Усилители мощности моно — Fezz Audio Olympia Mono Power Amplifier

The Olympia Mono Power Amplifier is a valve monoblock from Fezz Audio, the Polish maker of valve amplifiers, and the company calls it its first fully balanced mono power amplifier. A pair is needed for stereo. It shares its design basis with the Olympia Dual Mono integrated amplifier, and it is priced at EUR 9,900 per unit.

Key specs that matter

Each monoblock uses four KT88 output valves from Genalex Gold Lion in parallel push-pull, with one 12AX7 and one 12AU7 as drivers. Output power is 150 W, with separate speaker taps for 4 ohm and 8 ohm loads. THD is below 0.1% up to 100 W and below 1% at full power. Power bandwidth covers 16 Hz to 80 kHz, and the damping factor exceeds 30. There is one RCA and one fully balanced XLR input, both with 100 kOhm input impedance, and input sensitivity is 0.7 V. The amplifier draws 200 W at idle and 400 W at full output, protected by an 8 A slow-blow 5 x 20 mm fuse. It measures 355 x 380 x 195 mm.

Engineering and use context

In a parallel push-pull output stage two pairs of valves share the load, doubling the current available compared with a single pair, which lets four KT88 reach the rated output. Fezz developed its own microprocessor bias control, which sets and maintains the operating point of each valve automatically, so no manual adjustment is needed when valves age or are replaced. The fully balanced design carries the signal as two opposite-polarity halves from the XLR input onward, rejecting noise picked up along the way. The separate taps on the output transformer match the valves to the nominal impedance of the connected speaker, so the amplifier delivers its rated power into either load. With the high input impedance, even valve preamplifiers with a high output impedance see a light load. Finishes carry names such as Big Calm, Black Ice, Burning Red, Republika, EverGreen, Moonlight and Sunlight, and upgraded valves and a valve cage are available as options. Because each channel sits on its own chassis with its own power supply, there is no shared supply between left and right.

Pairing

With its high output, a pair of Olympia monoblocks drives most floorstanding speakers, including less sensitive designs. A balanced preamplifier connected through XLR makes use of the fully balanced circuit, and the input sensitivity suits standard preamplifier outputs.

Alternatives

The Fezz Audio Olympia Dual Mono is the integrated amplifier version of the Olympia design in a single chassis.