Trinnov Amplitude16 200 Watt x 16CH Amplifier Bench Test Report

Trinnov Amplitude16 Introduction 

Trinnov sits at the top of the food chain when it comes to high-performance, high-dollar home theater processors and multi-ch amplifiers. The Amplitude16 ($13,250) is one of the few 16-channel amplifiers on the market, with its closest competitors being the PA 16 MK3 from StormAudio and the AMP 10 from Marantz.

The StormAudio PA16 MK3 ($12.5k) utilizes UMAC Pascal Class D modules with a customized SMPS power supply to deliver 200 watts per channel x16 into 8 ohms for 800 watts/ch into 8-ohms bridged (up to 4 channel pairs). The Marantz AMP 10 ($8k) uses similar 200 watts-per-channel ICE Edge Class D amplification to what Trinnov employs, but with its own customized SMPS power supply and HDAM circuitry. Both the StormAudio and Trinnov models feature much larger 3,200-watt power capacity compared to the Marantz’s single 1,500-watt SMPS, with StormAudio implementing a single 3,200-watt supply and Trinnov using dual 1,600-watt supplies. All three of these 16-channel amplifiers are bridgeable, but the StormAudio and Marantz have some limitations compared to the Trinnov. Both the Trinnov and StormAudio specify a 4x power increase into 8 ohms when bridged, while the Marantz specifies a 2x increase. The Trinnov and Marantz allow all channel pairs to be bridged for up to eight channels, whereas the StormAudio only allows four channel pairs to be bridged.

Editorial Note About the Trinnov Altitude 16 Testing:
Because the Amplitude16 is a Class D design and I don’t have the Aux25 filter at my disposal to precondition the ApX585 HDMI Analyzer, some of my distortion and noise measurements may NOT exactly match those of the manufacturer. I did my best to bandwidth limit the test signals and have also redesigned my entire test fixture with the help of Bluejeanscable.com by replacing all of my test leads with low resistance speaker cables and copper alligator clips at the test loads and short balanced shielded XLR leads to the input. The measurements are conducted at the amplifier end to reduce noise pick up the power resistors are all very low inductance 8-ohm loads.

For more information about how we measure power amplifiers, please see:

Basic Amplifier Measurement Techniques

Trinnov Amplitude16 Amplifier Top View

Peering through the top of the Trinnov Amplitude16 reveals a well-laid-out, clean design featuring 16 channels of ICE Class D amplification, dual SMPS power supplies, and two large fans that only activate during power-up or extreme bench testing. The status lights on the front panel indicate channel status (bridged mode ties channel pairs together) and fault conditions, which I was only able to trigger during power sweeps below 20Hz on the bench. The Amplitude16 can reset itself after a fault condition without requiring the unit to be unplugged. However, in real-world use, if you trip the amplifier’s fault protection, you should check all of your speaker connections before turning the unit back on.

 Trinnov Amplitude16 Backpanel View

The Trinnov Amplitude16 features dual power receptacles (one for each power supply feeding 8 channels) and you must connect both or the amplifier will NOT function. The Altitude 16 sports DB25 connectors which can be broken out to XLRs if you’re NOT using a Trinnov Altitude processor or a DB25 to DB25 to directly connect to an Altitude processor. There is an optional slick Dante module which allows a single RJ45 connection between the Amplitude16 and the Altitude processor. On the input side, the Amplitude16 assigns the odd# channels for bridged pairs. The white silkscreen on the backpanel is a bit confusing when trying to figure out bridge mode speaker output polarity since the + is positioned right between the + and – of the adjacent channel pairs but just remember the + for bridged mode will be next to the bridged channel# and it’s the - from its top associated channel pair. 

 

Trinnov Amplitude16 Fault Condition 

This is what you get when you only plug in one of the power cords. You must connect both to your dedicated outlet and if possible use 2 independent dedicated outlets (domestic 120V/20A) to yield the full 3200 watt potential of this amplifier.

Trinnov Amplitude16 Gain Structure

Trinnov Amplitude16 Frequency Response & FFT Distortion Tests

Trinnov Altitude 16 Frequency Response under Various Load Conditions

I measured the Amplitude16’s frequency response while driving 8-ohm, 4-ohm, and no-load conditions, and it was ruler flat from 5Hz to 20kHz (±0.5dB). The response remained identical out to 40kHz and only showed slight variation above that under different load conditions.

The transfer function of this amplifier looks virtually identical to the Marantz AMP 10, which is no surprise given their very similar ICE Edge amplifier topology. This is a truly load-invariant amplifier, similar to what we’ve seen from some of the newest well-engineered Class D designs. In practical terms, that means the amp will sound consistent regardless of the loudspeaker impedance presented.

There is a slight high-frequency roll-off of -0.46dB at 20kHz, likely due to the output filter, but this should be imperceptible in real-world listening.

 

Trinnov Altitude 16 1 kHz FFT @ 2.83Vrms (1 watt, 8 ohms)

The Trinnov Altitude 16 produced exceedingly good FFT distortion results. At 1 watt, the 3^rd harmonic was 110dB below the fundamental which was about 3dB higher than I measured on the Marantz AMP 10 but imperceivable. The higher order harmonics were still very low and clean at > 100dB below the fundamental. The annoying 60Hz hum that plagues some amplifiers is completely absent here.

Trinnov Amplitude16 Power Tests

 

Trinnov Amplitude16 Frequency Response @ Full Rated Power (200 watts x 7, 8 ohms)

I wanted to see how the Amplitude16 handled continuous full bandwidth sweeps at high power. Whether I tested 2CH or 7CH driven, the Amplitude16 was able to hit its rated 200wpc at 8 ohms and under 0.1% THD+N with all channels driven. The Marantz AMP 10 struggled to hit its rated 200 wpc x 7 under similar load conditions. The dual power supplies of Trinnov pays dividends here as we will also observe under bridged loading conditions.

 

Trinnov Amplitude16 Frequency Response @ Full Rated Power (400 watts x 2, 4 ohms)

The Amplitude16 had no problem delivering its rated 400 watts per channel into 4-ohm loads under full-bandwidth conditions. This should hold true until you reach the power supply’s maximum rated output of 1,600 watts per eight-channel bank. Doing the math, that suggests up to four channels driven at full power before the power supply current-limits within each eight-channel pair.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough load banks to fully confirm this, but my bridged amplifier test results should provide a high degree of confidence in this estimation.

 

Trinnov Amplitude16  1kHz PSweep (7CH) - 8 ohms 

 

Trinnov Amplitude16 1kHz PSweep vs SINAD (2CH) - 8 ohms

Similar to the Marantz AMP 10, the Trinnov delivers the same power in 1kHz sweep tests whether one or up to seven channels are driven into 8-ohm loads. This consistency is due to the tightly regulated SMPS power supplies, which are typical of well-designed Class D amplifiers.

The Amplitude16 produced 218 watts per channel at 0.1% THD+N and 232 watts per channel at 1% THD+N into 8 ohms, exceeding Trinnov’s 200-watt rating. I measured 102dB SINAD (0.0005% THD+N) all the way up to 100 watts per channel—an excellent distortion figure that outperforms the Marantz AMP 10 by about 6dB. This isn’t surprising, given that the Trinnov’s voltage gain is roughly 6dB lower.

At its rated 200 watts per channel, the Amplitude16 delivered 80dB SINAD (0.01% THD+N), which remains very good and well below the threshold of audibility.

 

Trinnov Amplitude16  1kHz PSweep (2CH) - 4 ohms

When driving 4-ohm loads, the Amplitude16 produced 433wpc at 0.1% THD+N and 462wpc at 1% THD+N with 2CH driven. I always love seeing amps double down with halving load impedance while also exceeding their published power specs like we see here. The 94dB SINAD or .002% THD+N was maintained all the way up to 250 watts/ch and > 80dB at 400 watts/ch which again is very low distortion.

 

Trinnov Amplitude16  1kHz PSweep (2CH) - 8 ohms - Bridged

When driving 8-ohm loads in bridged configuration, the Amplitude16 produced a whopping 870 watts per channel at 0.1% THD+N and 930 watts per channel at 1% THD+N with one channel driven. With two channels driven (on the same power supply bank), it delivered 824 watts per channel at 0.1% THD+N and 833 watts per channel at 1% THD+N—nearly 1kW with a single channel driven.

This test was conducted on channel groups sharing the same 1,600-watt-rated power supply, meaning the Amplitude16 was operating very close to its maximum power supply capacity with two channels driven in bridged mode at 8 ohms. The amplifier does not current-limit when bridged, allowing the full 4x rated unbridged power thanks to the doubled output voltage swing.

SINAD remained above 90dB up to 500 watts and stayed just under 80dB at 800 watts.

If you plan to bridge your left and right front channels, I recommend using channel pairs across the two separate power supply banks (CH1–8 and CH9–16) to maximize available headroom.

 

Trinnov Amplitude16  1kHz PSweep (1CH) - 4 ohms - Bridged

The Trinnov went full beast mode when bridged into a 4-ohm load, delivering nearly twice its 8-ohm bridged power rating. The amplifier clipped hard at 1.65kW, exceeding the rated output of each 8-channel power supply module. Distortion remained impressively low at 0.01% THD+N (80dB SINAD) out to 1.5kW, which is excellent performance at that power level.

I did not test two channels driven, bridged into 4 ohms, as doing so would exceed the rated output of a single power supply module. However, if you’re seeking maximum bridged power into 4-ohm speakers, I recommend bridging one pair of channels from each of the two 8-channel modules and powering the unit from two independent 20A outlets.

Comparison between Trinnov vs Marantz Bridged Testing

Unfortunately, my 4-ohm bridged testing of the Marantz AMP 10 was conducted with two channels driven, not one channel driven as I did with the Trinnov Amplitude16. Therefore, a direct comparison of 4-ohm bridged power between these test reports cannot be made.

That said, the AMP 10 utilizes a single 1,500-watt SMPS, while the Amplitude16 employs dual 1,600-watt SMPS power supplies with independent power cords. As a result, the Amplitude16 has the capacity to deliver roughly twice the total available power of the Marantz—either when driving multiple channels beyond the Marantz’s power supply limits or in bridged operation.

As demonstrated, the Trinnov delivers a full 4x its rated unbridged power when bridged, whereas the Marantz typically achieves about 2–3x its rated two-channel power in bridged mode, depending on load conditions.

 

Trinnov Amplitude16 CEA 2006 Dynamic Power – 4 ohms

As indicated earlier, the CEA 2006 Dynamic Power burst tests produced virtually identical power results to our 1kHz power sweep tests. This is the type of behavior you will see from regulated power supplies. The give you more stable continuous power but less dynamic power for transients compared to a non-regulated centralized power supply.

Power Table

 

# of CH	Test Type	Power	Load	THD + N
1-7	CFP-BW	200 watts	8-ohms	0.1%
2	CFP-BW	403 watts	4-ohms	0.1%
1 - 7	1kHz Psweep	232 watts	8-ohms	1%
1 - 7	1kHz Psweep	218 watts	8-ohms	0.1%
2	1kHz Psweep	463 watts	4-ohms	1%
2	1kHz Psweep	433 watts	4-ohms	0.1%
2-Bridged	1kHz Psweep	830 watts	8-ohms	1%
2- Bridged	1kHz Psweep	825 watts	8-ohms	0.1%
1-Bridged	1Khz Psweep	929 watts	8-ohms	1%
1-Bridged	1Khz Psweep	870 watts	8-ohms	0.1%
1-Bridged	1kHz Psweep	929 watts	8-ohms	1%
1-Bridged	1kHz Psweep	1,630 watts	4-ohms	0.1%
1-Bridged	1kHz Psweep	1,650 watts	4-ohms	1%
7	Dynamic PWR	220 watts	8-ohms	1%
2	Dynamic PWR	439 watts	4-ohms	1%
2-Bridged	Dynamic PWR	872 watts	8-ohms	1%

Trinnov Amplitude16 Power Measurement Table

FTC 2024 Amplifier Ruling Test
Per 16 CFR Part 432 , June 5, 2024, we subjected the Trinnov Amplitude16 to the 5-minute continuous power test with seven channels driven:

“At any power level from 250mW to the rated power at all frequencies within the rated power band of 20Hz to 20kHz without exceeding 1.0% total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD+N) at an impedance of 8 ohms.”

This caused the fans to kick in quite aggressively on the Amplitude16, but it held steady at its 200-watt power rating with seven channels driven at 1kHz. My load resistors were cooking during this process—it smelled like I was having a barbecue in my test lab.

The Amplitude16 did NOT shut down or go into fault protection. At the end of the test, I was still able to sweep seven channels driven from 20Hz to 20kHz at 200 watts per channel with no issues.

Bravo!

SNR & Crosstalk

 

Trinnov Amplitude16 SNR @ 1 Watt 

 

Trinnov Amplitude16 SNR Bridged @ 1 Watt

I always measure amplifiers at 1 watt so that apples-to-apples comparisons can be made between products with different maximum output capabilities. If you want to determine the SNR at rated power, you simply take the 1-watt measurement and apply:

where is the RMS voltage and is the load. I measured SNR values ranging from 92 to 99 dB at 1 watt, which is excellent. Though if we math back their 126dB SNR at full power (200 watts), we should be seeing closer to 103dB SNR (a-wt) at 1 watt. So, my measurements fall short about 3dB in this case but it's possible our test methodology differences can explain this small discrepancy. 

By comparison, the Marantz AMP 10 showed slightly lower numbers; however, keep in mind that the voltage gain differences—Amplitude16 at 16dB unbridged vs. AMP 10 at 22dB unbridged—mostly account for this. Both are exceedingly quiet amplifiers.

In bridged mode, the Amplitude16’s gain increases to 22dB. Consequently, the SNR at 1 watt drops accordingly due to the additional +6dB of voltage gain and exhibits slightly higher noise than we observed on the Marantz AMP 10 (23dB gain).

At 1W RMS (A-weighted) into 8Ω, the Trinnov Amplitude16 (16dB gain) measured 99dB SNR (~32µV output noise), while my reference StormAudio PA16mk2 (26dB gain) measured 88dB SNR (~113µV); however, because the Storm carries 10dB more gain, input-referred noise is very similar (~5.1µV vs. ~5.7µV), making the real-world difference largely academic in a properly gain-structured system.

 

Trinnov Amplitude16 CH-CH Crosstalk (1CH, Undriven) @ 100 watts

The channel-to-channel crosstalk of the Amplitude16 was excellent measuring at > 105dB at 1kHz and 80dB at 20kHz. When repeating the test with one channel undriven and the adjacent 6 channels driven, I measured -95dB at 1kHz and -75dB at 20kHz which again is excellent. I find anything > 60dB at 20kHz to be acceptable and the Amplitude16 easily beats that by 15-20dB.

Trinnov Amplitude16 vs the Competition

The Trinnov Amplitude16 produced impeccably strong bench test results in noise, distortion, and sheer output capability under extreme load conditions, whether multiple channels were driven or channel pairs were bridged into 8 or 4-ohm loads. Its low voltage gain structure (16dB unbridged) ensures very low noise but also limits compatibility with preamps that cannot deliver the 6.3Vrms required to reach full rated power. In such cases, the StormAudio PA16 is the better choice, with 26dB of gain requiring only 2Vrms to reach its full 200W/ch rating into 8 ohms.

I measured the StormAudio PA16 Mk2 and found it capable of similar power sweep and steady-state performance into 8 and 4-ohms, though it is not bridgeable. Its noise floor is similarly low, but distortion is slightly higher, as expected from the Pascal Class D modules used versus the newer ICE Edge modules in the Trinnov. Both amplifiers are load invariant which means they will sound consistently good regardless of speaker impedance. The latest StormAudio PA16 MK3 adds bridge capability for up to four channels and offers power supply capacity comparable to the Trinnov, though I have not yet tested it to verify its limits.

 

StormAudio PA16 MK3 (left) ; Marantz AMP 10 (right)

The Marantz AMP 10 exhibits very similar noise, distortion, and load invariant performance to the Trinnov Amplitude16, which is expected since both utilize ICE Edge amplification; however, the Marantz has roughly half the power supply capacity and therefore cannot deliver 4x rated power when bridged or sustain rated output with as many channels driven. The Marantz also costs about half as much as the Trinnov, so the performance differences align with pricing. However, it's worth noting that, out of the three amplifiers in this comparison, the Marantz wins on beauty and build quality and must be seen in person to fully appreciate the bling factor it represents.

Conclusion

All three 16-channel amplifiers are excellent choices depending on power requirements and preamp characteristics you will be mating them with. The Trinnov Amplitude16 remains the only 16-channel amplifier that allows all channels to be bridged for up to 4x its rated power into 8 ohms, effectively turning it into an 8-channel, 800 WPC powerhouse—provided sufficient wall current is available. As the bench results show, it’s truly a beast. Stay tuned for my subjective listening impressions and discussion of how well this amplifier does in both two-channel music and home theater applications when mated with the Trinnov Altitude 32 processor in the Audioholics RBH Sound 9.4.4 theater room system.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.