Astin Trew news blog

New AT2000 amplifier on its way.

2008-05-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

In a perfect world, we would be adding blogs every month. I see that our last entry was back in February and it is now almost June! How time has flown.

Briefly, since the last update, we have exhibited at the London Heathrow High Fidelity Show in the Artisan Audio room, our Dealer in the South Bucks. area; were awarded a HiFi and Records (German audio magazine) Editors Choice 2008 award at the Munich High End Show for the AT3000 CD player in April; and have taken on several more distributors around the world as well as appointing a dealer in Scotland (see web site for details) and taken in stock of the AT3500 CD player in black.

The AT2000 integrated amplifier will finally be launched this summer. Very overdue and much awaited, this amplifier will offer a number of features, such as two room audiophile sound and outputs for 2.1 (stereo + sub-bass) in an amplifier that offers our now sought after good value package and a great musical sound.

The AT2000 has been developed out of the A1000 and AT5000 pre/power amplifier we currently sell. The development however, took a number of twists and turns , the AT2000 now utilising the power amplifier design. with changes, to squeeze some more power from the circuit, and the pre-amplifier now being a class A design, all solid state.

The rated power output at 8 ohms will be around 75W RMS per channel. There is a good reason for this still modest output - we only use a single pair of very particular MOSFET's per channel, with very large power supplies behind it, and valve (tube) assisted at that! This combination offers great transient response and clarity, combined with a very natural sound. Unless you have a VERY large room, with less than average efficient speakers, this is we believe the best approach for true musical fidelity. If you want to listen to 'thrash' bands until your ears bleed, this will not be the amplifier for you!

Their are two aspects to the audio electrical design that we are rather excited to be using, as they both offer quite stunning improvements over the more standard designs employed, particularly in the price range we are aiming at (£1,000 - £1500) with the AT2000.

Firstly, we are using the Never Connected power supply design for all the low power audio supply rails. This power supply simply offers the best supply solution we have ever used, including all of our designs, and allows the pre-amplifier and other audio components to operate at their best.

Secondly, we are offering a balanced XLR input, used when the 'audiophile' second room option is implemented. However, the amplifier when used in the main listening room (or stand alone amplifier if you do not use the multi-room option) can use this input as a normal balanced signal input.

We have used a 'pro-audio' circuit, offering perhaps the best sounding solution available, short of using highly expensive transformers - indeed, (the legendary) Bill Whitlock of Jensen Transformers actually helped develop the circuitry, and he knows everything about balanced circuit designs. Powered with the Never Connected supply, this circuit is stunning, and allows both VERY long balanced cable runs and single ended to balanced cables to be used from your source equipment, with great results.

We hope this has whetted your appetite for hearing more about this product - and hearing the product! We will keep you informed as to availability, we will be playing it at the Heathrow, London, Sound and Vision show in September 08, but it will be with your Astin Trew dealer well before that!

More on the AT3500 CD player

2008-02-14T01:14:00.000-08:00

I was going to comment on the issues around power amplifier ratings and perceived loudness this month. But I am finding the high volume of interest in, and the pleasure the AT3500 CD player is giving to a growing band of happy owners, should be acknowledged. Thank you all for your feedback and support.

Of several email correspondences we have had recently with satisfied customers, this one is from Derek in Italy:

I am the proud owner of an AT3500 CD Player!
It is outstanding!
I congratulate You all for making such a great music machine.
My AT3500 is connected to a Klimo Merlino Gold pre-amp,
two Rega Exon 3 power-amps, Rega R9 Speakers
All cables are Klimo. The above combination sounds great.
I listen mainly to Modern Jazz and R. & B.
I have two more costlier "high end" Cd players,
but honestly, the AT3500, although much cheaper,has nothing to envy....
I wish You all great success. Best regards from Roma -Italy
from Derek! (English name but absolutely 100% italian ! )

and then a few days later:

maybe i should not tell You but.....
I have ordered a see-through plexiglass cover in order to see the inside of the AT3500! It is so beautifully made inside,and it a pity not to be able to see the components "at work". My Klimo pre-amp also has a see-through cover and does make a great scene!
Ciao from Derek

We always welcome feedback from our customers, thank you Derek - and everyone else who has phoned and emailed us about their Astin Trew purchases. As a design and manufacture company, selling through UK retailers and distributors around the world, we are at 'arms length' from our end customers.

Post-script to the 'tube rolling' article.

2007-11-29T08:44:00.000-08:00

Three weeks on from establishing this new blog information page, I am pleased to say lots of people are reading it and we have had some interesting email feedback regarding valves for the AT3500 CD player. The Phillips JAN valve, discussed in our previous blog entry, does seem to have become 'flavour of the month' - with everyone agreeing that it takes the AT3500 sound qualities up a rung or three and is a very worthwhile and cost effective upgrade.

We have tried the Phillips JAN valve in our cheaper AT3000 player and it does also improve this £650.00 machine. Not as much as with the more focused and articulate sounding AT3500 player, but an improvement there is - well worth the odd twenty pounds worth of valve. If you are inclined to upgrade your AT3000 player, the addition of Astin Trew isolation feet (as used on the AT3500 player as standard) also tightens up the bass a bit and generally focuses the music a little. As with all isolation feet on quality audio electronics, this is somewhat dependant on your component support rack design as well.

Remember, your Astin Trew dealer will change valves and isolation feet for you if you take in your machine. In this way, you will not invalidate your warranty if upgrading within 12 months of purchase. If you are doing any upgrades yourself, always read the instructions in the operating manual first - better still, ask your dealer to do them for you at the time of purchase.

Happy listening,

Michael Osborn

AT3500 CD Player 'Tube rolling'

2007-11-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the new Astin Trew blog site. Established to disseminate news and views to all Astin Trew customers and potential customers.

Our first bulletin is regarding valves (tubes if you prefer the US description) and alternative valves that our customers, UK Dealers and Distributors around the world have tried and fed back information to us about.

A new AT3500 CD player of current production comes fitted with the Golden Dragon 6922 - this valve, which offers good sound and nutrality, is becoming difficult to source in the numbers we require; and we are going to have to supply the Electro-Harmonix 6922 in future batches. The Eletro-Harmonix valve offers a different perspective to the music, perhaps a tad less dynamic, but with some additional 'inner detail' referencing to the Golden Dragon. They are both better than other current production vales we have tried to date.

So what feedback have we had on this subject? Dimitri, our Italian Distributor, swears by the 'Bugle Boy' brand and I have to say that the music our AT3500 was making in the Mad for Music room at the Milan Show this year was wonderful.

Just a few weks ago, Stephen at The Audio Consultants (Dealer just outside Reading) suggested we should try the Phillips JAN new old stock (NOS) valve he likes very much. As I was visiting, with the AT3500, we tried the replacement valve and I was amazed by the improvement in just about every aspect of the musical presentation - more bass with better articulation, better tonality, cleaner high frequencies etc. etc. I was sold on this upgrade!

This valve is not of course manufactured now so it can never be offered as standard, but whilst there are stocks available, we will be offering it as an upgrade valve through our UK Dealers. Those of you outside of the UK will have to ask your Dealers to source the valve for you, or search them out for yourselves!

If you have tried any other valves that you think we should know about, feel free to let us know. You can contact us from the 'contact' page on our web site www.astintrew.co.uk

NOTE: If you are not a trained or compitant electrician, please ask your Dealer to change the valve over. If you do decide to change the valve yourself, always refer to the instructions supplied with the AT3500 CD player.

...and guess what, the Bugle Boy valve is a re-badged Phillips JAN valve, so I'm told. Well there we go.

Happy listening, Michael Osborn, Managing Director, Astin Trew.