AUDIO REVIEWS 2

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Electra Print 300DRD
by John Hoffman
Electra-Print Audio 4117 Roxanne Drive Las Vegas, NV 89108 USA Phone: 702-396-4909 Fax: 702-396-4910* Specifications: 13 wpc at full output 1.4 volts for full output freq response 10hz to 40khz distortion .5% at mid power Output tube 300B Driver tube 6an4

many years. In 1947 the Williamson circuit was invented, and became the dominant circuit for commercial and home audio amplifiers. But in the 1990's an interesting event happened. A small group of tube enthusiasts rediscovered this early amplifier circuit, and started to tout the benefits of this design. Amplifiers based on this circuit are now known as single ended triodes, or by the acronym of SET. Eventually through the efforts of fanatics such as Harvey "Gizmo" Rosenburg SET am-

In 1906, American physicist Lee DeForest invents the audio tube, which is a three-electrode version of John A. Fleming's electronic valve. The audio tube was often referred to as the DeForest valve, but today is known to audio enthusiasts as the triode. The patent for the audion tube was sold to AT&T, and in 1907 DeForest founded the DeForest Radio Telephone Company. In the years that followed, Lee DeForest broadcast radio events from exotic venues such as the Eiffel tower, and the New York Metropolitan Opera House. By the 1920's audio tubes had made the transmitting of radio signals and home radio receivers a common item in the American household. The very first tube amplifier designs were quite simple, and used a single output tube to amplify the input signal. This circuit design was the mainstay of home electronics for
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plifiers came out of the shadows and have taken their place in the audio landscape. Because of this audio renaissance we have seen many older tube types come back into production. For example, today we can purchase 300B, 2A3, and PX 25 output tubes from a wide variety of manufacturers. The strength of SET amplifiers comes from the simplicity of the circuit design. These amps contain fewer parts, have a shorter signal path, and are quite often hand built with point to point wiring. Since fewer parts are used, each one will have a significant input on
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the overall sound of the amplifier. It is generally agreed upon that the most important parts in a tube amplifier are the output and power transformers. These transformers are literally the foundation for everything that will occur in a tube amplifier. If you are lucky enough to be around a grizzled veteran of tube amplifier construction, you will have to listen to him go on and on about how important "good iron" is for an amplifier. Over the years the have been several companies that have excelled at the black art of winding transformers. If you get a group of amplifier builders together, I can guarantee you they will go on all night discussing the merits of transformers from companies such as Hammond, Magnequest, ElectraPrint,Sowter, and Tamura. Electra-Print Audio was founded by Jack Elliano, and over the years has gained a reputation of being one of the premier winders of transformers. Apparently this is not a well kept secret, because companies such as DeHavilland,Wellborne Labs, Cyrus Brennan, and Modw
right use Jack's transformers in their products. But Electra-Print produces more than transformers. They offer custom built amps that are based on Elliano's Direct Reactance Drive circuit. For the last few months I have been listening to a pair of Jacks 300DRD amplifiers, and want to relay to you my experiences with these amps. The 300DRD amplifiers occupy a good deal of real estate in my listening room. Each amplifier has an 18-inch by 12-inch footprint, and weighs approximately 40 pounds. The up side of having such a large chassis is the amount of room the designer has to lay out parts and minimize electrical interactions. The frames are built out of solid black walnut, and the steel top plate, transformers, and capacitor are finished in gloss black. There are only 2 tubes in each amplifier. Output duties are handled by a TJ 300B Meshplate, and the pre driver tube is a Sylvania 6AN4. The overall appearance of the 300DRD is very pleasing; with a classical look to them that all tube aficionados would appreci
ate. I asked Jack ElliAffordable$$Audio!

ano to give me a simple explanation of the benefits of the design choices he made in this amp. Jack touted the benefits of direct coupling of the output tube. Also that solid state rectification in the power supply results in the lowest amount of voltage variation during bass notes. Finally, the Ultrapath circuit eliminates any audio path through the power supply, and is responsible of the amplifiers ability to reproduce a high level of musical detail. Since I have an extremely limited knowledge of electrical design, I believe it is safe to say that I could not recognize a DRD or Ultrapath circuit if it bit me on the leg. But I can judge an amplifiers overall performance, and will take Jacks word on why his amplifiers sound the way they do. Now that the preliminaries are out of the way, it is time for the main event. The Electra Print amplifiers are fed from an Electra Print PVA pre amp. Source duties are taken care of by a Sony SCD-CE595, which has been modified by Tube Research Labs. A pair of Cain & Cain
Abbey's fills the speaker slot. Finally, Tara Labs Air 3 and Master cables connect everything together. As a general rule, single ended triodes are known to excel in the areas of midrange reproduction and the ability to put performers in a believable acoustic space. I can tell you that the Electra Print amps have the magical ability to create the illusion of a musical performance. Most importantly, these amps also have a very even tonal balance that has just a hint of extra warmth to it. The 300DRD are capable of reproducing all of the midrange detail in a recording, but do it in such an easy and relaxed manner. It can be a bit of a mind altering experience when you first encounter a good SET amp, and experience this dichotomy of detail and smoothness. A 1994 recording released by John Gorka, entitled "Out of the Valley" is an excellent disc for illustrating this point. Gorka has a distinctive baritone voice that is capable of being rich and resonant, and at other times has a surprising ability to convey the
emotional content of a ballad. A good amplifier will highlight his vocal abilities, while
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an average one will lose the little details and smooth the sound over. Well the Electra Prints are good amplifiers, matter of fact they are one of the most capable amplifiers I have heard for reproducing a performers voice. The title track "Out of the Valley" is an emotional ballad that portrays the struggle of young people living in a small town, and attempting to leave it for a better life. It is a song that contains poignant lyrics, expressive guitar playing, and a vocal performance that lets all the emotion of the writer flow through. The 300 DRD amps let you experience this in a manner that few traditional amplifiers are capable of. This is the primary strength of a single ended triode amplifier, its unique ability to portray all of the music in a manner that lets the listener experience a performance and not just a song. Another cut; "Flying Red Horse" features Mary Chapin Carpenter as a guest vocalist. Her dark and smokey vocal style is an excellent addition to Johns, and their individual styles highl
ight and compliment each other's strengths. The 300DRD amp does a stunning job of letting each vocalist's performance stand on its own merit. The amps have the rare ability to present the individuality of both vocalists, and to contrast their different vocal gifts. At the same time these amps can show how smoothly their voices blend together and harmonize, creating a unique auditory experience. This level of vocal realism is very difficult to achieve, and is what makes these amps worth owning. Single ended triodes have the ability to create the illusion of acoustic space in a manner that few solid state or conventional tube amplifiers are capable of. In more than one instance I have heard various SET amps coupled with high quality horn speaker systems that had all the speed and trans6!

parency of electrostatic, or ribbon speakers. And they had dynamic range, and extended bass response that dipole speaker could only dream of. The Electra-Print amps have this ability to create a believable soundstage, and to properly place the performers within it. These amplifiers are present a wide stable soundstage, and have very good front to back depth. On Ellis Paul's release "Say Something" the track "Thin Man" highlights the Electra-Print amps capabilities in regards to creating a believable soundstage. This is a minimalist recording that consists only of Ellis

Paul, his acoustic guitar, and you the listener. The Electra-Print amps not only create the illusion of Ellis Paul in your listening room, but they also allow you to hear the acoustics of the recording venue. It becomes very easy for the listener to close his eyes, and imagine being seated in a small, dark club, just a few feet off of the stage. When paired with the right speakers, the 300DRD amps can be holographic in its ability to recreate performers and their instruments.

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