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Goldmund’s New Flagship Amplifier Is Reserved for Elite Audiophiles

According to the Swiss brand, it’s an amplifier that “combines extraordinary power with remarkable ease.”

Close-up of a white Goldmund Telos 9800 speaker with gold accents and a gold logo plate.Goldmund
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By Tucker Bowe

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Goldmund is a Swiss luxury audio manufacturer that is well regarded in elite hi-fi circles for its extremely high-end audio components and loudspeakers. Many of which cost more than most homes.

For context, the company’s current flagship active loudspeakers, the Gaïa Active, cost roughly $600,000. Its newest passive loudspeakers, the Rhea Passive and Theia Passive, go for around $108,000/pair and $215,000/pair, respectively.

And, most recently, Goldmund introduced a stereo integrated amplifier, the Telos 670, which goes for around $30,000. A fairly entry-level hi-fi component by the brand’s standards.

Now, however, the company is skyrocketing back up to hi-fi stratosphere with its newest flagship amplifier, the Telos 9800. It’s calling it “one of [its] most ambitious specialist hi-fi products” ever.

Goldmund’s flagship power amp

Tall rectangular silver air purifier with vertical vents on one side and a gold accent near the base.
The Telos 9800 is the company’s first amplifier that physically separates the power supply (bottom) and amplification (top) units.
Goldmund

The Telos 9800 is the most high-end, high-power amplifier that Goldmund has ever created.

It’s a mono power amplifier (meaning two are needed to drive a pair of loudspeakers) that’s capable of delivering a massive 1,560 watts into 8 ohms. And Goldmund gave it a completely new design and heaps of new technologies. The result is the most advanced amplifier that the brand has ever created.

Tall rectangular silver audio equipment with a reflective top panel displaying "Goldmund Telos 9800" and two square buttons.
The Telos 9800 is mono power amplifier capable of delivering 1,560 watts into 8 ohms.
Goldmund
White and black rectangular speaker with gold accents and a gold label reading "Goldmund Swiss Made Relogium.
It’s an amplifier that’s designed to drive extremely high-end loudspeakers, including Goldmund’s own Theia Passive, which go for $215,000/pair (or more).
Goldmund

A twin-tier amp

Obviously, the Telos 9800 doesn’t look like your average amplifier. It has a two-tier design that physically separates the amplification and the power supply units (a first for the brand). Goldmund says this allows “each subsystem to operate under optimal conditions while reinforcing the product’s mechanical and electrical integrity.”

Furthermore, the Telos 9800 was created with French designer Cécile Barani, who Goldmund says helped transform “a technical principle into a sculptural object.” (Note: Barani has collaborated on several of Goldmund’s other recent loudspeakers, including the Gaïa Active.)

Tall white speaker with gold accents and black control panel on the back.
The amp features XLR and RCA inputs, as well as S/PDIF inputs and outputs.
Goldmund
Silver audio amplifier with gold trim and multiple input/output connectors on a black panel.
Goldmund claims that the “Telos 9800 is the world’s most advanced system for truly uninterrupted musical sound reproduction.”
Goldmund

At the heart of the Telos 9800 is Goldmund’s proprietary power management system. This combines 9.7 kVA of transformer capacity with the largest capacitor bank that Goldmund has ever developed. The company claims it delivers 648 mF of stored energy.

The Telos 9800 also features a completely redesigned amplification stage, custom-designed capacitors and in-house engineered transformers. According to the brand, this new platform “delivers greater stability, instantaneous current delivery, and exceptional loudspeaker control under the most demanding conditions.”

Close-up of a Goldmund Telos 9800 audio device with illuminated menu and unmute buttons on a sleek black panel.
The Telos 9800 is designed, engineered and assembled in Geneva.
Goldmund

Price and availability

As for the price, the Goldmund Telos 9800 falls into the category of “if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.” Heck, even if you don’t ask, you probably can’t afford it.

Goldmund’s new flagship amplifier costs half a million bucks. Yep, that’s $500,000. And because it’s a mono power amp, you’ll need two for a stereo system. So, that’s a clean million bucks of amplification before you even get to the loudspeakers and everything else. Wooza.

The Goldmund Telos 9800 is available now from the company’s website.

About the Author: Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. With a passion for consumer tech and hi-fi, he tracks everything from headphones and turntables to smartphones and wearables. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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