Challenger 115 up to 180

8.450 € – 9.650 €

(English) “They feature a unique parallel push-pull Class-A design using six beam power pentode tubes per channel. The Challenger can be used with EL-34s, 6550s, or KT88s, and it produces a powerful 115 to 180 watts per channel. This is made possible by its revolutionary and proprietary Automatic Bias Regulator (ABR) circuitry, which monitors, biases and controls each tube independently. Brilliantly, it makes tube replacement very economical and simple, there is no need for tube matching to get the best sound. My review pair was equipped with the EL-34s and they rendered music with power and authority, transparency and beautiful tonality.” (Key Kim)

complete review following in the next days …

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Beschreibung

4.5 (90%) 2 votes

:::   Mono Endstufen auf Pentoden – Basis ( PP) von 120 bis 180 Watt  :::

StereoTimes’ Most Wanted Component Award 2017 for Challenger 115

 

Bereits seit 1984 produziert AudioValve die Verstärkerreihe mit dem Namen CHALLENGER. Es handelt sich hierbei gleichfalls um das bewährte PP Konzept, mit dem Unterschied, dass die gesamte Schaltung vollsymetrisch ausgeführt ist, also die Negaitive und posivtive Signal Phase bedient. Bei entsprechende Wahl der Endröhren wird so z.B. aus einer 115 Watt Endstufe mit EL34 das Modell Challenger 150, wenn Sie mit 6550 bestücken, oder ein Paar Challenger 180 – wenn Sie mit KT120 bestücken.

Die Ruheströme findet der Verstärker mit Hilfe von Autobias ( ABR ) von selbst.

Die Zeitschrift HIFI-VISION hat bereits diese Gerätereihe in einem Test im Mai 1992 zur „absoluten Spitzenklasse“ gekürt. Auch diese Baureihen besitzen unsere sog. automatischen BIAS Regulatoren, die den Ruhestrom jeder einzelnen Endröhre exakt einstellen. Über LED`s werden Sie auf verbrauchte Endröhren aufmerksam gemacht und können diese ohne Aufwand einfach tauschen – ohne auf selektierte Röhren zurück greifen zu müssen. Lassen Sie sich also keine kostspieligen Röhren für Ihren AudioValve Verstärker verkaufen, denn unsere Verstärker benötigen keine selektierten Endröhren um zu klingen. Das leidige Thema um die richtige Wahl der Endröhren ist damit für immer vorbei.

Der Einsatz dieser Geräte gilt vornehmlich dynamischen Lautsprechern, aber auch im Zusammenspiel mit elektrostatischen Lautsprechern beweisen die Challenger ihre absolute Klasse .

Mit einem zusätzlichen Stand-by Schalter auf der Front links des Gerätes kann in längeren Pausen die Anodenspannung abgeschaltet werden, ohne das Gerät ganz abzuschalten. Die Röhren bleiben sicher durchgewärmt und können unmittelbar wieder max. musikalische Qualitäten nach dem Einschalten in den „Operate Mode“ wiedergeben. Aber die Challenger`s sind ohnehin bereits nach 10 Minuten der Inbetriebnahme voll einsatzfähig.

Zurück zur Challenger – auf insgesamt 6 Endröhren pro Kanal ist die Leistung verteilt. Keiner Endröhre wird zu viel zugemutet. Selbst wenn eine schwächer werden sollte, werden Sie dies kaum feststellen. Ein großer Vorteil, wenn Sie Überlegen zu welchen Leistungen andere Konzepte die Röhren zwingen, die gleiche Leistung nur mit 2 Röhren erreichen wollen – das geht auf die Lebensdauer – keine Frage. Überhaupt sind Gegentakt – Endstufen mit lediglich zwei Röhren mit Vorsicht zu genießen. Gerade bei zwei Röhren in konventioneller Technik, lebt der Klang von der Qualität und der Symetrie der Röhren – und da diese zunehmend Altern werden Sie bald die Veränderungen des Klangs erfahren – leider.

Es sei den, Sie erwarben mit Ihrem Gerät einen Schraubenzieher und unterziehen Ihr Gerät der ständigen Bias – Justage. Auch solche Geräte werden heute noch aktuell auch aus den USA oder China kommend produziert. Wo ist da der Sinn, oder kann man es vielleicht nicht besser ??!!

Wir besitzen unseren Biasregulator nun schon seit 1991 und bieten ihn zwischenzeitlich auch als Modul für Fremdfabrikate an, damit auch deren Besitzer nicht Ihr ganzes Hab und Gut in Röhren investieren müssen. Vielleicht klingt Ihnen diese Abhandlung etwas provokant, aber bislang ist von Seiten der Berichterstattung der „Fachpresse“ dieser Belang um unsere Geräte wenig erschöpfend erläutert worden, ich denke die Presse versteht die Technik dahinter nicht und kann die Wirkungsweise somit auch nicht erläutern.

Also – wann immer Sie in den Genuss eines Angebotes preiswerter KT 120 kommen, schlagen Sie zu – Sie werden Ihre Freude daran haben, wenn Sie die in Challenger setzen. Wir streiten auch nicht ab, das die Qualität der Röhren heute, gegenüber derer vor 30 Jahren abgenommen hat – sicher bereitet dies auch vielen Geräten der Konkurenz größte Probleme, aber bei entsprechendem Einsatz im richtigen Schaltungsumfeld – wie bei AudioValve – bereiten Ihnen die Röhren heute mehr Vergnügen den je. Sie müssen sich eben nur für das richtige Konzept entscheiden und damit Sie das können, eine keine technische Einführung ins Thema Röhren, damit Ihnen eine Beurteilung möglich wird

Die Eingangsstufe der Challenger ist mit einer sog. Parallel – symetrischen – kreuzgekoppelten Vorstufe nach Zechendorff realisiert. Sie ermöglicht ohne Aufwand die Verarbeitung von XLR und Cinch – eingespeisten Signalen. Die Challenger besitzen eine riesige zweiseitige Leiterplatte mit allen Bauelementen und werden von Hand gelötet. Dies sichert beste Kontaktstellen an den Lötstellen zu, da das Zinn durch jedes Lötauge hindurch bis nach oben steigt und somit eine ausgezeichnete Verbindung schafft. Das Lot steigt im Loch des Lötauges hoch und lötet somit jedes Bauteil von oben und unten. Gute und kurze Kabel zu den im Untergrund des Verstärkers befindlichen Transformatoren sichern beste elektrische Verbindungen, deshalb sieht auch bei der Challenger selbst ein 10 Khz Rechteckt noch wie das Original aus. Ohne Überschwinger oder schlappe Flanken – eben so, wie es sein sollte.

Eine weitere Besonderheit dieser Verstärker sind die Netzteile. PP verlangt ein Anoden Netzteil, aber damit nicht genug, wir benötigen weiter die Schirmgitterspannungen für die linke und rechte Bank ( PTC überstrom gesichert ), drei Heizkreise, neg. Gitterspannung, Referenzspannungen für die ABR`S, plus/minus Netzteile für die OP`s, eine Anoden Treiberspannung, und all diese Spannungen sind teils schwimmend den jeweiligen Bänken der rechten und linken Röhrenreihe einer Leiterplatte zugeordnet – damit Sie nur mal eine Vorstellung bekommen, auf welchem Entwicklungstand sich unserer Geräte befinden.

Musikalisch ist der Bestückung mit EL34 in den Challengern der Vorzug zu geben. Diese liefern annähernd 130 Watt und brillieren mit einem besonderen Mittel – und Hochtonbereich. Wer dagegen mehr Bass bevorzugt, ist evtl. besser mit den KT 120 bedient.

Die Grundeinstellung des Bias erfolgt über vierstellige DIP Schalter, die sich auf der Leiterplatte befinden. Mit deren Hilfe wird der Referenz – Ruhestrom zur automatischen Einstellung in allen Endröhren zugrunde gelegt.

Die Challenger Baureihen haben in den zurück liegenden 30 Jahren div. kosmetische Updates erfahren. Vom Konzept jedoch hat sich bis Dato nichts geändert – warum sollte es auch. Wir müssen uns keiner ständigen neuen Modellpolitik unterziehen um interessant zu bleiben, wir stehen zu dem was wir tun – 1984 bis 2014 – numehr 30 Jahre.

Immer wieder höre ich, „man kennt Sie nicht Herr Becker …“. Das ist so nicht ganz richtig. Wir bestreiten 95% unserer Umsätze im Ausland und das, weil man uns kennt und schätzt. Aber auch in Deutschland gibt es aufmerksame HiFi – Freunde, die sich schon lange nicht mehr von „Testsiegern“ der Presse, oder „Foren – Propheten“ beeinflussen lassen, sondern sich konsequent und vor allem mit Sachverstand Ihre eigene Meinung bilden. Und diese Hörer finden immer den Kontakt auch zu uns. Was mich aber am meisten freut, ist die Tatsache, dass es Individualisten sind, im Beruf wie auch privat, – genau wie ich – auch der Suche nach dem besten Ergebnis. Menschen mit selbstbestimmten Charakteren und besonderen Charismen. Keiner ist wie der Andere, jeder ist ganz speziell und trotzdem – oder gerade darum – finden wir zusammen, aus Liebe zur Musik. Sie alle zu kennen, macht mich stolz – und das sind nicht wenige – danke für Ihr Vertrauen.

 

 

 

Die Challengers produzieren ein perfektes – wirklich sehr kleines Klirrsprektrum

Die drei Messwerte / Darstellungen zeigen, unter 1. den niedrigen Klirranteil, unter 2. ein beispielhaftes Rechteck bei 10 Khz und zu guter letzt
das Erreichen des Softclipings bei Vollaussteuerung – mit EL34 liegt das bei ca. 150 Watt – sprich ca. 33 V Signal an 8 Ohm, wenn das nicht heftig ist ??!!

 

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Specs

technische Angaben:

  • power output 100 – 140 watt (sin)
  • power output pulse (34 Veff.-8 ohm)
  • power consumption 280 / (max. 400 watt)
  • power consumption „stand-by“ 60 watt, (tube-heating)
  • input sensitivy 0 dBm
  • input resistance 2×47 K
  • power bandwidth 5-50.000 Hz
  • output impedance 2-4-8 ohm
  • damping factor 8
  • distortion 0.15%- 50 watt
  • S/N – 82 dB
  • weight 26 kg
  • dimensions 420 x 250 x 220 mm (d x b x h )
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Awards

(English)

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Hifi magazines

(English)

AUDIO – VALVE`S TEST IN ABSOLUTE SOUND SEP. 1999 Teutonic Tubes: The AudioValve Challenger 140 Monoblock Amplifiers_Paul Bolin When you think about German-made audio equipment, tube amplifiers are probably not the first things that come to mind. Costly, ultra-tech solid-state equipment from firms like Burmester and MBL has dominated Germany’s recent exports to the US, with tube gear remaining something of a curiosity. Rare bird or not, the AudioValve Challenger 140_ monoblock tube amplifiers arrived at my door in their massive wooden crates courtesy of German designer Helmut Becker and American importer Victor Goldstein of Fanfare International. The units were sent with no chart for installation of the driver tubes – no manual or spec sheet. It was easy to figure out that each chassis took six of the Svetlana 6550Cs, but finding the right sockets for the small tubes required a call to Fanfare. (Presumably, a bona fide buyer will receive proper instructions.) After explaining tube installation, Goldstein told me that the AV amps run in pure Class A, and that they contain Becker’s unique (and patented) autobiasing circuit that allows plug-and-play use of any octal-based power tube (EL 34, KT 88, etc.) with no need for biasing adjustments.2 The AudioValves are attractive amps. The chassis is shaped like a large shoebox, with transformers living out of sight in the bottom half and tubes mounted on an isolated circuitboard on the top half. The tops are mostly open around the front and sides for ventilation, and large pieces of smoked, tempered glass cover the tubes. The glass tops are less than an inch above the 6550s, and get egg-frying hot, though Goldstein assured me that he knows of no breakage resulting from the heat. When these black-enameled, gold-trimmed amps are powered up, they fill the room with a warm orange glow from the glassed-in tabernacle of tubes. The front-panel status lights are a pleasing sapphire-blue—a much more appealing color than the usual acid green. I have one major gripe about the construction. Like many European amplifiers, they come equipped with horrid binding posts. The posts are actually high-quality WBTs, but AV encloses them in a clear plastic overlay that is slotted to permit the insertion of spade lugs or bare wire. The outside diameter of the plastic piece is unknown to the Postman wrench, so the terminals can only be hand-tightened. Furthermore, the slots are not wide enough to accept two spade lugs. This proved a real inconvenience, since I prefer to bi-wire my Apogee Duetta Signatures for best performance. I was forced to use spade-to-banana adapters on the second pair of speaker cables and plug the bananas into the very loose jacks in the center of the amps’ binding posts, where they could rattle around. US audiophiles expect big, honkin’, Tiff/Cardas-style posts that will comfortably accommodate bi-wiring and can be tightened to a reasonable degree. End of screed. The first music I played through the AVs was the blockbusting Vaughan Williams Sinfonia antartica [Naxos 8.550737]. The amps sailed through this enormously powerful music with no problems and much distinction, even on my demanding Apogees, which are generally not considered to be tube-friendly.3 It was immediately obvious that the AVs were no run-of-the-mill amplifier, and they exhibited none of the stereotypically chilly „German“ sound. Nonetheless, I broke the amps in for a couple of weeks before settling down to critical listening. As the evaluative process began in earnest, first among the AudioValves‘ strengths was their handling of spatial characteristics. However capacious the recorded acoustic, they are able to capture every corner of the venue in a natural way. They create not just a believable sense of „space,“ but of individualized spaces. The AVs never suggest a generic sort of acoustic environment; each studio and hall is presented as a unique entity. Resolution of ambient detail is top-drawer, with back-wall and side-wall reflections clearly delineated. Electronics with less resolving power simply cannot capture the full measure of hall sound the AVs provide. On exceptional orchestral LPs like La fille mal gardée [Speakers Corner/Decca SXL 2313] or the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1 [Mercury SR90300], the Challengers throw a deep and broad stage with tangible air above and around the players. This excellent staging is never phasey or exaggerated and always appropriate to the source material. As well as the Challengers handle the demands of an orchestra playing in a large space, so they excel with intimately scaled music, and are able to present accurately the subtly varying perspectives of recordings like Diana Krall’s Love Scenes [Impulse IMPD 233] and Shirley Horn’s I Remember Miles [Verve 314 557 119-2].

The Krall CD puts her trio right in the room – at times it seems as if she is sitting two feet away – while the Horn CD gives the feel of eavesdropping on a performance in a small club, with more audible space around voice, piano, and supporting musicians. Well-made rock recordings, such as Air’s Moon Safari [Virgin/Source V2848 (French LP)] and the classic Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon [Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-017], create continuous and holistic virtual environments. In short, the Challengers’ abilities to define space and retrieve ambient detail are beyond reproach. A component that describes a large space can be initially attractive, but the impression will quickly pall if that space is ill-defined, dark, or cloudy. If the recording is murky, the Challengers will tell you, but where the source material is musically true, their presentation is sparkling clear and evenly lit. The AVs‘ retrieval of instrumental details is every bit as good as its way with spatial minutiae. Individual instrumental and vocal lines are articulated with an easy grace. For example, when woodwinds of similar timbres, such as the oboe and English horn, are playing together, there is never any doubt about which instrument is which. It’s easy as pie to follow any one of the small army of percussionists on Santana’s Caravanserai [Columbia AL 31610]. No image ever steps on or obscures another, and there is always a satisfying dimensionality to each and all. You may correctly infer that the Challengers‘ dynamic performance is also quite good. Transient response is uniformly excellent from top to bottom, suggesting that the amps are well-regulated and have a wide bandwidth. Paired with dynamically distinguished partners like the FM Acoustics Resolution 222 or Aesthetix Io phono stages and the Audio Research LS25 line stage, the AVs‘ presentation was exceptionally lively and engaging on all types of music. What was especially impressive about the AudioValves, at least as originally tubed (about which, more later), is their ability to project dynamics in the lower treble, an area where many components fall audibly short. 140 watts are 140 watts, however, and for all the Challengers‘ forcefulness at any reasonable listening levels, they had a slight tendency to compress the biggest crescendos – they are comfortable up to the f-plus range, but are a bit hard-pressed to deliver a full-throated fortissimo, at least on my speakers. The noise floor is nearly solid-state low, and a double or triple pianissimo is floated as well as I have heard from any amplifier. Air between instruments is grain-free and does not have the sort of disconcertingly vacuum-black quality sometimes heard with solid-state amplifiers – there is silence, but not an unoccupied void. Boundary definition of instruments is exceptionally natural; this quality really stands out with chamber-sized ensembles like the Concentus Musicus Wien in Nikolaus Harnancourt’s complete Bach Overtures [Telefunken 6.35246] or the smallish orchestra on Bruno Walter’s enchanting recording of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik [Columbia MS 6350 (6-eye)]. Each instrument’s harmonic and spatial bloom is complete in and of itself while remaining seamlessly integrated with those of the other instruments and the space in which they were recorded with no unnaturally etched quality to image edges. The AVs also excel in handling singers. Head and chest tones always remain distinct, but as part of the same human being’s voice and body. They are completely lacking that discontinuous and unpleasant presentation which renders a singer as a bodiless floating head rather than a complete person. With either tube, the Challengers‘ bass extension and control are quite good even on my rather difficult speakers. The massive organ and bass drum blasts in the Antartica pressurize the room with great authority and ample bloom and air, though there is a bit of looseness in the sub-40 Hz depths. The Challengers excel through the midbass and upper bass. Christian McBride’s beefy (and beautifully recorded) upright bass tone is dead-on in Krall’s Love Scenes; the AVs correctly balance the powerful transients of his plucking with the complex resonances of the instrument’s body. The Challengers‘ midrange is always transparent, harmonically generous, and full-bodied; treble has just the right balance of shimmer and immediacy and the amps capture cymbals and violin overtones in a particularly convincing fashion. Treble extension is outstanding, and is a major contributing factor to the Challengers‘ exceptional spatial reproduction. Near the end of the review period, I was informed that AudioValve has substituted a Sovtek’s new 12AX7LP driver tube for the original Sovtek 12AX7WXT.4 Though the Challengers‘ overall tonal balance is satisfying and musically consonant with either tube, there are noteworthy differences in their sound which show up in a few areas.

With the 12AX7WXT in place there is something of the charming Southern belle in the AVs‘ character despite their German origins. So equipped, the amps can face nearly any recording and find something nice to say about it. While it does nothing to gloss over the sonic problems of lesser recordings, it somehow manages to flatter the best that is present within them. They impart a slight blush to the Challengers‘ sound in the upper midrange and lower treble, which subtly enriches recordings that tend toward the bright or forward in that region. This somewhat romantic touch never seems to intrude on their truthful handling of the best source material, however, or in cases where instruments should sound astringent. It does nothing to sweeten the vinegary strings of Harnancourt’s Bach Overtures or fatten the Paris Conservatory Orchestra’s lean French sonorities on the Cluytens-conducted Ravel collection [Testament/EMI SAX 2476-79]. Though not obtrusive, the tube’s character does suggest careful auditioning before pairing them with overly lush or romantic sounding front-ends or speakers. The new 12AX7LP neatly eliminates the romantic and, yes, euphonic lusciousness in the upper mids and lower treble, and is certainly more neutral. Unfortunately, it also seems to shave away a bit of the amp’s unusually convincing dynamic liveliness in that same range. The new driver also improves the amps‘ already excellent image focus and eliminates a smidgen of midbass tubbiness I hadn’t noticed until it was gone. There is a definite overall up-side to the new tube, but it comes at the cost of a slightly cooler overall presentation. There was to my ears, in my system, a little less joy and sparkle with the 12AX7LP, though the difference was not huge. Anyone who hears the current version of the amps with the LP tube will hear everything I have described above. The true tube-roller is, of course, free to requisition some Sovtek 12AX7WXTs and make his or her own decision. The AudioValve Challenger 140 provides superb overall performance in a very stylish package. It is equal to any amplifier I have listened to at length in terms of the ability to accurately retrieve sonic information and communicate the music with convincing completeness and fundamental rightness. There could be more macrodynamics at the extremes and a tad more bass control, but these minor shortcomings are forgivable in light of 140’s overall excellence and the exceedingly high value it offers in today’s High End marketplace. Taken as a whole, the Challengers are perhaps the most captivating German export since Katarina Witt. This is an amplifier worth going well out of your way to hear. If I could, I would purchase them in an instant.

 

AUDIO VALVE`S CHALLENGER

review in TAS issue 120 (nov.99)

 

Teutonic Tubes: The AudioValve Challenger 140 Monoblock Amplifiers_Paul Bolin When you think about German-made audio equipment, tube amplifiers are probably not the first things that come to mind. Costly, ultra-tech solid-state equipment from firms like Burmester and MBL has dominated Germany’s recent exports to the US, with tube gear remaining something of a curiosity. Rare bird or not, the AudioValve Challenger 140_ monoblock tube amplifiers arrived at my door in their massive wooden crates courtesy of German designer Helmut Becker and American importer Victor Goldstein of Fanfare International.

TAS

The units were sent with no chart for installation of the driver tubes – no manual or spec sheet. It was easy to figure out that each chassis took six of the Svetlana 6550Cs, but finding the right sockets for the small tubes required a call to Fanfare. (Presumably, a bona fide buyer will receive proper instructions.) After explaining tube installation, Goldstein told me that the AV amps run in pure Class A, and that they contain Becker’s unique (and patented) autobiasing circuit that allows plug-and-play use of any octal-based power tube (EL 34, KT 88, etc.) with no need for biasing adjustments.2

TAS

The AudioValves are attractive amps. The chassis is shaped like a large shoebox, with transformers living out of sight in the bottom half and tubes mounted on an isolated circuitboard on the top half. The tops are mostly open around the front and sides for ventilation, and large pieces of smoked, tempered glass cover the tubes. The glass tops are less than an inch above the 6550s, and get egg-frying hot, though Goldstein assured me that he knows of no breakage resulting from the heat. When these black-enameled, gold-trimmed amps are powered up, they fill the room with a warm orange glow from the glassed-in tabernacle of tubes. The front-panel status lights are a pleasing sapphire-blue—a much more appealing color than the usual acid green. I have one major gripe about the construction. Like many European amplifiers, they come equipped with horrid binding posts. The posts are actually high-quality WBTs, but AV encloses them in a clear plastic overlay that is slotted to permit the insertion of spade lugs or bare wire. The outside diameter of the plastic piece is unknown to the Postman wrench, so the terminals can only be hand-tightened. Furthermore, the slots are not wide enough to accept two spade lugs. This proved a real inconvenience, since I prefer to bi-wire my Apogee Duetta Signatures for best performance.

TAS

I was forced to use spade-to-banana adapters on the second pair of speaker cables and plug the bananas into the very loose jacks in the center of the amps’ binding posts, where they could rattle around. US audiophiles expect big, honkin’, Tiff/Cardas-style posts that will comfortably accommodate bi-wiring and can be tightened to a reasonable degree. End of screed. The first music I played through the AVs was the blockbusting Vaughan Williams Sinfonia antartica [Naxos 8.550737].

TAS

The amps sailed through this enormously powerful music with no problems and much distinction, even on my demanding Apogees, which are generally not considered to be tube-friendly.3 It was immediately obvious that the AVs were no run-of-the-mill amplifier, and they exhibited none of the stereotypically chilly „German“ sound. Nonetheless, I broke the amps in for a couple of weeks before settling down to critical listening. As the evaluative process began in earnest, first among the AudioValves‘ strengths was their handling of spatial characteristics. However capacious the recorded acoustic, they are able to capture every corner of the venue in a natural way. They create not just a believable sense of „space,“ but of individualized spaces.

 

 The AVs never suggest a generic sort of acoustic environment; each studio and hall is presented as a unique entity. Resolution of ambient detail is top-drawer, with back-wall and side-wall reflections clearly delineated. Electronics with less resolving power simply cannot capture the full measure of hall sound the AVs provide. On exceptional orchestral LPs like La fille mal gardée [Speakers Corner/Decca SXL 2313] or the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1 [Mercury SR90300], the Challengers throw a deep and broad stage with tangible air above and around the players.

TAS

This excellent staging is never phasey or exaggerated and always appropriate to the source material. As well as the Challengers handle the demands of an orchestra playing in a large space, so they excel with intimately scaled music, and are able to present accurately the subtly varying perspectives of recordings like Diana Krall’s Love Scenes [Impulse IMPD 233] and Shirley Horn’s I Remember Miles [Verve 314 557 119-2].

TAS

The Krall CD puts her trio right in the room – at times it seems as if she is sitting two feet away – while the Horn CD gives the feel of eavesdropping on a performance in a small club, with more audible space around voice, piano, and supporting musicians. Well-made rock recordings, such as Air’s Moon Safari [Virgin/Source V2848 (French LP)] and the classic Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon [Mobile Fidelity MFSL 1-017], create continuous and holistic virtual environments. In short, the Challengers’ abilities to define space and retrieve ambient detail are beyond reproach.

TAS

A component that describes a large space can be initially attractive, but the impression will quickly pall if that space is ill-defined, dark, or cloudy. If the recording is murky, the Challengers will tell you, but where the source material is musically true, their presentation is sparkling clear and evenly lit. The AVs‘ retrieval of instrumental details is every bit as good as its way with spatial minutiae. Individual instrumental and vocal lines are articulated with an easy grace. For example, when woodwinds of similar timbres, such as the oboe and English horn, are playing together, there is never any doubt about which instrument is which. It’s easy as pie to follow any one of the small army of percussionists on Santana’s Caravanserai [Columbia AL 31610]. No image ever steps on or obscures another, and there is always a satisfying dimensionality to each and all. You may correctly infer that the Challengers‘ dynamic performance is also quite good. Transient response is uniformly excellent from top to bottom, suggesting that the amps are well-regulated and have a wide bandwidth. Paired with dynamically distinguished partners like the FM Acoustics Resolution 222 or Aesthetix Io phono stages and the Audio Research LS25 line stage, the AVs‘ presentation was exceptionally lively and engaging on all types of music.

TAS

What was especially impressive about the AudioValves, at least as originally tubed (about which, more later), is their ability to project dynamics in the lower treble, an area where many components fall audibly short. 140 watts are 140 watts, however, and for all the Challengers‘ forcefulness at any reasonable listening levels, they had a slight tendency to compress the biggest crescendos – they are comfortable up to the f-plus range, but are a bit hard-pressed to deliver a full-throated fortissimo, at least on my speakers.

 

 The noise floor is nearly solid-state low, and a double or triple pianissimo is floated as well as I have heard from any amplifier. Air between instruments is grain-free and does not have the sort of disconcertingly vacuum-black quality sometimes heard with solid-state amplifiers – there is silence, but not an unoccupied void. Boundary definition of instruments is exceptionally natural; this quality really stands out with chamber-sized ensembles like the Concentus Musicus Wien in Nikolaus Harnancourt’s complete Bach Overtures [Telefunken 6.35246] or the smallish orchestra on Bruno Walter’s enchanting recording of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik [Columbia MS 6350 (6-eye)]. Each instrument’s harmonic and spatial bloom is complete in and of itself while remaining seamlessly integrated with those of the other instruments and the space in which they were recorded with no unnaturally etched quality to image edges.

TAS

The AVs also excel in handling singers. Head and chest tones always remain distinct, but as part of the same human being’s voice and body. They are completely lacking that discontinuous and unpleasant presentation which renders a singer as a bodiless floating head rather than a complete person. With either tube, the Challengers‘ bass extension and control are quite good even on my rather difficult speakers. The massive organ and bass drum blasts in the Antartica pressurize the room with great authority and ample bloom and air, though there is a bit of looseness in the sub-40 Hz depths. The Challengers excel through the midbass and upper bass. Christian McBride’s beefy (and beautifully recorded) upright bass tone is dead-on in Krall’s Love Scenes; the AVs correctly balance the powerful transients of his plucking with the complex resonances of the instrument’s body.

TAS

The Challengers‘ midrange is always transparent, harmonically generous, and full-bodied; treble has just the right balance of shimmer and immediacy and the amps capture cymbals and violin overtones in a particularly convincing fashion. Treble extension is outstanding, and is a major contributing factor to the Challengers‘ exceptional spatial reproduction. Near the end of the review period,

TAS

I was informed that AudioValve has substituted a Sovtek’s new 12AX7LP driver tube for the original Sovtek 12AX7WXT.4 Though the Challengers‘ overall tonal balance is satisfying and musically consonant with either tube, there are noteworthy differences in their sound which show up in a few areas.

TAS

With the 12AX7WXT in place there is something of the charming Southern belle in the AVs‘ character despite their German origins. So equipped, the amps can face nearly any recording and find something nice to say about it. While it does nothing to gloss over the sonic problems of lesser recordings, it somehow manages to flatter the best that is present within them. They impart a slight blush to the Challengers‘ sound in the upper midrange and lower treble, which subtly enriches recordings that tend toward the bright or forward in that region. This somewhat romantic touch never seems to intrude on their truthful handling of the best source material, however, or in cases where instruments should sound astringent. It does nothing to sweeten the vinegary strings of Harnancourt’s Bach Overtures or fatten the Paris Conservatory Orchestra’s lean French sonorities on the Cluytens-conducted Ravel collection [Testament/EMI SAX 2476-79]. Though not obtrusive, the tube’s character does suggest careful auditioning before pairing them with overly lush or romantic sounding front-ends or speakers.

 The new 12AX7LP neatly eliminates the romantic and, yes, euphonic lusciousness in the upper mids and lower treble, and is certainly more neutral. Unfortunately, it also seems to shave away a bit of the amp’s unusually convincing dynamic liveliness in that same range.

TAS

The new driver also improves the amps‘ already excellent image focus and eliminates a smidgen of midbass tubbiness I hadn’t noticed until it was gone. There is a definite overall up-side to the new tube, but it comes at the cost of a slightly cooler overall presentation. There was to my ears, in my system, a little less joy and sparkle with the 12AX7LP, though the difference was not huge. Anyone who hears the current version of the amps with the LP tube will hear everything I have described above. The true tube-roller is, of course, free to requisition some Sovtek 12AX7WXTs and make his or her own decision.

TAS

The AudioValve Challenger 140 provides superb overall performance in a very stylish package. It is equal to any amplifier I have listened to at length in terms of the ability to accurately retrieve sonic information and communicate the music with convincing completeness and fundamental rightness. There could be more macrodynamics at the extremes and a tad more bass control, but these minor shortcomings are forgivable in light of 140’s overall excellence and the exceedingly high value it offers in today’s High End marketplace. Taken as a whole, the Challengers are perhaps the most captivating German export since Katarina Witt. This is an amplifier worth going well out of your way to hear. If I could, I would purchase them in an instant.

TAS

 

 

Associated Equipment: Front End (analog): SOTA Cosmos turntable; Graham 2.0 pickup arm; van den Hul Grasshopper IV-GLA cartridge; Front End (digital): Audio Alchemy DDS-Pro transport; Dodson DA-217 Mk II and Harmonix Reimyo DA-777 D/A converters; Electronics: Aesthetix Io and FM Acoustics Resolution Series 222 phono stages; Audio Research LS25, FM Acoustics Resolution Series 266 and Jeff Rowland Design Group Coherence II line stages; Speakers: Apogee Duetta Signature; Wiring: Kimber Illuminati D-60 and Siltech HF8 Si digital interconnects; Nordost Quattro-Fil, Siltech SQ-80B-G3 and ST-35B-G3; FM Acoustics Precision Interface Technologies interconnects (all balanced); Nordost SPM shotgun, Siltech LS-120 G3 and LS-80 G3 speaker cables; Siltech SPO-12M, Aural Symphonics and WireWorld Aurora power cords; Accessories: Ultra Resolution Technologies Bedrock equipment stand and Cornerstone turntable isolation platform; Nordost Eco 3 antistatic spray .
COMMENT TO PAUL BOLIN’S AUDIOVALVE CHALLENGER REVIEW

I suppose that the first thing I need to do in this comment is to make it clear to you, the readers, that I have an inherent conflict-of-interest when it comes to Audiovalve amplifiers. Before returning from my three years-plus hiatus from my current position as the Equipment Acquisition and Setup Manager for TAS (I resigned in the dark days of Brian Gill’s reign at Pearson Publishing), I worked for Victor Goldstein of Fanfare International, the importer of these amps, as well as the Siltech cabling that is used to wire the things. During this period I had a bit of a hand in the development of the Challengers, along with Victor, and so I may fairly be considered somewhat biased in favor of these designs. That being said, and trusting to veteran readers’ of the magazine’s memories for my reputation as a straight-shooter, I would like to add my thoughts to Paul Bolin’s review of the current version of the Challengers. My experience with these deceptively compact and stout amplifiers includes hearing them in systems with several different kinds of loudspeakers, from Shahinian Hawks, where they were not at their best (the Shahinians prefer class-A solid-state amps; with any tube amp I have ever tried, the bass is just not well-controlled), to Carl Marchisotto’s Phalanx system at HP’s, and on the mightily impressive JM Labs Utopias, courtesy of my friend Steve Lavender. My favorite combination by far was with the Utopias, where the amplifiers displayed the dimensionality and sheer grunt that Bolin discusses, as well as a suaveness that is particularly hard to come by in any amplifier, either tubed or solid-state. The Utopias are somewhat more efficient than the Apogees that Bolin uses, at 93 dB, so they would play quite loudly with these amps, louder than most people would want to have music played in their home.

 During several extended listening sessions in Lavender’s large, high-ceilinged room, we switched between a set of (customized) Jadis JA-500 amplifiers that were rigged to run in their quasi-class-A mode (where they generate about 225 watts per side, instead of the 400 or so that they can achieve in their “normal” mode), and the Challengers, and the experience was educational, to say the least. These little classy-looking bricks gave up very little to the vastly more expensive Jadis amps (which HP used as a reference for over two years before I left the magazine); the JA-500’s did, however, have a bit more of a majestical and “big” sound, especially on full, densely-scored orchestral recordings. But the Challengers were, overall, more neutral and truthful to the timbres of the music and the perception of the quality and scope of the recording venue. As Bolin notes, these amplifiers are able to reach into a recording and literally toss it into the room, allowing the listener to bask in the particular sonics of the recording. This is a two-edged sword, however, as a poorly miked ensemble or dry-sounding venue is exposed rather abruptly.

One particularly outstanding piece of music comes back to me every time I remember the sessions at Lavender’s: After everything was warmed up, we would play the CD of Elton John’s live double-set of his Australian concert (Elton John live in Australia, MCAD-8022), and when the full orchestra began playing and swung into the introduction of “Tonight”, the sound through the system (Forsell air-bearing CD transport, Altis Audio Ultima DAC, Siltech cabling, and custom Jadis JPL linestage, and those Utopias) was breathtaking; we were in the audience, and seemingly living in the very presence of the musicians and the concert-goers.

 What a time machine! When one can suspend disbelief this convincingly, there is a rare special satisfaction which we as audiophiles and music-lovers all strive to obtain, and so rarely manage to glimpse. One thing I would like to amplify about Bolin’s remarks concerning the particularly fine dimensionality of the Challengers’ presentation is that a large part of the current units’ ability in this regard is directly related to the internal Siltech Generation-3 Silver/Gold alloy wiring. The earlier units, as supplied directly from the manufacturer, used a more conventional copper wiring that gave the amps a somewhat more sterile and drier presentation. Nothing horrible, mind you, but the synergy between Helmut Becker’s circuit design and the Siltech (Goldstein’s insistence) is wondrous in its ability to portray the spatial thrills that the amps exhibit. The Siltech is also largely responsible for the slight “Southern belle” tonal balance that Bolin noted. On many speakers, this will be simply be a slightly romantic euphonic coloration, but, as Bolin writes, using them with an overly lush front end or speakers that tend towards this behavior is probably best avoided. I also had occasion to hear the amps in the above Utopia system with KT-88s installed, and while I did prefer the Svetlana 6550 C’s that are the factory-supplied tubes, I cannot over-emphasize the convenience of Becker’s innovative and idiot-proof auto-bias circuit built into these amplifiers. One can literally customize them for a give system, and even go so far as to mix-and-match different tubes in the same amp, all without any worry of tube-matching or having to adjust the bias. Very clever, and I do not know of another manufacturer who has such a feature. The bottom line here is that $7900/pr buys the user a lot of amplifier, and a flexible one at that. Also, they now run a good bit cooler with the recent addition of ventilated Plexiglas covers in place of the smoked tempered glass that Bolin’s samples sported. I wholly concur with Bolin’s comments regarding the horrible Euro-spec WBT binding posts, by the way; these are great-sounding but a true pain to use. I have been advised by the importer that in the future these amplifiers will be supplied (to the US market, at least) with the Audiovalve “house” binding posts (heavy brass affairs that are easy to use and hard to break, and good-sounding, also). I have to admit that, as a Shahinian owner, I prefer my Plinius SA-250 class-A amplifier, but with many dynamic speakers, and ribbon/planars such as the Apogees preferred by Bolin, these monoblocks will provide superb musical enjoyment. They get the heart of the emotional impact of the music right, and manage to get out of the way and let it pour into the room.

Scot Markwell

UltimateAudio

AUDIOVALVE Challenger & Eklipse review

by Ken Kessler in ULTIMATE-AUDIO (Oct. 2000)

Cliche’s abound when it comes to German manufacturing, and they’re clichés because they’re true. From Braun shavers to Leica cameras, there’s a consistency, durability and  desirability which maybe only the Swiss can match. (Hell, they don’t call the Swiss ,,mountain Krauts“ for nothing.) The AudioValve components, though, reflect a different sort of Teutonics, and it’s neither cars nor cameras which they mirror.

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A colleague of mine – a Swiss-trained watchmaker, with a passion for Nagra and Revox open-reel tape decks – pointed out to me that there was a peculiar ,,Germanness“ to the latest field of endeavor at which they excel: the manufacture of high-end wristwatches, previously the sole preserve of the Swiss. Not being a watchmaker myself, 1 can’t caim that 1 knew what he was talking about when he simply looked at a photo of a new Lange & Sohne watch and said, without prompting, ,,How very German it is.“ He then went onto describe a heaviness to the case, design frills which were purely decorative rather than unremittingly functional – hardly what l expected him to say when ,,Germanness“ to me means the Bauhaus cleanliness of the Audi TT or the pure functionality of a Leica M6. But he was right, and he showed  it to me in other German watches. Now 1 see it all over the AudioValve Eklipse pre-amplifier and Challenger monoblock power amps.

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Thus, you can forget the ,,regular“ German gear you know. These pieces have nothing in common with the Munich Airport look of Clear Audio turntables, all chrome and glass, nor do they serve as tube equivalents of the über-high tech sleekness of Burmester designs. If anything AudioValve’s look is a throwback to the Weimar Republic. Prussian helmets, handlebar moustaches – subtle it is not. The Eklipse, though a thoroughly modern pre­amp, looks like it was designed by someone who apprenticed at Maybach.

Open the wooden packing crate, and the first thing you notice is that this just may be the heaviest two-channel pre-amp on the market. Unless my bathroom scales are 0ff, the Eklipse weighs a serious 331b. And yet it only occupies a space of 16.5×12.25x5in (WDH). As the see-through, 318in thick plexiglass top plate shows you, this all-tube design is so tidy that there’s a lot of free space within – so what contributes to the weight?

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Externally, the Eklipse is not subtle. Four massive, gilded knobs fill the front panel, one each for output select, source select, volume and balance. Below the first two are arrays of colored LEDs to show you which output and source were selected, the first set also flashing during warm-up. Additionally, the source and output selectors have positive detents and the silkiest, sexiest action of any rotary controls l’ve ever used.

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At the extreme right are the on/off switch and a sensor for the remote (not supplied with the review sample, but operating all functions including stand-by and mute). So far, so solid, the case itself consisting of glossy metal panels made from laser-cut 5mm sheet steel, used for both structural integrity and to assist in AudioValve’s drive for a pre-amp immune to RFI and unwanted noise. Confirmation was instant: this is one seriously quiet pre-amp. The side panels slot into a chunky extrusion at each corner, each fitted at the bottom with a large gold foot. Another nifty detail? Each foot has a soft insert, like the non­wiry part of a Velcro strip, to ensure that no shelf is damaged. At the back are more military-grade fittings, including an IEC three-pin AC mains input, a pair of XLR balanced outputs, and 10 pairs of sturdy gold phono sockets for outputs 1, 2, tape, and seven inputs marked tape, tuner, Aux 1, 2, 3, and CD 1 and 2.

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Looking through the slotted lid, its openings directly above the four 6189/ECC82 tubes, you see one of the main contributors to the unit’s mass: a huge, shielded 100W toridal transformer, which

looks big enough to feed a power amp, let alone a line level pre-amp. The entire circuit and all components reside on a double-sided mother board which fills the base of the unit; obsessives will probably not get around to using the Eklipse for some hours after unpacking because the vista takes in the sort of designer ingredients which cause swoons and will distract them from their original purpose. Everything is mounted with immaculate precision and care; the bank of sockets as seen from the inside is nothing short of inspiring.

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Dual-mono construction marks this product, the right and the left channel each enjoying its own power supplies for heat and plate voltage. The seven high level inputs offer different input sensitivities and different input impedances, but – as the new, English owners manual wasn’t ready – 1 stuck with the CD inputs. Every input is switched by a relay, and the Eklipse features something l’ve never seen before: move to Position 9 on the source selector and you activate the relay self-cleaning function. 1 did it by accident at first, not knowing it was there, and the flashing lights and machine-gun noises nearly gave me a heart-attack. Designer Helmut Becker recommends its use once a month, so hygiene fanatics – rejoice! (Practical jokers might also use it on unwary friends, just to scare them.)

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Each channel uses a pair of tubes, the first for gain and the second for the output driver for low (300 ohm) output impedance. AudioValve chose the ECC82 because they feel it can’t be overdriven. A nice touch for anachrophiles is the use of NOS (new old stock), 40-year-old resistors, chosen for their sonics and stability.* There’s no feedback in the output driver stage, so the company feels that cables will have ,,no influence on the preamp in this sector.“ Suffice it to say, the system did seem immune to cable vagaries, but I stuck with Siltech for the entire listening period; 1 believe that US editions use Siltech internally.

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Clearly an obvious pairing for the Eklipse is the Challenger, a parallel push-pull design with some decidedly interesting details. As with all of the AudioValve electronics, the unit features the company’s

patented automatic biasing system, called the Automatic Bias Regulator (ABR), which leads to some fascinating possibilities. Each Challenger has two power tube banks with three tubes per side, for six tubes in total per monoblock. Furthermore, each bank of tubes has its own completely separate power supply, with both banks are connected ,,anti-parallel“ above the transformer.

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According to AudioValve, ,,This principle turns out to offer a very high internal damping, and the big advantage of this is that you don’t use the dynamic of the curve of the tubes; instead the cathode immediately follows the signal of each power tube. So the sound of the Challenger is independent from the characteristics of the tube’s curve.“ This results in a series of different wattages for the Challenger according to tube type. The user can install any octal-base beam power pentode compatible with EL34, 6550, or KT88 and so on. (The driver section contains two ECC82s and one ECC83, which shouldn’t be changed for other tube values.)

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Think about it: the units come with a dozen of the latest Sovtek EL34s, but anyone lucky enough to have a dozen NOS Gold Lion KT88s, primo vintage EL34s, RCA 6550s or even Gold Lion KT77s can really go to town. Depending on the tubes you select, the amplifiers will deliver between 110W and 140W. The most l could muster for alternatives was eight KT88s and four KT77s, so 1 had to stick with the supplied tubes, but 1 can just imagine what the Challenger would sound like with original M-O Valve glassware.

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Remember: with the Challenger there is no need to adjust the bias, because this is handled by the circuit. Next to each tube is a red LED which glows in stand-by mode, shutting down when the standby switch is set to ,,on“. Should a tube ever veer from its correct operating range, the LED glows, telling the user to replace it. As it only takes a minute to remove the plexiglass lid, tube changing is a breeze.

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Each Challenger measures 8.Sxl7xlOin (WDH) and weighs 551b. Here, too, we see massive construction, with laser-cut, slotted metal sides, a metal cylinder at each corner with slots for the side panels, and the aforementioned plexiglass top held, like the Eklipse’s, by large finger-releasable screws. The front has the on-off and standby rocker switches with blue LEDs to indicate status, while the primary mains switch is situated at the back, along with an RCA phono input, an XLR balanced input, and two pairs of WBT binding posts to allow matching for 4, 6 and 8 ohm speaker loads.

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Should you disassemble a Challenger, you’ll note the cleverness which produced such a compact amplifier. Just as Mercedes A-Class was designed to be tall and narrow, using the normally wasted space under the passengers‘ seats for assorted chores, so, too, does AudioValve utilize space in layers. The main PCB is positioned roughly half-way up, and it contains all of the tubes, the regulation, the capacitors – pretty much everything bar the power supply. That’s positioned below, the massive transformers shielded from the circuitry above. And there’s ventilation everywhere, so the Challenger, though running hot, seems to cooler than l’d expect of an amplifier bearing a half-dozen 6550s.

With the Krell KPS25sc still around (l’m in no rush for it to be collected), 1 used that as my primary source. l did, though, run the gamut with speakers, the selection including Spendor LS3I5As, which need hardly any power to reach their limits, Wilson WATT Puppy 6, Quad ESLs (57 and 63) and a quick burst through the Apogee Scintillas of the 1 ohm variety.

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Not being a savage, 1 tried the Apogees just to see if the AudioValve amplifier would drive them; previously, the only tube amps 1 used with my Apogees which didn’t burst into flames or merely expire were the late, lamented Beard P1OO monoblocks. The Challenger certainly provided enough juice to allow the Scintillas to work adequately in my 12x18ft room, at my preferred and admittedly soft levels, but this was just for a laugh. But 1 thought you should know, in case you’re a sadist. 1 don’t really recommend it – for 1 ohm loads, 1 stick with Krell and the like – but it 5 an interesting litmus test with possibly costly results.

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Back with the Wilsons, it just was not what 1 expected. Previous experience with Teutonic tube amps – I’d just reviewed an Octave pre-amp for a British magazine, and have also used Klimo, Kebschull, and others – led me to conclude that German designers want their tube amps to behave with the etiquette associated with transistors: cool, dean, tight, analytical, with just a hint of tube-ness. Clearly, Herr Becker prefers warmth, a sound more zaftig than the others, more Brunhilde than Claudia Schiffer.

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At no point was power ever an issue; according to AudioValve, the 6550 and KT88 endow the Challenger with 140W output, whereas the EL34 or KT77 deliver performance at the lower power limit. (Looking at the various tube tables l have to hand, this also suggests that AudioValve isn’t running the tubes too hard, either, because 23.3W from each 6550/KT88 and 18.3W from each EL34 are well within their capabilities.) Considering that I’d just been using 300W Krellpower on the Wilsons prior to the AudioValve’s arrival, it says much about the German tube amps that there appeared to be no sacrifices whatsoever in terms of dynamic qualities.

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Abundant SPLs, exquisitely rapid changes from softest to loudest, crisp transients regardless of frequency: that’s the Germanic side of it, dealt with as a matter of course rather than as an over-riding signature. As expected, the AudioValves dealt with large works – yup, the <Glory> soundtrack – with ease. No compression, no dipping, no running out of steam. What tempers these seemingly solid-state virtues are the tube touches, and it’s here that we find one of those rare amps (like the big Audio Research and c-j models) which can convert tranny heads.

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Without compromising any of the traits which make a tube amp the choice of many, AudioValve has instilled the sort of composure and control normally attributed to 150W-plus solid-state devices. The slam, the top-to-bottom control, the sheer mass – all are present. But so, too, are the deliriously tube-y qualities which keep me forever wedded to my old Quads and Radfords; in fact, the Challenger with EL34s sounds like a Radford 5TA25 on steroids. There’s a spatial spread which both suggests that your room has suddenly grown deeper and wider, along with a facility for helping speakers to disappear (assuming that, like most ESLs and most well-designed point sources, the speakers allow it). Here, the teensy L53/5As proved most-blessed, because the AudioValve exploited the BBC design’s life-like mid-band and where’d-the-speaker-go? dispersion characteristics in a manner never dreamed of by the L53/5A design team.

But 110W into a tiny two-way designed in ,75 isn’t exactly normal usage of a cutting edge tube design, so the serious listening involved the Wilsons. Most telling of all was the bottom end, which, while slightly less solid and tight than when derived from the Krell FPB3OOc, displayed none of the flubbing or looseness which the anti-tube brigade always uses as a get-out clause. And while you’d make no mistake that you’re hearing something other than a big Krell, the giveaway would <not> be the extension: the Challenger goes deep. I’d recently been revelling in the new AI Green package from Edsel in the UK, and Wille Mitchell productions always boast the sort of fluid bass which can embarrass a lot of systems. Well, stone me: these Germans have soul.

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To try and separate the Eklipse form the Challenger, 1 swapped them around with the Krell equivalents. If there are any deficiencies in one being compensated for by the other, 1 couldn’t detect them. Both exhibited the same spatial characteristics, smoothness and detail retrieval. As the Eklipse proved ghostly quiet, with only the slightest hint of tube noise when ear 5 placed next to speaker, 1 was able to determine that the Challenger has a shade more of the low-level whoosh than the pre-amp. But 1 compared it to two other octal-base amplifiers 1 had handy – both champions in the quietness stake – and determined that it was the tubes rather than the Challenger per se.

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For the curious, the other amplifiers used two and four valves per channel, 6550s and KT88s. While l didn’t have enough to re-tube the Challengers, as 1 said before, it did give me the opportunity to compare AudioValve’s Sovtek EL34s with Gold Lion KT-88s and unbranded 6550s. Power aside, the Russkies were slightly softer at the extremes and exhibited a trace less punch; conversely, they were richer in the midband and more vocals-friendly, as demonstrated by the lush ,,Rivers Of Babylon“ on Ronstadt’s <Hasten Down The Wind> and the Judds‘ take of ,,Don’t Be Cruel“. Now 1 know that a dozen tubes of any sort is a serious investment, so I’m not suggesting profligate tube experimentation. But it sure is nice to know that you can convert the Challenger for either reasons of either economy or sound.

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It was easy to fall in love with the AudioValve pair, even the baroque styling; it was like looking at a gigantic Montblanc pen. The Eklipse impressed me because of its authoritative performance, openness, ergonomics and build quality. The Challengers? Deceptive they are, like U-boats. Small footprint, not too heavy for a 6-valve amp with huge transformers – yet they drive any bad without complaint, maintaining their composure at all times. Yeah, 1 could live with these without complaint.

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Unusually, given its country of origin, the AudioValve set-up suffers not the traditional German curse of being over-priced; forgive me, but it seems like a bargain. As one who utterly despises the manoeuvrings of European Community – the largest scam ever perpetrated on an entire continent – 1 am pleased to note that all currencies linked to the Euro, including the once mighty Deutschmark, have been devalued against the dollar. With the Euro tanking – just writing that gives me a woody! – a pair of Challengers sells for $7,900, while the Eklipse (with remote) costs only $3,490. These are the sort of prices you’d expect to pay for top-notch home-grown gear, let alone European imports, and if you told me to double them, I’d still think they were worth considering. Grab yours now, before the non-elected, corrupt scum in Brussels artificially shore up the benighted currency.

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*1 wonder how many Eklipses AudioValve can produce before they run out of these rare resistors…
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Historie

Bereits seit 1984 produzieren wir unsere Verstärkerreihe unter dem Namen CHALLENGER. Es handelt sich hierbei gleichfalls um das bewährte PPP Konzept, mit dem Unterschied, das die gesammte Schaltung vollsymetrisch ist. Bei entsprechende Wahl der Endröhren und kleinen Detailänderungen wird so z.B. aus einer 115 Watt Endstufe mit EL34, das Modell Challenger 140, bei z.B. KT 88 Bestückung.

Die Zeitschrift HIFI-VISION hat bereits diese Gerätegruppe in einem Test im Mai 1992 zur absoluten Spitzenklasse gekürt. Zwischenzeitlich ist auch hier die Technik nicht stehengeblieben. Auch diese Baureihe besitzen inzwischen unseren sog. BIAS-Regulatoren, die den Ruhestrom jeder einzelnen Endröhre exakt definieren. Über LED Leuchten werden Sie auf verbrauchte Endröhren aufmerksam gemacht, und können diese ohne Aufwand tauschen. Bedienen Sie sich dabei normaler Stand – Röhrenware, das gilt auch für den Ersatzfall. Lassen Sie sich keine kostspieligen Röhren verkaufen,den unsere Verstärker benötigen keine selektierten Endröhren um zu klingen.

Der bevorzugte Einsatz dieser Geräte an konventionellen dynamische Lautsprechern, ist auch die Verwendung im Zusammenhang mit Elektrostatischen Lautsprechern. Gerade hier beweist diese Baureihe ihre besonderen Vorzüge im Hinblick auf die Kontrolle dieser Lautsprecher. Weitaus problemloser und musikalischer gelangen Sie hier zu einem harmonischen Wechselspiel zwischen Ihren Komponenten.

Mit einem zusätzlichen Stand-by Schalter auf der Front des Gerätes kann in längeren Pausen die Anodenspannung heruntergefahren werden, ohne das Gerät abzuschalten. Die Röhren bleiben sicher durchgewärmt und können unmittelbar wieder max. musikalische Qualitäten nach dem Einschalten abgeben.

Wir wollen versuchen Ihnen mit einfachen Worten zu beschreiben, was gerade die Vorzüge dieser Baureihe nach PPP Prinzip sind. Ihnen allen sind die konventionellen PP Schaltungen sicher in Erinnerung. Fast ausnahmelos jeder Hersteller bedient sich dieses Konzeptes, weil es mit weniger Aufwand auskommt, wie wir meinen zu Lasten des Klanges. In unsere PPP Schaltungen arbeiten wir mit einem sog. Autotrafo – d.h., bei uns liegt in der Schaltung nicht der Übertrager in der hochspannungsführenden Anode, sondern in der masseführenden Kathode. Wir sprechen beim Einsatz unserer Endröhren vom Kathodenfolger – d.h. die Kathodenspannung folgt unmittelbat der Steuerspannung am Steuergitter der Endröhre. Wir benutzen also die Kennlinien der Endröhren nicht dynamisch. Vielmehr benötigen wir die Endröhren lediglich als Stromlieferanten, und welche Endröhre in unseren Endstufen den Strom liefert wird zu einer untergeordneten Fragestellung. Im Klartext bedeutet dies, wir sind in unserer Schalltung nicht von den Kennwerten der Endröhre abhängig. Bei ein bischen Überlegung erkennen Sie schnell den unschätzbaren Votreil diese Konzeptes.

  

Das leidige Thema um die richtige Wahl der Endröhren ist damit für immer vorbei. Wir gehen aber noch einen Schritt weiter. Es hat sich die Meinung gebildet, man könne keinen chinesischen KT 88 mehr verwenden, weil deren Einsatz in vielen Geräten zu großen Problemen führte. Auch das gibt es bei der Challenger nicht. Durch die Verwendung unseres Bias – Regualtors, der vollautomatisch den Ruhestrom jeder Endröhre injiziert, ist auch die Verwendung vorbenannter KT 88 kein Problem mehr und wird zu einer einzigen Freude, da diese Röhre große Kraftreserven besitzt. Also – wann immer Sie in den Genuß eines Angebotes preiswerter KT 88 kommen, schlagen Sie zu – Sie werden Ihre Freude daran haben. Wir streiten auch nicht ab, das die Qualität der Röhren gegenüber derer vor 30 Jahren abgenommen hat – sicher bereitet dies auch vielen Geräten größte Probleme, aber bei entsprechendem Einsatz im richtigen Schaltungsumfeld bereitet Ihnen die Röhre heute mehr Vergnügen den je. Sie müssen sich eben nur für das richtige Konzept entschließen und damit Sie das können, unsere keine Einführung ins Thema Röhren, damir Ihnen eine Beurteilung möglich wird.

Aber zurück zur Challenger – Auf insgesammt 6 Endröhren pro Kanal ist die Leistung verteilt. Keiner Endröhre wird zuviel zugemutet. Selbst wenn eine schwächer werden sollte, werden Sie dies kaum feststellen. Ein großer Vorteil wenn Sie Überlegen zu welchen Leistungen andere Konzepte die Röhren zwingen, die gleiche Leistung nur mit 2 Röhren erreichen wollen – das geht auf die Lebensdauer – keine Frage. Überhaupt sind Gegentaktendstufen mit lediglich zwei Röhren mit Vorsicht zu genießen. Gerade bei zwei Röhren in konventioneller Technik, lebt der Klang von der Qualität der Röhren – und da diese zunehmend Altern werden Sie bald die Veränderungen des Klanges erfahren. Es sei den, Sie erwarben mit Ihrem Gerät einen Schraubenzieher und unterziehen Ihr Gerät der ständigen Biasjustage. Auch solche Geräte werden heute noch Aktuell auch aus den USA kommend produziert. Wir hingegen besitzen unseren Biasregulator nun schon seit 1991 und bieten ihn zwischenzeitlich auch als Modul für Fremdfabrikate an, damit auch deren Besitzer nicht Ihr ganzes Hab und Gut in Röhren investieren müssen. Vielleicht klingt Ihnen diese Abhandlung etwas provokant, aber bislang sind von Seiten der Berichterstattung der Fachpresse diese Belange um unsere Geräte erschöpfend zu erläutern kläglich gescheitert.

  

Die Eingangsstufe der Challenger ist mit einer sog. Parallel – symetrischen – kreuzgekoppelten Vorstufe realisert. Sie ermöglicht ohne Aufwand auch die Verarbeitung von XLR Signalen. Hervorzuheben ist dabei, das sich die Lautstärke nicht ändert – was in der Regel der Fall ist. Die Challenger besitzen eine riesige zweiseitige Leiterplatte mit allen Bauelementen und werden in unserem Schwallbad gelötet. Dies sichert beste Kontaktstellen an den Lötstellen zu, da das Zinn durch jedes Lötauge hindurch bis nach oben steigt und somit eine ausgezeichnete Verbindung schafft. Das Lot läuft im Loch des Lötauges hoch und lötet somit jedes Bauteil von oben und unten. Gute und kurze Kabel zu den im Untergrund des Verstärkers befindlichen Tarnsformatoren sichern beste elektrische Eigenschaften, deshalb sieht auch bei der Challenger selbst ein 10 Khz Rechteckt noch wie das Original aus. Ohne Überschwinger oder schlappe Flanken – eben so, wie es sein sollte.

Eine weitere Besonderheit dieser Verstärker sind die Netzteile. PPP verlangt von vornherein zwei Anoden Netzteile, aber damit nicht genug, wir benötigen weiter die zwei Schirmgitterspannungen für die linke und rechte Bank, drei Heizkreise, zwei neg. Gitterspannungen, zwei Referenzspannungen für die ABR`S, zwei plus/minus Netzteile für die OP`s, eine Anoden Treiberspannung, und all diese Spannungen sind teils schwimmend den jeweiligen Bänken der rechten und linken Röhrenreihe einer Leiterplatte zugeordnet – damit Sie nur mal eine Vorstellung bekommen, auf welchem Entwicklungstand sich unserer Geräte befinden. Fast hätten wir das Computer Interface vergesessen. Alle Challengers besitzen eine Schnittstelle für einen Rechneranschluß, lassen Sie sich überraschen, was wir damit in Zukunft vorhaben. Sie sehen alos – mit Audio-Valve Geräten liegen Sie 100 %ig in der Zeit, wenn nicht sogar 10 Jahre in der Zukunft, wenn man den derzeitigen Entwicjklungsstand allgemein betrachtet.

 
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2 Bewertungen für Challenger 115 up to 180

  1. admin –

    Der (lange) Weg zum audiophilen (AudioValve) Nirwana….
    (Assistent 30…..Eklipse/Challenger 115)

    Nach dem Ankauf von Quad ESL-57 Lautsprechern und der Renovation durch Quad Musikwiedergabe (quad-musik.com/) verlief der erste Hörtest sehr enttäuschend (Lehmann Linear + Quad 303 QR, http://www.quadrevisie.nl/quadrevisie.html#12). Völlig überzogene Höhenwiedergabe, aufgeblasene Basswiedergabe und fehlende Mittenwiedergabe….(dafür konnte aber unmöglich der Lehman oder Quad 303 QR sein…)
    Die Akustik des Musikzimmers musste also (dringend) verbessert werden …. Nach 5 Monaten und 3 verschiedenen Firmen/Spezialisten und einem Raumklangprozessor (DDRC-24 mit dirac live, minidsp.com/products/dirac-series/ddrc-24) ist es dann endlich gelungen um die Hörtestsitzungen wieder ernsthaft auf zu nehmen…
    Schnell wurde deutlich, dass die Kombination (siehe oben) nicht in der Lage war, die Qualitäten der Lautsprecher und des angepassten Raums voll auszunutzen…..
    Upgrade 1: Durch meine äußerst positiven Erfahrungen mit meinem AudioValve Luminare lag es nahe, um wieder bei Herrn Becker an zu klopfen…. Der „Assisstent 30“ wurde angeschafft und brachte direkt eine große Verbesserung ….. ein viel räumlicheres, warmes, aber sehr deutliches, nuanciertes Klangbild mit sehr ausgewogenem, ordentlichem Bas…. Eine Budget- und Klank-freundliche Lösung, mit der ich ziemlich zufrieden war….die aber auch ein paar Grenzen bloß legte: die Kraftreserven des Assistent 30, die die sehr schwierige kapazitiven Last der Elektrostaten ab und zu nur mit (leicht hörbarer) Mühe bewältigten…und auch die räumlichen, akustischen Anpassungen waren noch nicht ausreichend und optimal.
    Zusammen mit einem Ton-techniker (post audio producer, http://www.sigertdejean.be/) und einem renommierten Hifi-Händler, der sehr viel Wert auf die Raum-Akustik legt (www.veryfinesolutions.com/) wurde der Raum nochmals klang-mäßig analysiert und angepasst.
    Upgrade 2: Mit Herrn Becker wurde überlegt und beschlossen um die Kombination Eklipse/Challenger 115 anzuschaffen.
    Jetzt endlich, nach ungefähr 7 Monaten, bin ich am Ziel meiner Reise: Das Zusammenspiel der verschiedenen Komponenten meiner Anlage (Auflistung unten) und die akustischen Anpassungen meines Musikzimmers ist schlichtweg (außergewöhnlich) gut.
    Kleinste Details werden durch die Eklipse/Challengers auf eine ganz natürliche, ungezwungene Weise an die Quads durchgegeben – enorme Dynamiksprünge nötig ?…. die Challengers liefern sie wenn immer nötig mit einer spielerischen Leichtigkeit. Ob die Sopranistin/der Tenor links in der Mitte oder rechts vorne steht, die Eklipse/Challengers sorgen dafür, dass die Quads das Klangbild korrekt in den Raum projektieren. Ob ein Orchester unten, vor der Bühne spielt und die Opernsänger sich auf der Bühne bewegen, lässt sich bei guten Aufnahmen perfekt nachvollziehen. Die räumliche Abbildung ist ungeheuer präzise, beinahe holografisch. Aber nicht nur die akribische Detailwiedergabe und die räumliche Darstellung machen die tägliche(n) Hörstunde(n) zum Genuss…. Es ist ebenso faszinierend wie die Eklipse/Challenger in Kombination mit dem DSP und den geschickt aufgestellten Klangverteilern (Artnovion, ) den Quads einen tiefreichenden, trockenen Bas entlocken kann, den ich bisher bei den ESL-57 noch nicht gehört habe. Hart angestrichene Celli, Viola da Gambas oder Contrabässe („Viola Bastarda“ gespielt von Roberto Gini auf Olive Music oder G.C.Wagenseil, Quartets for low strings, Accent…, Lou Reed, Walk on the Wild Side…) besorgen Gänsehaut….Ob Fagott, Bas Saxofon, Oboe, Klarinette, Block- oder Querflöte oder Piccolo, jedes Instrument ist erkennbar und hat/behält seine wunderschöne Klangfarbe, kommt lebhaft und natürlich aus den Lautsprechern und steht (beinahe) greifbar im Raum. Vor allem bei kleineren (Barock) Ensembles habe ich regelmäßig das Gefühl einem intimen, privatem Konzert bei zu wohnen….wunderschön…. im AudioValve Nirwana.
    Es gibt einen Nachteil an dieser Geschichte: Mein bis dato treuer Assistent 30 (noch kein Jahr alt und in tadellosem Zustand) wird jetzt viel zu wenig gebraucht….es wäre schön wenn er in einer neuen Umgebung ein „warmes“ Zuhause finden könnte (Interesse? ue@telenet.be)

    Die heutige Anlage:

    Server (Musik, flac/high-res)
    Roon (DSP/upsampling)
    Wadia di122 (DAC)
    DDRC-24 (DSP-Raumakustik)
    AudioValve Eklipse
    AudioValve Challenger 115
    Quad ESL-57 (Quad Musikwiedergabe)
    interlinks: Nordost Purple Flare (RCA) / Horn Audiophile “the Analyst” (RCA + XLR)
    Lautsprecherkabel: Nordost Blue Heaven
    Diffusors: Artnovion Logan, Duron, Myron

    In den nächsten Monaten werde ich folgende Kombinationen ausprobieren

    Eklipse:
    1) 4 x Electro Harmonix ECC82/12AU7 (ursprüngliche Ausrüstung AudioValve)
    2) 4 x RCA ECC82/12AU7 clear tops (NOS)
    3) 4 x Genalex 12AU7 Gold Lion
    4) 4 x Siemens E82CC (NOS)

    Challengers:
    1) 12 x EL34-STX (ursprüngliche Ausrüstung AudioValve)
    2) 12 x Genalex KT77 Gold Lion

    …. Musikgenuss garantiert…

  2. admin –

    von S. Mengel aus Hamm am 28.10.2014 11:23
    Hallo Herr Becker,
    wie versprochen, ein Bild meiner Anlage mit den neuen Audio Valve Challenger 115.
    Lautsprecher B&W 802d
    CD Player LUA Appassionata MK III
    Philips C104 NOS mit OPA 627
    Philips C104 NOS mit OPA 2132
    Laufwerk. Transrotor FatBob s Reference TMD, Tonarm SME 3500 mit Benz ACE-S,
    Sun Wire Phono Reference
    Phonovorstufe. Trigon Advance
    Vorstufe Classé Audio CP 500
    Dac. Northstar Essensio
    Netzwerkplayer. G-Sonos
    MacBookPro mit M2tech HiFace 2 und Amarra 3.0
    Kabel alle Sun Wire Audio Reference
    Lautsprecherkabel Kimber 8TC
    Endstufen. Audio Valve Challenger vom Meister der Röhrentechnik Helmut Becker
    Und nun zum Klang:
    Mit den Audio Valve Challenger 115 einfach ein Traum, druckvoller Tiefbassbereich, ausgewogene Mitten und seidige Höhen – So kann man „Klangträume erleben“!
    Audio Valve Challenger und die B&W 802d – das passt, von mir für die Endstufen 5 Sterne plus!

    Auch der Service von Helmut Becker bekommt von mir die 5 Sterne – Danke.Kann gern bei mir probegehört werden – bitte mail ..
    26.10.2014

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Bundle – LUMINARE & Kingsound Electrostat H3

3.500 €

Kingsound Electrostat KS-H03

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Kingsound Electrostat KS-H04

1.199 €

HIFIMAN – HE1000V2

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Bundle – Solaris / HE1000V2

8.100 € 6.999 €

Assistent 50-HP

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(English) 25 mm chrom knob

Get In Touch

A u d i o V a l v e
Mr. Helmut Becker ( CEO )
Email: info(at)audiovalve.info
Phone: +49 561 7013360
VAT.ID.: DE264930259
WEEE-Reg.Nr.: DE81178274
EORI - Zollnr. DE 5831563
--------------------------------------
CTO - Dr. rer. nat. H. Leutbecher
dr.leutbecher(at)audiovalve.info
--------------------------------------
Production manager, A. Freiling
annabell(at)audiovalve.info
--------------------------------------
We are a member of: AAA
( Analog Audio Association )

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Dormannweg 48 B
KADRUF - Gewerbepark
34 123 KASSEL
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