To say I liked the Octave V 16 Single Ended Integrated Amplifier is like saying Popeye liked spinach.
Karlsbad, Germany-based Octave Audio has two new mono amplifiers on offer: the Jubilee Mono Ultimate and the MRE 220 SE.
The Jubilee Mono Ultimate, as you might expect, are the new flagship mono amplifiers from Octave, offering a whopping 440 Watts per channel from a total of 16 Octave graded-and-matched KT170 output tubes (8 per side per monoblock).
From Octave:
…the Jubilee Mono Ultimate features a newly-designed driver stage, a new, dedicated output tube filament heater power transformer, and a new, massive output transformer design that effectively increases secondary winding surface area by 50% while reducing distortion-inducing skin effect to vanishing levels.
The pair will run you a cool $135,000 in USD.
The MRE 220 SE mono power amplifiers rely on a total of 8 Octave graded-and-matched KT88 S4-A carbon plate output tubes (4 per side per monoblock) to generate 220 Watts per channel.
From Octave:
Among the numerous improvements over the previous generation, the MRE 220 SE features a new output driver stage and the ability to adjust the damping factor, resulting in consistently pure, beautiful sound across an even wider range of speaker loads.
The MRE 220 SE come with a retail price of $28,500 USD per pair.
Here are the complete press releases:
Dynaudio North America, Inc. introduces the Octave Audio Jubilee Mono Ultimate power amplifiers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Northbrook, IL – December 19, 2023
Dynaudio North America, Inc., importer and distributor of Octave Audio of Karlsbad, Germany, proudly introduces the new crown jewel of the Octave product lineup: the Jubilee Mono Ultimate mono power amplifiers.
From its inception in 1998, Andreas Hofmann’s Octave Audio Jubilee Series set out to define what was possible in state-of-the-art tube electronics. Combining a high-precision tube gain stage with a discrete semiconductor output buffering stage in a complex zero-feedback circuit, the Jubilee Preamplifier set a new standard with its precise and utterly beguiling sound. As a lover of large-scale classical music, Hofmann knew he needed to design a partnering Jubilee power amplifier to be immensely powerful to cover the dynamic swings of an orchestra or opera soloist, but refined and delicate enough to deliver all the emotion, nuance, and beauty live music evokes. In 2003, he realized this ideal partner through the Jubilee Mono power amplifier. Drawing from an octet of output tubes and Octave’s advanced pentode design, it delivered 250wpc with refinement, power, and authority into nearly any loudspeaker load, greatly abetted by the Jubilee Mono’s massive power supply and Octave’s exclusive Power Management system. The availability of a new, higher-power output tube, the KT120, saw Hofmann back to the drawing board, and in 2014, the 400wpc Jubilee Mono SE was released to critical acclaim. In 2019, these models were joined by a unique, modern take on the venerable 300B SET amplifier, the 30wpc Jubilee 300B mono amplifiers, which, among other things, uses an Octave-designed 7Hz power generator to directly power each 300B filament heater to eliminate hum and noise that frequently plagues such SET designs.
The new Jubilee Mono Ultimate represents the culmination of over 20 years of continued research and development and is much more than simply the evolution of the Mono SE. Jubilee Mono Ultimate effortlessly develops 440wpc using new KT170 power tubes, however the primary story that makes it more revolutionary than evolutionary is in its use of new, proprietary circuit and transformer technologies. Among the numerous improvements over the Jubilee Mono SE, the Jubilee Mono Ultimate features a newly-designed driver stage, a new, dedicated output tube filament heater power transformer, and a new, massive output transformer design that effectively increases secondary winding surface area by 50% while reducing distortion-inducing skin effect to vanishing levels. These developments and improvements work in harmony to bring a vast improvement in effective power bandwidth (10Hz – 100kHz), far superior phase precision, and greatly increased dynamic range without the usual accompanying rise in distortion. Sonically, this all adds up to an extremely powerful-sounding amplifier with seemingly limitless extension and resolution at the frequency extremes, but with the natural and unfettered midrange one would expect from the most delicate tube electronics. In one word: breathtaking.
Jubilee Mono Ultimate Notable Design Features:
- Wide-bandwidth advanced pentode circuit using KT170 output tubes
- Zero Impedance power supply technology featuring newly-designed, dedicated tube heater transformers
- Newly-designed, massive, ultra-widebandwidth output transformers
- New driver stage circuit and tube layout
- All power and audio transformers designed and manufactured in-house
- Power Management circuitry for consistent performance, reliability, and safety
- Intelligent Soft-start circuit
- Electronic Protection system
- Eco Mode for ease of use and extended tube life
- Simple BIAS setting with high-precision circuit and display
- Structurally-sound, critically-damped chassis
- Choice of anodized Black or Silver finish with choice of various stone or Makassar Ebony wood center trim
- 100% Made in Germany
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 11”x 19”x 29.5” / 28 x 48.4 x 75cm
- Weight: 172lbs. / 78kg (each)
As with every Octave product, the Jubilee Mono Ultimate is handmade in Germany with the amplifier’s most critical parts – the power and audio transformers – made in-house and specifically tailored to the needs of this design. The Jubilee Mono Ultimate effortlessly exceeds the performance of any tube power amplifier in our experience and is ideally partnered with an Octave Audio Jubilee Preamplifier.
The Octave Audio Jubilee Ultimate is available now with an MSRP of $135,000 USD per pair fitted with Octave graded-and-matched KT170 output tubes and choice of center trim section material as noted above.
Dynaudio North America, Inc. introduces the Octave Audio MRE 220 SE mono power amplifiers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Northbrook, IL – December 19, 2023
Dynaudio North America, Inc., importer and distributor of Octave Audio of Karlsbad, Germany, proudly introduces the MRE 220 SE mono power amplifiers, the fourth generation of Andreas Hofmann’s reference-grade MRE amplifier series first introduced in 1994. Crafted by passionate music lovers who wish to bring the beauty and finesse of tube amplification to a larger audience of loudspeaker owners, the MRE 220 SE delivers high power, low distortion, and above all, unforced musicality through innovative design approaches that also serve to enhance reliability and day-to-day usability. Benefiting from over 30-years of continuous development and refinement, the MRE 220 SE is the latest development from Octave that marries proven technologies of the past with fresh, forward-thinking solutions realized through modern, cutting-edge componentry.
The MRE 220 SE develops 220wpc and features the advanced Octave pentode circuit that initially made its debut in the first MRE mono power amplifier, the MRE 120. Today, that circuit is at the core of nearly all Octave amplifier designs thanks to its wide bandwidth, high-resolution and rock-solid stability into nearly any loudspeaker load. This is all made possible by a number of Octave power supply innovations that ensure linearity and control down to the lowest frequencies. Among the numerous improvements over the previous generation, the MRE 220 SE features a new output driver stage and the ability to adjust the damping factor, resulting in consistently pure, beautiful sound across an even wider range of speaker loads.
As with every Octave product, the MRE 220 SE is handmade in Germany with the amplifier’s most critical parts – the power and audio transformers – crafted in-house and specifically tailored to the needs of this design. The MRE 220 SE effortlessly exceeds the performance of many past and present tube amplifier designs costing much more and is ideally partnered with an Octave Audio HP 300 SE or HP 700 SE preamplifier.
Notable Design Features:
- Wide-bandwidth advanced pentode circuit
- Zero Impedance power supply technology
- All power and audio transformers designed and manufactured in-house
- Power Management circuitry for consistent performance, reliability, and safety
- Intelligent soft-start circuit
- Electronic Protection system
- Switchable damping factor setting
- Eco Mode for ease of use and extended tube life
- Simple BIAS setting with Power Selector bias current switch for accommodating a wide variety of output tube types
- Structurally-sound, critically-damped chassis
- Choice of anodized Black or Silver finish
- 100% Made in Germany
- Dimensions (W x D x H): 19.25”x 16.25”x 9” / 48.8 x 41.2 x 22.9cm
- Weight: 65.7lbs. / 29.8kg (each)
The Octave Audio MRE 220 SE is available now with an MSRP of $28,500 USD per pair fitted with Octave graded-and-matched KT88 S4-A carbon plate output tubes. Optional Super Black Box PSU capacitive storage expansion modules are available with an MSRP of $7,000 USD per pair.
Company Website: Octave Audio