What, you may ask, is this extraordinary looking device? Well it's the Audio Research Reference 750 monobloc amplifier, yours for £27,500 – each. It's designed to deliver 750W into speaker loads of 4, 8 and 16Ohms. This is achieved by the use of a custom-built power transformer delivering current from 16 KT120 vacuum tubes placed on top of the unit. Power supply regulation is also achieved by vacuum tube with a 6550WE and 6H30 driver. The monolithic tower design weighs 77Kg and includes a front panel display with two analogue meters, one for output wattage and bias, the other for incoming AC line voltage. Four buttons beneath the top meter control meter brightness, bias power and fan speed for the optional ventilated top covers. The Audio Research Reference 750 is distributed in the UK by Absolute Sounds. Follow whathifi.com on Twitter Join whathifi.com on Facebook Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy. The Reference 750 SEL monoblock amplifier continues the story begun 25 years ago with the introduction of the Reference 600; that is, to create the ultimate, vacuum-tube amplifier with enough power to drive any speaker, and to provide a musical experience unlike any before it. The Reference 750 SEL redefines all expectations of what is possible from an amplifier in a music playback system. It is the culmination of everything Audio Research knows about amplifier design and manufacture – High Definition in its purest, most dynamic form. Listening to Reference 750 SEL monoblocks in a high performance system is a transformative experience; under total control, speakers disappear from the listening room and the listener is transported into a three-dimensional realm where music takes on a palpable, tangible form. Details from source material are resolved against a black background, painting images in space with vivid reality. Bass becomes the foundation on which this living performance develops, produced with startling temporal and timbral accuracy. Here is the breath of the performer, the pick against the string, the brilliance of a full orchestra. The Reference 750 SEL delivers over 750 watts of power into speaker loads of 4 to 16 ohms. This is achieved by the use of massive, custom-built power and output transformer delivering current from sixteen KT150 vacuum tubes in each channel. Thanks to 48 hours of burn-in, followed by thorough testing and careful matching of tubes, the amplifier requires little maintenance. Power supply regulation is also achieved by 6550WE and 6H30 vacuum tubes. Tube bias is controlled by two KT150 tubes, each driving a bank of eight KT150 output tubes. The SEL is the last version of the 750-series, produced in a limited edition of ten pairs. Using the latest and best parts available, the SEL version includes 23 new wires and 26 new capacitors as part of a stunning sonic transformation. The best vacuum-tube amplifier in the world just got better. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION POWER OUTPUT
POWER BANDWIDTH
FREQUENCY RESPONSE
INPUT SENSITIVITY
INPUT IMPEDANCE
OUTPUT TAPS
OUTPUT REGULATION
OVERALL NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
SLEW RATE
RISE TIME
HUM & NOISE
POWER SUPPLY ENERGY STORAGE
POWER REQUIREMENTS
TUBES REQUIRED
DIMENSIONS
WEIGHT
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