Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.
Product Strengths
- Highly optimized to provide a pure musical outcome in the absence of mechanical sonic traits
- Full tube, pure class A, zero feedback circuit design
- Fully balanced operation achieved with ultra-high-quality transformers on both inputs and outputs with mu-metal core and mu-metal shielding
- Massive, machined aluminum enclosure was designed from the very beginning to deal with unwanted micro-vibrations and resonances
Product Considerations
- May require careful system matching due to its harmonically rich inner kernel
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Robert Koda Takumi K-10 preamplifier: Both similarly addressed inner clockings
Takeaway: The Riviera Audio Labs APL-01SE is a remarkable preamplifier with a unique approach to music reproduction and a design focused on sonic purity. Its vibrant sound and exceptional build quality make it a standout choice in the hifi market.
What are hifi reviews useful for? (1) Identifying products you should demo in person at a dealer. (2) Learning which products reviewers unanimously praise as the best they've heard (this means they probably are legitimately great). (3) Identifying a product's attributes that satisfy your idiosyncratic needs and tastes. Beyond that, we often discount what reviewers say because they heap praise on most products—and are often apprehensive about publishing strong criticism or comparisons between products. Further, they seldom have more than a few products on-hand, often relying on their memories to compare past products. Always listen for yourself.
All
APL01 Special Edition
reviews
[{"title":"RIVIERA AUDIO LABS APL-01SE PREAMPLIFIER REVIEW","link":"https://www.monoandstereo.com/riviera-audio-labs-apl-01se-preamplifier-review","source":"Mono and Stereo","datePublished":""},{"title":"[Review] Italian Sound to Warm My Ears! Riviera Audio APL01SE.","link":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLfeNgCzQFc","source":"HIFICLUB","datePublished":"2025"}]
An excellent review of a great product
/
Publisher
/
3/1/2022
An excellent review of a great product
Publisher
/
3/1/2022
Video Review
Manufacturer details
Features
Specifications
- Dimensions: 44x49x19.5h cm
- Weight: 27 Kg
- Inputs: 2 Balanced (Transformer coupled), 5 Unbalanced, 1 Aux input
- Outputs: 2 balanced line outputs + 2 unbalanced line outputs
- Power Supply: Over 200VA power transformer
- Circuit Type: All tube, pure class A, Zero Feedback
Description
The APL01-SE is an All Tube, pure class A, Zero Feedback tube line preamplifier. This circuit gives high technical performances and exceptional musical results. It is an SRPP of 6350/6463 designed and optimized to achieve the "aural" shape of distortion that makes it absolutely transparent for the human ear, as we do in any other Riviera design.
Release Timeline
Manufacturer Site
Brand highlights
Taking a step back to look at reviewers' thoughts of the brand's entire lineup—not just this product—what stands out most is the following:
- They are engineered as hybrid designs, combining the sonic characteristics of tubes in the preamp stage with the power and control of solid-state components in the output stage, providing a unique balance of warmth and precision.
- Riviera's Class A amplifiers are noted for their uncanny ability to create a dimensional and physical sound image, bringing a lifelike presence and immersive quality to reproduced music.
- Tube rolling provides a customizable sonic palette, enabling users to fine-tune the amplifier's character through subtle but noticeable changes in the sound signature with different tubes.
Select products
Select product comparisons
APL01SE
- Positioning: The entry-level unit aimed at balanced performance with essential features.
- Description: Offers straightforward sound purity aided by a simplified preamplification design that suits small room applications. Compared to other models in the lineup, its connectivity and feature set are more basic, making it a good choice for those with modest budgets and straightforward functionality needs.
LEVANTE
- Positioning: A compact and affordable option designed for casual listening and tight spaces.
- Description: Provides reliable performance with a focus on intuitive operation and efficient circuit design for clear audio reproduction. In contrast to the APL series, it presents fewer connectivity options and less advanced processing.
APL10
- Positioning: A mid-range integrated solution that offers enhanced features balanced with solid sound quality.
- Description: Includes advanced digital processing techniques and refined circuit architecture that result in improved clarity and a wider range of functions. When compared to the entry-level APL01SE and LEVANTE, it offers increased connectivity and output power.
AFM25
- Positioning: A standard amplifier designed for users looking for more power and refined sound in regular setups.
- Description: Uses innovative power management and signal processing methods that elevate sound dynamics beyond basic models. Relative to the lower-priced products, it delivers enhanced output and connectivity, while still being less feature-dense than the flagship unit.
AFM100SE
- Positioning: The flagship model built for enthusiasts demanding top-tier performance and comprehensive functionality.
- Description: Features state-of-the-art amplifier technology with precision engineering that achieves superior sound quality and a detailed soundstage. Compared with models like the AFM25 and APL10, it offers the most extensive connectivity options and dynamic control.
See All Products
Avg. Product Price
$40,001-$75,000
Used For Sale
3
Available (Scroll Down)
Brand Popularity
343
of 900+
Badges
Top 50 Brand
Top 250 Brand
Products Listed
9
Founding Year
2017
Our take on the brand
Riviera Labs designs amplifiers that match the human ear's natural distortion patterns, focusing on subjective listening experiences rather than technical specifications. Their products use a hybrid design combining tubes for signal processing and solid-state components for power stages, with the unique ability to switch between pure Class A and Class AB operation in their LEVANTE integrated amplifier.
Look inside the brand
Brand Page
Our interview with the brand
What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?
What's your approach to customer support?
Riviera, as many other producer have a network of service centers directly connected with our local distributor. In Europe, we mostly take care of possible issues directly, because it is cheaper and faster than shipping the products to a service, than shipping part to the service and the unit back to the customer. So the customer only have to return the unit to the dealer where they bought the unit.
What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?
What other products pair best with yours?
From our interview with
Silvio Delfino
.
Brand Page
Used
Riviera
All of the Brand's Used Products
What if you spend more?
.png){kind=small}
Gryphon
Commander
93800
93800
/
4
Reviews
Gryphon is one of the most respected high-end amplifier brands in the world. Its bass grip is phenomenal, thanks to an unusually high level of capacitance, which keeps everything tight and controlled, even with demanding speakers. Gryphon is also known for its bold, brutalist design—a look that a lot of people love. You’ll find their gear all over Europe and Asia, and the Diablo 333 is often considered an ‘endgame’ amp by those chasing the very best sound and aesthetics.
Expand Details
.svg)
Our summary
Product Strengths
- Superlatively low noise floor contributes to dynamic prowess and resolution of fine details
- Linear and immaculate signal processing with minimal alteration of the source signal
- Delivers silky black backgrounds on recordings
- Provides effortless relaxation and clarity of musical line due to exactitude
- Excellent soundstage depth
Product Considerations
- The unit produces a lot of heat, so ensure adequate cooling
- Physical buttons and volume knobs are absent on the preamplifier
- Infrared remotes are not as good as Bluetooth remotes
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- The Commander preserves the signal about as well as a Boulder preamplifier, but adds a degree of silkiness to the proceedings
- The Gryphon lacks a bit of the supernatural musical flow and midrange bloom of a darTZeel preamplifier, but has superior dynamics, a lower noise floor, better bass control, and more accurate transient pitch definition
- The Commander improves upon the Pandora's widely recognized exceptional performance
Takeaway: The Gryphon Commander is a high-end preamplifier that offers exceptional clarity and control, making music sound pristine. It's a great option to explore for those who want a powerful and accurate sound.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Gryphon is one of the most respected high-end amplifier brands in the world. Its bass grip is phenomenal, thanks to an unusually high level of capacitance, which keeps everything tight and controlled, even with demanding speakers. Gryphon is also known for its bold, brutalist design—a look that a lot of people love. You’ll find their gear all over Europe and Asia, and the Diablo 333 is often considered an ‘endgame’ amp by those chasing the very best sound and aesthetics.
Product Page
Product Page
soulution
727
77975
77975
/
2
Reviews
Soulution Audio is distinguished by its ultra-wide bandwidth and high-speed circuitry, which allows for high levels of local negative feedback without adverse effects, and uses switch-mode power supplies that provide stable voltage under any load. The brand's amplifiers minimize signal path length by using copper bars instead of wires, while achieving exceptionally low noise floors and precise bass control through their high-speed, high-feedback circuit design.
Expand Details
Product Strengths
- The Soulution 727 preamplifier sets benchmarks in terms of noise, phase errors, common mode rejection, and distortion
- Offers improved noise reduction, increased resolution, and more extended bandwidth compared to its predecessor, the 725, without significantly altering the tonal balance
- Timbres are natural, uncolored, and true to the source material
- Provides impeccable control from deep bass to stratospheric highs, with excellent timing
- The soundstage gets wider and deeper with more air around instruments and performers, offering higher resolution combined with more lifelike musicality, even more heft and authority in the bass, while smallest details get resolved with greater delicacy
- Careful attention to grounding is needed, as the quality of the electrical ground can significantly impact the sound
Product Considerations
- The new layout of buttons and knobs might take some getting used to for existing Soulution users
- The maximum gain for the balanced and unbalanced inputs to the balanced outputs was a little lower than the specified 4dB, at 3.7dB
- The optional MC/MM phono section is not included in the base price and must be purchased separately
- The 727 might require assistance to put in place because it weighs 62lb
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Soulution 725: The 727 offers incredible detail, focus, and definition without the leaned-down, more analytical presentation of the 720, and the 727's imaging is more embedded in the recorded acoustic, while the 725 tended to project images forward
- Vs Dan D'Agostino Relentless: The Relentless threw a wider and deeper soundstage, also surrounding instruments and voices with a lovely extra cushion of air, yet sounded even faster than the impressively fast 727
- Vs Soulution 720: The 727 now offers the incredible detail of the original 720—maybe even in a greater amount—without the 720's somewhat leaned-down, more analytic presentation
Takeaway: The Soulution 727 is a top-tier preamplifier lauded for its neutrality, detail retrieval, and accurate reproduction of sound, making it a solid choice for audiophiles seeking uncolored and honest sound. Its advanced engineering and meticulous design result in a sound that's both revealing and musical.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Soulution Audio is distinguished by its ultra-wide bandwidth and high-speed circuitry, which allows for high levels of local negative feedback without adverse effects, and uses switch-mode power supplies that provide stable voltage under any load. The brand's amplifiers minimize signal path length by using copper bars instead of wires, while achieving exceptionally low noise floors and precise bass control through their high-speed, high-feedback circuit design.
Product Page
Product Page
VAC
Statement
82000
82000
/
1
Reviews
VAC is a hifi brand known for its unique iQ Continuous Automatic Bias System, which maintains optimal tube performance and prevents drift during music playback. Their amplifiers feature point-to-point hand wiring and custom film and foil capacitors, with each unit undergoing extensive quality control including listening sessions before shipment.
Expand Details
Product Strengths
- Renders timbre accurately with unassailable truthfulness, conveying tonal color in fine gradations of shading and articulation
- Offers a balanced, coherent, and color-free spectrum of sound across the entire audio bandwidth
- Conveys the dynamic range of musical scaling, including its weight and impact
- Delivers unflappable power, offering unsullied transient response and exhibiting a vise-like grip of control of the loudspeakers
- Recreates space and acoustical properties of recordings in a stunningly authentic and credible way
Product Considerations
- Compared to transistor-based electronics, it falls perceptibly short in macrodynamic scaling, microdynamic nuance, perceived speed of transients, and assured control of the lowest bass frequencies
Takeaway: The VAC Statement 452iQ Musicbloc™ amplifier offers unmatched tonal purity and spatial presentation among tube amplifiers, pushing the boundaries of what's possible with valve-based amplification. It delivers engaging, emotional, and credible sound, making it a worthwhile consideration for those seeking a top-tier listening experience.
Video review
Our take on the brand
VAC is a hifi brand known for its unique iQ Continuous Automatic Bias System, which maintains optimal tube performance and prevents drift during music playback. Their amplifiers feature point-to-point hand wiring and custom film and foil capacitors, with each unit undergoing extensive quality control including listening sessions before shipment.
Product Page
Product Page
NAGRA
HD Phono
87500
87500
/
1
Reviews
Nagra Audio, a Swiss brand with roots in professional recording and film (including two Oscars for soundtracks), brings watchmaking-level precision to their hifi equipment through extensive in-house manufacturing of components like transformers. Their HD Preamp and Classic DAC showcase unique technologies, including virtual battery power supplies and PCM-to-DSD conversion, while their commitment to quality is demonstrated by rejecting over half of their tested valves to maintain exceptional standards.
Expand Details
Our summary
Product Strengths
- Reference-class device that orchestrates an audio experience of enchanting clarity
- Impeccable construction with a flawless machined chassis housing complex technology
- Extraordinary custom cobalt core transformers that are cryogenically treated and hand-coiled with meticulous care
- Six vacuum tubes are used, including the rare use of EF806S—a high-gain pentode tube, which is extremely low in microphonics
- Switchable loading from 5 to 390 ohms with 5 ohm incremental adjustability and a remote control allowing refined adjustments
Product Considerations
- Best suited for pairing with the finest cartridges for optimal vinyl reproduction
- It is important to consider cartridge pairings to achieve the desired sound
Takeaway: The Nagra HD PHONO provides an audio experience of enchanting clarity because of its exceptional design and construction. It's a great choice for people who really love listening to music on vinyl.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Nagra Audio, a Swiss brand with roots in professional recording and film (including two Oscars for soundtracks), brings watchmaking-level precision to their hifi equipment through extensive in-house manufacturing of components like transformers. Their HD Preamp and Classic DAC showcase unique technologies, including virtual battery power supplies and PCM-to-DSD conversion, while their commitment to quality is demonstrated by rejecting over half of their tested valves to maintain exceptional standards.
Product Page
Product Page
What competes at this price?
Pass Labs
XS Phono
45000
/
Released
The Xs Phono preamplifier represents an all-out assault on the state-of-art in Vinyl and the most intensive and difficult design effort made at Pass Laboratories. The final product of this massive effort extracts the utmost performance from a simple topology and operates with the extremely small and delicate signals coming from today's wide variety of phono cartridges. The result is music that emerges from a quieter background and blooms into a richer, more precise soundstage.
Pass Labs Class A amplifiers are celebrated for their distinctive sonic character, delivering a rich, full-bodied sound with a notably lush midrange. They imbue a unique sense of "plumpness" and warmth to the music, an intentional coloration that many enthusiasts find highly engaging. The pure Class A design ensures smooth, beautiful sound but comes with the trade-off of generating significant heat, which can warm up a room.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- A phonostage without compromise in every parameter of sound reproduction
- Easy access via three large front knobs for IMPEDANCE, CAPACITANCE, and GAIN
- Each phono input has its own discrete gain section, as it is a triple dual mono design
- The front panel has a large volume control and a display friendly to read from across the room
- Three pairs of RCA inputs in the back and one pair of RCA and XLR outputs
Product Considerations
- The Pass Labs XS Phono comes in two large chassis
- Pass Labs products are not known for being space saving
- The lack of balanced inputs or an EQ button for early Decca and Columbia pressings might be annoying
- Blue LEDs are built into each change segment of the three large knobs as well as above the push-buttons, though the minimal brightness suggests close proximity operation is expected
Takeaway: The Pass XS Phono exceeds what the reviewer has heard regarding analog playback, with incredible versatility that makes music sound effortless and is worth the investment. If you have multiple turntables, it has musicality at your disposal.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Pass Labs Class A amplifiers are celebrated for their distinctive sonic character, delivering a rich, full-bodied sound with a notably lush midrange. They imbue a unique sense of "plumpness" and warmth to the music, an intentional coloration that many enthusiasts find highly engaging. The pure Class A design ensures smooth, beautiful sound but comes with the trade-off of generating significant heat, which can warm up a room.
Product Page
Product Page
Audio Phonique
Pre DHT Line Stage
41979
/
Released
2022
Audio Phonique PRE DHT fully balanced line stage is the effect of our decision to abandon all design and component compromises, which resulted in its incredibly spacious, warm and emotional sound profile, additionally enhanced by KR Audio's inherently rich PX25 tubes. The Audio Phonique PRE DHT line stage not only will provide you with unforgettable musical experiences, but most likely it's the last such a product you'll ever buy.
Audiophonique is a Polish hifi brand that hand-makes all its products using 316L stainless steel enclosures and medical and military-grade components. Their DAC DHT stands out for its rare use of directly heated triodes and DSD conversion, while their cables feature a proprietary Extended Air Geometry with monocrystalline silver and copper conductors.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Utterly posh and elegant behavior with a romantic sound profile built upon a somewhat elevated tonal temperature, round edges, remarkable smoothness, sensible heft, and spatial humidity
- Equally gifted on romance and tone as it was on crack, snap, and vigor, making it fabulously balanced
- Staged even deeper than the Trilogy 915R, and enveloped key sound sources by more air to make them even more distinctive
- Weightier upper registers that lingered in air for longer, and heftier bass that dug deeper was still held in as tight of a grasp
- Hand-polished mirror-like chassis built upon 2mm 316L stainless steel sheets that are non-corrosive, non-magnetic, and better in damping micro-vibrations via mass
Product Considerations
- The shiny chassis is a potent fingerprint attractor, and gets very hot near tubes
- The menu can't be accessed via the remote control, and doesn't cover naming inputs and dimming display
- No DC trigger ports are available to conveniently power on the entire set with other Audio Phonique products via just one button press
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Trilogy 915R: The PRE DHT artfully combined tone, muscularity, roundness, and euphony to imaging size, illumination, top extension, quickness, and control downstairs—emerging as the more sorted wholesome product
Takeaway: The Audio Phonique PRE DHT is a luxuriously executed and brilliantly voiced preamplifier that offers both romantic sound qualities and high-performance capabilities. It is an ambitious product that can elevate the listening experience.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Audiophonique is a Polish hifi brand that hand-makes all its products using 316L stainless steel enclosures and medical and military-grade components. Their DAC DHT stands out for its rare use of directly heated triodes and DSD conversion, while their cables feature a proprietary Extended Air Geometry with monocrystalline silver and copper conductors.
Product Page
Product Page
Goldmund
Mimesis PH3.8 Nextgen
51555
/
Released
Thanks to this exceptional phono amplifier, the most exacting turntable owners can now fully enjoy the best of their vintage analog sonic source. Its optimal built-in playback equalization works to reproduce pleasing realistic music. Compatible with both moving magnet cartridge (MM) and coil cartridge (MC), its versatility makes it the best choice for any vinyl hi-fi system.
Goldmund is a Swiss hifi brand known for its "mechanical grounding" technology, which reduces vibrations through heavy, precisely engineered components, and its proprietary Telos amplifier technology that significantly reduces intermodulation distortion. The brand appeals to audiophiles who prioritize pure sound reproduction, focusing on musical realism through minimalist design and high bandwidth circuitss.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Phenomenal reproduction of instruments and vocalists in the bass, midbass, and lower mids, delivering power-range octaves with speed, definition, and impact
- Exceedingly neutral timbral balance, neither top-down nor bottom-up
- Astonishingly transparent to sources, revealing both how the music was recorded and performed
- Creates a continuous soundfield, weaving details together into near-palpable wholes within a seamless soundscape
- Limited I/O, with only two sets of RCA inputs—one mm and one mc—and a single pair of RCA outputs; there are no balanced connections
Product Considerations
- Occasional tendency to shoutiness in the upper midrange, particularly on very hard transients at very high volumes—source-dependent
- Lacks modern features like a rumble filter, alternative EQ curves, and a digital readout of loading values
- Granularity of potentiometers for resistive and capacitive loading has broad gaps between values
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Soulution 755, the PH3.8 NEXTGEN is better in timbral neutrality, as the Soulution is a bit dark-sounding
Takeaway: The Goldmund PH3.8 NEXTGEN delivers realistic, revealing, and deeply enjoyable sound, excelling in bass reproduction and timbral neutrality. For vinyl enthusiasts, this product is a reference-grade phonostage that merits auditioning.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Goldmund is a Swiss hifi brand known for its "mechanical grounding" technology, which reduces vibrations through heavy, precisely engineered components, and its proprietary Telos amplifier technology that significantly reduces intermodulation distortion. The brand appeals to audiophiles who prioritize pure sound reproduction, focusing on musical realism through minimalist design and high bandwidth circuitss.
Product Page
Product Page
VAC
Statement Line
75000
/
Released
The Statement Line Amplifier is a high current, low impedance, balanced Class A1 triode vacuum tube amplifier. While inherently balanced in design, its high precision wideband transformers accomplish conversion to single-ended operation in a sonically transparent way.
VAC is a hifi brand known for its unique iQ Continuous Automatic Bias System, which maintains optimal tube performance and prevents drift during music playback. Their amplifiers feature point-to-point hand wiring and custom film and foil capacitors, with each unit undergoing extensive quality control including listening sessions before shipment.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Unfailing ability to accurately render timbre
- The overall spectrum of sound is among the most balanced, coherent, and color-free
- Offers meticulously expressed musical resolution, while being able to convey it with organic, natural, and coherent voices
- Near absolute in performance comes with its effortless ability to convey the dynamic range of musical scaling, including its weight and impact
- Easily delivers the finest performance in the areas of macrodynamic scaling, microdynamic nuance, perceived speed of transients, and assured control of the lowest bass frequencies
Product Considerations
- Dynamic prowess and nuance, cleanliness and speed of transients, and low-frequency grip is slightly less than transistor-based electronics
- Installation of these larger-than-average machines is challenging—and best accomplished with help
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- The VAC Statement 452iQ Musicbloc's performance represents a new benchmark for valve-based amplification
Takeaway: The VAC Statement 452iQ Musicbloc™ amplifiers offer a new level of valve-based amplification performance. They have no equal among tubed challengers in terms of tonality and spatial presentation.
Video review
Our take on the brand
VAC is a hifi brand known for its unique iQ Continuous Automatic Bias System, which maintains optimal tube performance and prevents drift during music playback. Their amplifiers feature point-to-point hand wiring and custom film and foil capacitors, with each unit undergoing extensive quality control including listening sessions before shipment.
Product Page
Product Page
Dan D'Agostino
Momentum C2
50000
/
Released
2024
At the heart of the Momentum C2 Preamplifier lies Dan D’Agostino’s revolutionary complementary four-circuit topology. This unique input stage circuitry sets a new standard for performance and precision, delivering unparalleled clarity and fidelity to your audio experience. Utmost attention to design detail ensures optimal mechanical and electrical isolation, guaranteeing pristine signal integrity throughout the critical preamplification stage.
Dan D'Agostino is an ultra-premium hifi brand distinguished by its unique copper heat sinks with holes and distinctive circular green-lit VU meters that give their amplifiers a steampunk aesthetic. Their amplifiers feature proprietary "Super Rail" technology that maintains high voltage for front-end transistors, while their three-chassis Relentless Preamplifier uses 30-pin interlocking connectors to eliminate wiring anomalies.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Advanced circuit topology and power supply compared to its predecessor
- Improved digital functionality, including an optional digital streaming module
- Four JFET transistors in a complementary push-pull design enhance input impedance, isolate noise, and reduce the noise floor
- High voltage input signal capability (30 volts), and the front end is supposedly "immune" to source-related electrical issues
- The power supply is separated from the main audio circuits for optimal isolation
Product Considerations
- The Momentum C2 preamplifier is very expensive
- The digital streaming module is optional and adds to the cost
Takeaway: The Momentum C2 preamplifier has advanced features for a great audio experience. It is carefully designed for clear sound and offers optional digital capabilities for modern music lovers.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Dan D'Agostino is an ultra-premium hifi brand distinguished by its unique copper heat sinks with holes and distinctive circular green-lit VU meters that give their amplifiers a steampunk aesthetic. Their amplifiers feature proprietary "Super Rail" technology that maintains high voltage for front-end transistors, while their three-chassis Relentless Preamplifier uses 30-pin interlocking connectors to eliminate wiring anomalies.
Product Page
Product Page
How to buy
Preamplifiers
Search all hifi products
Explore our database of 10,000+ new and 25,000+ used hifi products.
.png)
