Constellation Audio / Performance series – Centaur Mono

Features

500 watts per channel into 8 ohms
The Centaur Mono owner need never worry about power, no matter what speakers are used. The power output is sufficient to drive any speaker, of any impedance or sensitivity, with enough headroom to practically eliminate the possibility of audible distortion from the amplifier.

Unique modular design
The Centaur Mono gets its power not from bulking up a smaller design as most big amplifiers do, but by combining multiple 125-watt modules. Thus, it delivers the musicality of a small amp with no concerns about dynamics or distortion.

Exclusive balanced bridged circuit design
By using only N-type output transistors, instead of half N-type and half P-type as almost all other amplifiers do, the Centaur Mono achieves practically perfect balance between the positive- and negative-going halves of the audio signal.

Fully discrete circuitry
To assure maximum performance, we use no ICs in the Centaur Mono’s audio circuits, only discrete transistors.

Custom-wound toroidal transformer
The Centaur Mono’s more-than-ample power supply assures lifelike dynamics. The core of the supply is a custom-wound, 1,600-watt toroidal power transformer, which allows the amp to deliver exceptional headroom while minimizing production of stray magnetic fields.

Stable design with no output filters
Because we designed the Centaur Mono’s output to be inherently stable, the amp does not require a Zobel filter network at its output as many high-powered amps do.

Maximum ventilation for maximum reliability
The Centaur Mono’s extreme output capability demands careful thermal control, which we achieve through extra-large heat sinks and hundreds of large ventilation ports.

Line Stage Gain Module
The Centaur Mono’s input stage employs the same Line Stage Gain Module circuit used throughout our line. This fully complementary topology uses servo circuits and hand-selected, ultra-low-noise FETs to assure that all incoming signals are perfectly balanced. This is important when preamps of other brands are used.

Constellation Direct balanced interface
The Constellation Direct interface bypasses the Centaur Mono’s input stage, thus reducing the number of gain stages in the system and achieving superior sound quality. It is designed for use only with our Altair and Virgo preamps, which output a perfectly balanced signal because they use our Line Stage Gain Module.