Предусилители — Aries Cerat Impera II Signature LE

The Impera II Signature LE is a limited edition tube preamplifier from Aries Cerat, also called the Impera Signature Limited Edition. It uses second-generation Inverted Triode tubes, a 26-step transformer volume control and ten independent power supplies, and its total weight is 110 kg unpacked.

Key specs that matter

Two second-generation Inverted Triode tubes run in parallel in the gain stage. Rectification is by four 6AU4 tubes for the driver supplies and a GZ34 or 5AR4 for the negative bias. Volume is set by a multitap input transformer with 26 relay-switched taps, wound bifilar. Gain is 5 times, or 14 dB, in the high-gain version, and 2.5 times, or 8 dB, in the medium-gain version, and the high-gain version reaches 10 V RMS output. There are four unbalanced inputs and one true balanced input, and outputs are RCA and AC link, with XLR on request. Bandwidth is 2 Hz to 500 kHz. The power supply section comprises ten independent supplies with a total of 500 VA.

Engineering and use context

Running two Inverted Triode tubes in parallel halves the output impedance compared with a single tube and doubles the current available to drive cables and power amplifiers. The Inverted Triode is Aries Cerat's own tube design, here in its second generation. With the volume control built into the input transformer, the level is set by selecting taps on its winding, which avoids a resistive attenuator in the signal path. Tube rectifiers, the 6AU4 types and the GZ34 or 5AR4, supply the high-voltage rails. Ten independent supplies give separate power to each stage and channel. The AC link output is Aries Cerat's own connection format for linking its components.

Pairing

The Impera II Signature LE is designed for Aries Cerat's power amplifiers, connected through RCA or the AC link, and its XLR option serves amplifiers with balanced inputs. The medium-gain version suits sensitive power amplifiers, and the high-gain version suits those with the standard gain of 1, such as the Concero 25. Its weight requires a solid equipment support.

Alternatives

From the Legend Series, the Aries Cerat Virgo is a two-chassis preamplifier using a single-ended E280F stage with four tubes and weighing 140 kg in total.