There's something magically beautiful about these valve-driven amps

Polish luxury brand Bonawatt has launched its beautiful valve-driven amplifiers in the UK, courtesy of Feel Flows Audio.

There are two signature models: a Class A valve amp, and a Class D hybrid. Both promise warmth, richness and detail, as well as a precise audio experience.

The pitch here is simple and attractive: the warmth and richness of valves have been combined with the reliability and accuracy of more modern technology.

As for the names? Tamesis, like all of Bonawatt's valve amps, is named after a river – in this case, the river Thames as it was known by the Romans.

However, the Triton takes its name from Greek mythology. Triton was a merman, and Bonawatt named its amp after him to emphasis the hybrid nature of the amp.

Bonawatt Tamesis and Triton: key features and pricing

The Bonawatt Tamesis is a single-ended ultralinear integrated Class A valve amplifier with KT77 power tubes. The flagship Triton is a 2 x250W (at 8 ohms) hybrid amp that combines a valve preamp with high-efficiency Class D amplification.

That latter model has a unique signal conversion system, with 16 parallel operational amps enabling the valve preamp to define the sonic character while the power stage takes care of headroom and control.

It features intelligent tube pre-heating and cooling, anti-vibration mounting and remote operation. It's a very pretty thing, with retro cool and modern slab-like appeal. There's also a matching remote that mirrors the functions of the front panel.

The Triton is modular, so you can add extra capabilities such as DAC, phono, XLR balanced and tuner expansion cards.

Both models are exclusive to Feel Flows' retailer partners in the UK, and have a recommended retail price of £8,795 for the Tamesis and £9,995 for the Triton.

In Europe the prices before tax are €8,790 and €9,990 respectively.