Click photo for larger picture.
Above is the new Legend Audio
Triode 200 SE amplifier which uses the 833 A tube. The cool lookin' center meter
featured matching unit in the rear is the power supply while the slammatocious front unit
houses the 833 A output tube and it's electronics. Power output is claimed as 200
wpc @ 4ohms. The power supply uses two 866A for full wave rectification while a KT90
for driver duties and a 6SN7 for the differential amplifier input are the tube
complement
to the output tube. The power supply alone weighs in at 78 lbs. while the
amplification unit is 95 lbs. for a grand total of 173 lbs. per channel/monoblock set!
WOW, talk about your "heavy metal". Priced at $28,000 a stereo pair
this unit was being drool on by many from the trade and the press.
The all new Cary CAD 1610SE is another large output single-ended tube
goodie, though this time using the also new Western Electric 308B output tube driven by
the WE300B. This zero feedback design is capable of 65 wpc in Class A1 and up to 100
wpc Class A2. Availability should be around August 1998 and retailing at $37,500 a
monoblock pair.
Here's an exclusive very first look in the USA at the KR
Enterprise Model VT8000 MK amplifier. Does it use vacuum tubes? Does it use
solid-state output devices. Well, umm, yes, no, yes, kinda, you see it's like
this... It uses a very unique, patented by KR Enterprise s.r.o. Vacuum Transducer
which is capable of 150 wpc (monoblock). From what i understand, it's a solid-state
device under a high vacuum which can deliver a very large eleven amperes! There is
an output transformer utilized as well which, by the way, weighs in at 25 kilos (that's 55
lbs. to us Yanks). The output device itself weighs 7 kilos while the entire unit is
a whopping 65 kilos (which is a larger then a Mr. Simmons workout at 144 lbs.).
Since the input signal greatly effects the power output of this new device, there are four
input sensitivity selections which are .35v, 1v, 2v, and 5v. Appearing on the rear
of the unit is standard RCA inputs and also two pair of speaker outputs to facilitate
bi-wiring. Pricing is set at $30,000 for a pair of these monoblocks.
Shown in the KR Enterprise s.r.o. panorama are the VT8000 MK monoblocks,
Goldmund Mimesis 39 CD player, Goldmund VSR preamplifier Goldmund AC*Curator, and Venture
La Perfection speakers.
High-Performance Audio Reviews
