859
Overview
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Tim de Paravicini has been credited by many with starting the valve renaissance in England. Tim, who has worked around all corners of the globe, has unique ideas and designs, are a “clean sheet” break from the designs of old. Too many of his competitors use old, tired designs to flavour the sound, and do not seek to advance the state of the art.
The EAR 859 was designed to be “the best” Single-Ended Triode amplifier on the market. Tim as always, was keen to cut a new path through the forest and ignored the week and vulnerable, inferior and obsolete direct heated triodes (such as the 300B). He based his design on his favorite valve, the 6KG6/EL519, developing a new operating mode called Enhanced Triode Mode, or ETM for short. This revolutionary new circuit cleverly tied the control grid (G1) to the cathode, removing the potential difference between the two, and fed the control signal into the screen grid (G2). This gave better, more linear results than directly heated triodes, with the added advantages of high anode power rating, good valve availability and maximum reliability.
This was put together in a DC-connected, low feedback pure Class “A” circuit, that automatically compensates for valve spread, maintaining excellent, reliable, sound quality for an extended period of time.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the EAR 859 does not disappoint. It has that unique valve sound, but without the usual single-ended “mush”.
