Amplifier War and Peace - An Hybrid Amp

Simon Brown rethinks what he needs as the amp that will be the centerpiece in his own audio system and perfects a previous design with a true hybrid design. As he writes, "This amp is a “hybrid” in many ways. There is the obvious way in which it uses both valves and MOSFETs. But it’s also a hybrid in its use of enriched Class A/B, which means it is running Class A up to a few watts. This is deliberate." Read the complete project now. This article was originally published in audioXpress, March 2007.

Magnatone announced a newly redesigned Lyric amplifier as part of the company's Studio Collection. Built in the tradition of the great modest amps of the '50s and '60s, the Studio Collection offers vintage American tones, with improved power and versatility for the modern player. The new Lyric offers fat, honest tone and responsive natural overdrive, with a new larger cabinet and custom-designed 12-inch speaker, the Lyric is as comfortable in the studio as it is on Stage.

Once in a while, British guitar amp specialists - increasingly turning also into a lifestyle brand - surprise the industry with some unusual products. We've seen Orange introducing headphones, the VT1000 valve/tube tester and even an automatic bias adjustment kit, the DIVO OV4. But now, Orange truly surprised us, with the introduction of its new Dual Discrete Op-Amp, which has been specifically designed for audio use. Orange simply says, "it is one of the most musically sounding of its kind on the market today."

audioXpress May 2017 is a very strong edition for all tube and audio electronics aficionados in general. This month we bring an exclusive R&D Story on the revival of the Dynaco brand and the development project of the new Dynaco ST-70 Series 3 stereo tube amplifier. Next up, we jump straight into the future of tubes, with an overview of the Korg Nutube 6P1. For hands-on experience, we feature great projects about Circlotron amplifiers, the Kismet 5 amplifier - 20th anniversary edition, and four gadgets for tube enthusiasts. In addition to the tube focus, you can read about the new ETAL Anaview ALA0080 Class-D module and the quality of streaming music with Sonos and Deezer.

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Hernon Manufacturing, a manufacturer of high-performance adhesives, sealants and the associated dispensing and curing equipment—has announced the release of a new product. The Autobonder 2512 replaces the 2511, a previous version of turntable dispenser, and now offers independently operating turntables and streamlined controls via a touchscreen Human Machine Interface (HMI).

The High End show is the world's foremost meeting place for the high-end audio industry, including emerging consumer audio technologies and personal audio. From 18 to 21 May 2017 the world’s biggest audio fair will open its doors at the MOC site in Munich. The High End is indisputably the number one international meeting point for audio enthusiasts and has been an institution for many years. This year will be the 36th edition in fact.

WW Speaker Cabinets introduced its new X21 subwoofer cabinet solution to the DIY market. The X21 is the first commercially available home audio DIY subwoofer cabinet designed for 21” drivers. X21 subwoofer cabinets are lock mitered allowing WW Speaker Cabinets to offer finished cabinets with a choice of veneers, stains and lacquer finishes as well as raw MDF. All X21 subwoofer cabinets are customized for specific individual driver models and performance data is provided for each driver.

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Here’s an amp project especially for first-time builders featuring the 6BQ5 tube. As Rick Spencer writes in its introduction, "In order for this beloved hobby of ours to thrive and survive well into the future, we must always strive to make it interesting to newcomers." With this in mind, Rick Spencer created this single-ended design using the 6BQ5/EL84 tube in triode mode. This article was originally published in audioXpress, October 2008.