Power amplifiers mono — Ayon Audio Ayon Conquistador Evo Mono

The Conquistador Evo Mono is a single-ended valve power amplifier from Ayon Audio, the Austrian manufacturer founded by Gerhard Hirt that also makes its own output tubes. It is built around four of Ayon's own AA62B-S directly heated triodes per chassis, and the company describes it as a limited-production model with only five pairs made each year.

Key specs that matter

Input impedance is 47 kohm on both balanced and single-ended connections, and the amplifier accepts RCA as well as XLR inputs. Rated bandwidth runs from 5 Hz to 80 kHz. Signal-to-noise is 92 dB. Each monoblock measures 350 x 720 x 250 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 70 kg. The design is a full-featured Class A directly heated triode amplifier.

Engineering and use context

Ayon is one of the few companies still producing power triodes specifically for audio, and its AA32B-S, AA52B-S and AA62B families are based on the Western Electric 300B concept. In the Conquistador, four AA62B-S tubes per channel form the output stage, a directly heated triode concept rather than the tetrode or pentode tubes used in higher-power designs. The circuit follows Ayon's approach of the shortest possible signal path and advanced gain and driver stages ahead of a custom output transformer designed for this model. Ayon builds its valve amplifiers with 0 dB of global negative feedback. Because the AA62B-S is made in Ayon's own production, replacement output tubes come directly from the manufacturer rather than from the general tube market. The long chassis comes from placing the transformers and power supply behind the tube complement. Directly heated triodes of this size run hot, so each chassis needs open ventilation above and around it, and the weight of each monoblock rules out most standard equipment racks, which is why owners usually place the monoblocks on dedicated floor platforms.

Pairing

A single-ended triode amplifier depends on the loudspeaker's load, and Ayon quotes no output power rating for this model, so speaker sensitivity matters more than usual. High-sensitivity designs of 92 dB and above and a gentle impedance curve, for example horn-loaded systems or large full-range speakers, are the natural match. The high input impedance lets any valve or solid-state preamplifier drive it, and Ayon's own Conquistador Evo line stage is the matching two-chassis preamplifier.

Alternatives

Ayon's Titan Evo Mono uses a single AA82B triode per channel in parallel single-ended form for 80 W of output.