EAR-Yoshino
890
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 EAR’s 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.
Reviews
www.positive-feedback.com,
issue 9
by Robert H. Levi
I'm
going to wrap this up so you can get on the
web and research this giant-killer amplifier
for yourself. 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.
www.positive-feedback.com,
issue 27
by Robert H. Levi
Next comes listening. At $11,200 the pair, the
890 monoblocks will equal or exceed the performance
of any tube amps I've heard, many of them upwards
of $30,000. You read it right! In my opinion,
they are not only the best-sounding E.A.R. amps,
but they are as correct-sounding, ultra-defined,
airy, neutral, and revealing as any of the efforts
of VTL or ARC to date.
Prices
:
(including 19% VAT)
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