Предусилители — Pilium Audio Olympus

The Olympus is a line preamplifier in the Master Divine line from Pilium Audio, positioned by the company as a step up from its Alexander preamplifier. It is a three-chassis design - one main unit holding the audio circuits and two outboard power supplies, one for each channel. Pilium describes the build as using cost-no-object parts and materials together with latest-generation components and zero-loss design techniques.

Key specs that matter

Connections comprise five stereo inputs - three balanced on XLR and two single-ended on RCA - plus two pairs of XLR outputs, one standard and one marked P-LINK. Voltage gain is +8 dB. Balanced inputs accept up to +17 dBu, or 5.6 V RMS, and the RCA inputs up to +11 dBu, or 2.8 V RMS. Input impedance is 60 kohm on XLR and 30 kohm on RCA, while output impedance stays below 10 ohm. Frequency response extends from 0.1 Hz to 500 kHz at the -3 dB points, THD+N measures 0.0172% at 1 kHz, with noise held 119 dB under the signal. Power draw is 10.5 W in standby and 17 W in operation. The main chassis measures 480 x 490 x 212 mm and weighs 52 kg, and each of the two supply units measures 235 x 490 x 162 mm at 19.5 kg, bringing the shipping weight of the complete set to 110 kg.

Engineering and use context

The circuit is laid out as quad-mono and fully balanced, so each channel and each polarity leg has its own path, which Pilium ties to the highest possible separation between left and right. Compared with the Alexander, the power supplies were redesigned and placed externally in two separate enclosures, one per channel, so neither channel shares a transformer or a box with the other or with the audio boards. Those transformers use a special core, are encapsulated and are mechanically isolated from their chassis. The volume control was reworked for this model so that only a single resistor sits in the signal path at any setting, keeping the number of parts between input and output to a minimum.

Pairing

All outputs are balanced, so the partnering power amplifier needs XLR inputs, and with its very low output impedance the Olympus can feed amplifiers whose input impedance is low without losing level. The two output pairs allow a second stereo or mono power amplifier to be connected, for example when bi-amping. Sources with only RCA outputs remain usable through the two single-ended inputs, although the higher input ceiling of the XLR side leaves more room for balanced sources that deliver a hot signal.

Alternatives

The Pilium Ares from the Divine line is a quad-mono balanced preamplifier with the same input set, a voltage gain of 2 and a touch screen in a single 30 kg chassis.