the best class D I've heard personally thus far.

Hi Matt. Would you say the Buchardt gets anywhere near your Audiolab in terms of sound quality? Thanks.

From their web page: Do you already own one of our passive speakers and are in our customer base? Or do you want to purchase the I150 amplifier with one of our passive speakers? Choose the "Buchardt Family" price and SAVE €500

Im sure this sounds excellent but there might be one even better the Billie from Heaven 11.

11:26 ... FWIW ... If you find yourself sitting in a cancellation no amount of EQ or DSP is going to fix that. In fact it stands to make the problem worse outside of the cancellation area. You will need to physically rearrange your room to get rid of it. (And, yes, I learned this one the hard way.)

I‘ve had the I150 for over one year. I‘ve tested it against other amps like Hegel H190, NAD M33 or Hifi Rose RA 180 and some others. The I150 was always the best amp for the money or even better than more expensive amps. I dindn‘t want to but I have bought a Devialet Expert 220 Pro. I thougt the Devialet is just a bling bling amp and it won‘t sound better than the I150. I was wrong. The Devialet was the only amp, that sounds better than a I150 but it is also much more expensive. The I150 is really great but it is to weak. The 300 watt @ 4 Ohms are only the peak power and not the RMS. RMS powert is much lower. At hight volume the I150 couldn‘t handle my B&W 804 D3. But the biggest problem of the I150 is, it lacks of dynamics. It sounds near perfect but it has no or not eough dynamics. It you‘ve got a I150, try to test it against a Hegel H190. The H190 is much more dynamic and I love a dynamic amp. Overall the I150 is a better amp than the H190. Compared to a Devialet it sounds more like a Class D amp. The highs are nice on the I150 but at high levels it can be a little bit harsh. You won‘t find it on a Devialet. The NAD M33 or the Rose RA 180 are more powerfull but they can also sound harsh at high levels. For 2500€ the I150 ist still the best class D amp you will find on the market. It would be the best if it would be stronger. Like I said, it is to weak.

Matt. Did you report one of my comments? Maybe it was a comment on mlb and the south of the border players with hot heads?

I think they’re called room nodes not modes.

Anyone needing room correction should just get headphones.