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Preamplifiers — Air Tight ATC-5s
Description, images, technical data and specifications
Air Tight ATC-5s
Image source - (c) Air Tight
The Air Tight ATC-5s is a single-ended valve preamplifier built in Japan with a hand-wired monocoque chassis of 1.6 mm steel and no printed circuit boards. The s suffix marks a revision of the original ATC-5.
Key specs that matter
Five valves are used - three 12AX7 in the phono equaliser and two 12AT7 in the line stage. There are three line inputs and two line outputs, all on RCA, plus dual MM phono inputs at 47k ohms with 40dB of gain. Frequency response reaches 100kHz and THD+N is 0.02%. The unit measures 400 x 260 x 90 mm and weighs 9 kg.
Engineering and use context
The phono stage uses a two-stage NF-CR circuit for RIAA equalisation. Volume is set by a custom ALPS RK-501 potentiometer with gold-plated multi-contact brushes sealed in a machined brass case. With RCA connections only, the ATC-5s is intended for single-ended systems.
Key specs that matter
Five valves are used - three 12AX7 in the phono equaliser and two 12AT7 in the line stage. There are three line inputs and two line outputs, all on RCA, plus dual MM phono inputs at 47k ohms with 40dB of gain. Frequency response reaches 100kHz and THD+N is 0.02%. The unit measures 400 x 260 x 90 mm and weighs 9 kg.
Engineering and use context
The phono stage uses a two-stage NF-CR circuit for RIAA equalisation. Volume is set by a custom ALPS RK-501 potentiometer with gold-plated multi-contact brushes sealed in a machined brass case. With RCA connections only, the ATC-5s is intended for single-ended systems.
Specifications
Model name
ATC-5s
Analog inputs (balanced)
N/A
Analog inputs (single-ended)
3
Analog outputs (balanced)
N/A
Analog outputs (single-ended)
2
Gain (dBu)
18
Input sensitivity (mV)
N/A
Output voltage (V)
20
Input impedance (balanced) (Ω)
N/A
Input impedance (single-ended) (Ω)
47 000
Output impedance (balanced) (Ω)
N/A
Output impedance (single-ended) (Ω)
N/A
Maximum output level (balanced) (dBu)
N/A
Maximum output level (single-ended) (dBu)
N/A
Volume control range (dBu)
N/A
Frequency response low +/- 3dB (Hz)
20
Frequency response high +/- 3dB (Hz)
100 000
Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR, unweighted) (dB)
N/A
Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise (THD+N) (%)
0.02
Dimensions (mm)
400 × 260 × 90
Weight (kg)
9
Official link
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