CES 2009

While I was basking in the sound of Richard Vandersteen's stunning new Model 7s ($45,000/pair), I asked about the tube amps he was using. "Those are Jim White's Atlases—and I think they're damn good." Richard never minces words, so a "damn good" from him is almost as high praise as a "doesn't suck too bad" from JA.

Ji, White gave me the skinny of his 200Wpc Atlas stereo amplifier ($800o). It can also be configured as a 300W monoblock ($13,000/pair). A hybrid design, it uses one 6SM7 voltage gain tube per channel with bipolar driver and output stages. There's zero global feedback. Two transformers and three chokes handle the power. And here's something completely different, the Atlas has a built-in high pass crossover: 6dB per octave, with 16 settings between 40Hz and 200Hz in 10Hz increments.

As to the sound, Richard Vandersteen had it exactly right. The world lost a pretty good hi-fi reviewer when that guy decided to make an honest living instead.