Alchemist Forseti APD15A Integrated Amplifier Upgrade

We were recently approached by Andrew Simpson from the hifi and music
review website ‘audiograde’ who’d seen the upgrade service we offer for the Alchemist Forsetti APD20A power amp. Andrew is a firm believer in preserving quality hifi for generations to come through good value improvements and as the owner of the integrated version, the Forsetti APD15A was very interested in what we could do to improve sound quality of this amp.

As the amplifier had already had some modification work, Andrew was particularly interested in just upgrading the internal wiring.






Almost any Hi-Fi component can be upgraded to higher performance using our techniques and components. The two things go together – the know-how and the right component. Over the last 30 years, we have developed our knowledge of where the biggest problems lie and how to overcome them to unleash better performance from a given piece of equipment.


Retailing for £900 back in 1990 (over £2000 in 2022 money!), the Forseti APD 15A was the brand’s top flight integrated at the time. Despite its moderate price for the era, it was clearly leaning into super-integrated territory thanks to its build and attention to detail.





A Class AB design, offering a claimed 100W into both channels (8ohms) its internals are true dual mono, with separate toroidal transformers feeding each side and individual circuit boards for its power, output and preamp stages.
Andrew only wanted to focus on the internal wire, so the component parts (capacitors, diodes, resistors etc..) were skipped but if you have this amplifier and would like a full upgrade, please let us know.

There is over 4m of internal wire inside. We used a combination of Kimber Hyper-pure VariStrand™ copper wire for signal and power - TCX, TCSS and PBJ




The amplifier is completely dissembled to gain access to all the connections.





For the power, we use Kimber TCX Hyper-pure VariStrand™ copper (a thicker, single wire version of the same specification that we use in our PowerKord’s) to connect from the power input section to the transformer and from the power amp to the speaker output.






For the signal wire, we've used Kimber PBJ wire - a tr-braid Hyper-pure VariStrand™ copper and the single strand version called TCSS. Where possible, we will always endevour to use woven cable because of its RF rejection properties. However, in small spaces it's simply not practical so Kimber produce the same cable but as a single wire.











For the speaker outputs, we've again used Kimber TCX due to its ability to effortlessly handle high signal current.
While discussing the various upgrades available, Andrew casually mentioned that the speaker terminals were very close together and there was sometimes a possibility of the speaker cable connectors touching the the adjacent terminal. Having invested in a 3D Printer last year for R&D, we decided to print some handy caps to stop this from happening.





If you don't have exactly the same model as listed above, but a very similar unit, then it's highly likely that the same or similar upgrades will apply. But we can't guarantee that until we have the unit here for inspection. Get in touch and let us know what you have.




Equipment upgrades are proving hugely popular. During peak times there may be a wait of several weeks before we can carry out the upgrade. So before we get your equipment here, it must be booked in so we can ensure a speedy turnaround of the upgrade. Once you have placed your order, we will contact you to arrange a suitable week and getting the equipment here.

In Person
For those of you who are local enough or if you fancy a trip to the lakes, you can drop off your equipment personally and then collect it when it’s complete or we can ship it back to you.

By Courier
We can arrange a courier collection of your equipment for an additional cost. We currently use UPS.
To make things easier, we can offer several collection options.

1. We can arrange a specific day for the courier to call and collect your equipment. Someone will need to be available all day at the collection address as we’re unable to arrange a time slot for collections.

2. Dropping off at a UPS Access Point. UPS use a network of local shops to deliver and collect parcels from and to. We can either post you a collection label or email you the label (you will need to print the label at home/work). Securely box up your equipment, affix the collection label to the outside of the box and take it to your preferred Access Point where you will be issued a receipt. UPS Access Points can be found here (link opens in a new window), simply enter your postcode to find your nearest one.

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Please note this is an upgrade modification, it does not include the Alchemist Forseti APD15A Intergrated Amplifier.




Read more about the review here