Valve Audio

Black Widow

Powerful, yet with sufficient finesse to translate fine detail with a smooth, easy sophistication that allows the finer nuances to come clearly to the fore. This description is but a feint resemblance of what the Black Widow is capable of. It has to be regarded as a serious high-end amplifier by any standards - even when compared against more fancied, imported units with famous name tags costing double, even triple the money.

Exclamé

Still utilizing only one triode, in this execution of this plucky little amplifier, the valve is plate loaded directly by a DUAL pair of mosfets per channel. The power supply has also been redesigned around a new 300VA toroidal transformer and Valve Audio's High Yield Rectification (HYR), and split power rails to both channels. This greatly enhances the dynamic capabilities of the amplifier whilst retaining the original design aim of presenting the audio signal with the ultimate shortest path of least manipulation.

Genesis

The Genesis Preamplifier represents the first product in the Genesis Project series and was actually given the name Genesis as per the request of the customer who first sanctioned the development thereof. This customer had fallen head over heels for the Black Widow Preamp sound, but required a balanced preamp in his system. He felt that the name Genesis was apt as this was to be the first product in the balanced series from Valve Audio.

The development model was based around an eight tube layout. Per channel two 6922 differential stages buffered by two 6H30 followers per signal phase formed the core of the original design. Power supply duties were taken care of by ten toroidal transformers, ten rectifier stacks and eight high and low voltage regulators. Premium quality components were selected for their sonic attributes, rather than their price tags. Remote control functionality was a given in this no-compromise design,with the actual volume control being achieved by phase cancellation, rather than the traditional voltage divider concept.

Genesis

Aimed at high end applications the Genesis is a state of the art piece of equipment. A full 1000w into an 8ohm load ensures that the most difficult speaker loads will be driven with ease. This is a mono power amplifier, ideal for floor placement due to its size but returns its asking price in the performance. The Genesis pre-amplifier perfectly partners the Genesis dual mono block power amplifiers.

Predator

Designed to meet the need for a high power integrated hybrid amplifier, the Predator provides state of the art signal processing using classic cathode follower and plate-loaded techniques with absolute minimal local feedback. Ultra high-speed rectifiers are used in a dual mono layout, sharing only the transformer. Plate-loading the driver stages offers high levels of transparency and detail.

Proton

At face value, the Genesis looks much like any other quality interlink, with the exception of unusual wooden bobbins at either end, inscribed with the Genesis Proton logo. Also, the goldplated RCA connectors look and feel expensive. And they are: they are in fact eutectic brass, gold-plated units.

But what’s really fascinating is the construction of this interlink under that innocuous black sheath. It employs a combination of silver-plated, pure-copper wire, Teflon insulation, a copper braid and aluminium screening layer, and a layer of megamide braiding.

Whisper

The Whisper is the long awaited valve based phono stage. It offers both MM and MC loading with a gain of 70db - sufficient for just about any low output moving coil cartridge.