{"id":42107,"date":"2026-08-01T12:45:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T10:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/?p=42107"},"modified":"2026-08-01T12:58:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T10:58:15","slug":"playback-designs-spa-8-stereo-amplifier-quick-impression-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/review\/loudspeaker-reviews\/speakers-active-analog-reviews\/playback-designs-spa-8-stereo-amplifier-quick-impression-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Playback Designs SPA-8 Stereo Amplifier – Quick Impression – Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review organized by Marc Loubeau \/ Prestige Audio Diffusion<\/a>
\nReview sample supplied by Playback Designs<\/a>
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Retail price in France, Monaco, Benelux, Germany & Austria including VAT: 94.990 euro<\/b><\/h4>\n

This is part 2 of the Playback Designs SPA-8 review. Go to part 1<\/a>.
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Quick Recap<\/h3>\n

The Playback Designs SPA-8 stereo power amplifier measures 73 cm wide, 86 cm deep, and 34 cm high, and weighs 137 kg. Its shipping crate is even larger, making it impossible to bring into my apartment. Therefore, we opted to review the SPA-8 at the\u00a0Aequo Audio<\/a>\u00a0showroom, which forms\u00a0part 1 of this review<\/a>. In that review, I shared my initial impressions based on speakers I had not yet experienced firsthand. Nonetheless, I was already familiar with Aequo Audio loudspeakers, having previously reviewed the Stilla<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Stilla Active<\/a> models. Thanks to A-B comparisons in this setup with other amplifiers I have reviewed and know well, I was able to provide baseline impressions in part one of this review.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, I have reviewed the <\/span>Aequo Audio Ensium<\/a> loudspeakers<\/span>\u00a0in my own listening room and <\/span>now<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>know them well.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>With this experience, I returned to the Aequo Audio showroom to finaliz<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0this Quick Impressions report.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having reviewed the Playback Designs MPT-8<\/a> Dream transport and MPD-8<\/a> Dream DAC, as well as the Ensiums, the SPA-8 amplifier is the only remaining variable, making it much easier to assess.<\/p>\n

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System Context<\/h3>\n

For this second part of my Playback Designs SPA-8 amplifier assessment, I will listen in the same room and with the same Aequo Audio Ensium speakers. The audio components are the same as in the first part of this review, with one significant change. Thanks to the MPD-8 Dream DAC’s high-quality Volume Control, the traditional analog preamplifier can be omitted, allowing the SPA-8 amplifier to connect directly to the MPD-8 Dream DAC’s analog outputs, as recommended by Playback Designs.<\/p>\n

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The Taiko Audio Extreme Music Server was connected via USB to the Playback Designs MPT-8 Dream Transport, which was connected via PLINK to the MPD-8 Dream DAC, which was connected via XLR to the SPA-8 Power Amp. The system uses Aequo Audio cables throughout: power, XLR interlink, and speaker cables.<\/p>\n

The review system consists of the following components:<\/p>\n