Unpacking the 2800E reveals an unusual looking power amplifier. The amplifier is finished in either a chrome plate or bright dip finish. Small portions of the heatsink are visible on either side and the top cover wraps around the sides of the unit with two cutaway sections for the heatsink. It also has a Plexiglas window allowing a small portion of the printed circuit board to be seen. Centrally located is a fan that provides forced air-cooling. The 2800E is physically quite large, measuring approximately 12.75" (width) x 15" (length) x 2" (height). It is not heavy for its size, probably a function of having a fan to aid in the cooling process, and all of the input and output connections are located on one end of the unit. There are hefty connectors for both loudspeakers, and the power inputs, which appear to be gold-plated. Other controls and connectors include RCA left and right inputs, gain adjust, low pass and high pass frequency controls and a switchable bass boost feature. Included together with the amplifier is an owner's manual that adequately describes how the unit works. Also included are four mounting screws along with two Allen wrenches.
The 2800E is a two channel stereo amplifier that is rated at 2 x 200W, although there is no mention at what load impedance or DC input voltage. The internal crossover is selectable as high pass, low pass or full range mode. High pass is adjustable from 120 Hz to 750 Hz; low pass from 30 Hz to 120 Hz; but there is no mention of the order of the filters, i.e. the slope. The manual also states that the power supply is regulated. Two 30A fuses provide protection. Internal protection includes over current and thermal.
Popping out the retaining screws allows the top to be removed exposing the electronics. Internally the 2800E is as unusual as the outside. The fan and heatsink modules occupy about one half of the internal space. The remaining half contains actual electronics. The 2800E is essentially split into two distinct sections along its length. The right side containing power supply circuitry, and the left side and front center section the audio circuitry. The input to the power supply has some filtering in the form of a choke and capacitor as well as reverse polarity protection in the form of diodes. Without dismantling the amplifier the choice and number of power supply switching devices cannot be determined. The power transformer is well-sized and neatly wound. The PCB appears to be gold-plated copper with a clear solder mask. On the audio side of the board you can see that the layout was accomplished neatly with a fair amount of attention to detail. Again because of the physical construction the number and choice of the output transistors cannot be determined. There are only two short flying wires used that are not conducting power or audio signals. Good use of copper buss bars is made where necessary. On the power supply side there is 6600uF of input capacitance and for the audio sections there is a total of 13200uF of reservoir capacitance. There is one vertically aligned daughter board that carries the power supply controller and associated circuitry. While the fan is relatively large, 80 x 80 x 25 mm, it is unclear how effective it can be since it draws air in from the top of the unit and exhausts straight to the bottom of the case. There appears to be little in the way of airflow management, where there would be some means of ensuring that the cool air actually flows over the heatsink fins. Overall the internal design of the 2800E is fairly well done, showing the use of decent quality components and layout technique.