Tube Power Amp Reviews

Conrad-Johnson Premier Five monoblock power amplifier

J. Gordon Holt Aug 30, 2009 First Published: Nov 30, 1985

Many audiophiles who have only recently subscribed to Stereophile will be surprised to find that those clunky, heat-producing, short-lived tubes that reigned up through the mid-'60s are still Executive Monarchs in the mid-'80s. Why, for Heaven's sake? Because, despite everything, people like them.

Tube Power Amp Reviews

Manley Labs 440 monoblock power amplifier

Jonathan Scull Jul 24, 2009 First Published: Dec 24, 1995

My reviews always begin in bizarre ways. Take David">http://www.stereophile.com/david_manley_tubes_logic_amp_audiophile_soun… Manley...please! (Just kidding.) On the last day of Winter CES 1995, I found myself towing a tuckered-out JA to a few final rooms. (This was just after the January '95 David Manley/Dick Olsher tube-rolling brouhaha, footnote 1, regarding who should do what to whom, and with which particular tube.) So as we passed Manley's room, John Atkinson thought to stick his head in (the noose) and say hello.

Tube Power Amp Reviews

Manley Laboratories 175 monoblock power amplifier

Dick Olsher Jun 30, 2009 First Published: Jan 30, 1995

Neither its rather pedestrian name nor Manley Labs' own literaturehttp://www.manleylabs.com/containerpages/100200.html">literature; gives much of a clue as to the 175 monoblock's special pedigree. Where are the bands, the fanfare?! After all, the rolling-out of a 6L6–based high-power audiophile-grade tube amplifier definitely qualifies in my book as a momentous occasion. Deplorably, such happenings are rare indeed; the 6L6 has been unjustly neglected in high-end circles.

Tube Power Amp Reviews

Hyperion HT-88 monoblock power amplifier

Art Dudley Jan 27, 2009 First Published: Jan 28, 2009

Remarkably, I set out to audition the Hyperion HT-88 amplifier ($2800/pair) over two years ago, only to be confounded by shipping errors, miscommunications, and, in the end, a stealthily defective tube. I almost gave up.

Tube Power Amp Reviews Audacious Audio

KR Enterprise VT8000 MK monoblock power amplifier

Michael Fremer Nov 03, 2008 First Published: Nov 03, 1999

Based in the Czech Republic, KR Enterprise is headed by an occasionally gruff Dr. Riccardo Kron and his American-born wife, Eunice, who operate the company out of a partially abandoned factory that was once part of the state-owned Tesla High Vacuum Technology facility in Prague. The Swiss-funded company is unique in that it manufactures both amplifiers and the tubes that power them. KR's tubes have found favor with other amplifier makers as well—especially the 300BXS, electrically identical to a standard">http://www.stereophile.com/features/229">standard 300B but rated at 25W in class-A.

Tube Power Amp Reviews

VTL 100W Compact monoblock power amplifier

John Atkinson Aug 01, 2008 First Published: Nov 01, 1988

The last time I was in England, I happened to be rummaging through some boxes in my mother's garage, boxes containing photographs, my old school books, concert programs, diaries, postcardsall the bric-a-brac you collect throughout your life that you'll never have a need for and can never discard. If anything, such rubbish is perhaps the nearest thing to roots that anyone can have these days. Among the boxes was an amplifier that had been an everyday companion of mine for many years, the vintage Vox AC100 I had used to amplify my Fender bass when on the road.

Tube Power Amp Reviews

VTL MB-450 Series II Signature monoblock power amplifier

Michael Fremer Jan 29, 2008 First Published: Jan 29, 2008

Stop me if you've heard this one: Back in the early 1990s, just after the fall of the Soviet Union, I debated professor of music engineering and magazine columnist Ken Pohlmann on a talk show on the CBS radio network. The subject was analog sound vs digital sound, but I guess when Pohlmann felt I was getting the upper hand, he felt he needed to play the tube card. Derisively, he said, "I bet you're one of those tube guys, too, aren't you?" Before I could open my mouth, he continued: "You know, the Soviet Union's military gear, including the MIG fighters, ran on tube electronics, and look what happened to them!"

The Fifth Element Tube Power Amp Reviews Integrated Amp Reviews

The Fifth Element #44

John Marks Oct 28, 2007 First Published: Oct 28, 2007

Ars-Sonum is a Spanish audio company that, as far as I can tell, makes only one product—but it's a doozy (footnote 1). The Filarmonía SE is a tube integrated amplifier that is, in many ways, an homage to Dynaco's iconic Stereo 70 power amplifier of 1959, but the Filarmonía is by no means a slavish copy. Get down to specifics, and it's actually more of a clean-sheet-of-paper design.

Tube Power Amp Reviews

Woodside MA50 Renaissance monoblock power amplifier

Larry Greenhill Aug 26, 2007 First Published: Jun 26, 1994

Brian Tucker, the US Quad importer, introduced me to the Woodside MA50 tube amplifiers and their manufacturer, John Widgery, during the 1992 Summer CES. Tucker's combination of Woodside MA50 tube amplifiers and Quad">http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/416">Quad ESL-63 USA Monitors sounded unusually neutral, dynamic, and detailed. This was good news; back in 1987, Dick Olsher (Vol.10 No.6, pp.104–5) was unable to recommend an earlier Woodside-manufactured amplifier, the Radford STA 25 Renaissance. Brian mentioned that the MA50's design is a much-improved version of that earlier Radford model. Time for another review.

Tube Power Amp Reviews

Audio Research Reference 110 power amplifier

Robert J. Reina Aug 18, 2007 First Published: Aug 18, 2007

When I attend Stereophile's annual Home Entertainment show, I rarely sit and listen to music for very long. Instead, I try to hit every room, press the flesh, find out about new products, and play a little jazz.