Eltax AVR-200

The AVR-200 is an FM Stereo/5.1 Channel Digital Surround Receiver integrated amplifier developed and designed in Denmark by the Eltax Corporation, and manufactured in China, in approximately 2003. The AVR-200 is the first in a series of remote control amplifiers consisting of AVR-250, AVR-280, and AVR-800 that share similar design and technology. The five main channels of the AVR-200 are 60-watts each and therefore you get a very nicely balanced surround sound. It has Dolby Surround Pro-Logic, Dolby Digital, and RDS capability. An interesting feature includes a 120 W amplified speaker output for the sub-woofer channel. The full specifications can be found in the AVR-200 User Manual, and Service Manual by following the links.

Review

In UK, Eltax is a lesser-known make, however this is a Danish firm founded in 1959 and based in Denmark. They manufacture mainly loudspeakers and amplifier systems. It is a shame because their amplifier design in terms of design, build, and sound quality is excellent. The component choice, placement, layout, and design are to a very high standard and consequently the AVR-200 is a highly desirable piece of audio engineering to anyone who understands customer satisfaction.

In this review, we look at some of the good points about this amplifier. The audio power output circuit uses the TDA2030A IC for each channel. The circuit diagram very much follows the configuration shown in the ICs documentation. This is an 18-W hi-fi amplifier and 35-W driver, for low-frequency class AB applications. It has high output current and built-in short circuit protection that maintains the working point within a safe operating area. In addition, it also has conventional thermal shutdown circuitry for additional protection, making it a hardy component. If you are in the amplifier repair trade, then you will be pleased to know that the TDA2030A is readily and cheaply available making repairs very cost-effective.

Usually most manufacturers provide just an RCA socket with sub-woofer signal from the decoder, leaving it to the user to buy an external amplified sub-woofer speaker. However, an unusual feature of this amplifier is that it has an amplified sub-woofer output, so that you can connect a bass speaker directly to it. This feature of course not only saves you money, but also eliminates un-necessary messy mains wiring inherent in amplified subwoofer speakers.

There was only one main downside with this amplifier, which was the lack of a headphone socket. If you are someone who listens to films through headphones, then you will miss this feature. Perhaps a good future mod will be to add a headphone socket. In the pre-used market, the faults to look out for are cracks in the plastic front panel, missing buttons. The volume control is a digital encoder that can become temperamental and skip volume level, however, after pressing the reset button, it goes back to default level, but it is fiddly.

It is a good design, and as a bonus, you can expect a toroidal transformer, which is usually used in high-end amplifier designs. One of the reasons why this amplifier sounds so good is due to the analogue Baxandall bass and tone circuitry in the preamplifier stage. The sound quality is excellent with creamy bass and sharp treble providing you use the recommended Eltax speakers with it.

Price/eBay

These amplifiers often sell cheaply on eBay because many people in the UK may not have heard of Eltax, however they are worth getting if you like good quality hi-fi sound. Their production was small during the early 2000s, and they were mainly available through one outlet, therefore there will not be many around today.

Back in 2003, I was standing at the Richer Sounds outlet trying to decide whether to get a Sony STR-DE485 or the Eltax AVR-200, therefore when I saw the AVR-200 going cheap on eBay, I decided to get it, and I was surprised because the bass and treble are significantly better. This is a huge beast of an amplifier and worth considerably more today. Over time when people realise their superior sound and build quality, they should fetch between fifty pounds and one hundred in the pre-used market.

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