Quicksilver Horn Mono KT88 EL34 KT66 6560
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:7037694 |
I have to sell my beloved amplifiers.«One Of A Kind» Push-pull 2 monoblocks with extremely low-noise specially designed for Horn systems. Horns work most of the time in 0.1-1 watt range. You must have it clean."According to Sanders, the reason for push-pull amplifiers often not being at their best with horns is that they're normally optimized for the higher gain necessary to drive "standard" lower-sensitivity speakers, and the result with horns is too high a noise level."
Re...ad more at stereophile.com/tubepoweramps/581/index.html#ajuATbXWF7dY4RjA.99Come from a friend of Mike Sanders. (Quicksilver Audio owner/designer). These were hand built by Mike himself. These are the prototypes of the Horn Monos. They do share some similarities of course, but these are quite a different beast from the Horn Monos. Subsequently they have been upgraded and brought up to a higher level of performance.They are heavy. Aprox 35 – 40 pounds each. They are built on a Quicksilver chassis. The transformers are huge bigger than Horn Mono Trannies. Another incredible feature is that the trannies have 3 output taps. One each for 8 ohm, 4 ohm and 1 ohm. Yes, one ohm! I am using the 8 at present, so that's what is connected. Fused Power Supply.Here is what have been done:
Replaced signal caps from 'Quicksilver' branded, (sounded and looked like Hovland) with Multicap, this was just a big difference! Changed RCA's and Speaker posts to Top Line WBT. Replaced signal wire with Cardas pure (6 nines) silver run through pure teflon tubing. Installed 100uf Solen Film Cap as power supply bypass (big silver can in pic). Also replaced some generic electrolytics with Elna Cerafine, and ICW Clarity Caps.There have been tested aprox. 15 types of caps before finding the perfect caps. The same with wire and rca. Many hours of careful listening and tweaking on them. The hiss is extremely minimal i can not hear anything with my horns. You really do not notice that there is an amplifier.They are auto-bias, multi-tube use (kt88, kt66, 6550, el34, etc) aprox. 35 watts output.
Comes with EL34. On the pictures are shuguang treasures KT88. write me if you want them.
The driver tube is CBS 7247 made by Eico from 1960. Same as 12DW7. Same construction - gray plates, except one has "stirrup" D getter, the other has round getter.( one of the best you can find). I should have another pair.
The new power chord has brought some more details in the bass and the sound overall became a bit more delicate.
My first impression was when i heard them "the silver shines how they sound". Silver on the black background. They are extremely quiet.The bass is deep and powerful and very extended, not 'fat' or 'slow', but very realistic.The midrange is clear and quick, not overly lush, but full and rich and beautiful.Female jazz singers sound just delicious!! (Nora Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Billie Holiday...), every nuance is heard (smacking of lips, rolling of tongue etc...) I like most all music!Everything from rock and roll to symphony to small quartet is rendered superbly. The peaks of a symphony have no compression/sibilance etc, the amps are powerful for 2 tube push-pull.But more tellingly is their low level reproduction, nothing is lost, all is heard even at very low volume levels, a true test of fine amps.I've heard various Macintosh, Treshold, VAC, Conrad Johnson, avantgarde acoustics, voxativ 845. home-builds, and others I forget. A pair of $7000 V.A.C. amps (unknown model) were the closest match I'd sayYou get very serious sound at an entry price tag.
I switched to big powerful tubes (805). Would leave them for bi amping but need to finance the other upgrades.The asking price is what I have paid for them. It is more or less components price. It is low because it comes from the designer.
One of a kind...Legendary designer/builder...
Considering all what have been invested into them their value is 2500 usd.
You can get them for only 1150 usb. less then half)For further reading you can google stereophile review of them.
I will charge actual shipping cost.
Please ask everything in advance! I want you to be happy. No returns.
All my gear is for sale due to downsizing.
Re...ad more at stereophile.com/tubepoweramps/581/index.html#ajuATbXWF7dY4RjA.99Come from a friend of Mike Sanders. (Quicksilver Audio owner/designer). These were hand built by Mike himself. These are the prototypes of the Horn Monos. They do share some similarities of course, but these are quite a different beast from the Horn Monos. Subsequently they have been upgraded and brought up to a higher level of performance.They are heavy. Aprox 35 – 40 pounds each. They are built on a Quicksilver chassis. The transformers are huge bigger than Horn Mono Trannies. Another incredible feature is that the trannies have 3 output taps. One each for 8 ohm, 4 ohm and 1 ohm. Yes, one ohm! I am using the 8 at present, so that's what is connected. Fused Power Supply.Here is what have been done:
Replaced signal caps from 'Quicksilver' branded, (sounded and looked like Hovland) with Multicap, this was just a big difference! Changed RCA's and Speaker posts to Top Line WBT. Replaced signal wire with Cardas pure (6 nines) silver run through pure teflon tubing. Installed 100uf Solen Film Cap as power supply bypass (big silver can in pic). Also replaced some generic electrolytics with Elna Cerafine, and ICW Clarity Caps.There have been tested aprox. 15 types of caps before finding the perfect caps. The same with wire and rca. Many hours of careful listening and tweaking on them. The hiss is extremely minimal i can not hear anything with my horns. You really do not notice that there is an amplifier.They are auto-bias, multi-tube use (kt88, kt66, 6550, el34, etc) aprox. 35 watts output.
Comes with EL34. On the pictures are shuguang treasures KT88. write me if you want them.
The driver tube is CBS 7247 made by Eico from 1960. Same as 12DW7. Same construction - gray plates, except one has "stirrup" D getter, the other has round getter.( one of the best you can find). I should have another pair.
The new power chord has brought some more details in the bass and the sound overall became a bit more delicate.
My first impression was when i heard them "the silver shines how they sound". Silver on the black background. They are extremely quiet.The bass is deep and powerful and very extended, not 'fat' or 'slow', but very realistic.The midrange is clear and quick, not overly lush, but full and rich and beautiful.Female jazz singers sound just delicious!! (Nora Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Billie Holiday...), every nuance is heard (smacking of lips, rolling of tongue etc...) I like most all music!Everything from rock and roll to symphony to small quartet is rendered superbly. The peaks of a symphony have no compression/sibilance etc, the amps are powerful for 2 tube push-pull.But more tellingly is their low level reproduction, nothing is lost, all is heard even at very low volume levels, a true test of fine amps.I've heard various Macintosh, Treshold, VAC, Conrad Johnson, avantgarde acoustics, voxativ 845. home-builds, and others I forget. A pair of $7000 V.A.C. amps (unknown model) were the closest match I'd sayYou get very serious sound at an entry price tag.
I switched to big powerful tubes (805). Would leave them for bi amping but need to finance the other upgrades.The asking price is what I have paid for them. It is more or less components price. It is low because it comes from the designer.
One of a kind...Legendary designer/builder...
Considering all what have been invested into them their value is 2500 usd.
You can get them for only 1150 usb. less then half)For further reading you can google stereophile review of them.
I will charge actual shipping cost.
Please ask everything in advance! I want you to be happy. No returns.
All my gear is for sale due to downsizing.
