A Heritage Hi-Fi Brand Just Made a Compact Amplifier for Modern Audiophiles

Don’t let its modest appearance fool you — this amp is as powerful as it is versatile.

Elipson Connect 2130 Xi streaming amplifier

Published April 28, 2025

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Elipson is a heritage French hi-fi manufacturer with a history that dates back to 1938. Its best known for high-end, spherically-shaped loudspeakers, but the brand makes a variety of other audio components, too, including turntables and amplifiers.

Its latest amplifier, the Connect 2130 Xi, might not be what you’d expect from such a high-end audio brand. But don’t let its plain appearance fool you — it’s a compact beast designed for modern audiophiles with hi-fi systems in smaller listening rooms.

Elipson Connect 2130 Xi

Hidden power

The Elipson Connect 2130 Xi is a streaming stereo amplifier with Class D amplification. It can deliver 130 watts per channel (into 4 and 8 ohms), and is best suited for driving high-end bookshelf and floorstanding loudspeakers.

The amplifier comes with the company’s proprietary power factor correction (PFC) technology, which the brand says guarantees “harmonic distortion of less than 0.003% and a signal-to-noise ratio of over 119 dB.”

The amplifier’s inconspicuous and rackable design lends itself to more nuanced use cases, such as professional installations. It can be bridged in mono mode and deliver up to 500 watts of power (at 8 ohms).

But for audiophiles looking for a super capable streaming amplifier, the Connect 2130 Xi’s not-so-flashy appearance means it’s also more affordable than similarly capable options.

A versatile, compact amp

The Elipson Connect 2130 Xi is a streaming amplifier with a high-quality DAC (ESS SABRE ES9023) and supports high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192kHz.

But it’s an incredibly versatile amp, too, with a multitude of physical and wireless connections.

It has line-in and RCA inputs for hooking up various audio sources. It even has a subwoofer output. And like many modern amplifiers, it has an HDMI ARC input so you can connect it to your TV and make it the hub of your home theater system.

And on the wireless side, it supports streaming over both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (including AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect and Chromecast) and thus is very much primed for modern listeners.

Price and availability

Because of its modest appearance, Elipson’s streaming amplifier promises to be more affordable than other similarly capable options — it’s expected to cost around $700.

At the time of writing, exact US availability hasn’t yet been released.

Elipson Connect 2130 Xi

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About the Author:

Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. As a Tech Staff Writer, he tracks everything in the consumer tech space, from headphones to smartphones, wearables to home theater systems. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.