Page 3 - PR_V80SE_SOUND+IMAGE_201802_AU
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test                                                                                                   test


 valve amplifier                                                                                    valve amplifier








                                                                             1
                                                       amplifier and fiddle with
                                                       screwdrivers alarmingly
                                                       close to the high voltages
                                                       involved. Here, instead, you
                                                       turn the smaller right knob
                                                       to ‘Bias’ and then look at the
                                                       rows of LEDs that illuminate
                                                         on the Octave’s front
                                                         panel display (bottom
                                                         right picture). These
                                                         indicate either over or
                                                         under biasing — orange
                                                        when warming up, a row   2
                                                        of greens if all is well, red
                                                        if overbiased. You insert
                                                        the small screwdriver
                                                        under any non-optimised
                                                        LED, and turn until you
                                                        get the green light. It’s
                                                        super simple and perfectly
                                                       safe. On our unit valves 2
                                                       and 4 proved spot on, valves
                                                       1 and 3 needed a tweak,
                                                       though we adjourned for
                                                       coffee and a half-hour break
                                                       first, in case this new amp   3
                                                       just needed some more time.
                                                       Just a little, as it turned out.
                                                         This easy system also
                                                       simplifies substitution and
                                                       biasing of other compatible
 Tube journey
 Octave V 80 SE                                        output valves; the company
                                                       doesn’t recommend using
 valve amplifier                                       low power valves like KT66
                                                       or EL 37s, but mid-power
                                                       (e.g. KT 88s) can be used
 Smart design                                          with the bias set to ‘low’.
 and high output   f Octave is not a brand you know, you’re   them significantly longer life (five years minimum for   This is also the company’s first outing using the   4
 valves deliver    probably not alone — yet it has been making   the output valves, it suggests).   heady power levels of KT150 valves, which are the first
 amps under this name since 2000, and for a
 With all this kept out of the audio path, the only
          thing you uncover when opening the significantly heavy
 thrilling sounds   Iquarter century before that under a previous   disadvantage we can see to such a ‘hybrid’ is that unlike   box — and for once in our reviewing lives we sat down
 from this    generation, having been founded as a transformer   pure valve designs, the V 80 SE might not work after a   with the manual (and white gloves) rather than simply
 ‘Special Edition’   winding company in 1968 by the father of the   nuclear attack and EM pulse. Darn.  getting into it. Despite Octave’s deliberate efforts to make
          valve amplification easy, these are still glass vacuum tubes
 current Executive Director and Chief Designer
 German amplifier.  Andreas Hofmann. Octave’s products are hand-  Equipment  deserving of respect!
 built in the village of Karlsbad in Germany, where   The V 80 SE was, as its name suggests, intended to be   The supplied manual was in German, so we got the
 each amplifier gets not only quality control but a   a tuned-up version of the V 80, but Octave’s engineers   English version up online, and followed the instructions.
 48-hour durability soak before leaving the building.   apparently got somewhat carried away and delivered a   We removed four little Allen bolts (see pictures), lifted off
 SUMMARY  It’s not hard to like Mr Hofmann’s designs.   significantly new design, with a new-generation driver   the valve guard, then donned the white gloves to firmly
 A fundamental philosophy is that while valves   stage using a push-pull pentode system, as well as a   insert the four gorgeous KT150s. Power on.
 Octave V 80 SE  have that speed advantage and the delightful   new headphone amplifier. We had our high-sensitivity
 Price: $14,999
 dichotomy of “musical” even-order distortion and   speakers ready to use with this valve amp, but given   Performance
 +   Sensational-sounding output   soft clipping, Octave introduces transistor circuits   it’s rated at a full 130W RMS per channel operating   One of the V 80 SE’s management (and life-saving)
 stage  for control, monitoring and protection. There   from 20Hz to 80kHz, that’s less the requirement than   techniques is a ‘soft start’, which takes about a minute
 +   High power for a valve amp  is soft-start technology and a controlled “power   with most valve amplifiers; indeed Octave says this   in normal use. But at initial set-up you wait five or more
 +   Headphone output  rise”, careful stabilisation and an auto-standby   power amplifier enjoys excellent load stability so that   minutes for the valves to warm up before checking the   1 Unpacking the KT150 valves; 2 Allen-keying the grille; 3 Looking from above: the front
 -    No digital inputs  mode available which shuts down the valves after   “neither the impedance nor the efficiency of the partnering   bias settings. This is made a wonderfully simple procedure   valves (2 x 12AU7, 1 x 12AT7) are pre-fitted, the KT150 tube sockets await their valves;
 10 minutes, which the company claims can deliver   loudspeakers will affect the V 80 SE’s sound”.   here (compared to some where you have to get inside the   4 The Octave’s easy biasing system using the bottom screwholes and LED indicators.


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