Integrated amplifiers — Trafomatic Audio Experience Two MK II

The Experience Two MK II is a single-ended tube integrated amplifier from Trafomatic Audio, built around the celebrated 300B triode - a tube Trafomatic considers one of the very few manufacturers to understand, tracing its lineage back to the original Western Electric mesh-grid design that many rivals claim to replicate but few succeed in doing authentically. This model represents an updated version within Trafomatic's Experience line, pushing the brand's decades of 300B circuit refinement further toward what it calls the real musical experience.

Key specs that matter

Four RCA inputs are provided, optionally configurable as two RCA plus one XLR. Input sensitivity is 0.5V rms with 100K ohm input impedance. Output power is 2x8W in pure single-ended Class A operation, with no global negative feedback. The tube complement is two 300B output tubes, two 6SN7 driver tubes and one 5U4G rectifier tube, and the amplifier specifically supports Emission Labs 300B-Mesh tubes for buyers seeking the most authentic mesh-grid triode character. Output impedance covers 4-8 ohms. Distortion is 0.55% at 1W, rising to 5% at the full 8W output. Frequency bandwidth is 10Hz to 65kHz at -3dB, with signal-to-noise at 80dB. Power consumption is 190VA. At 450 x 350 x 230mm and 24kg, the design implements a special C-L-C-L-C three-choke regulation system, where one choke serves both channels while two additional chokes handle the left and right signal paths independently, alongside Mundorf MLytic HV-type capacitors, point-to-point wiring and Van de Hul internal wiring.

Sound and use context

Expect an open, detailed and rich character specifically associated with an authentic mesh-grid 300B triode - Trafomatic states the woven-wire mesh anode construction is what gives this specific tube type its distinctive open, richly detailed sound, a quality the brand says many rival 300B tubes merely approximate with punched-hole plates rather than genuine mesh weaving.

Pairing

The modest 8W per channel output calls for a high-sensitivity loudspeaker to reach satisfying volume, and the four-input RCA connectivity, optionally with one balanced XLR, covers a modest but capable source lineup for a dedicated single-ended system.

Alternatives

Trafomatic Audio's more powerful EOS integrated amplifier, built around a push-pull KT120 output stage delivering 100W per channel, sits well above this model for buyers wanting far greater headroom, worth considering instead if this Experience Two MK II's modest single-ended output does not suit a specific loudspeaker's sensitivity.