Усилители мощности стерео — Audio Note Conqueror

The Conqueror is a stereo single-ended triode power amplifier from Audio Note (UK), the Hove-based company that grew out of Hiroyasu Kondo's Japanese Audio Note. It belongs to Audio Note's Level 3 range, and it follows every criterion the company applies at that level - pure Class A operation, zero negative feedback, a single-ended output stage, valve rectification and directly heated triodes. It is built around the 300B, a classic directly heated triode designed specifically for audio use, and is offered in several versions, including a low-gain model and the upgraded Silver edition.

Key specs that matter

The Conqueror delivers 8W RMS per channel into 4 or 8 ohms from one 300B per channel. Input impedance is 100 kilohms, input sensitivity is 250mV for full output and channel balance is within +/-0.3dB. The valve complement is two 300B output triodes, two 6SN7 drivers (or two 6J5 in the low-gain version) and one 5U4G rectifier. Maximum power consumption is 270VA. The chassis measures 195 x 205 x 500mm tall, wide and deep, and weighs 20kg, with a silver aluminium or black acrylic fascia and a copper-topped chassis.

Engineering and use context

In a single-ended stage, one output triode per channel amplifies the entire waveform, conducting continuously in Class A, so there is no crossover between devices. Audio Note uses no global negative feedback, leaving the output transformer and triode to set the amplifier's behaviour directly. The 6SN7 driver is coupled to the 300B through a paper-in-oil capacitor, and signal capacitors are Audio Note's own copper-foil types. The power supply uses a 5U4G valve rectifier followed by choke smoothing, which gives a gentler switch-on for the valves and a supply that responds differently to load changes than a silicon rectifier. The output transformers are made in-house - I-E core types in the standard version and IHiB double C-core types in the Silver version, which also adds Audio Note tantalum film resistors and upgraded capacitors. Because the output power comes from a single triode per channel, the power ceiling is low, and the amplifier's output impedance is higher than that of solid-state designs, so the speaker load has a strong influence on the result.

Pairing

With its modest output, the Conqueror suits high-efficiency loudspeakers with a benign impedance, such as Audio Note's own AN-J and AN-E models designed for corner placement. Its high input sensitivity and easy input load let it be driven by a passive or active preamplifier, and the low-gain version suits sources with high output.

Alternatives

Audio Note's own Tomei Kensei is a Level 4 stereo power amplifier built around the 211 transmitting triode.