A Power Supply Designed as an Instrument
Wattson’s ethos centers on disciplined minimalism: fewer parts, shorter paths, purposeful decisions that redefine expectations for size and price. The Madison Amplifier’s power architecture functions as an active participant in performance. Regulation stages are electrically isolated, containing interaction between the gain sections and the output delivery. Reservoir capacity and supply stiffness sustain transient demand and maintain signal stability.
Noise floor management relies on controlled feedback implementation, disciplined grounding, and mechanical shielding within the chassis. The result is measurable stability: headroom holds during crescendos, low-level detail remains fully resolved, and bass articulation stays defined as impedance drops. The dynamic scale derives from current reserves and regulated control.
Balanced (XLR) and single‑ended (RCA) inputs enable integration across a range of systems. In balanced operation, the Madison Amplifier is fully differential from input to output stage, maintaining symmetrical signal handling throughout the amplification path. Common‑mode noise is rejected at the input and never allowed to accumulate through the gain structure.
Balanced transmission reduces susceptibility to interference and preserves low‑level detail across longer cable runs. The differential topology maintains signal integrity and channel symmetry, reinforcing spatial stability and tonal coherence.
A Design Collaboration with CH Precision
The Madison Amplifier is the result of direct engineering collaboration between Wattson and CH Precision. Its circuit topology draws from CH’s reference-grade architecture, adapted for a compact integrated platform that preserves structural discipline. The power supply, grounding strategy, and signal routing were developed in parallel, ensuring that regulation, gain, and output behavior function as a coherent whole.
The collaboration with CH Precision expresses itself in structural and methodological terms. Device selection, rail symmetry, and bias strategy follow approaches proven in CH’s highest-level designs. The amplifier delivers controlled current, low distortion, and stable operation across varying loads. A strategically designed signal path minimizes distortion while preserving harmonic integrity, allowing your favorite recordings to unfold with depth and dimension. Transparency, texture, and tonal purity shape its sonic character, ensuring every note carries weight, presence, and emotional impact that surpasses expectations at this price level. Designed to engage the listener, the Madison Amplifier transforms musical playback into a deeply immersive experience.
System Architecture: Scalable by Design
In Stereo mode, its dual‑mono structure maintains channel independence with dedicated regulation and output sections per channel. In Bi‑Amp mode, each channel drives discrete loudspeaker sections via an external crossover or the loudspeaker's bi‑wire terminals. Separation of low‑ and high‑frequency current demands reduces intermodulation in the output stage and improves control over individual driver sections.
In Mono mode, each chassis operates as a dedicated amplifier with its own supply and regulation. Current delivery remains stable as impedance decreases, and power increases into 4Ω and 2Ω loads. Dedicated architecture expands reserve current and strengthens load control. Image stability improves, low‑frequency authority increases, and microdynamic information remains continuous as demand rises.
Two Finishes, One Ethos
For the first time, the Madison Amplifier is available in two finishes—Light Gray and Dark Gray. The new palette reflects Wattson Audio’s commitment to precision and visual harmony, allowing the amplifier to blend seamlessly into a wide range of interiors. Light Gray recalls the elegance of the former Lounge Edition, while Dark Gray preserves the timeless purity of the original design.
Discrete Architecture:
The Foundation of Continuity
Madison’s amplification stage is fully discrete and built around components drawn directly from reference‑grade designs developed alongside CH Precision. At its core are the same bipolar output devices used in the M10 Reference Amplifier—implemented here as one device per rail. These components anchor the output stage in parts proven at the highest level of performance, with linearity, thermal stability, and current delivery already validated in flagship reference architecture. This configuration provides precise control over bias current, feedback behavior, and thermal tracking, with operating linearity determined at the device level through discrete implementation.
The ultra-high quality of the parts ensures predictable electrical behavior under temperature variations and dynamic demand. Bias stability reduces crossover distortion, and controlled feedback sustains linear gain while preserving harmonic nuance. Stability in the circuit translates directly into coherence in musical phrasing: tonal structures remain intact from soft passages through peak dynamics, and instrumental texture persists under load.
Wattson’s Minimalist Vision
Wattson’s design philosophy centers on structural efficiency: minimal part count, short signal paths, and intentional architecture. In the Madison Amplifier, this approach lowers parasitic interaction and clarifies the electrical environment in which the signal operates.
Precision manufacturing and long product life cycles reinforce durability. Mechanical tolerances, thermal management, and material selection align with long‑term stability and consistent performance. Sustainability expresses itself through reduced material waste, extended service life, and enduring operational integrity.
Compact in footprint yet defined by engineering excellence and discipline, the Madison Amplifier delivers scale and authority through proportioned design.
The collaboration between CH Precision and Wattson on the Madison AMPLIFIER brings together two distinct yet complementary philosophies, uniting CH Precision’s relentless pursuit of uncompromising performance with Wattson’s vision of refined, accessible, high-performance audio. CH Precision’s expertise in ultra-linear amplification and circuit design ensures that Madison inherits the sonic purity, speed, and control found in reference-level electronics, while Wattson’s approach emphasizes elegant simplicity, compact form, and sustainable craftsmanship.
This synergy results in an amplifier that delivers exceptional transparency and musicality, and is versatile and adaptable to evolving systems. By fusing CH Precision’s technical rigor with Wattson’s ethos of simplicity, the Madison AMPLIFIER achieves a rare balance—one that honors the essence of high-end audio while offering a pathway for enthusiasts to experience uncompromised sound in a far more accessible and affordable package.
The Madison Amplifier is structured as a compact amplification platform in which signal path, regulation, and output stage operate as a unified system. Layout geometry, grounding topology, and rail symmetry function as primary engineering variables.
Current paths remain intentionally short. Local regulation sits close to the gain stages, minimizing impedance between the supply and the signal. Channel symmetry extends from input to output, limiting phase deviation and sustaining consistent behavior under load. These structural decisions establish predictable electrical conditions, allowing timing relationships, tonal balance, and spatial cues to remain stable at the loudspeaker terminals.
Swiss Precision, Sustainable Design, Timeless Performance
The Madison Amplifier is machined from solid billet aluminum, providing electromagnetic shielding, mechanical rigidity, and thermal stability. The chassis serves as both a structural frame and a heat management system, maintaining operating consistency through controlled dissipation.
Manufactured locally using sustainable practices—including the reuse of aluminum off‑cuts—the amplifier integrates environmental responsibility with engineering performance. Drawing from CH Precision technology, its linear amplification stages, configurable operating modes, and carefully selected components support clarity, control, and long‑term reliability. The platform integrates seamlessly into existing systems and accommodates future evolution.
Engineered in Service of Music
The Madison Amplifier reflects Wattson’s design culture: clarity through discipline. Circuit decisions prioritize signal integrity, temporal accuracy, and stable current delivery. Power manifests as control under load, low noise under dynamic stress, and consistent bias behavior as output increases.
Anchored in an ultra-quiet, well‑regulated foundation, the amplifier preserves timing relationships that define musical realism. Transients arrive cleanly and proportioned. Harmonic structures hold their shape as volume increases. Spatial information remains stable under demand.
The amplifier preserves the integrity of the signal through electrical stability, allowing harmonic structure, timing, and spatial information to reach the loudspeaker unchanged. In that restraint resides its authority.
Specifications
General
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Type: 2-channel power amplifier
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Modes: Stereo, monaural, bi-amp
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Color Options: Light gray or dark grey
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Dimensions (W x D x H): 216 x 300 x 87 mm
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Weight: 6.0 kg
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Power Supply: External 36V DC, 350 W, universal input
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Power Consumption: < 0.5 W standby, 20 W idle, 450 W max
User interface
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Mode, Impedance, and gain: Toggle switches on the rear side
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Input, Mute, Standby / ON: Push button on the front side
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Firmware update: Via Ethernet connection
Analog input
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Type: Balanced XLR, single-ended RCA
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Impedance: 100 kΩ
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Nominal level: 2.0 V RMS
Analoge Output
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Type: Spade / Banana sockets
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Bandwidth: 1 Hz to 400 kHz (-3 dB)
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Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise: < 0.05 %
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Signal-to-noise ratio (A-weighted): > 120 dB
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Voltage gain: +20 dB, +26 dB (switchable)
Output Power
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Stereo / bi-amp:
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8 Ω : 2 x 50 W
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4 Ω : 2 x 75 W
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2 Ω : 2 x 100 W
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Mono:
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8 Ω : 1 x 50 W
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4 Ω : 1 x 100 W
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2 Ω : 1 x 150 W
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