Esoteric Gives Its F-Series Integrated Amplifiers the Black Edition Treatment

Todd Anderson · 2026-10-01T08:14:35-0500

(October 1, 2026) Esoteric has never been shy about making its electronics look every bit as serious as they're designed to sound, and its latest limited edition release leans hard into that idea. Beginning this month, the company is offering special Black Edition versions of its F-01 and F-02 integrated amplifiers, along with the matching PS-01F external power supply. Each receives a meticulously finished black anodized exterior, with Esoteric saying the textures and surface treatments were specifically chosen to bring more depth and character to the finish. The result is a darker, more understated take on three components that were already built to make a statement.

Underneath that new exterior, the F-01 B and F-02 B remain deeply ambitious integrated amps, borrowing heavily from technologies developed for Esoteric's flagship Grandioso X Edition separates. Both use a fully balanced dual-mono preamplifier architecture with the company's Ultra Fidelity Attenuator System, proprietary ES-Link Analog connections, a dual-mono MM and MC phono stage, balanced headphone amplification, and three-band tone control. The F-01 B follows the Class A design philosophy of the Grandioso S1X, delivering 30 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 60 watts into 4 ohms, while the F-02 B draws on the higher-powered M1X platform, delivering 120 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 240 watts into 4 ohms. Both use a massive 940VA EI core transformer, a dual monaural power-supply architecture, and Grandioso-grade custom capacitors, all of which support Esoteric's insistence that these integrated amps are meant to play in territory normally occupied by the most serious of separates.

That theme of expansion carries over to the PS-01F B, which is probably the most wonderfully excessive part of the story. It's an outboard power supply dedicated entirely to the preamp section of the F-01 and F-02, isolating that circuitry from the main amplifier supply while increasing available capacitance. Inside sits a 200VA toroidal transformer and a rectifier section rated at 27,200 μF x 2, wrapped in a thick aluminum enclosure with Esoteric's pinpoint isolation feet and a semi-floating top plate. Adding an external power supply to an integrated amplifier might sound like it defeats the point of integration, but that's exactly the kind of contradiction Esoteric seems comfortable embracing when the goal is to squeeze out more performance.

The Black Edition models don't change the underlying formula so much as give it a more dramatic visual identity. Owners still get the expandability that makes the F Series flexible, including preamp outputs for adding an S-05XE power amplifier, adjustable gain, AV through operation for integration with a theater system, RS-232C and trigger control, and support for Esoteric's proprietary analog ecosystem. The limited F-01 B, F-02 B, and PS-01F B begin arriving in October 2026. Esoteric hasn't included pricing in the announcement.

Related Reading:

Esoteric Gives Its F-Series Integrated Amplifiers the Black Edition Treatment

Popular tags