Electrocompaniet has unveiled the EC 5 Stereo Reference Preamplifier, the Norwegian manufacturer’s first new reference-level preamplifier in a decade and the new flagship of its line-up. The Electrocompaniet EC 5 is designed to sit above the brand’s existing EC-series preamplifiers and to partner directly with Electrocompaniet’s own AW300M and AW800M reference power amplifiers, forming a full reference-class electronics stack.
Ten Years in the Making
Electrocompaniet describes its new flagship as “the ultimate expression of preamplifier purity,” the result of ten years of painstaking development. Rather than a routine update, the company positions it as a ground-up rethink of what a preamplifier’s signal path should look like, built around proprietary technologies while keeping Electrocompaniet’s familiar design language, including the brand’s signature acrylic front panel.
At the centre of the Electrocompaniet EC 5 is a newly developed volume control system that Electrocompaniet says took ten years to perfect. It uses pure electronic construction with no mechanical switches or relays anywhere in the signal path, maintaining a constant signal path length regardless of the volume setting. The result is 1000 adjustment steps at 0.1dB resolution across a range from -100dB to +20dB, giving vanishingly small tonal shifts as the volume wheel is turned.
Fully Discrete, Dual-Mono Class A
Behind that front panel, it runs a fully discrete, dual-mono Class A design from input to output, with no capacitors anywhere in the signal path. Two dedicated 80VA toroidal transformers and 15,000µF of storage capacitance per channel feed a high open-loop-bandwidth AmpliWire topology with low negative feedback, which Electrocompaniet says drives 600-ohm loads and long cable runs without strain. Every signal-handling transistor operates without voltage variation to keep distortion extremely low, and the output stage is switched using in-house electronic switches rather than mechanical relays.
Connectivity runs to four balanced and two single-ended inputs per channel, alongside dedicated tape and record loops, IR and 12V trigger inputs and outputs, and an Ethernet port for app control and firmware updates. Electrocompaniet quotes a 0.5Hz-450kHz frequency response and 0.0002% THD+N for the design, figures the company frames as proof that its electronics all but disappear, leaving only the music.
Design and Control
Visually, it keeps the brand’s acrylic front fascia but adds a 7-inch IPS colour display and a large ball-bearing volume wheel integrated directly into the acrylic. Inside, the chassis is split into separate shielded upper and lower compartments, with analogue circuitry kept apart from the power supply transformers and control electronics. Electrocompaniet ships it with an in-house-developed IR remote control and auto-selecting 115V/230V mains input, so the same unit works unmodified in either region.
Pricing and availability
The Electrocompaniet EC 5 became available from June 2026, priced at €21,999 in Europe, with UK pricing at roughly £18,500 and US pricing around $25,500 depending on retailer. It joins Electrocompaniet’s line-up alongside more affordable models such as the Electrocompaniet ECI 6DX integrated amplifier, and is available to audition through Electrocompaniet’s dealer network.
Key specifications
- Model: Electrocompaniet EC 5 Stereo Reference Preamplifier
- Topology: fully discrete, dual-mono, pure Class A, direct coupled
- Volume control: in-house electronic design, 1000 steps, 0.1dB resolution, -100dB to +20dB
- Frequency response: 0.5Hz-450kHz; THD+N: 0.0002%; SNR: 113dB
- Power supply: two 80VA toroidal transformers and 15,000µF capacitance per channel
- Inputs: 4x balanced, 2x single-ended per channel, plus tape loops, IR and 12V triggers, Ethernet
- Display: 7-inch IPS colour screen behind acrylic front panel
- Price: €21,999 (from June 2026); approx. £18,500 UK / $25,500 US
