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Power amplifiers stereo — Venture Audio V200A+
Description, images, technical data and specifications
Venture Audio V200A+
Image source — © Venture Audio
The V200A+ is the class A power amplifier from Venture Audio, the firm founded in 1986 by Njoo Hoo Kong and today managed by Lee Ming and Lee Ching, the two daughters of the founder. It uses MOSFET output devices and sits in a short electronics catalogue next to the class AB V120S, the VP 100P phono stage and the VP 200DT line preamplifier with DAC. Venture describes the amplifier as able to drive any loudspeaker and aims it at high-end systems built around its philosophy of Live Performance Satisfaction.
Key specs that matter
Nominal output is 200 W into 8 ohm, and the maker states that the circuit stays in full class A all the way up to that level. Harmonic distortion and intermodulation distortion are each quoted below 0.05 percent, the signal-to-noise ratio exceeds 110 dB and the damping factor is 400. Input impedance is 22 kOhm, the power bandwidth spans 1 Hz to 100 kHz and the rise time is below 2.5 μs. There is one XLR and one RCA input, while loudspeakers connect through 4 mm banana sockets or Speakon outputs. The case is 520 x 490 x 200 mm and the amplifier weighs 40 kg.
Engineering and use context
Class A at full rated power means the output stage draws high idle current at all times, and Venture answers the heat with very large radiators that hold the MOSFETs at no more than 55 degrees C. The company links that fixed temperature to longer device life and more linear transistor behaviour. The circuit runs with no total feedback, so the loop from output back to input found in many solid-state designs is absent. Several independent power supplies feed the amplifier, fitted with Mundorf capacitors and special four-pole capacitors from Jensen. A standby mode shortens the start-up routine - instead of about 4 hours to reach working temperature from cold, the V200A+ needs roughly 15 minutes when woken from standby.
Pairing
The standby function can be operated by hand with a switch or from a Venture preamplifier - the maker names the VP100L and the VP200D - through their remote control, which ties the amplifier most closely to the house electronics. The high damping factor gives firm control over woofer motion, and the Speakon option suits installations that already use that locking connector. The input impedance is easy to drive for valve and transistor preamplifiers, and the single balanced input suits long cable runs from a source rack. Because the class A rating is given only into the higher impedance, loudspeakers with a benign load match the published figures most directly.
Alternatives
The Venture V120S is the class AB MOSFET power amplifier listed beside it, specified for 240 W into 4 ohm in a 25 kg chassis.
Key specs that matter
Nominal output is 200 W into 8 ohm, and the maker states that the circuit stays in full class A all the way up to that level. Harmonic distortion and intermodulation distortion are each quoted below 0.05 percent, the signal-to-noise ratio exceeds 110 dB and the damping factor is 400. Input impedance is 22 kOhm, the power bandwidth spans 1 Hz to 100 kHz and the rise time is below 2.5 μs. There is one XLR and one RCA input, while loudspeakers connect through 4 mm banana sockets or Speakon outputs. The case is 520 x 490 x 200 mm and the amplifier weighs 40 kg.
Engineering and use context
Class A at full rated power means the output stage draws high idle current at all times, and Venture answers the heat with very large radiators that hold the MOSFETs at no more than 55 degrees C. The company links that fixed temperature to longer device life and more linear transistor behaviour. The circuit runs with no total feedback, so the loop from output back to input found in many solid-state designs is absent. Several independent power supplies feed the amplifier, fitted with Mundorf capacitors and special four-pole capacitors from Jensen. A standby mode shortens the start-up routine - instead of about 4 hours to reach working temperature from cold, the V200A+ needs roughly 15 minutes when woken from standby.
Pairing
The standby function can be operated by hand with a switch or from a Venture preamplifier - the maker names the VP100L and the VP200D - through their remote control, which ties the amplifier most closely to the house electronics. The high damping factor gives firm control over woofer motion, and the Speakon option suits installations that already use that locking connector. The input impedance is easy to drive for valve and transistor preamplifiers, and the single balanced input suits long cable runs from a source rack. Because the class A rating is given only into the higher impedance, loudspeakers with a benign load match the published figures most directly.
Alternatives
The Venture V120S is the class AB MOSFET power amplifier listed beside it, specified for 240 W into 4 ohm in a 25 kg chassis.
Specifications
Model name
V200A+
Input sensitivity (mV)
N/A
Input impedance (balanced) (Ω)
22 000
Input impedance (single-ended) (Ω)
22 000
Output impedance (balanced) (Ω)
N/A
Output impedance (single-ended) (Ω)
N/A
Max current (A)
N/A
Output power (8Ω) (W)
200
Output power (4Ω) (W)
200
Gain (dBu)
N/A
Frequency response low +/- 3dB (Hz)
N/A
Frequency response high +/- 3dB (Hz)
N/A
Signal to Noise Ratio (dB)
>110
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (0% global feedback) (%)
N/A
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (100% global feedback) (%)
<0.05
Max power consumption (W)
N/A
Damping factor
400
Dimensions (mm)
520 x 490 x 200
Weight (kg)
40
Official link
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