Big Sound From Small Boxes! Choices, Choices…

March 30, 2022
dbeetles
Blog

We’ve written lately about Allnic’s fabulous, award-winning T-2000 30th Anniversary integrated amp, which offers 120 watts/channel in full beam tetrode mode using the KT170 tube. That’s a lot of muscle! But not only that; with Allnic’s KS Park design goals of real power drive behind those watts from perfect matching of tubes and transformers, power is combined with true finesse, meaning low, low, low distortion and noise.

Want to know more? Just take a look at our end January and beginning February 2022 “What’s New?” entries for details and clients’ and reviewers’ super-enthusiastic reporting (January 2022 post link and February 2022 post link).

With all the excitement about the T-2000 30th Anniversary (and the T-2000 25th Anniversary before it), we’ve perhaps not paid due attention to Allnic’s two lower-power integrated amps, the T-1500 MK2

and the T-1800 MK2.

The former is a Single-Ended Triode 300B design (T-1500 MK2 product page link) and the latter uses the equally cherished EL34 pentode in push-pull mode (T-1500 MK2 product page link).

We were recently reminded of the truly outstanding quality of both the Allnic T-1500 and T-1800 integrated amps by their employment as driving forces for a new Radian 18 inch, coax driver speaker in the Allnic/Coherent room at the Montreal Audio Fest, March 25-27 - the shows are back!! Link to Montreal Show Program

Hosted by Don Corby of Corby’s Audio and Frank Fazzalari of Coherent Audio Loudspeakers, the room at the Bonaventure Hotel proved to work very well: curtains provided by the hotel to compensate for unfinished walls (due to an incomplete renovation) damped the room and allowed the gear to show its stuff beyond usual expectations for an audio show.

In fact, with a loom of Allnic’s ZL cables and phono-preamp duty for a Kuzma table with 14″ 4point arm and CAR40 cartridge handled by Allnic’s H-5500 phono-stage, many attendees told Don and Frank their sound was “best of show” - and comments in fora such as Canuck Audio Mart agree with that glowing assessment (Canuck Audio Mart link). One of the first reviewers to post a report, Enjoy the Music‘s Rick Becker said, “… it ranked among the Best Rooms at the show.” (Enjoy the Music Show report link).

Allnic H-5500 phono-stage (H-5500 product page link)

Coherent’s new 18 inch coax driver speaker has a sensitivity of 102 dB, so the two Allnic integrateds had more than enough pristine musical power to make those speakers bloom - and despite the speakers’ high sensitivity, they were silent without program material playing. But you don’t need speakers with 100 dB and above sensitivity for either the T-1500 MK2 or T-1800 MK2. They’re both powerful enough to drive many, many speakers, and the listener, to musical glory.

Here’s a link to a video taken by a visitor in the room - good enough to get a sense of what the excitement was about. Montreal Show Video Link. It’s the tiny but mighty and elegant T-1500 MK2 letting those speakers sound so good, the music so real.

The T-1500 MK2 uses a 6SL7 to drive the 300Bs, and in combination with Allnic’s powerful “Inductor Drive” circuit giving up to a 150V swing voltage (norm is 70V) with very low distortion (about 0.3%), allows for a higher output (10 watt/channel) with much less distortion than can be expected from standard 300B circuits. The famous 6SN7 is used for the preamp section. 6SL7, 6SN7 and 300Bs are all readily available as new production and NOS, making the T-1500 MK2 a great choice for tube-rollers.

The same applies to the T-1800 MK2 with respect to its EL34, E180CC and 12AY7 tubes. With powerful drive characteristics like the T-1500’s, the T-1800 MK2 outputs 40 powerful watts/channel. That kind of power opens up the speaker choices even more!

Both the T-1800 MK2 and T-1500 MK2 are improved versions of their first iteration, and outstandingly flexible and convenient to use, offering RCA and XLR inputs, pre-out RCA connections, a motorized 41 step silver contact attenuator, and remote control. And reviews? Of the original T-1800, the late and much lamented Art Dudley said, “It pressed every one of my EL34-loving buttons and never let up.” (Listening #155, October 2015 Stereophile T-1800 review). The original T-1500 was a 2012, 2013 and 2014 Class A Stereophile recommended product, and Sam Tellig’s praise was unequivocal: “One of the world’s most beautifully crafted amplifiers“ and “A stunning value.“ (Vol 34, No 8 T-1500 - Stereophile Recommended). Judging solely by comments received from rooms below the Allnic/Coherent one about the bass they were getting from above, Mr. Tellig’s comment about the T-1500’s bass (the only such comment of which we’re aware), if not simply a result of his associated equipment, is absolutely not relevant to the MK2! If you’re looking for a new integrated, you seriously need to consider the MK2 versions of these amps.

Finally, as previously shared in February’s post, the Special Edition A-2000 25th Anniversary KT150 push-pull 100wpc stereo power amp will be on the ground Monday April 4th and shipping NOW. This $9900 amplifier has been factory tweaked to create the A-2000 25th Anniversary SE version and check this -$5900 !! These amps are unbelievable sounding and at this offering, there’s no better value. DO NOT miss on this buy! A-2000 SE product page link

If you’re in Don’s area, feel free to drop by Corby’s Audio to audition Allnic products in the real, not “virtual”, world. If you can’t make it in person, please contact Corby’s Audio (Canada) or Kevalin Audio (USA) at the coordinates below to inquire about the Allnic products discussed in this post.

And, as always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any of us to discuss purchasing an Allnic product for the first time, or moving up the Allnic product line – and don’t forget that quality trades are always welcome!

Canada:

Corby’s Audio

Freelton, Ontario

Website link: Corby’s Audio

Email or call Don Corby:

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 905.689.1976

Toll free: 1.877.689.1976

Hammertone Audio (Allnic North American Distributor) – We do trades!

Kelowna, BC

Website link: Hammertone Audio

Email or call David Beetles: