Born to Drive: American-Made Balanced Audio Technology REX 500 Power Amplifier Delivers Reference-Grade Performance and 500Wpc Output

When it comes to energy storage, the dual-mono REX 500 power amplifier stands alone. Equipped with the largest SuperPak configuration of capacitors in BAT history — as well as an elegantly simple circuit that features only two gain blocks, zero global feedback, and purist symmetry that exclusively uses N-channel MOSFETs throughout — this solid-state component dares to rethink how power gets delivered. Clean, unimpeded, fast, and accurate, the American-made REX 500 is born to drive.

Fully differential from input to output, the 140-pound REX 500 outputs 500Wpc (1000Wpc into four ohms) and can be configured in stereo or mono mode. Fuseless protection, a two-stage signal path, and a high-current differential driver stage further complement a gorgeous industrial-inspired design that boasts a 3Hz to 250kHz bandwidth and 200V/uS slew rate. No matter the speaker, no matter the load, REX 500 rules the audio kingdom.

Equipped with independent channel assemblies and power transformers, as well as separate power cables for the left and right channels, REX 500 adheres to a purist approach that reproduces maximum soundstage width and depth and affords great insight into even the smallest nuance. The gain stages of REX 500 also feature the highest current delivery achieved in a Balanced Audio Technology design. To attain those high-current ratings, REX 500 employs a new power supply topology: the Push SuperPak. It allows the power supply to deliver significantly greater currents than are possible with a traditional design. The implementation of 16 third-generation silver foil/oil SuperPak capacitors in the power supply further works to turn REX 500 into a beast.

And yet it also touts the gracefulness of a ballerina. REX 500's signal path uses zero global feedback to achieve the goals of wide bandwidth and circuit linearity. The entire amplifier circuit in REX 500 consists of just two gain blocks. Such simplicity extends to its operation. REX 500 incorporates a protection circuit that eliminates the need to replace internal fuses. Many of us have dropped a needle on a record with the volume set too high or inadvertently shorted speaker leads when changing speaker cables. If you make a mistake, you can reset REX 500 by pressing a rear-panel button. That's it. The elimination of internal fuses also permits REX 500 to handle higher currents without impeding the circuit's operation.

Equally beneficial, REX 500 honors your investment by making the potential upgrade path a cinch. You can convert an existing REX 500 to a monoblock and then order a second REX 500 monoblock to match. The overall performance will only get better since the REX 500M current delivery gets doubled. That added current delivery makes the sound of the REX 500 monoblocks even more effortless — and more akin to that of a master tape.

Intrigued? Contact Music Direct today to arrange for a risk-free in-home audition of a solid-state power amplifier that stands to redefine the category.

“The BAT REX 500 walks that happy line between reticence and bombast, giving preference to neither and varnishing nothing. It doesn't insert its own drama, but it renders sound that's both dramatic and refined... The REX 500 has superb articulation and slam, zero glare, grip that could embarrass a bench vice, and as much truthfulness as the best power amplifiers I’ve heard. It’s good to be king."
—Rogier Van Bakel, Stereophile