Perreaux Silhouette Range
Small is beautiful
SX25i integrated amplifier
SXP2 Preamplifier
SX60m Mono Power amplifiers
SX25 Stereo Power Amplifier
SXH2 Headphone amplifier
SXL2 Line stage and balanced audio converter
SXD2 Upsampling DAC with USB input
Discover the new Perreaux ‘Silhouette’ range of compact and affordable audio separates, designed and made in New Zealand for music lovers all over the world.
Today’s new models are the product of heritage, experience and fresh thinking. Above all they offer you the best possible sound and build quality. They are cool little components that will change the way you listen to music. Modern, versatile and minimalist, the Silhouette range allows you to choose pieces for your specific needs and then improve upon and expand the abilities of your system as you adopt new formats. While always being easy to operate and set up. Minimalism is at the heart of Perreaux’s design ethos – anything that isn’t critical to sound quality is discarded, and the resources then freed up are devoted to furthering that sound quality. Design something that is simpler and sounds better, and it will also be more reliable. Perreaux amplifiers are lifetime items – a heritage stretching over 30 years that few can hope to match.
Choose one piece or take the building block approach – compatibility is assured and a grouping of Silhouette components makes for the best looking little system. You should be starting to see a pattern with the Silhouette series now – all of the components are individually useful but can also combine to form an ultra modern system, custom made to your own requirements. Because of our long and close association with Perreaux, we are able to provide a unique perspective on the strong points of each particular design and make an accurate assessment of exactly which model best suits your needs and will prove to be the ideal match.
We make it easy for you to get into the new Perreaux Silhouette components with free and delivery, a no hassle 30 day return period and 3 year extended warranty. You’ll be able to draw upon our expertise in order to make the most of your new Perreaux with carefully matched cables – we’ll put together the winning package for you. And don’t forget our special Hectors Dolphin sponsorship – with every Perreaux sold we make a contribution to WWFs Hectors Dolphin campaign and you get a certificate and cute little dolphin to sit on your cute little Perreaux – both uniquely made in New Zealand!
E-mail us now or call on our toll-free number 0800 909 101 to find out more.
Let’s learn about your choices –
which Silhouette components are right for you?
Each model performs a specific task – for instance the new SXP2 Passive preamplifier could be at the heart of an ultramodern high performance system. As you would expect, the SXP2 allows you to switch between several components and control the volume. It’s as easy as ABC. By consciously simplifying the design and operation, Perreaux deliver pure sound, without loss or distortion. Less really is more – in this case music. Match the purity of the SXP2 with the new SX25 stereo power amplifier or SX60M mono power amplifiers . Everything Perreaux have learned is distilled into these remarkably powerful, cool running little units. The SX25 is quite remarkable. With an almost absurdly conservative wattage rating and small size, it would be easy to overlook this power amplifier, but to do so would be to miss a rare gem. Musicality is the name of the game and the Perreaux can foot it with many similarly rated tube amplifiers but without all the variability, whoosh and expense involved. You might think we are overstating the case but you really should trust your ears – everything Perreaux have learned over the years is there and this is an excellent power amplifier. The modest cost allows easy partnering with the new SXP2 passive preamplifier to give a high performance combination with a footprint smaller than just about any integrated amplifier and the sound sets a new standard for us at this price level. It is also the most affordable NZ made pre/power amp pairing by a wide margin and reintroduces the concept of better sound for more listeners. With the more powerful SX60M amplifiers, you’ll need a pair – one per speaker (and more if required in bi-amp and cinema systems) This will deliver every bit and more of the performance you expect. Again, the simplicity of design, optimal isolation of channels and short signal paths all combine to make the SX60M one of the best sounding amplifiers built, regardless of cost. The fact that you can hold one in the palm of your hand makes the feat all the more remarkable.
When you’ve come to be known for building large, powerful great sounding amplifiers, it’s a challenge to distil all those years of experience into a package so small you can hold it in just one hand. But that’s exactly what Perreaux have done with the new Silhouette SX25i amplifier.
Aimed directly at the iPod generation this is minimalism at it’s best. Both single minded and utterly modern, the SX25i is for simple systems where space is at an absolute premium but within which performance without compromise is mandatory.
Forget a whole bundle of features (and who needs them anyway when the iPod has so many). The SX25i has just one input and a volume control. But look at the back you’ll find serious speaker binding posts, line out connections and a full sized mains socket. The weight of this little amplifier is ample indication of its capabilities. For the only way to get big sound out of a small box is to deliver power and the Perreaux is no lightweight in this regard. While many SX25is will be teamed with compact speakers and sub/sat systems, a number of users will also want to listen through more serious speakers. Don’t be fooled by the modest 25 watt power rating – there is plenty in reserve and while you won’t be able to blow the windows out of large rooms, you will be able to attain surprising levels without strain.
Perreaux’ trademark sound is well in evidence, at once relaxed and detailed with precision sound staging and a notable absence of coloration. So simple, but often so hard to achieve. We’ve actually run this amp at home with Shahinian Arcs and the result is amazingly tube-like. Other speakers of note that we have found work very well in combination with the Perreaux SX25i are the new Sonus faber Concertino Domus and Quad 11Ls. Watch out for the new power amp only versions of this including more powerful mono versions.
The SXH2 headphone amplifier has been with us for a few months but also deserves mention. It is a complete reworking of the original SXH1 and really is the unit that Perreaux should have made in the first place but they were constrained by a the unreasonable price expectations of their (ex) USA distributor. Value for money became confused with absolute performance. The SHX2 suffers no such compromise delivering significantly better performance in all areas. The dual outputs, gain switching – to allow matching with almost any headphones and separate line outputs to allow daisy-chaining with other components are features of note. So how great an improvement will you hear with the Perreaux over a standard headphone output? It is like going from a little 21 inch TV to a serious projection system – the sound is expanded in all dimensions and picks up a whole lot of detail and dynamics – it may sound contrary for a personal listening format but the Perreaux makes headphones as exciting and dramatic as a full sized system but with a precision you’ll hardly ever hear simply because you are free of room and conventional speaker aberrations and resonance. It could be the closest sound you’ll get to the original performance. Selfish pleasures can be very satisfying!
The SXL2 Line stage and balanced audio converter is a particularly useful wee box. Balanced Audio is well accepted as a better means of audio signal transmission, especially over longer distances. The benefits are several – better noise rejection and hum elimination, more robust signal transmission that is less dependant on cabler quality and the attendant benefit of being able to site power amplifier close to speakers and hence save on speaker cables.
You can use the SXL2 to convert a conventional single ended analogue signal – re anything that comes out of an RCA or phono plug interconnect to balanced and visa versa which is very helpful when matching disparate components. Originally designed to overcome the negative effects of inferior output drive circuitry often associated with CD Players and other source components, or associated components that may present an unacceptably low input impedance, the SXL2 has proved to be highly beneficial to sound quality in many settings.
The SXD2 is a self contained Digital to Analogue converter featuring USB connection as well as the more conventional SPDIF input. It is aimed at a wide range of people and so is intentionally designed to be simple to connect and use, broadly compatible and most importantly to offer great sound for the money. We’ve been so impressed by the SXD2 that it has its own page.
All components in the Silhouette range are finished in a beautiful satin chrome electroplate. This is now the standard finish across the Perreaux range and sets them apart from the many cheaper silver finishes out there that soon become covered in finger marks. You should be starting to see a pattern with the Silhouette series now – all of the components are individually useful but can also combine to form an ultra modern system, custom made to your own requirements.
By now you’ll have a good idea as to if the Perreaux is a worthwhile addition to your system so it’s time to get your hands on one. Unlike many other components the Perreaux is both compact and bullet proof so we can happily send you one quickly and at no added cost no matter where you are*. We also understand that you will want to make sure that it actually does what we say it does so we are able to offer a simple 30 day right of return. Why not call or drop us an e-mail and we can go over any remaining questions you may have.