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LampizatOr 211 TRUE BALANCED Amplifier THE TWIN TOWERS

Description:

The TRUE BALANCED amplifier is the muscle amp of the tube world. Sometimes the Single Ended is described as the “best” against the inferior push pull. The apparent inferiority of PP amps is nor really a result of pulling and pushing but of the PHASE SPLITTER circuit that divides the signal into two artificial clones - positive and negative.

Our TRUE BALANCED  amp does away with the phase splitter and plays as SET both incoming signal phases (coming from a balanced source like one of our DACs) and amplifies these signals independently in their full intact glory. Only the phases are summed and merged in the output transformer.   I believe that this amplifier offers terrific value: surely it is not cheap, but it is the lowest price for which a decent amplifier can be built from parts that were not stolen, but actually purchased with an invoice. There are no miracles - if someone offers cheaper power amps of this class - he is either selling them under cost to get rid of them or using children slave labor in far away camps. Or simply the technology has too many compromises like underpowered transformers, underrated voltage specs, undersized caps.


I offer good price because the amps share half of their parts with the lampizator DAC - the front panel, the caps, sockets, small tubes, all input and driver circuits and supplies. (The amps have part count of 330 ! )


The amplifier employs only the most radically “kosher” circuit features like:

  1. • Single ended triode operation from input to output transformer

  2. • Pure Class A

  3. • Zero feedback, neither local nor global

  4. • Zero solid state parts in audio circuits

  5. • Unregulated and overspecified supplies

  6. • Separate transformers for each task (three in total per side)

  7. • Short signal path - from XLR to pot - 2 inches of silver wire, same  from pot to first tube, same from the first to the second tube and a hop across one capacitor to main tube without additional wiring.

  8. • Power tube bias current is monitored on analog needle meter

  9. • No need for triode matching as the bias is set manually.

  10. • There is a possibility to compensate aging drift on power tubes

  11. • Pre-heating operation mode for tube (and for electricity saving)

  12. • Pots can be bypassed completely by toggle switch for the “power amp” operation mode.

The amp is built around simple concept: to make it “as well made as sanely possible”. Without Gucci crazy stuff but otherwise - without compromise. 

So the power tube is the best I know of (except the insanely unavailable original WE211)

The power supply has oversized transformer, one separate transformer for every task - one for 211, one for small tubes and one for all heaters.

The small tubes have choke supply, and separate PSU for every half of the two triodes. The schematics is the best I know of.

The small tubes - again - have tube rectifier. 

211 have their own huge choke as well. 

Signal "path" wiring is super short - 4 inches in total per phase. 

All parts are very good, over-specified, used well under their limits and so on. 

Bias is adjustable by user.

And whats most important - the output transformer and power transformer  are of first class  - the famous OGONOWSKI type.

I decided to use very well tried schematics - 80 % is my Lampizator DAC scheme plus the power tube circuit .


The amp sounds VERY powerful, with strong bass, pure trebles, scary close mids, deep 3-d soundstage - all I wish for and more.

I hope there is nothing that can fail, even after 30 years of service.

The no-compromise monoblock power ampLIFIERS

Hand made, custom order, high end equipment with vacuum tubes.


After 5 years with our GM-70 supertriode monsters, having sold over 40 pairs we decided to add 211 TRUE BALANCED amplifier to the portfolio.

Not that 211 is a better triode than GM70, but it runs colder and we could squeeze two of them per mono-block. And 211appeals to those people who simply can’t stand having a Soviet product. Like many customers from the former Soviet Block including Poland. They would rather have “Polish Ongaku” than “Polish Soyuz”.

Its introduction will re-define the price point for owning the real deal 211 TRUE BALANCED mono amps that sound as good as 5 figure amps on the market at less than half price. We are aiming at people who would normally buy a push-pull KT80 amp, but from us they get not only monos instead of  stereo integrated, not only TRUE BALANCED instead of phase splitter but also the super cool super mean looks of the WE211 triode.

All our know how, experience, passion and resources went into this creation. Not to mention all our reputation at stakes.

The only reason I mentioned Ongaku here was the similarity of the triode, but there is nothing at all that I copied from Ongaku schematics. These amps have nothing in common except the triode itself.

We use PSVANE triodes from China (the Chinese best ones) which are reliable, and fantastic sounding. In comparison to GE NOS the Psvane sounds exactly equal. The user can purchase on ebay the NOS GE. I like 211 better than any 845 or 805 I heard.  Comparing the 211 to GM-70 they are about equal to copper GM70 variant.

As of May 1 2015 the 211 TRUE BALANCED is available as off-spring variant of the GM-70 monoblock amps from LampizatOr.


Specification of 211 TRUE BALANCED version:

  1. •Single Ended triode in mirror mode - TRUE BALANCED, mono block integrated amp (no need for a preamp)

  2. •dimensions WHD : 450 x 140 (250 with tubes) x 600 mm

  3. •weight: net 33 kg per each mono before packing (39,5 kg packed)

  4. •Gross shipping weight of a pair: 80 kg (190 lbs)

  5. •Power: 85 WPC, pure class A

  6. •Power consumption: 195 WPC on idle per channel,

  7. • 95 W on pre-heating (per each block)

  8. •Power Tubes: 211 triode

  9. •Driver: White config 5687 - NOS

  10. •Input tube Ecc808  - NOS

  11. •Rectifier tube 5R4WGB

  12. •Input impedance: 90 K x2

  13. •Output impedance (speakers recommended) 8 Ohm

  14. •Output transformer: OGONOWSKI / LampizatOr Push Pull 

  15. •High Voltage transformer: Ogonowski (using audio output transformer  core )

  16. •Biasing: manual (with exposed pot and meter)

  17. •Volume: Stepped input ladder switch (24 SMD resistor pairs)

  18. •Power transformers total capacity: 700 VA. 3 transformers in total

  19. •Rectification: two separate rectifiers for High Voltage- one for 900 V (silicon) and one for 400 V (5c3s tube)

  20. •Anode supply: 900 V DC

  21. •Available front colors: black or silver (top always silver)

  22. •Input topology: one XLR and no SE. SE input is not possible at all.

  23. •Biasing range: -30 to -140 V DC (covers all 211 types)

  24. •Mains transformers also covers now 110 V countries.


Packing: two independent double 5 ply cartons per each block (box in box) plus one box for all tubes)