Absolute Sound

equipment report
Romantic at Heart
Valve Amplification Company
Avatar Super Integrated Amplifier
Wayne Garcia
Like people, all audio components
have a character of their
own. For instance, in our last
issue I wrote about Krell’s
KAV-400xi, a $2500 integrated
amplifier that boldly, proudly, firmly
resides in the solid-state camp. A rather
masculine-sounding device, the Krell’s
strengths lie in its high power, dynamic
punch, taut bass response, and upfront
musical presentation. What that unit
lacks—delicacy, warmth, air, and tonal
complexity—are things that the model
under review today, VAC’s Avatar Super,
delivers in spades.
Part of VAC’s “Standard Series,” the
Avatar Super is an extension of the work
that VAC’s chief designer Kevin Hayes
began in 1988 with the original Avatar, a
60W-per-side all-tube unit that sells for
$5000. The regular and super Avatars
share many features, including a decidedly
retro look, but the Avatar Super
departs from the original in many ways.
Power is rated at 80Wpc, and rather than
using four EL34s in the output stage
(which can be switched to 27-watts triode
operation) as the Avatar does, the
Super uses a quartet of KT88s. The Super
also uses a new circuit VAC calls “Beam
Power Sentry,” which instantly senses and
“limits current delivery to any KT88
operating outside of its designed range,
thus protecting the amplifier and allowing
continued operation until the tube is
replaced.” In addition, the Super uses a
newly designed double-choke power supply
that is said to lower noise while
increasing dynamic wallop, as well as a
freshly fashioned 12AU7 triode linestage
and 12AX7 triode phonostage. (Its 39dB
gain limits you to either moving-magnet
or high-output moving-coil cartridges,
which meant I couldn’t audition it. For
low-output MCs, VAC makes an external
step-up called the “Divinyl.”) Other features
include a parts selection derived
from VAC’s Renaissance Series, a Home
Theater Mode that separates the preamp
and amp sections (note that the preamp
stage inverts absolute phase), enabling
the unit to be used as the front-channel
amplifier in a multichannel system, a
simple remote control for volume and
mute functions, preamp out, a frontpanel
meter for adjusting output-tube
bias, and a hidden well that houses the
bias-adjustment switches. To adjust bias,
simply depress the red button corresponding
to a given output tube and rotate
the adjacent switch until the meter’s needle
is centered—a snap to do, and in the
six months I used the amplifier the bias
never once drifted. I should note that not
only is the Avatar Super a very handsome
design (if you like a classic look—think
1950s Marantz—this baby has it), it is
beautifully built—from the 3/8" aluminum
faceplate finished in hand-rubbed
silver metallic lacquer to the gold-plated
aluminum knobs to the well-laid-out and
finished chassis—and never malfunctioned
or otherwise hiccupped while in
my system. The Super is priced at $6000.
Having read this far you’re probably
open to the idea of tubes, or maybe even
an aficionado. But let’s face it; glowing
glass bottles are not for everybody. Even
some well-seasoned audiophiles just
don’t want the hassle (and sometimes
considerable expense) of changing
tubes—a full replacement kit for the
Super will run you $374, $230 for output
tubes only, and estimated tube life is
8000 hours. Beyond that, some listeners
simply prefer the sound of solid-state
devices, which are often perceived as
more “accurate,” with tubes, of course,
being more “colored.” (For a fascinating
72 THE ABSOLUTE SOUND ■ JUNE/JULY 2004