Gold Note IS-1000 Super Integrated Amplifier

Gold Note IS-1000 in perfect condition (realistic 9/10 for light use)
Original Packaging, Manual, and Remote

The Gold Note IS-1000 seamlessly merges a preamplifier, power amplifier, phono preamp, DAC, and streamer (Roon ready and with MQA) into a single, stunningly engineered and crafted chassis designed by architect Stefano Bonifazi with impressive performance comparable to the finest separates. With variable damping, buy this gorgeous Italian streaming integrated for either solid state impact and astonishing clarity or tube-like musical warmth, depending on speakers, genre, and mood. Breathtaking dynamics, mid-band detail, a silent plus highly rock solid power supply, exceptional retrieval of spatial cues, state-of-the-art connectivity, great design and interface are all part of the package.

Featuring the class-leading class A circuit from the Gold Note PH-10, the phono stage of the IS-1000 deserves special mention; it is sensational with supreme lack of grain, remarkable tonal nuance, a jet-black background, and gobs of resolution and dynamic range that rival standalone units I've owned from Pass, Heed, and Sutherland. Variable damping provides the ability switch to the amps Low setting offers the spatial and timbral character of tubes, whereas the High setting is squarely in the top class of powerful solid state. Altogether, it sounds as Digital Audio Review put it like “A single-box solution that pushes performance above the 90th percentile offered by separates but without the hassle and the tyranny of choice.”

Highly recommended for high sensitivity, horn-loaded designs with the low damping setting and for demanding multi-driver floor standers with the high damping setting.

IMPRESSIVE REVIEWS:

“Connecting the Gold Notes to the Avantgarde Duo XDs and switching to low damping factor I was rewarded with a mid-band that was sweet and slightly on the warm side when compared to the class D amplifiers we use as reference. I don’t really see this is a criticism of the Gold Note as the amps we use for reference have been chosen specifically to be analytical and somewhat clinical in their presentation – they are after all a review tool and some people will prefer the more relaxed yet powerful sound of the Gold Note. Female vocals were presented really beautifully with bags of detail and no harshness in the upper frequencies. Instruments sat properly and stable in the stereo mix and I really do think that the IS-1000 played to the Duos’ strengths giving a highly enjoyable and engaging musical experience that was somewhat addictive. A good sign of something being “right” is when you stop actually analysing the sound and just sit and enjoy the tunes you are playing.

The Duos are active in the bass department and so out came our hORNS Mummy speakers and I heard that same feeling of grip in the bass I’d heard with the Boenickes. Dub reggae and other bass heavy music sounded great, but then popping on Concierto De Aranjuez showed the IS-1000 to be a deft performer with classical music, being fast and dealing with dynamic changes without missing a beat. The Gold Note IS-1000 is stonkingly well built and looks the business. It offers those looking for a one box/just add speakers solution a great product at a price that I believe to be very reasonable for what you are getting.

Connectivity is comprehensive and I can see many having the IS-1000 as the hub of their entertainment system and having it not only for playing tunes saved on NAS/HDD or from streaming services, but also for putting the television through. It’s a fab product that is most definitely in the mid-fi audio bracket in the way that it plays music but also caters for those that just love music, want great sound but really don’t want to go down the whole multi box route. The inclusion of a phonostage is a stroke of genius and whilst not everyone will have the need for it, many will given the seemingly unstoppable revival of vinyl.” – Hi-Fi Pig (Highly Recommended)

"“High damping engaged the Gold Note is clean and crisp, with an almost studio-like clarity of which I have first-hand experience. Bass starts and stops quickly. It’s controlled yet also extended. The opening bars of Lizz Wright’s latest album, Grace, hit straight between the eyes. Treble is extended, detail slightly more abundant than the Ayre. Both cut through complex mixes to communicate musical intent though. The Ayre provides a very clean window on the performance. The IS-100 dispenses with the window. Both present a big soundstage – wide and deep, the Gold Note portraying musicians even more precisely than the Ayre.” – Digital Audio Review

“Connected to a pair of Dynaudio Special Forty standmounts (HFC 434), it majors on scale and drive to great effect. There is a sense of a vast unfettered soundstage that extends in front of and well beyond the listener. Despite the scale, the positioning of instruments and effects is accurate and unerringly consistent.

This is backed up by an effortless sense of power and drive that benefits less potent music as well as it does electronica. There is a sense of order and positioning that helps you to close your eyes and be ‘there’ in a way that rivals struggle to match. Equally impressive is its honest and believable tonal realism that complements pretty much everything you choose to play, and there’s enough of a slight gravel in the vocals that it becomes a tangible part of the performance supported by instruments with genuine weight and decay.

There is an impressive sense of rhythmic energy to the way that the IS-1000 goes about making music and it engages on an emotional level too. The 24/88.2 download of Kraftwerk’s Minimum-Maximum benefits from this impressive sense of flow and drive and the Tour De France suite of tracks positively hammers along. There is no sense of overhang to the rapid-fire bassline and combined with the depth and impact that it extracts from the Dynaudios, the result is tremendously entertaining. This feeling of agility isn’t dependent on there being a heavyweight bassline either. The lightning-fast guitar of The Sword’s Used Future is also relayed with all the frenetic energy very much intact.” – Hi-Fi Choice (Recommended)

“We’ve just started to audition the Gold Note IS-1000 integrated amplifier and it’s amore from the start. Featuring an integral phono stage, based on the circuitry of the PH-10 that we already love, a built in DAC and streamer and a 125 watt per channel power amplifier that doubles down to 250 watts per channel into 4 ohms, This $5,000 beauty is a perfect solution for those wanting high quality, maximum versatility (did we tell you it has six digital inputs) and a convenient form factor.” – ToneAudio

“I would never have believed that a class A/B power stage in this price range could deliver such performance. On tonal balance, the IS-1000 was one of the more neutral device I have auditioned. Despite the rather poor sensitivity of the large Lawrence Audio Penguin floorstanders, it delivered all necessary power even at very high SPL and without audible distortion. In fact, this performance was quite close to what I am used to from my mono Luxman or SPEC amplifiers, albeit with a perhaps slightly less intrusive sonic fingerprint. In fact, the Gold Note IS-1000 provided me with outstandingly neutral tones.” – 6moons

SPECS
SUPER INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER
Class A/B High-Current Mosfet design
125W@8Ω per channel
Dimensions: 430mm W | 135mm H | 375mm D
Weight: 18kg

SELLERS NOTES:
Local pickup available in Manhattan (NYS Sales Tax would apply)
I have a 100% Audiogon score so feel confident making an offer