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Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Source: Zanden Audio Model 2000P/5000S; Ancient Audio Lektor Prime; Raysonic CD-128; AMR CD-77 [on review]
Preamp/Integrated: Supratek Cabernet Dual; Wyetech Labs Jade; ModWright SWL 9.0SE; Bel Canto PRe3
Amp: 2 x Audiosector Patek SE; First Watt F3; Yamamoto A-08s
Speakers: Zu Audio Definition Pro with Gallo Ref 3 SA bass amp/crossover/EQ; Mark & Daniel Ruby with
OmniHarmonizer; WLM Diva Monitor with Duo 12 passive subwoofer, Alto bass amp, Pre/Passive and Bass Controls;
Gallo Acoustics Ref 3.1; DeVore Fidelity Nines [on review]; Mark & Daniel Maximus Monitor [on review]
Cables: Crystal Cable Ultra loom; Zanden Audio proprietary I²S cable; Crystal Cable Reference power cords; double
cryo'd Acrolink with Furutech UK plug between wall and transformer
Stands: 2 x Grand Prix Audio Monaco Modular 4-tier
Powerline conditioning: 2 x Walker Audio Velocitor S fed from custom 117V AudioSector 1.5KV Plitron step-down
transformer with balanced power output option; Furutech RTP-6 on 230V line
Sundry accessories: GPA Formula Carbon/Kevlar shelf for transport; GPA Apex footers underneath stand, DAC and
amp; Walker Audio Extreme SST on all connections; Walker Audio Vivid CD cleaner; Walker Audio Reference HDLs;
Furutech RD-2 CD demagnetizer; Nanotech Nespa Pro
Room size: 16' w x 21' d x 9' h in short-wall setup, with openly adjoining 15' x 35' living room
Review Component Retail: ¥260,000 in Japan [rather more in EU to offset shipping, import tax and 20%VAT]
Realsization. It's a very easy concept. It proclaims that downscaling expenditure and complexity in audio needn't be a
compromise at all. In fact, downsizing can save and revitalize a hobby which usually goes madder and madder the longer
one pursues it. My take on audio realsization is simple: a pair of highly sensitive speakers to reduce power demands on
the amplifier; a mid-power tube integrated of superior sonics; and a single-box CD player, all from the high-performance
value sector. The sequence of listed ingredients is no coincidence either. Your room size, listening levels and personal
taste determine the appropriate speaker which then determines the necessary amplifier. This speaker/amp interface is
joined at the hip like Siamese twins. As such, it should be planned accordingly to not require painful separation later. In
that regard, the source is uncritical. It doesn't really drive anything. In general and all else being equal, simple amplifiers
sound better than complicated ones. The primary reason why amplifiers grow more and more complex is more and more
power. Focusing on 95dB+ speakers renders 20-watt amplifiers more than sufficient. Such power can be generated from
a single output device per channel or a single pair in a push/pull circuit. This now opens the door to affordable valve
amps.
For a mid-power tube integrated of superior sonics, think Almarro today. This Japanese brand has gained an enviable
underground following for delivering very musical products for relatively little money. Their demure A205AII EL84
integrated has become quite legendary. While certain mods are rumored to make it better yet (don't they always), the
$800 stock machine is quite the sensation for its asking price. It's also a perennial darling with the high-efficiency low
budget crowd. When WLM's principal Hannes Frick volunteered in an e-mail aside how insanely good Almarro's A318B
was on their speakers -- I own WLM's entry-level Diva Monitor and their Grand Viola Signature II top model was soon to
be enroute for review -- I naturally took note. Yoshihiro Muramatsu in Japan too agreed on the copasetic match between
the Austrian speakers and his amps. Apparently both companies share a growing number of dealers. Since realsization
relies heavily on synergy to come off, here was a chance to perhaps recommend a complete system without putting a
number of manufacturers through gyrations. After all, audio synergy is far from a science. It's often dumb and belated luck
at the bitter end of plenty of wasted funds. It often comes with loads of frustration and a growing urge to just chuck one's
ambitions for an affordable yet magical hifi in favor of a less confounding, more instantly rewarding hobby.
On the wooden face of it, Muramatsu-San's A318B is a humble though well-crafted affair. A number of available wood
choices (White Ash, Cherry, matte black) surround the plain metal casing from all four sides. Two simple controls select
from three inputs and adjust volume. The transformers sport plain black end caps but are otherwise nude and in plain
sight. The tube complement is similarly spartan: one 6SL7 on the input, one 6SN7 as second-stage cathode follower, one
pair of Soviet 6C33C output triodes. But the amp weighs 43 lbs and only costs ¥260,000. That's surely a high-value
proposition. Stripped of non-essentials like remote control and an inbuilt bias meter -- the top-mounted bias pots want to
see .20 volts on your own multi meter -- your money has been allocated to what matters. Call it the sound-producing stuff.
With a valved single-ended and thus by definition class A circuit, that stuff is most often synonymous with the quality of
the output transformers. And the A318B sports some big ones. Those, as we shall see, are just one reason for the amp's
"B" designation - they are heftier and of wider bandwidth to improve drive and LF performance over the A318A in
particular (by about 50% at 50Hz). Unless you open the amp up, you won't even realize that the middle transformer isn't
the power transformer at all but 'just' a butch power supply choke. The mains transformer is inside and positively huge for
its rated power application. Such real-world practicality also includes a fixed feedback of 5.4dB to lower output impedance
for better damping. Max power is 18 watts, right in the ball park of our opening gambit. And talking about ball, Hannes
Frick of WLM promised that it wouldn't take a crystal one to notice how this amp was equipped with two stout stones of
polished brass. And one of the most refined treble ranges on his books. In fact, he'd gone gaga driving his newly minted
€13,100 Grand Viola Signature MkII from the A318B in purely passive mode, forgetting (more than momentarily it seems)
his firm's mantra that only active drive unleashes full potential.
Various Almarro user feedback intimated the same, how the modestly spec'd A318B was endowed with size-defying
bass. Even its warranty is 5 years and thus right between the eyes. It suggests a kind of bully confidence of a
manufacturer in his product which many overpriced finicky SETs sorely lack. Did I mention that Muramatsu-San is
presently working on related monos that will use 6N1P-based balanced input and driver circuits and run a pair of 6C33Cs
in class A push-pull? That tip-off too came by way of Hannes Frick again. He was keen on acquiring such a set of 40watters to strap to the twin 10-inch woofers of his personal Grand Violas. His A318B would be restricted then to the Super
PAC tweeters. The "ultimate setup" he calls it. I found it rather instructive that a highly credible speaker manufacturer
didn't think twice about gushing with unrestrained enthusiasm about running his flagship speaker fullrange with an 'entrylevel' integrated. He in fact suggested I request this Almarro amp for review. He'd be assured that I heard his speakers
exactly as he did. If I was equally smitten by the combo, I could even recommend a very counter-intuitive pairing, one that
would steal a ton of cash from someone's amp budget to apply it towards his expensive speaker boxes instead. Needless
to say, the A318B will feature in the Grand Viola review. I love overachieving budget wonders.
Because Almarro outfits its amp with NOS glass, cognoscenti will immediately acknowledge that despite its affordable
sticker, this must be a serious machine. When you combine build quality, heft and details like the gain trim (useful for
high-sensitivity speakers) with the specially selected "designer" versions of tube types not only still in current production
but offering varied choices... well, one could use the Almarro as major court exhibit if one were inclined to indict grossly
inflated pricing elsewhere that tries to justify itself in the name of progress and necessity. After all, it's not as though
Japan where the A318A is built were a land of cheap labor. Far from it.
Perhaps we should call Muramatsu-San the Japanese Mark O'Brien and Rogue Audio the American Almarro. Both
brands and its designers show how to compete against China's cheap labor advantage without grovelling or apologies.
They simply man up and strap it on. From the Seven Samurai to The Magnificent Seven perhaps?
The industrial-strength triple-nipple 6C33C is possibly best-known from BAT's launch of their first Circlotron amp and
Vladimir Lamm's ultra-expensive monos. This rugged military valve also routinely appears in OTLs due to its low output
impedance and high current. In a transformer-coupled single-ended tube amp, the impedance matching occurs with a
transformer of course. Still, it helps to start out with an output device that requires less matching than most of the popular
triodes. The oft-criticized bass performance of zero feedback SETs ties directly to their highish output impedances and
low current. It's a fair question then why the 6C33C hasn't found more favor in such applications. Besides the obvious
direct-heated sorts -- 300Bs, 45s, 2A3s -- and the transmitter types -- 845s and 211s -- one is used to even seeing triodestrapped pentodes like KT88s and EL34s. Why then do these Soviet fighter-plane bottles still make for rare sightings in
SETs outside of the 20-watt single-ended Lamm ML2.1, the 45-watt parallel single-ended Audio Mirror monos, Ayon
Audio's 22wpc integrated stereo Spark and 40-watt mono Thor amps or Joule Electra's StarGate? I didn't expect
Muramatsu-San to answer generalities but I was curious what had informed his choice.
"The 6C33C is a high transconductance tube where transconductance is the ratio of the current at the output and the
voltage at the input written as gm. The graphs below show the output characteristics of two tube types. Compared to the
6C33C of graph 1, the 300B in graph 2 yields lower current and higher voltage output instead. This means that the
6C33C has a higher gm than a 300B. Additionally, the 6C33C's internal resistance is very low, allowing for OTL
topologies that connect the 6C33C directly to a speaker input where we need low voltage and high current unlike
standard tubes which are designed as high-voltage, low-current devices.
"So, the 6C33C is a high transconductance, indirectly heated triode with massive current capability and low internal
resistance. It is not for ultra-high frequency use but fast enough for audio power amps. The 6C33C is electrically unstable
because of its narrow gaps between the electrodes, making it challenging to use. Still, this triode has many very favorable
features that, in the right hands, make it highly attractive.
"The A318A is a cathode-coupled zero NFB amplifier. The A318B on the other hand is a plate-follower NFB amplifier.
They are different. The 6SN7 driver tube is suitable for both cathode-follower and plate-follower circuits. If we change an
A318A into a plate-follower, pure zero NFB amplifier, it will make for rather harsh highs because of the indirectly heated
6C33C's character. Another challenge is back EMF from the loudspeaker that causes feedback distortion and muddies
the bass due to compromised damping factor. Because of this, a 6C33C SET plate-follower amp must use feedback.
Applied correctly, it is then that the 6C33C offers us a powerful but pure single-ended sound. For the purpose of obtaining
low-distortion feedback without speaker kick-back interactions, the A318B uses a higher 16-ohm output that remains
disconnected from the speaker load. Then this amplifier becomes an indirect-NFB circuit which minimizes the edgy sound
so typical of negative feedback. Instead, the A318B uses cathode-feedback direct-coupled to the output transformer for
absorbing back EMF. The 6C33C's massive current capabilities suit this purpose just fine.
"Also, the A318B uses a fast-transient oversized power transformer for a SET amplifier. Normally, the power transformer
of a single-ended amplifier operates as a stable source. For the A318B, we need power headroom to deal with speaker
back EMF. The choke coils work for the LF power supply while the power capacitors handle the high-frequency
transients. The monkey graph above shows a SET's conceptual operation into a loudspeaker. The damping factor of our
A318B is around 8 across the bandwidth. This makes for a good combination with high-sensitivity speakers that use
underhung voice coils which need a strong current supply for the short and fast strokes. Overhung voice-coil equipped
speakers may need still higher damping for their longer excursions during dynamic peaks. With the advent of Neodymium
motors and modern recording conventions, damping factors above 6 or 7 are often necessary with many of today's
speakers. Regardless, we still love to design direct-heated SETs and some of those will be our next target. In the end, it
is a matter of combination and choice, with the most difficult but intriguing aspect the one of system integration. Amplifiers
are just one component of any hifi system and must be properly matched. That's why we'll also have the 40-watt class A
monos.
"At 230mA of bias, power output for the stereo amp is 18 watts, input sensitivity 450mV at 1kHz and gain 21.4dB. At
180mA, power output is down to 15 watts, input sensitivity to 420mV and gain to 19.9dB. Total harmonic distortion is
0.3% at 5 watts, 0.6% at 10 watts, 0.8% at 15 watts and 2.5% at 18.5 watts. Power consumption is 240 watts. Credit for
discovering the inbuilt synergy between our amp and WLM speakers goes to our Singapore distributor Victor at Aural
Design who always assists as during the beta-testing stages."
WLM's Hannes Frick meanwhile had forwarded some feedback from owners of this actual combination, some of whom
had to sell off well-known American amps he'd sold them previously but weren't complaining. "The mid/treble bands are
sensational. Except for the top-class mbl chain which is a completely different discussion, I have never heard this kind of
vocal reproduction
this combination produces. Really very very impressive." Another one who owns various speakers besides WLMs said:
"I had to scale down the bias to 0.17V because the amp played too loud on my high-efficiency speakers. Otherwise, this
machine hits all my hot buttons - uncomplicated to operate, superb mids, beautiful decays, instruments are corporeal, not
disembodied, voices are utterly believable, acoustic instruments reveal their wood. The sound gives you time to dive into
the music without being slow. Yes, that's how it's supposed to be." Another one included a telling aside: "The Almarro is
simply more musical, something concertgoers who visited and compared confirmed. Surprisingly, it also drives my
neighbor's old B&W 801s far more persuasively than his insanely expensive Nagras. Ergo, music clearly does not equal
ultrafi."
Should one think the A318B a poor man's baby Lamm? Unless one actually compared, the mere suggestion is wildly
irresponsible of course. Relevant however is perhaps the fact that of all the potential valve options on the market, Vladimir
Lamm picked the 6C33C to make his brand. If there's truth in the assumption that well-implemented tube amps of the
same basic class A single-ended topology sharing the same output tube also share a recognizable sonic flavor, then
those out of reach of a Lamm might take comfort that at less than 1/10th its price, the Almarro could give a diluted
facsimile of that very flavor.
Another popular assumption says that the workspace of a man reflects much about his spirit and approach to things. In
an e-mail exchange with Yoshi-San, I commented on how the exposed joinery splines on the A318B's face reminded me
of the famous Japanese wood joinery where entire temples were erected without a single metal screw or bolt. He sent
this photo with the following comments:
"I remembered a Japanese craftsman who was making perfect joiners with just chisels. This house at the edge of a
mountain field, on very low-cost land, is humble but exposes thick and strong structures of itself. I built this kind of house
for our family business for decades, just not anymore because this style is no longer popular here. I found out that the
same kind of farmer's houses exist in Europe, Korea and China. The materials are all natural but not expensive and handworked by Japanese carpenters. This used to be for poor farmers only. Now it's called character."
This brief comment reveals Almarro's core focus and reflects in its cosmetics and pricing. Yoshi-San favors the simple but
strong. Though he is constantly told that his wares could sell for a lot more if he dressed them up -- after all, the
performance is already more expensive than what he asks for it -- he demurs while acknowledging that particularly in
America, this costs him sales. So be it. Even his CAD program is a cheap $350 affair. "It's a bit rough" he quips but it
does the job and that's his focus. Character, not excess. "We hope we can be a good audio brand for beginners."
While such humility is laudatory, it is also very deceiving. Sonically, there's nothing beginner about the A318B. About the
only mistake a beginner could make is, with a huge grin, to assume that if $1,850 buys this, then what could $5,000 or
more buy you elsewhere... only to learn the hard way that more money and bliss often show little to no correlation. And
those figures aren't arbitrary. They're deliberate. That's easily how good this amp is. Let's get the one negative out of the
way then. These tubes run hot - around 300 degrees Centrigrade in fact. Even the controls get toasty after a while. What
a 2A3 or 45 dissipates into the surrounding air by comparison is tepid. But then so is the sound - though arguably not
scaled back to the same extent. Still, this amp goes audibly further in very obvious fashion.
Endearing right off the bat is that even 101dB noise sniffers can pack it up and go home. The A318B is as quiet as my
Yamamoto A-08S. And that's quiet. Plus, the volume taper is shallow at the beginning to create very usable range even
for unusually sensitive speakers. That eliminates two common concerns. In case you counted and noticed three inputs
but four point markers on the input control, the lowest point is a 'mute' position. From there, it only gets better. If that
portends of barely checked enthusiasm, so be it. This amp is a most worthy subject.
It's got one of the most lit up, utterly resolved yet ravishing treble ranges I've yet heard, besting even my former 45 SET
champ. Equally strong is the nearly holographic dimensionality which wraps space around each performer for
individuated depth, not just layering of multiple two-dimensional slides. Dynamically and over appropriate speakers,
prepare for the danger zone. Raunchy live Blues at realistic levels filled with heavy foot stomps, wicked guitar twangs,
hoarse singing that's more shouting at times, glasses clanging in the background, violent audience outbursts after solos,
close-by applause crisp like tropical rain staccatos off a tin roof; the tension in the air, the energy of the thing, the flesh
and blood guts; it's all here. Especially at higher levels and on the right recording, this borders on the hallucinatory.
Over the WLM Diva Monitors, the Almarro truly is a heaven-made match. The sound is full-bodied, vivid, dynamically
mobile, enlivened from within and driven without getting manic. There's tension in the music to communicate across the
room yet there's no aggression, no pushiness in that action. Vocals have triode-type sculpting and bass is weighty and
articulate. Edges are defined and pipe 'n' slippers fuzzies may be elsewhere but not here.
A word of warning while all this good stuff has your attention: Though the bias procedure in itself is an absolute cinch, the
exposed tabs underneath the ceramic power tube sockets carry 100V of direct current against the case ground and the
bolts which affix the tube sockets to the top plate. Do not touch the bias taps with anything but a properly insulted volt
meter probe or severe shock will be your punishment. And while we're on surprises, read the manual before you think
your amp's broken. There's a 3-minute delay during which the power tube heaters are gently ramped up before the
remainder of the circuit goes on line.
Back to vocals. It's here in particular where this amp sends most of the competition home. In a nutshell, the difference is
one of age. The Almarro is a singer at her prime where power is conjoined to that terrific hair-raising openness. Other
amps are singers past their prime when the power has diminished and the vocal cords seem packed in cotton or sand
paper.
Tango violin often hovers between schmaltz and pathos, real Eros and cheap thrills. The Almarro conveys the sweetness
without the saccharine, the hot blood without the overdone machismo. Mind you, such talk always raises eyebrows as
though here was a sentient being rather than a cold machine of nuts and bolts. But when the music has your imagination
this involved and triggered, it's hard to separate where mechanics end and magic begins.
To test raw drive, I jumped into the deep end of my resident speaker pool and leashed up the 4-ohm Mark & Daniel
Maximus Monitor with optional OmniHarmonizer. At 85dB/1w/1m, my Melody Valve HiFi I2A3 and Eastern Electric M520
really don't deliver the Maximus goods. Achievable SPLs aren't exactly the issue, control and drive are. With it, especially
bass quality and quantity suffer but there's also an overall lack of grippiness and get out of the ethers down into the body
conviction. Melody's SP9 50wpc push-pull KT88er handles the Maximus very well even though in the end, results are
arguably a bit warmer, rounder, bloomier and less articulate than these speakers' fire power and cabinet technology
warrant. The most copasetic amp for this speaker I own is the 150wpc ICEpower-based Bel Canto Design e.One S300. I
prefer tubes but there's no arguing that in this application, transistor assets far outweigh what they leave under the table
tube-wize. Ditto for the 50-wpc AudioSector Patek SE gain clone - excellent drive and control, accelerated transients but
especially in the treble, a bit frisky on the ambiance tweeter and harmonically not as suave as valves.
Enter the A318B. It dusted the S300, categorically when the speakers were low-passed to the WLM Duo 12 subwoofer at
80Hz, in most aspects even full-range except for high-volume truly traumatizing bass transients. Marc-Michel Le Bevillon
lays down ultra-mean bass on Romane & Stochelo Rosenberg's Manouche Jazz stunner Double Jeu [Iris
Music/Harmonia Mundi 3001-833]. Stephane Huchard on batterie -- it's a French album and the better for it -- throws in
killer jabs and roundhouse whammies for growl, rumble and general groove mayhem that swings hard and really stresses
a single-ended valve system.
While nothing more than a silly Rubicon 4-wheel spectacle to suss out machismo limits, the Almarro's 18 watts proved
worth 50 normal tube watts of the push/pull KT88 sort and thus, probably close to 100 transistor watts. This math isn't
iron-clad of course. Even a 25-watt Vitus, Pass or Boulder transistor amp would quickly disabuse us. Still, it's a fair pointer
for what to expect from the Almarro's current drive. In sub/sat mode, it truly liberated the Maximus Monitor from the sense
of restraint my other amps invoke to let it shine as the monster speaker it is. This echoes the earlier B&W 801 comment.
The most contrarious aspect of this experiment was really the apparent damping whereby the little tube amp controlled
the brakes on the woofers. I say 'apparent' because the Bel Canto's output impedance is lower than the Almarro's by
easily a factor of 100. In any damping competition, it should have been sudden death for the A318B. Why and how it
wasn't I won't pretend to understand or attempt to explain. [Published measurements on the 90-watt push/pull Lamm
ML1.1 show that while, at 1% THD, it only made forty-two 8-ohm watts, that figure rose to a buff 110 watts if THD was
relaxed to 10%, with an equivalent 130 watts into 4 ohms. This might give some indication as to this tube's useful power
headroom especially during low-impedance short-term peaks.]
Double Jeu is a very angular outing of ultra-modern bass grooves and peppery guitar duels between two of the greatest
Gypsy guitar masters alive. It's all about rhythmic tautness, leading edges, the occasional monster vibrato on top of a
streaking arpeggio, rim shots, cracks, bass slaps and plenty of growl and rumble down below. Especially at foot-stomping
saw dust levels, this isn't at all typical deep triode fare. Yet the A318B not only took it all in stride but excelled. It handled
the high-excursion underhung woofers loaded into small-diameter twin ports and enclosed in a faux marble composite
chassis.
Because the Almarro's treble takes the roof off compared to the direct-heated triodes I've heard -- except for the 50 which
takes the cake -- I was hard on this setup whose air-motion transformer 5-octave tweeters plus auxiliary omnis are very
dynamic high-output devices. That puts them far more in the modern high-resolution camp than my coaxial WLMs or Zus.
If the plate-follower 6C33C-B overcooked the treble, it might perfectly counterbalance my usual setups but turn
objectionable on AMTs and Piega-style ribbons which I had in-house as well. While there was more treble quantity, there
also was so much low-end crunch and midrange saturation that nothing was emphasized. It felt like adding salt and sugar
in equal measure. Intensity goes up but balance remains. Suffice it to say that the Almarro's treble performance seems
beyond reproach and, qualitatively, on par with a 45.
What may not be is the 6C33C itself, originally designed as a high-current tube regulator. Sezai Saktanber, head of
SilverFi and my mentor in all things Turkish clarinet (his latest tip was Serkan Cagri's My Breath after I'd fallen heavy for
Hüsnü Senlendiriçi's Hüsn-ü Klarnet): "Nice to hear about the Almarro. I would like to try it but finding a standard sample
of that tube for replacement in Ankara will be difficult. I have a friend here who last year designed and built 6C33C
monos. He had a really hard time biasing them. All 200 tubes he had biased widely different." This mirrors what I've read
about this bottle elsewhere. It's an excellent idea -- in the commercial sector that concerns us here -- to rely on
Muramatsu-San to supply your pre-tested replacement glass. While he might have to sort through a bunch to furnish you
with a closely matched pair, you needn't even concern yourself over it.
You should check on the A318B's bias religiously during the first few weeks however. That's what Yoshi-San
recommends in the owner's manual. In light of the above, that makes perfect sense just in case a valve runs away. Bias
checks won't have to become an hourly obsession, just a close initial monitoring until the amp settles in and the tubes
down. Remember, 6C33Cs serviced Foxbat fighter planes. They're tough customers. My sample loaners proved ultra
steady, with bias variations mostly in lock step between both bottles to suggest AC mains fluctuations rather than real
bias drift. Did I mention how these tubes are miniature reactors? It's the one hairy aspect of the A318B that could
preclude ownership for those who are categorically intolerant of scorchingly hot devices in their crib; whose year-round
climate forbids them; or where children and animals might burn themselves. I'm a diehard tube guy but these valves are
industrial strength also in the heat-throwing department to even give me a bit of the willies. Naturally, 845s and 211s fall
into the same general category. (Actually, nearly one third of the heat of the A318B comes off the filament heater and
auto bias resistors - "perfectly safe" explained the designer.)
Because of the high voltages at play, Almarro uses the aforementioned 3-minute delayed power-up protocol to pre-warm
the output tubes and prevent thermal shock. To protect the ceramic tube sockets and maximize air exchange, the sockets
are mounted floating on stand-offs, with a big vent hole in the chassis right below each and a ring of perforated holes
around those. Yoshi-San is fond of New-Old-Stock Russian inventories and keeps more than 1000 paper-in-oil caps from
his personal sources on hand. His tubes too are prescreened and selected by his Soviet suppliers before they arrive in
Japan. Thereafter Almarro does its own testing to assure that by the time the 6C33Cs get to you, they've cleared two tight
inspections. Certain spec sheets predict a life expectancy of 1000 hours for the 6C33C, 750 for the 6C33C-B. Others
state that if not used in a Mig fighter or tank, the 6C33-B will exceed 2000 hours. Users of Joule Electra OTLs have
gone on record with approaching 10,000 hours. Applied plate current is part of the equation. According to Yoshi-San,
anything over 250mA will shorten tube life to under 750 hours. Between 180 - 200mA, he expects more than 2000 hours.
The heater voltage too is influential, with anything over 6.7V speeding things up. Almarro's heater voltage lies between
5.9 and 6.2V which is fixed with resistors underneath the 6C33C sockets. With a plate current of 180mA and a heater
voltage of 6.1V, Almarro averages 3000 hours. In the end, Yoshi's take on tube life is simple: "6C33C is very cheap tube.
I recommend to our customer not to mind the tube life but to enjoy life. It's just a 6C33C! The A318B combines the current
protection of auto-bias with trim pots so a customer can reduce the output power for best speaker matching. The A318A
was a fixed bias design at first but got converted to auto-biasing due to customer demands."
Djelem [Orange Music 5512-2] is a Canadian formation dedicated to Russian Gypsy repertoire and I'm especially fond of
lead singer Anatoli Iakovenko's pipes. A photo of him shows a bear of a man, with a massive handle-bar moustache,
Indian-style top knot and his guitar looking like a toy in big hands. But you don't need the photo to know that. It's in the
music itself, in the deliberate restraint of his delivery as though he would break something otherwise. And when he finally
does let go, your neck hairs react - a perfect test for any amplifier's vocal mojo and center stage attraction of the Almarro
which really sets a new standard in vocal aural pleasures. It's a meeting of deep triode and transistor-style control for
come-hither vibes without any sloppiness. You don't sense interpretational liberties at all -- something which deep triode
signifies to me -- but data truth with complete emotional conviction.
Djelem's lead violonist Sergei Trofanov isn't remotely in the same technical league as his colleagues from Loyko or
Talisman but he has wonderful tone and a very lyrical touch. With each Djelem album so far, this has netted a multitracked hora solo violin meditation that's plain stunning. Where other high-voltage tubes like 845s have always given me
body and saturation, they've also been fuzzy and blurry around the edges, compromised in the upper-most treble and too
thick overall. On violin, this gives you wood (the resonating enclosure) but no or not enough metal (the string). The
Almarro handles either as befits the occasion. There's wood and density but not to the degree that peak transients
embedded in the fabric -- say foot stomps, double bass slaps, drum whacks or bow-shredding spiccatos -- don't cut right
through and fly through the room to bite you.
So the A318B does both metal and wood. At once. And that's emblematic of this amp in general, this simultaneity bit.
Usually, amps have specific strengths counterbalanced by lesser attributes. As you celebrate bass, you wish for a more
developed top end. As you salute speed, you secretly criticize lack of texture. And so on. With the Almarro, you're hardpressed what to get excited over the most, harder pressed to level any real complaints. The midrange is true directheated triode without the excess bloom. Bass has the speed, grip, tremendous impact and shocking growl that lives
somewhere between a good transistor amp for transients and control and the saturation of a high-power p/p valve
machine. The top end is tube finesse all the way but as open as the rule-breaking FirstWatt F3 Power JFET amp from
Nelson Pass. The only thing anyone could bitch about with the A318B (outside its lack of a pre-out for active subwoofing
or other biamping) is the power limit. The answer to that are not only the forthcoming monos but the fact that in the real
world, these 18 watts go a lot farther than seems reasonable.
You certainly cannot complain about the price. Verily as they'd say in Biblical times, you knock yourself bloody trying to
pin any legitimate complaints on this amp. In far more elevated company that uses DacT or GoldPoint stepped
attenuators instead of Taiwan-Alpha wipers; Jensen, Mundorf, BlackGate or Vcap capacitors; Riken Ohm or Kiwame
resistors; Van den Hul or Siltech hookup wiring; you'd expect differences. Be assured though that even in the world of the
Yamamoto A-08S, the Melody Valve HiFi I2A3, the Canary Audio 300B SETs, the Wyetech Labs Sapphires, the Fi 2A3
monos, the SilverTone 300B and such where a lot of the sterling parts aspect is handled to a high degree, the Almarro
won't find itself embarrassed. To my ears in fact, it'll walk away the clear winner. As a silly audiophile, I of course wonder,
theoretically, what would happen if one threw these kind of parts at this circuit which its present price precludes. Once
you listen to the way it is again, such thoughts fade to abstract theory once more. That's design chops.
With it come insights. For example, certain capacitor junctions like to see less current, others more. Simply replacing a
stock cap with a high-brow make of the same value will not guarantee good results. Certain current behavior will have
been altered and the circuit on a whole would have to be rebalanced with additional modifications elsewhere. On that
subject, Yoshi is firm. He cannot and will not extend his manufacturer's warranty to amplifiers which were altered by
customers or for-profit modifiers. Besides changing his intended performance, certain modifications may simply be unsafe
especially in high-voltage circuits. Almarro will not risk its reputation with ill results caused by second parties. As such,
anyone who modifies Almarro equipment does so with the express understanding of deliberately voiding the
manufacturer's warranty and they must henceforth obtain service and repair support at their expense from sources other
than Almarro and Almarro's formal dealers and distributors. That's a perfectly reasonable policy for a manufacturer to
protect his integrity and that of his creations.
I asked Hannes Frick of WLM how he rated the piece in the grander scheme of what he's heard, owned and sold over the
past few decades. "How many fingers have you got?" he asked. "That's how much more I'd pay to get this performance if I had to." From a man who not only owns the A80 Studer open-reel shown but also Sabas, a Sony TC-880-2 and plenty
of vinyl, this is a pretty specific and qualified assessment.
Despite a sticker that suggests entry-level, warm and fuzzy and thus a good way for a first-time buyer to get his or her
feet wet, the Almarro is a highly resolved machine that easily cottons to the difference of a signal from a $1,690 Raysonic
CD-128 outfitted with rare Mullards, to a $10,000 Ancient Audio Lektor IV pure or with the $9,000 Slovenian Stylos sys
Had converter on its tail to a $40K+ Zanden quartet. In short, it's plenty good enough for elevated company. That could
be upsetting to some but should warm the cockles of all bargain hunters.
The A318B makes the difference between mediocre, good and excellent recordings very apparent - but differently than
usual. These tubes not only run hot, they create a lot of energetic heat and color temperature, the more so the better the
recording is. Lesser recordings don't become unlistenable at all. They just won't cast as dimensional a stage, as
developed a tone, as fulsome and dense a presence. George Dalaras' EMI Classics pressing of his Metropole Orchestra
concert celebrating Mikis Theodorakis pales in that regard compared to Marta Topferova's Flor Nocturna [World Village
468062]. That doesn't lessen musical enjoyment. It simply shows that the mastering or pressing of the Greek double
album contains less raw material for the Almarro to expand and expound upon. The recording is flatter, more whitish. And
by comparison to what the A318B can do with a truly exceptional pressing like Marta's Peruvian-styles canzons, this
difference is driven home. That's a far cry from the "rendered unlistenable" action whereby certain ultra resolution
machines would love to justify away why over them, you're only playing 10% of your album collection. We're back at this
amp's heart of simultaneity. In this case, it gives you resolution without a single one of your recordings going to the trash
heap. The better ones will simply sound much better rather than the bad ones worse. That's useful resolution in my book,
not analytic abstraction fit only for those you love to argue hifi rather than listen for enjoyment.
Qualifiers. Part of this recipe's magic is, it seems, current flow. As you open the pot, more of it flows to blow up the
images on the soundstage from 2D to 3D like a sculpted air balloon. One enters this sweet spot relatively soon to not
require happy-hour SPLs at all but this expander action is far more subtle at really low levels. Scaling back the bias
current to enlarge the usable volume control range -- I didn't find this necessary with my 101dB Zus but horn-type ultra
sensitivities might -- seems to incur a very small reduction of tonal heat and energetic pressure on regular speakers which
don't need a gain reduction, i.e. the very qualities that make the A318B sound so vibrant. When the supplied 6H8C began
to sound scratchy (without signal, one channel made intermittent noises like a hanging cartridge needle), I swapped it out
for a JAN Philips black-base 6SN7WGTA I had in my Supratek preamp. To my ears, the sound actually improved,
becoming even more open especially on deep-throated vocal climaxes. This suggests that rolling glass between the two
small-signal tubes will allow for some small tailoring of the amp's voicing to personal taste.
Piega Switzerland TP3 monitors, Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.1s fullrangers (admittedly with Gallo's bass amp on the
second voice coils) - the A318B didn't care. The same flavor of control coupled to magic -- iron and velvet -- asserted
itself without fail even on the critical stuff: Dulce Pontes at full tilt; Jan Garbarek's wailing sax against the barest of
ambience; Thierry 'Titi' Robin's Anita; massed strings on a Bruckner Adagio. Nothing closed in, got grainy, harsh or
strident. Composure remained no matter what even though composure is far too staid a term. This amp sings freely and
let's go with a flourish. My musical speaker chairs suggest that most 88dB 2-way jobs without bizarre load behavior
should be game. So don't let the power spec fool you. Think 50 watts. In conclusion, let me reiterate something that only
those who've heard a superior 6C33C SET before won't get upset about. I've got top Western Electric 300Bs, Emission
Labs 45s, JJ 2A3-40s and own amps and had other through to stick all of them in to. For my listening tastes and over the
somewhat warmish speakers I fancy, none of them match the far cheaper 6C33C in this amp. Perhaps some of Wavac's
giant 833s do (as better they should for the money they command). That's a different discussion though. In the here and
now on Planet Everyman, the Almarro does everything premium 300B, 2A3, 45 or 845 amps do I've heard or own except better and more so. And with significantly more audible power and drive. This translates across the board, not just
in the bass where you'd expect it though you'll still be dumbfounded. So that's why Vladimir Lamm is so stuck on the
6C33C?
In my by necessity limited experience, this valve puts to shame all the popular direct-heated triodes. It is exceptionally
open and fast like a 45. Fanciers of 300Bs might feel the 6C33C to be lean. I don't because it majors on texture. The
"pressure of current" simply cleans out the cobwebs and exerts stronger control over the drivers to banish most the
bloom. In that sense, it's a very solid-statish sound, including the kind of bass and dynamics DHTs can only dream of. But
where transistors will seem sterile and flat to direct-heated triode listeners, the 6C33C won't. Dimensionally, microdynamically and texturally, it's 100% and unmistakably tube. Unless I hear a 211 or GM-70 amp to reverse my opinion, I'd
also have to include the high-voltage tubes as being overshadowed by the 6C33C based on previous encounters with
various 845 amps - and if one favored a very open fast sound with a tube gestalt but no overt tube attributes. Naturally,
don't mention Kondo-San's Ongaku. Otherwise Muramatsu-San would have to counter with a $20,000 6C33C Almarro.
Which he'd never do. As is, Yoshi-San's amplifier is a major sensation in the realsization sweepstakes. It's a Yamamoto
A-08S for standard speakers. It's a Red Wine Audio Signature 30 with real valves. And to my ears, it even transcends
those exceptional amps. In this price range, it's in a class of one. Until the monos come out.
It also means that the list of famous Japanese senseis of the vacuum tube arts at Airtight, Kondo, Leben, Luxman,
Mactone, Shindo, Zanden, Wavac and Yamamoto is incomplete without a space of special honor for Yoshi Muramatsu of
Almarro. Applauding expensive esoterica is its own reward. It makes you a member of a very exclusive club where self
congratulation is the order of the day. Almarro tears down class distinctions and creates relevance for the many. Man-ofthe-street esoterica. That's what the A318B is. It's doubly relevant because a certain sector of especially Japanese audio
esoterica is nearly synonymous with very steep pricing. The sad shadow of this all is simply that many who are lucky
enough to find out about the A318B will write it off because it's not priced high enough. And those who'd appreciate it
exactly for that reason might not find out about it in the first place. That's just a reflection on the current hi-end audio retail
climate. It's why products like this one are such a breath of fresh air to the cynics amongst us. So much so that the A318B
walks away with a rare Realsization Award and my personal nomination as most exciting product discovery of 2007 yet.
(If you already own an A318B, it can be rewired for mono in a few simple steps. Contact Almarro for the details.)
The A318B is also a poster child answer to the kind of question I occasionally get - about why I don't review more true
state-of-the-art equipment, implying of course the really expensive stuff. It's simply not relevant to most people. Justifying
it becomes very difficult when you're a smart realsizer who builds a superior system for far less that's perfectly matched to
the actual space it's in and the kind of listening you really do over it. If you heard the Almarro over the above speakers
with a good source and in a room sized like mine, you'd understand why it renders a lot of the ultimate, extreme über stuff
irrelevant. Now excuse me while I write Muramatsu-San an order for his soon-to-be reference monos. A pair of superior
40-watt 6C33C class A push-pull amps with twice the A318B's damping factor will fit perfectly with my own power-hungry
realsization requirements, plenty of future review assignments and personal enjoyment - in exactly that sequence (of
escalating needs).
PS: On the subject of escalation, Yoshi-San has created a power transformer for the GM-100, a tube intended as a 1000watt transmitter tube with a 17V/18A filament. Quipped our designer in good humor, "A low-impedance output transformer
is difficult to design to maintain the higher frequencies. Distortion goes up. Almost all tube amp makers list their power
spec at 1kHz performance where one needs only a few watts for very loud listening. The sub 100Hz power capability is
the real key to determine power specs. The A318B uses the highest magnetic density EI cores. If we used normal iron
cores, the transformer size would be 30% bigger and the sound would roll off in the treble and the bass would go fuzzy.
Also, the winding pattern is another very important key to make a superior and big output transformer. Low impedance big
OPTs are very difficult to design. To get big power from the 6C33C, OTLs are best because of the background already
covered. I have an OTL power transformer for the 6C33C that I designed last year. I also designed a GM-100 power
transformer. Both are very big. But I suspended those amplifier projects. We're in the 'save energy' era after all. I might
have gotten arrested by Green Peace. But I love big Russian tubes - good for winter life or suntan machines."