Boulder Amplifiers 1110
The Boulder 1110 brings tonal neutrality, explosive dynamics, and exceptionally controlled bass to ambitious balanced systems. Paul Wilson found its presentation clean, lively, and richly revealing, with precise image placement that lets voices and instruments occupy convincing individual space. Five balanced inputs, per-source trim, and an optical volume control add serious system flexibility to its meticulously built, long-term flagship appeal.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
92/100
Build Quality
96/100
Features Connectivity
91/100
Value for Money
91/100
Pros
Exceptionally neutral, clean, and detailed sound with lively, near-visceral dynamics.
Tight, realistic, highly controlled bass performance.
Excellent imaging and separation, with vocals and instruments rendered in distinct spatial positions.
Thoughtful balanced-system facilities, including five inputs, individual input trim, theater mode, and an effortless optical volume control.
Cons
No native RCA inputs; unbalanced sources require an adapter.
The display can be difficult to read from the listening position.
Its free-spinning volume control can raise level rapidly if spun forcefully.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
The 1110 is described as exceptionally clean, clear and tonally uncolored, with unusually strong bass control and a lively sense of musical momentum. Its imaging is excellent and precise, although one comparison found the stage slightly less wide than a T+A preamp/power combination.
Transparency Resolution
94/100
The reviewer repeatedly praises the 1110's exceptional clarity, detail retrieval and clean presentation. It is characterized as a genuinely neutral component that adds little apparent tonal character, allowing the listener to hear the music rather than the preamp.
Tonal Balance Musicality
92/100
The 1110 is presented as highly neutral rather than deliberately voiced, with no conspicuous coloration imposed on recordings. That neutrality is paired with realistic, tightly controlled bass and an engaging presentation that the reviewer found easy to enjoy.
Dynamics
93/100
The reviewer found the sound dynamic and lively across several amplifier pairings, describing its dynamic expression as nearly visceral. This sense of life is said to arrive without sacrificing clarity or control.
Soundstage Imaging
90/100
Imaging is described as excellent, with clearly separated vocal and instrumental images occupying distinct spaces. One comparison found the presentation not quite as wide as a T+A reference, but not by enough to be considered a meaningful shortcoming.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
96/100
The review describes unusually comprehensive in-house control of design, machining, circuit-board production, assembly and testing at Boulder's Colorado facility. It calls the board design among the best available at any price and portrays the company's execution as exceptionally meticulous.
Features Connectivity
91/100
The 1110 provides five balanced line inputs, two balanced main-output pairs and a balanced auxiliary output, with a fully differential signal path. Useful setup provisions include per-input level trim, theater mode, tape-loop use through the auxiliary output, precise optical volume control and networked software-update capability.
Value for Money
91/100
At roughly $24,000, the 1110 is firmly a high-end purchase, but the reviewer explicitly calls its relative cost outstanding in light of its engineering, feature set and performance. The review also regards Boulder ownership as retaining strong resale appeal, framing it as an investment as well as a luxury-audio component.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
YouTube Reviews
Forum Mentions
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Specifications
- Input Connections
- 5 pairs balanced line level
- Output Connections
- 2 pairs balanced main, 1 pair balanced auxiliary
- Volume
- 100 dB range in 0.5 dB steps (200 steps) or 1.0 dB steps (100 steps)
- Maximum Input Level
- 6.0 Vrms
- Maximum Output Level
- 14.0 Vrms
- THD+N, 2V Output, 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- 0.0015% (-96.5 dB)
- Output Loaded with 150 ohms
- Less than 1 dB distortion change, 20 - 10 kHz
- Maximum Voltage Gain
- 20 dB
- Auxiliary Path Gain, Balanced Output
- 8.5 dB balanced\n2.5 dB unbalanced
- Frequency Response, 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- +0.00, -0.03 dB
- Frequency Response, -3 dB at
- 0.02 Hz and 250 kHz
- Clip to Noise Ratio
- 118 dB
- Crosstalk, L to R or R to L
- -101 dB or better, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Crosstalk, Adjacent Inputs
- -115 dB or better, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Input Impedance
- 100k ohms, balanced\n50k ohms, unbalanced
- Output Impedance
- 100 ohms, balanced\n50 ohms, unbalanced
- Control System
- IP (Ethernet), IR, Boulder Net
- Weight
- 36 lbs. (16.3 kg),\nShipping: 49 lbs. (22.2 kg)
- Power Requirements
- 100, 120, 220-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz
- Power Consumption
- 75W maximum
Manufacturer's Description — Boulder Amplifiers
What is it that makes the 1110 preamplifier so special? It is something rare, an overachiever, a unique combination of reference-level performance and compact, convenient design. It is at once familiar in size and shape and yet completely new in aesthetic design detail. Perhaps what makes it so special is that it takes such amazing sight, sound, use, and feel and packs them all into a single chassis. It is the perfect mix of traditional function and cutting-edge technology, earning more than 10 international product awards from media around the world.
It is, after all, a Boulder, and every Boulder is special.
Five pairs of programmable, differentially-balanced inputs
Balanced version of Boulder's own analog volume control, descended from the 3010 Preamplifier, for superior clarity and noise elimination
Each input can be configured for Theater Mode when integrated into home cinema systems
Large, easy-to-read, LCD display
Available IP control connection for simple use connection to home automation systems
Unique front panel design displays the topographical map of Flagstaff Mountain, located near Boulder, Colorado
Full surface-mount circuit board architecture manufactured on Boulder's own precision pick-and-place machine
Comprehensive setup and options programming for all inputs and preamplifier functions
Automated online software management for worry-free updating
Boulder's own 983 gain stage means excellent buffering and current drive for long cable runs
Embedded ARM processor controls all preamplifier functions and setup options
Dual-mono audio boards isolate left and right channels for perfect stereo separation in a single-chassis design
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Boulder Amplifiers 1110
- 3mA Audio — online and in-store — Houston, Texas, United States (website)
- Absolute Hi End — in-store — Ormond, Victoria, Australia (website)
- American Sound — in-store — Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (website)
- Ana Mighty Sound — online and in-store — Paris, Île-de-France, France (website)
- Audio Advisors — in-store — West Palm Beach, Florida, United States (website)
- Audio Element — in-store — Pasadena, California, United States (website)
- Audio Gallery — online and in-store — Las Rozas de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (website)
- Audio Y Cine — online and in-store — Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain (website)
- Class A Audio — in-store — Notting Hill, Victoria, Australia (website)
- David Lewis Audio — in-store — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (website)
and 35 more verified dealers
