£2,598 (£1,299 PER UNIT) mitchellandjohnson.com
Founded in 2012, Mitchell & Johnson are relative newcomers to the world of hi-fi. Previous products have been low-cost designs, so the new 800 Series represents the company’s first foray into serious sound reproduction. Designed and built in Britain, M&J believe the increased labour costs of domestic manufacture are worthwhile to ensure critical quality control._ The pre and power amplifier combination on test here are attractively styled with brushed aluminium casework in silver (black is also available) and each features a display window on the front panel. Similarly sized, the S815 power amp is, at 16kg, significantly heavier than the S800 preamplifier, due in no small part to the Noratel toroidal transformers and large heatsinks, which are semi-enclosed to avoid possible injury from both jagged edges and heat; the heat emanates from high-output Toshiba transistors operating in analogue class A/B mode.