Усилители мощности стерео — Gold Note P-1000 MkII

The Gold Note P-1000 MkII is a Class A line preamplifier from Gold Note of Montespertoli near Florence, housed in a full-width 430 mm chassis and built on a proprietary six-stage ultra-balanced circuit. Volume is handled by relays driven from an ALPS optical encoder, and the unit is supplied with a remote control whose commands reach infrared receivers fitted at the front and at the back.

Key specs that matter

Eight stereo inputs are fitted, four fully balanced XLR and four RCA, and all present a 100 kohm load to the source. Nominal input level is 2 Vrms on both types, with a maximum of 5 Vrms on RCA and 10 Vrms on XLR. Gain is 19 dB, and the output impedance is below 50 ohm. Gold Note specifies a frequency response of 2 Hz to 200 kHz within 3 dB, THD below 0.001 percent at 1 kHz, a 110 dB signal-to-noise figure and channel separation above 118 dB. Output level reaches 20 Vrms on XLR and 10 Vrms on RCA. The case measures 430 x 135 x 375 mm and weighs 11 kg.

Engineering and use context

The internal supply consists of three independent linear supplies with three transformers, and maximum consumption is 30 W. Volume moves in 100 steps, set either by the front panel knob or by the multifunction remote, and the level appears on a colour display. Further functions include mono or stereo selection, a left and right channel swap and absolute phase switching between 0 and 180 degrees. Gold Note's Booster circuit raises output in a narrow low-frequency range for loudspeakers that need extra drive, with settings of off, 50 percent and 100 percent. The six output stages use noise-cancelling coils and capacitors derived from military technology, held in place with custom copper clips. Mains input is 100 to 120 V or 220 to 240 V at 50 or 60 Hz. The anodised aluminium casework is brushed and offered in black, silver or gold.

Pairing

With two RCA and two XLR outputs, the preamplifier can feed a pair of amplifiers or an amplifier plus an active subwoofer simultaneously, and a dedicated connector feeds Gold Note's TUBE-1012 valve stage. The optional TUBE-1006 and TUBE-1012 add six or twelve Class A tubes to the output, and the PSU-1000 and PSU-1250 external inductive supplies rated at 200 W and 300 W connect through a dedicated PSU input.

Alternatives

The original Gold Note P-1000 MkI is a related Class A line preamplifier with ten stereo inputs, five XLR and five RCA, and a gain of 20 dB.