Famous Norwegian manufacturer Electrocompaniet has released two new fully-balanced integrated amplifiers, the ECI 6 MkII and the ECI 6 DX MkII. The two models are identical except that the DX version includes a streamer module that adds WiFi connectivity, Gigabit Ethernet, a USB-A connection for external storage plus USB-B, and permits control of all via iOS or Android devices. Both new models have four analogue inputs, one of which is balanced. The others are all line-level unbalanced inputs.
“The new ECI 6 MkII is based on Electrocompaniet’s very successful ECI 5 MkII,” said Philippe Luder, of Audio Dynamics, which distributes Electrocompaniet in Australia. “It has an even better power supply and the output stage runs with only moderate amounts of negative feedback, delivering a sound that’s carefully balanced between good bass extension and control, a detailed open midrange and a warm detailed top".
"The ECI 6 MkII also has a more sophisticated preamplifier section built from discrete circuits running in Class-A with zero feedback. All these changes mean the ECI 6 MkII’s sound is far more dynamic than that of the ECI 5 MkII and the new model is now also capable of driving and controlling a far wider range of speakers.”
Electrompaniet rates the power output of both new models at 125-watts per channel into 8Ω, 200-watts per channel into 4Ω and 370-watts into 2Ω. The output stage has an extended bandwidth (1Hz to 150kHz), extremely low noise (-135dB) and low distortion (0.003%) according to the specification sheet. It also has a very low output impedance, resulting in a damping factor of 350 at 1kHz.
Unlike many manufacturers, Electrocompaniet doesn’t lock you out if you buy the analogue version and later have a change of heart: its ECI 6 MkII can be easily upgraded to an ECI 6 DX MkII. Available now, the Electrocompaniet ECI 6 MkII retails for £4,040 (€4,999, $5,399, AU$8,999).