Coming This June....EAR 868 Preamplifier with Phono (direct descendant of the EAR 912!) How do you get $14,500 of performance for only $7,600?Enter the EAR 868 full function preamp ($5,700 - line stage only) that is a direct descendent of the EAR 912! You'll get the same circuits, virtually identical sound minus a few features, meters and elaborate casework. Keep in mind the 912 has been reviewed well ahead - See Below.
TESTIMONIALShfw5worlds120_120_01
Awarded 5/5 Globes - Hi-Fi World, 2009
"The new 868 is a great preamp package. With a lively sense of clarity and the usual extra sense of spaciousness to the sound valves bring, it injects life into any system... Dazzling transients, delicious intricacy and a superb phono stage... Super fast and vividly clean sounding valve preamplifier with fine phono stage. Superb! - Noel Keywood, Hi-Fi World, March 2009 (
http://www.ear-yoshino.com/hifimag.pdf)
"I compared this British wonder (the 912) to its top American counterpart,. They share only one attribute ...quiet black backgrounds. Otherwise, the E.A.R. was consistently more detailed, bold, and lifelike. The E.A.R. soundstaging was bigger and deeper (lots deeper), while imaging was decidedly more solid and richly focused... The E.A.R. 912 Professional Tube Control Centre will take its place as my reference preamp against which all others will be judged. With a flexibility second to none and musical performance unmatched in my experience as a reviewer, you must consider the 912 as a contender for that first position on your audiophile shopping list. With a superb sounding, fully featured phono stage, you will need one less box on the rack. As the top preamp for quiet, black backgrounds coupled with spot on musicality and realism, you get the complete and fully evolved package. I would buy this before the British pound gets more expensive! The E.A.R. 912 Professional Tube Control Centre is the state of the art in preamp design and performance. What more can one ask for? Tim de Paravicini hits a home run, yet again. Tim, please don't ever stop!"
- Robert H. Levi, Positive Feedback Online, Issue 31 (read the review:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue31/ear912.htm)
"The EAR 912 tended toward a big sound: a wide, deep soundfield that always seemed capable of sounding even bigger when the need arose, with stereo imaging that sounded more real to me than the overly precise sound I associate with the high-end audio salon experience......This product taught me something about my records and the other components in my system, and I enjoyed every minute I spent with it. The EAR 912 isn't cheap, but it's a Class A preamplifier in every sense, and an heirloom-quality instrument that represents the apex of both build quality and design ingenuity."
- Art Dudley, Stereophile (read the review:
http://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/ ... index.html)
Soundstage May 2010 Review :
http://www.soundstage.com/equipment/ear_868.htmTECHNICAL The EAR 868 is very similar to the 864 on the outside. However important changes have been made to improve the performance. The tubes are now PCC88 for the linestage and the phono section, which are reliable, robust and have a long life. The on/off switch is now encircled with an orange light and a remote control is standard. The 868 is a fully balanced, transformer-coupled design with balanced and single-ended connections at input and output. It also offers a tape loop, remote control of volume, and several load/gain selections for the optional phono stage.
SPECIFICATIONS * Tube complement - with optional phono stage: 4 x PCC88
* Phono inputs: 1 MM, 1MC (optional)
* Line inputs: 2 balanced, 3 unbalanced
* Tape loops: 1
* Outputs: 1 balanced, 1 unbalanced
* Phono input impedances: 47k ohms, moving-magnet; 3, 6, 12, or 40 ohms, moving-coil
* Output impedance: 600 ohms
* Line-stage gain: 17dB
* Phono-stage gain: 50-80dB
* Signal/noise ratio: 68dB phono (ref. 2.4mV), 90dB line (ref. 1V)
* Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz, -0.3dB
* Distortion: <0.1% at 1kHz, 3V output
* Size W 15" D 12" H 5"
EAR 890 Power Amplifier 70WPC"Caught myself scheming to buy" - A. Dudley, Stereophile
"It's the best tube amp I have listened to in my system!" - R. Levi, Positive FeedbackTestimonials
"It's the best tube amp I have listened to in my system! It is cost effective, powerful, maximally tuneful, user friendly, and you need only one chassis. It has new-think incorporated within its KT90 tube choice, and it's seductively musical. It works with inefficient, 4-ohm speakers like the Eidolons, and will probably power anything on the planet, from horns to electrostats to multi-driver designs, with musical authority. Plus, any normal audiophile can lift it without dastardly results. I not only recommend it, I'm buying the review sample to prove to my Positive Feedback friends that I stand behind my reviews! I highly recommend the E.A.R. 890 amplifier. It is class A+ in my audiophile domain, and my new tube reference."
- Robert H. Levi, Positive Feedback Online
"All in all, this is a great amplifier! It is extremely easy to set up and sounds good with little or no tweaking. It is about enjoying the music and not a finicky or touchy piece of gear. It is very cohesive and the tonality is excellent and very well integrated from highs to lows... Resolution and detail are excellent and they are presented in a relaxed, smooth manner. This EAR will not likely make "detail above all" types happy. The detail and nuances are there; they're not thrown at you, but are, more appropriately, part of the music's tapestry. Sound staging and imaging are terrific."
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http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/e ... ear890.htm"Then there are such products as the grand-looking 890 amplifier from Esoteric Audio Research, which had nothing of the obvious about it during its stay in my home. Voices didn't pop out. Groove noise didn't vanish. Textures were neither smoothed-over nor scuffed-up. Whites weren't whiter and colors weren't brighter, and I had to listen to it for weeks on end before it sank in just how beautifully well the 890 played music...
And, yes, the EAR 890 reproduced the sense of depth and performer placement that I presume is a part of the original recording with both uncanny precision and the same sense of "rightness" with which it approached the music itself. (I could also point to how well it separated the voice sections on that Purcell LP, even going so far as to suggest some curve to the choir's risers...)
Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about the EAR 890 was that, with the exception of the Quads that I used it to drive, this was the first new audio product in a very long time that I caught myself scheming to buy."
- Art Dudley, Stereophile
http://www.stereophile.com/tubepoweramps/404ear/Overview
The 800 series of amplifiers from EAR has received widespread and consistent acclaim from users and reviewers the world over. However, feedback from some quarters suggested that there was a need for an amplifier with similar sonic prowess but just a little more power.
Taking as a starting point the circuits used in the 834 integrated amplifier, Tim de Paravicini has addressed that need by producing the 890 power amplifier. Using the innovative KT90 valve from EI, he has been able to offer 70W of clean Class-A audio from the same chassis as the 834. One of the few new valve designs of the last 30 years, the KT90 draws on the strengths of the EL509 valve (as used in many EAR amplifiers) and is capable of sustained high power operation with great reliability. Two pairs per channel are hardly stressed in the EAR 890.
Features include balanced inputs (transformer-coupled) as well as unbalanced, separate level controls for each channel, and the option of flexible mono-block operation to deliver 140W into a wide range of loudspeaker loads. Build quality and finish are to EARs usual high standards, with a distinctive touch of luxury in the thick brass front panel, heavily chromed and polished to a mirror finish. Reliability is assured and there are no user adjustments.
And the sound? All the EAR trademarks are there: beautifully natural midrange and treble, superb stereo imaging, and of course extended but perfectly proportioned bass, with the extra power raising the roof even further than our earlier models.
Specifications
o 70 Watts per channel stereo (it has tons of kick)
o Bridgeable to 140 Watt monoblock
o Class-A operation
o 8 x KT90 or 6550 output tubes
o XLR or RCA inputs, Balanced or unbalanced operation
EAR 834LinestageFull Function Classic Tube Linestage - Why change a winner when it still stomps most competition?Testimonials"Continuousness; hop-to-it dynamics in the midbass; grainlessness; and a fine representation of image dimensionality. The soundstage and the vital middle frequencies.... These are the kind of audio toys you can (and will) fall in love with because they are just so got-rocks musical."
-- Harry Pearson Editor's Choice, The Absolute Sound
OverviewFunny thing, some people think a state-of-the-art the product has to have been made, or a new version issued, just yesterday. This is nonsense, despite the rush by so many to chase the ‘latest greatest’. While many companies are still figuring out how to design their products that isn't the case for Tim de Paravicini of EAR. Done to perfection on the first release you can put this preamp against any current contender under $2500 and, just like the 834P phono stage, you will come away totally impressed and awed. If you just want truly realistic sound that is always a pleasure, this is the preamp you're looking for.
The EAR 834L line preamplifier is terrific complement to most any system as well as the wonderful EAR 834P phono stage and EAR power amplifiers. Add modest $25 upgraded tubes and the 834L will shock you with its top-flight performance rivaling most preamps in the $4,000 plus range.
Designed by Tim de Paravicini in his usual robust style, the EAR 834L is the perfect match for any high-end system whether biased towards analogue or digital. The electronic architecture is minimalist so that the absolute minimum sonic degradation takes place. There are three double triode tubes arranged in a classic de Paravicini circuit. Special attention has been given to the input circuitry. All inputs are at the rear of the chassis on the same circuit board as the selector switches which are operated remotely by long control shafts.
The circuit is designed in such a way as to have an expected tube life of five years of continuous operation.
The 834L is available in Classic and Deluxe specification. Deluxe builds on the Classics specification with a superior chassis in chrome and gold finish with 2 sets of outputs to facilitate bi-amping systems and a neon power monitor light. It has facilities for up to five line inputs and genuine tape monitoring circuit, making a total of six inputs.
Specifications * Input sensitivity for 1 volt output: 200 mV (0.2 volt)
* Maximum output: 30 Volt
* Noise (un-weighted): -80 dB (IHF)
* Valves: 2 x ECC82 or 12AU7 or equivalent & 1 x ECC83 or 12AX7 or equivalent
834 PhonostageTestimonialsBe sure to read Sterephile's fascinating "King of Tubes" five page interview with EAR's Tim de Paravincini in the November 2007 Stereophile! Keep in mind EAR doesn't even advertise so this article is from the heart in acknowledging Tim as one of the original and only audio 'genius' who's work goes each step of the way from studio recordings to CD players, Turntables, Electronics and the latest 'Prime Drive' Speakers!!
"What distinguishes the 834P from solid-state phono stages is the sense of openness, scale and three-dimensionality, it's hard to match the warmth and the analogueness of the 834P. It's a great soundstager, a strong defender of the analogue argument and (for those who cherish this one aspect of playback above others) the source of some of the sweetest bass I've heard in years. As for vocals, all I can do is s-i-g-h-h-h."
- Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News & Record Review
"I've listened to 834P in direct comparison to several other commercially produced phono stages, some in its own price range of about a thousand dollars, and others up to about twice its price. While not an exhaustive survey of all available phono stages, the 834P easily bested every unit in this price range of those auditioned. The 834P shined brightly in every application."
- Jennifer E. Crock, Positive Feedback
OverviewWhen first launched, this was the only valve phono stage you could buy with facilities for both good quality Moving Coil (MC) and Moving Magnet (MM) cartridges. In addition, for a small premium the unit could be purchased with an in-built volume control, allowing direct connection to a power-amplifier. Yoshino Ltd. decided to upgrade and widen the range. There are now three models in the EAR 834P line up:
The Classic EAR 834P uses the same circuit architecture as its more expensive brothers, and shares in the same high quality sound through MM type cartridges. It is enclosed in a tough, rigid metal case, and is fully CE type approved.
Our most popular phono amplifier in England. The Black builds on the classic EAR 834P specification, by adding a superb Moving Coil (MC) input stage, as well as the no extra price option of a high quality volume control. Top of the range, the De-luxe comes in a stunning chrome and gold knob, optional chorme knob same price, and has extra attention and quality control. For the true vinyl enthusiast. With different moving coil input options, this unit will fit demanding of audiophile systems.
From Basic to De-luxe, the performance remains class leading.
Specifications
* Maximum output: 30V
* Noise (unweighted): -80 dB (1HF)
* Tubes: ECC83 x 3
* MM Input sensitivity: 2.2 mV for 1 V @ 1kHz
* MC Input sensitivity: 0.22 mV for 1 V @ 1kHz