Unleashed by ION Systems in what only now seems like the twinkling of an eye during the early 1990s, Richard Hay’s original amplifier concept stirred emotions in Hi-Fi freaks and music lovers alike. The Obelisk was something unabashedly different.

As Alec Issigonis set the automotive world on its head with his Mini in 1959 – a groundbreaking design with front wheel drive, transverse engine, sump gearbox, and phenomenal space efficiency –, so the half-width, shoebox-sized Obelisk challenged the status quo with its decidedly austere exterior, flexible upgrade possibilities, and controversial non-DC-coupled topology (by then, largely considered virtual heresy for any serious transistor-based amplifier).
But above all, it managed to render recorded music, well, disarmingly musical.

Like the metamorphosis of the classic Mini into the ’new MINI’ under the BMW banner with modern safety, emissions and manufacturing principles, so too we have resurrected the Obelisk – by applying advanced design solutions, utilizing superior-quality component parts, and meeting higher production standards.

Therefore, we take tremendous pride in presenting the Heed Audio Obelisk Si integrated amplifier, its supplementary Obelisk X-2 outboard power supply, and matching Obelisk PAS stereo power amplifier.

This very first 21st century Obelisk sports 5 line inputs, remote volume control, a beefed-up power supply, stand-by facility, and the ability to accept either optional phono stage or DAC modules.
And that’s not to mention an entirely re-imagined preamplifier section based upon, and yet newly refined from our innovative 2-box Luna preamp. But we have never lost sight of  the pivotal principles set forth by its classic predecessor;
the active involvement of Richard Hay throughout the entire development of the new Obelisk range has been indispensable.

Technically speaking, the Obelisk defies conventional measurement. Mere specifications can be wildly misleading here. Consider output power: the Si is conservatively rated at 35 watts per channel into 8 ohms. While this represents a humble enough watt/cost ratio, here 35 watts don’t exactly equal 35 watts, since the Obelisk’s non-DC-coupled design behaves rather more akin to valve amplifiers (roughly speaking, Richard Hay’s approach was sort of a “valve amp built with transistors”) of similar rating. With this kind of power on board, better valve amps are capable of astonishing dynamic authority, and we’re more than satisfied that the Obelisk Si adheres to this paradigm and then some.

The Obelisk X-2 power supply (in fact, a dual-mono power amp PSU) ups the ante to a full 50wpc (again, behaving more like so many valve-watts), while allowing the original on-board power supply to dedicate itself entirely to the preamp section. In other words, with the addition of this single device, the Obelisk Si evolves into a fully-fledged dual-mono pre/power combination!

Finally, the ultimate Obelisk experience along the Si’s upgrade path is realized by the addition of the Obelisk PAS stereo power amplifier in bi-amp configuration with compatible loudspeakers.

But perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of the Obelisk Si, in any configuration, lies in its inherent and exceptional musicality. With each listen, we are keenly reminded of how organic and life-like recorded music can be. But don’t buy
this story from us. Just read the verdict of one of the world’s most distinguished
music & Hi-Fi publications, Diapason (France):

„The Obelisk deftly negotiates dense passages with aplomb, yet is always accompanied by finesse and simplicity, indeed, consider the best tube amps. 
It is much closer to the "live" magic of a reference-quality 300B than it really has any right to. ...The Si’s dynamic range approximates the spontaneity we hear attending a live performance, evoking the very same impression. A genuine revelation at a price, after all, without competition.”

(And just two short months after this review was published, the Obelisk Si was named recipient of the coveted Diapason D’Or Award for 2008.)

For even a fleeting experience with the real world is better than thousand words in hi-fi, do try and meet the Obelisk wherever you can – trade shows, Heed Audio dealers, happy Obelisk owners.