STEREOPHILE

Jonathan Scull

One exotic amp that caught everyone's attention was from cable-maker NBS. Their NBS/Shields power amplifier is built around the unusual Svtlana 3CX300A1 tube, a triode capable of a plate dissipation of 300W! (The tube is fashioned of ceramic and metal with an external anode.) Two of these deliver more than150Wpc, but NBS conservatively rates the amp at 100Wpc. The transformer is a proprietary design with "numerous" windings and 28 interleavings, with a large grain-oriented cut-C-core power-supply transformer and three switch-mode converters running at 153kHz. The amp will accept any input from 85 to 265 VAC and from 48 to 63 Hz, and will set you back $60k/pair.

NBS Audio Cables
155 Fifth Avenue South Suite 455, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
Phone: (800) 627-0204, fax: (612) 339-8750
web: http://www.nbscables.com
e-mail: nbscable@nbscables.com
Source of review sample: Manufacturer Loan