The Pearl Acoustics 170, single ended, vacuum tube power amplifier - the story so far!
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- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2024
- After over a decade of trying, our first own design amplifier is built, but there's a problem! In this video I outline the story of its development and talk about the approach we took but also the dilemma we now find ourselves in! We include some sound clips of it playing and discuss our next steps! Enjoy.
Topics covered:
00:00 - Introduction
00:25 - Why our own amplifier?
02:07 - The design approach
05:53 - How I think it sounds (of course I am very biased)!
07:53 - Our big problem!
11:12 - Actual sound examples played through our amplifier and loudspeakers
Link to the Class A vs AB Pt 2 video: • Class A Vs AB amplifie...
Links to selected music:
Stef Kamil Carlens: Painted Glass: open.spotify.com/track/2GwMup...
Stef Kamil Carlens: Like a Rolling Stone cover on Spotify: open.spotify.com/track/6wPx4W...
Our intro & outro music ‘Philia’ by Stefan Meylaers: open.spotify.com/track/0w9qjK...
Chasing The Dragon Records (Clare Teal recording & Rimsky Korsakov) chasingthedragon.co.uk/
Links to us:
Pearl Acoustics website: pearlacoustics.com
Email us: enquiries@pearlacoustics.com
Social media links: / pearlacoustics / pearl.acoustics
Equipment used in this video:
Loudspeakers: Pearl Acoustics SG
Preamplifier: Topping Pre90
Amplifiers: Galion TS 120 SE, Decware Torri Mk V, Pearl Acoustics 170,
Turntable: Rega NAIA - Aphelion 2 MC and Rega Aria pre-amplifier
CD Player: Lyngdorf CD-2
Cables: Loudspeaker cables: Pearl Acoustics Neutral Balance
Interconnects: AudioQuest (various)
Listening Room acoustic panels: GIK 
Видеоклипы
“Nothing good comes easy.” I wish you success with your new amplifier!
Thank you! Very kind.
I ran a fairly small but quite succesful company in the UK for many years. One of my company mottos was
''I will turn you down before I let you down''
So as disappointing as it no doubt is, in the long term it is better to know now than to let paying customers down.
Good luck finding a manufacturing partner, I am sure it will be worth the wait.
Thank you, that's very wise indeed. Much appreciated.
I had the opportunity to stay with Eddie Miller (founder of Sherwood Audio) back in the early 70’s. He was a lovely cat who usually didn’t care for talking shop …. He loved gardening…
But one day over dinner he got real wide eyed and said sometime soon we would all have the potential to create our own tv stations and share information neighborhood to neighborhood….
And how right was he! Thanks for sharing this story.
Harley, So sorry to hear about your problems bringing this amp into commercial production. I attended your demo at the Bristol show and was very impressed with the sound of the 170 with the Sibelius. I wish you the very best of luck in finding a new manufacturing partner.
Thank you kindly. We are determined to find a way… the encouragement of others. Such as yourself… makes us ever more determined
Good luck with the amp production, it certainly sounds fantastic!
Thanks! very kind of you.
🙋♂️ HARLEY ,A GREAT PROBLEM TO HAVE … hopefully for everyone you will find someone soon🤗💚💚💚
Thanks!!!
Congratulations on getting to this point. I wish you good luck and speed in finding your dream partner for manufacturing.
Thank you very much. You're very kind. We'll try our best!
off the bat I would say the amp looks gorgeous
Oh that's very kind! I will make sure Ajay knows, he's the one behind the looks. ;-)
Thanks a lot for this video, as an engineer I build my own amps (tube & solid state). FIY I have found that Lundahl transformers in Sweden are absolutely lovely to work with, they delivered custom output transformers to my last build at no extra cost, good luck with the amp🙂
Thanks for your kind words and for the tip re transformers
Hi Harley. That’s a beautiful amplifier. I’m sure you will get this resolved soon enough and I look forward to hearing how this amp sounds sometime. I haas a valve amp since the 90’s but I recently swapped my Quad 34/405-2 amps for a Willsenton R8 and I am very pleased with the sound quality. Best of luck with the Pearl amp🎵🎶👊🏻
Thank you very much. I have never heard the R8 but I can very much believe that it is a wonderful piece of equipment. Enjoy!
Good luck with the development and production process. I'm sure you sort it out quickly.
Thank you, that's very kind!
It such a shame you are not getting them made, loved it when I heard it at the Bristol show,
Good luck to too and the team,
Hi, thanks for your kind words. Indeed, we see this as a temporary setback. It's our absolute intention to get this product to market 'as is', as soon as we can!
You will succeed in getting that amplifier into production. Keep on it. Lovely.
Thanks Mark, we’ll certainly do our absolute best!
More of your dream realized Harley, well done! The moment I stumbled across your company and heard your story, I just knew the Sibelius should have its own complimentary amplifier. I dont know the first thing about manufacturing logistics, though it would seem to me these amps will be low production numbers. Theres a way around this bugger, there must be! Not without a compromise of some sort on the way, but you can make this happen I know it! Would still love to take you up on that NYC area demo by the way, I should finally get the opportunity in coming months.
Hi, thanks for your very kind and supportive words. Feel free to reach out to us via our website and we'll see what we can do about the demo!
Congratulations on this sir!!
Thank you! Very kind. Unfortunately, it will have to be a little while before we can send you one ;-)
@@PearlAcoustics when the time comes I would be honored.
Hope you get your build situation figured out. Long amplifier build times is a good/bad thing. Bad if you want one. But on the good side, more and more people are after high-quality sound.
Thank you. Very kind. We'll do our best!
Congrats on the amp! Looks very modern and sleek and no blue LEDS, sorry Thomas and Stereo, lol
Very pleasing, smooth and musical sound. Not a massive soundstage, and bass was a little boomy to my ears, though also very powerful in the classical track. Of course this is just a recording on RUclips, so could be very different in reality. Having said that, I really like what I hear, very natural sounding, almost sounds solid state at times, without the exaggerated airiness of most tube systems.
Thank you! Indeed over RUclips things don't sound anywhere near reality. There is one blue LED (when it is switched off and plugged into the mains, on standby) there is a very faint blue LED underneath the amplifier that reflects onto the table top, just enough to attract the slightest attention. It goes off, when switched on! ;-)
@@PearlAcoustics I'm sure no one would mind a faint blue LED while on standby as an indicator, as long as it's off while listening, you're good to go LOL ;)
Really hope you find a manufacturer, all the best.
@@crtgamer2355 😂 thanks!!!🙏
A few good leads could be Trafomatic in Serbia, Fezz in Poland and Audes in Estonia - all three are experts at winding their own transformers and have excellent amplifiers of their own. I think Trafomatic has the highest finish quality of the 3.
Thanks very much sharing this very useful information.
Another classy gentlemen's production! Very unfortunate this hiccup in production, i hope you find a new company who can produce this interesting product of yours very soon. I sure would love to check it out and experience the sound. Tienen is not so far from where i live (near Maastricht)! Groetjes!
Thanks for your best wishes! Indeed Maastricht is ‘just down the road’ 😉
Hello Harley, a name that immediately came to my mind was FEZZ AUDIO from Poland, but I am sure you already check it out. Good luck!
Thanks very much for your kind hood wishes. And thanks too for the suggestion. We’ll add it to the list! 🙏
What is the approximate retail price for it? Given your speakers I love, I am certainly intrigued by your amp. Not quite putting a deposit down, but would like to follow up. Maybe send an opt-in marketing email to all your Sibelius customers? A bit more tech details would have been great, such as what are the other tubes, what is output impedance, how about tube biasing, warm up time, balanced vs. single ended, one or two speaker pairs, can it operate as a mono block, etc.
Hi, thanks for your comment and suggestion. Maybe it was a mistake on my part but I deliberately did not go into all the details because of the fact that we cannot yet deliver. However we do have nearly all of your points on our website www.pearlacoustics.com. It is only RCA (single ended) input, due to the nature of the amplifier's design. and the price is currently around 10KEUR including taxes. I have no idea where the price will end up. Hopefully it will be a bit lower. I hope this helps?
@@PearlAcoustics Thanks for that. Just looked at website. One critical metric is missing IMHO: output impedance. That is typically high in tube power amps and with frequency dependent impendance of speaker can lead to coloration. Also guestimated price of Euro 10K, I would not order it unheard. I took a gamble on the speakers, and it paid off, but at only about 1/3 of that. No critique, just some insight into potential customer psyche.
@@danielgeiger7739 Hi Daniel, thanks for your very valuable feedback. I will see an out adding more data to the website.
Indeed, with the amplifier, it is something that we expect most people to purchase only after hearing and seeing. We will try to get them into our listening rooms in the US and various locations around the world, but we need some more product first.
I would have loved it to have been a bit cheaper but we went for absolute quality in all its aspects and kept the margin as low as possible. Best wishes from Belgium
I am VERY interested in ordering one if ever you make it to production. Please be sure to advise when we can and if needed a good deposit is not an issue. I wish I could help you with production but unfortunately all I can do is let you know I am convinced this would be a successful and unique offer I'm sure many interested in either bi-amping or as an alternate power amp (NOT INTEGRATED! I have a pre!) this is great! Really hope this van be solved and the PA 170 makes it to full commercialization! Best of luck Harvey!
Thank you that's very kind. We are very confident that we will find a way because everyone who hears it feels that the team has achieved something very special. If you would like to reach out to us via email (enquiries@pearlacoustics.com) we'll certainly keep you in the loop and can even arrange a waiting list. No problem. Thanks again for your support and best wishes.
KORATO, Belgrade Serbia, could be a company that can deliver what you need
Thanks for the tip
I must admit it was your amp which I chose over the other two at first hearing. Even though I'm listening via a PC AIO, I could detect differences and prefered 170 to the rest. How big a mortgage am I looking at if I wanted one? Thanks from UK.
Thank you very much for your kind observation. Currently it's priced around 10KEUR including Belgian VAT at 21%.
Is adjustable gain a possibility? Looking to biamp my focal scala utopia speakers with a ss plinius amp for the low end. Need to try to match 32db gain on the plinius. Having trouble finding a tube amp match.
Variable gain is absolutely a possibility. I know it might sound daft but a preamplifier like the topping Pre 90 will allow that, without adding colour. Adding an attenuator to our amplifier is a consideration for us, but I wanted to keep noise as low as possible.
What is annual sales projection in your business plan? Perhaps it could be feasible to do amp production in house??? Could even do chassis fab in house too with a minimum of investment for tooling. There could even be tax advantages to this too. Outsource powder coating and do final asst in-house. Could even realize higher GP too. Just thinking out loud.
Thanks Robert, some good ideas here. Indeed our projected numbers make the kind of approach you suggest absolutely feasible. Thanks again, H
That is a shame but I’m sure you will get there.
Thanks. Very kind
It definitely sounds very beefy great valve amp
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
i know Canor Audio from slovakia has very good reputation for manufacturing hi-fi equipment for companies , maybe they can help you .
Thank you for the information. very kind.
It's a bit of a hobby horse of mine that despite all the contemporary focus on the environment and recycling nothing's made to last; from cars, to HiFi and all other electrical goods. Everything is considered disposable and has built-in obsolescence so when, for instance; your recently purchased £10 toaster fails all the chassis and workings go into landfill as it's a sealed, moulded unit with no serviceable parts inside. Back in the day a toaster might have cost twice or three times that but if (when!) the element failed it could be unscrewed, a new one fitted and you'd be set to go for another bunch of years. The latest pollutant horror is set to be electric cars and their sealed batteries which, again, seem to be set to go straight to the dump as when their batteries inevitably fail after half a dozen years or so the spares cost more (fiscally and ecologically!) than the residual value of the vehicle so the whole thing; body-shell, trim, suspension etc., most of which would still be perfectly serviceable, is wasted
Hi, I totally understand your frustration. Hence our design philosophy to buck the trend. Personally I don’t mind sealed units (prevents people from fiddling with them) as long as the sealed units are designed to work indefinitely, with no dependencies on very specific formats. For example, a Bluetooth loudspeaker could very well last a very long time, but when Bluetooth is no longer an available technology, many perfectly good units will have to be thrown away or put in museums!
Try EVA in Bexhill they make valve amps to high standard
Hi Thanks for the tip. Never heard of EVa, I will definitely reach out to them! Are we talking UK here?
Perhaps English Acoustics (who make the Stereo 20 type range) could help?
Thanks for the suggestion. Very kind.
Just curious, would the circuit be suitable for hand wiring?
It certainly is all hand soldered but not all point to point.
@@PearlAcoustics I wonder if the lower production volume associated with a premium exclusive product would suit being individually hand wired by a single person?
@@jasonsansome5579 indeed that could be done. But we need to have more than one r person able to do it, otherwise we run a big risk…
Where do you wish to place this product as far as price is concerned?
The price will always be a direct result of the costs to manufacture, + the return of our development investment costs over 8 years. We are aiming for the best quality components and construction - at the moment it was placed at 10KEUR including taxes of 21%. We'll have to see if that price goes up, or down.
Have you thought about icon audio in the UK? or what about Victory amps uk.
There is k r audio in the Czech, they make their own amplifiers best pre-ampplifier in the world but expensive. I would look at Poland as well there's some good amplifier manufacturers, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Slovenia, and Ukraine but don't know the conditions out there at the moment. I would look at Taiwan as well not just using one place to manufacture it can be cheaper for imports duty or and Singapore, for your Asian market. have a word with Sean from zero fidelity, this is his bed and butter he'd be able to put you in the right direction give you contacts. Hopefully you're not selling at some ridiculous price keep it below 2,000£
I didn't know KR Audio made amps. I use their 300b tubes in my Allnic amp, and they are excellent. Will need to check their amps out.
Thanks for all your suggestions. I will definitely reach out to Sean. Sorry to say, but this amplifier is very expensive because everything is bespoke. But, I would love to get the price down, as long as we do not impact quality and long-term reliability.
@@PearlAcoustics what's wrong with the two companies i suggested in the UK? especially Victory who build high quality guitar amplifiers and wine their own transformers? have you already approached them. What about selling it as a kit as well? you don't need to rely on manufacturing so much just sorting parts what one or two guys can do that. just sell it as a mat finish. I'm not a fan of the gloss block anyway and in my opinion the design is very bland. who makes a tubes ?
There's another company In Greece called lab 12 they make some lovely equipment and valve equipment
@@jedi-mic Hi, sorry, I think there has been a misunderstanding here. I forgot to thank you for your other suggestions as well…. I will definitely add them to my list first consideration. Thanks again!
In Poland, maybe Fezz audio and Feliks audio are worth a try ....
Thanks! much appreciated.
For me single ended designs are nice but a fad. To precis Dr Johnson ... its surprising that it is done at all!. A teenager back in the 1960s, who could not afford the cost of good quality push-pull transformers. I designed and built my own single ended valve amps. I used EL-84, EL-34, and 807. Admittedly I had efficient speakers. For me once the basic linearity was optimized I found that sound clarity is more affected by the speaker emf being reflected into the amps feedback loops. The amount of feedback used is a compromise between a more open sound vs distortion artifacts. Most sound quality issues with valves were resolved many years ago. So I am puzzled by the emergence of this retro movement.
Hi Bob thanks for your comment. I totally understand your puzzlement. However design and components quality and possibilities have changed dramatically since the 1960’s. For example we achieve linearity without feedback loops. Hopefully one day you can hear one. But I get your point. Maybe, it’s a bit like mountain climbing? Why do people do it, when the mountain has already been climbed? Because it’s still there?
Grab a coffee...
You may be accidentally the marketing genius, people always want what they can’t have.😂
:-) LOL! true, but it would be nice to give people what they want ;-)
Sorry Harley, please don't get me wrong but the price asked to a standard shape and case and unknown brand in this sort of gear is a little bit pushed to top end of an expected value, nowadays. This kind of single end amplifiers with small wattage, how they shall be, imply speakers with high sensitivities that are usually not cheap, raising a set to a level that is a little too high. Or you are working out at High End or Uber High End tier or at this middle high level you face a high risk of not having trading success at all even if this amplifier might be amazing as I believe it is. Good Luck
Hi, thanks very much for your candid remarks. I agree, often single ended designs struggle with inefficient loudspeakers. So we deliberately designed our amplifier to overcome this. We have tested it at customer locations with very inefficient loudspeakers, 84db and it drives them just fine. As for the price, I would love it to be cheaper, however the price will eventually be whatever the manufacturing costs + packaging and distribution will be, while maintaining the utmost quality. Then we’ll add a sufficient mark up to recoup our investment costs over a period of five years, plus just enough profit to maintain the business and to donate a sensible amount of money each year to the music charity we support.
Only time will tell if we succeed. Best wishes H.
Perhaps reach out to Sean of Zero Fidelity?
Thanks for the suggestion indeed.
Please a comparison to the Galion TS120SE that you loved so much.
10:10 minutes into the video!
Hi Lars, as mentioned, good news! we launched a video today doing just that, comparing the Pearl Acoustics 170 to the Galion TS120 SE and the Decware Torri MkV. I put a link in the video but its called Class A vs AB Pt2. Enjoy.
Got to the bit at the end where we finally can hear it.
We put in chapters too, so you can just jump ahead 😉
Would be nice if you didn’t have to go to China for production. A European solution would be preferable for a high end product which this is.
Thanks for your input on the topic. Nothing against China, but I would love to have production nearby, here in mainland Europe. It's just so much easier if one can pop down to the factory in less than an hour. Plus its easier to build relationships this way. Let's see where this new road leads us. Thanks again.
I totally disagree……, as far as my learnings have taught me, the Chinese and Germans are amongst the most technologically advanced cultures out there, but in my mind when it comes to tube amplification, the Japanese designs far eclipse anything I’ve heard since 1978, period.
@@NosTubes58Trye, but nothing is set in stone. There was definitely a time in Japan when this wasn’t the case.
Primaluna is designed in netherlands and manufactured in china. China makes their own well made and highly rated by hifi reviewers tube amps wilstenton, line magnetic, cayin
@@NosTubes58 thanks for sharing your experience. Of course, in our case it’s manufacturing we need and not design. But thanks for joining in the debate. We’ll see where life takes us.
English acoustics, Icon audio?
Indeed… thanks. 🙏
Who’s the Manufacturer that got too busy?
I'm sure the amplifier will be as good as the speakers in every way. I know you live overseas but to me this is a BRITSH product (going back to Brunel) that needs that BRITSH mark on it. I can see the world changing to almost victorian era where Britain was a manufacturer. I'm sure a British manufacturer will pick this up and run to production or should I say - I hope a British company will..... Good luck anyway. British Hi-Fi used to be some of the best..let's re-start that please.
Hi Darren, well that was certainly our intention, despite the big added challenges of Brexit. Time will tell. Thanks for your support
Bob Carver perhaps?
Thanks! He’s a very well known designer / engineer. To be honest, what we need now is purely a production facility.
@@PearlAcoustics You’re correct. He likely outsources his manufacturing. Another thought is ASE in Korea or possibly Foxconn in China. Both are very well-known for their high-quality mass production support of semiconductor manufacturing and assembly. Perhaps they have the type of assembly lines and tooling needed for amplifier manufacturing. Good luck!
@@motuknight5569 thank you kindly…
So does it have to be manufactured in Europe? What is the price point you are shooting for? The Chinese are capable of making good stuff, like the Galion. Or do you think that would create a stigma for your brand in some people's minds?
Thank you so much for your supportive comment and interest in the situation.
To answer your question. Perhaps unusually, we are not looking at any particular price point. It will be what ever the manufacturing costs + packaging and distribution will be, while maintaining the utmost quality. Then we’ll add a sufficient mark up to recoup our investment costs over a period of five years, plus just enough profit to maintain the business and then to donate a sensible amount to the music charity we support. Indeed. China is a very big option due to its ability to produce high quality at low prices, especially in the volume market. Which today we are not in. However, China is a long way away and it would be nice if one could get in a car and drive less than an hour or two to the factory. We’re looking at all options, right now. Thanks again!
@@PearlAcoustics
I imagine one would have to take into consideration the mounting animosity between China and the West. I'm also wondering about the continued availability of vacuum tubes in the future from China and Russia with all of the madness going on. Anyway good luck on your endeavor because it looks like a very desirable amp.
@@chrislj2890 thank you kindly, Chris. Challenging political times indeed.
I love the concept of someday handing something to my kin, but honestly things are so dynamic that I a.m not sure my kids will have interest in this hobby.
Indeed. I am lucky enough to have children who would definitely be interested ;-)
Harley….what a b**mer! You could tool up for in house production, but why re-invent the wheel when there are so many other manufacturers,not only in the uk but Europe as well plus Asia. Imported goods to the uk because of the brexit fiasco adds extra costs also.
When you look closely at car and motorcycle manufacturers, their products are different but quite often use similar sources for components each to their own specifications. To be fair, I have been considering making my own valve amplifier and most designs I have seen are not too scary so maybe in-house assembly is a good option? Providing support for x amount of years is also a consideration to consider. Personally I prefer the look and style of the Leben amps which might be more wife friendly!! I wish you all the best, you will find the best solution no doubt.
Thank you very much for your kind comment and suggestions. We too are confident that we will find a good solution. 🤞
how much $$$ - and is this another class D ?
Why the hell can the UK and USA not manufacture anything.
Thanks for your comment, indeed I share your frustration. In a way, the UK can, the firm we chose were just too busy, and didn’t want to expand. In the US you have some amazing micro companies. The danger comes from scaling up it seems.
Amp looks great, but I fear this is just another tube amp that is backbreakingly heavy, I wish that nowadays they could develop amps that weren't so heavy.
Plan on taking it with you for a walk?
@@andresjacobsen4551 are you making jokes about disabled people?
@@goodsound4756 Sound quality weighs.. and yes nowadays there is something that is not heavy it's called class D solid state amplifiers. Why are you talking about disabled people??
Hi Thanks for your kind appreciation. Unfortunately it is very heavy (+/-30Kg). It's got massive transformers and is built onto a steel chassis. For lightweight options - class D is a very good option ;-)
@@PearlAcoustics i refrain from Class D. However there are output transformerless (OTL) tube amps, that safe on weight.