M7-HPA

Liquid-Cooled High-Pass Amplifier

Vandersteen Audio's liquid-cooled M7-HPA (High-Pass Amplifier) is the revolutionary next step in power amplifier design and loudspeaker performance. The dramatic reduction in distortion realized by Vandersteen patented Perfect-Piston drivers US patent #8320604) made it clear to Richard Vandersteen that the next frontier of speaker performance would only be achieved by designing a radical new state-of-the-art amplifier from the ground up, exclusively for systems employing Vandersteen's time- and phase-correct powered subwoofers and/or powered-bass loudspeaker systems.

Starting at $83,600 / Pair


Prices shown do not include duty, taxes, or freight

Available Finishes

Click on Finishes to Enlarge

(*) indicates upgrade finishes.

Vandersteen Audio has done its best to photograph these wood finishes on each product page, but please know that while the woods we receive from our vendors are unfailingly high in quality, no two pieces of wood are ever exactly alike. This is dictated by nature. We promise that your speakers will look gorgeous, but not that they will precisely match the photos you see on our website or on our dealers’ in-store demo speakers.

Click here for more information

"But with an LP of Diana Krall singing Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, so powerfully physical was the presence of the singer in the room." - John Atkinson, Stereophile.

" ... stunning- not just one of the best systems at CES, but one of the best demo systems we've heard, period." -Paul Bolin & Marc Mickelson, The Audio Beat

M7-HPA Amps and Model Seven/Mk II Speakers: Best Sound CES 2014- John Atkinson, Stereophile,  Best of Show T.H.E. Newport 2014- Dennis Davis, The Audio Beat, Best of Show New York Audio Show 2014- Alan Taffel, The Absolute Sound, Best of Show CES 2015- Paul Bolin & Marc Mickelson, The Audio Beat, Best of Show T.H.E. Newport 2015- Robert Harley, The Absolute Sound

Meet Vandersteen Audio's liquid-cooled M7-HPA (High-Pass Amplifier), the revolutionary next step in power amplifier design and loudspeaker performance. The dramatic reduction in distortion realized by Vandersteen’s patented Perfect-Piston™ drivers (US patent #8320604) made it clear to Richard Vandersteen that the next frontier of speaker performance would only be achieved by designing a radical new state-of-the-art amplifier from the ground up, exclusively for Vandersteen’s time- and phase-correct powered subwoofers and/or powered-bass loudspeaker systems.

Vandersteen, for years, has employed amplifiers custom-tailored to each design in Vandersteen’s subwoofers and the equalized bass sections in its powered-bass loudspeakers in conjunction with passive 100Hz high-pass filters for the ultimate performance. When paired with a Vandersteen-powered subwoofer and/or a powered-bass Vandersteen speaker like the flagship Model Seven Mk II with the M7-HPA monoblock, a complete system is formed in which the amplification over the entire frequency range is driven by perfectly tailored amplification.

Richard Vandersteen is responsible for the M7-HPA’s overall design and architecture; the amplifier was developed and built in partnership between Vandersteen Audio and Dean Klinefelter, a talented designer and engineer in his own right.

M7-HPA monoblocks with a Vandersteen powered-bass speaker system is the ultimate expression of Richard Vandersteen’s philosophies on design and performance, formed over decades of industry-leading design and research, and innovation.

M7-HPA Design and Performance Features:

  • 600-Watts Into 4 Ohms
  • Zero-Feedback Hybrid-Tube Design With Tube Gain And Driver Stages and Dual Single-Ended Circuits Connected By The Speaker Load
  • Liquid Cooled For Precise Temperature Control/Operating-Point-Of-Output Transistors
  • All Signal Transistors NPN Bipolars
  • Minimal Circuit Path (5 Parts in the Signal Path)
  • No Emitter Resistors in Output Stage
  • 10 Separate Power Supplies
  • All Analog Circuit Logic – NO DIGITAL PROCESSING OF ANY KIND]
  • Integral 100Hz High-Pass Filter
  • Solid-Aluminum-Billet Chassis Construction
  • All Active Circuitry Mounted On “Floating” Truss With HRS Vibration Isolation
  • Proprietary Solid-Silver Speaker Cables With Dielectric-Bias System (DBS)
  • Made In The USA

M7-HPA Specifications

SPECIFICATIONS

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 100Hz -3db – 200k -3db High Pass Amplifier
Power: 600 watts 4 ohms, 120 volt line
Input Impedance: 200K Balanced
Gain: 25dB
Distortion: 0.15% @ 300 Watts
Signal to Noise Ratio: -90db A weighted 2 volts out.  -110db full power
12-Volt Trigger: YES
Country of Manufacture: Made in the USA

    There are no resources available.

  • May 7, 2017
    M7-HPA

    "The M7-HPA amplifiers have joined my Vandersteen Model Sevens, now upgraded to Mk.II status, to form the backbone of my reference system. The quality of sound I’m hearing from them is beyond what I could have hoped for, let alone expected, even a year or two ago."

    Peter Roth

    See Full Review
  • Mar 2, 2017
    M7-HPA

    "JA noted in particular that the amp "sounded sweet without any attenuation of the high frequencies," and concluded by wondering what a full-range M7-HPA might sound like." -Stereophile

    John Atkinson/Staff

    See Full Review
  • Mar 2, 2017
    M7-HPA

    "Many loudspeakers have passed through my listening room in the past year, but the one I most missed after its return to its manufacturer was this expensive, full-range Vandersteen. Driven by its almost-as-expensive dedicated amplifiers, it produced sound that was consistently to die for." -John Atkinson, Stereophile

    John Atkinson

    See Full Review
  • Jun 11, 2016
    M7-HPA

    "My basic impression was that the M7-HPA sounded sweet without any attenuation of the high frequencies. Whether it was Lorde's "Royals" or the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's 1998 Wigmore Hall recital (ALAC file ripped from CD, Wigmore Hall Live 0013), there was a compelling palpability to these ladies' aural images."

    John Atkinson

    See Full Review