ASTOR AS-KT88SGXC Vacuum Tube Push-Pull Power Amplifier

The AS-SGXC series has a chassis made of 2mm-thick 18-18 stainless steel mirror-finished with a bent finish, and internal mounting parts are made of 2mm-thick 18-18 stainless steel mirror-finished material and 2mm-thick oxygen-free copper material. This robust and beautiful mirror-finished casing alone cost nearly 200,000 yen, but it is remarkably effective in anti-vibration and noise reduction. The heat dissipation is also very good, so even though it is a vacuum tube amplifier, it can be used for a long time without any problem. The feet are made of oxygen-free round copper rod, and young cowhide leather is inserted between the bottom of the foot and the bottom to prevent vibration.

The circuit components are manufactured using parts carefully selected by the company for their excellent sound quality.
All parts have been carefully selected and improved for faithful music reproduction. The chassis is equipped with output tube sockets,The mounting port further enhances heat dissipation and suppresses heat inside the chassis. The transformers used are all made by Astro Electronics, with the same quality as those made by Hashimoto Transformer. The original transformer from ASTRO ELECTRONICS can reproduce excellent high quality sound with more natural extension and extension of low frequency range.

The self-bias capacitor used by the company is an order of magnitude larger, with a capacitance of 8000 micro, which is quite generous compared to the 200~300 micro capacitors used by most manufacturers. This ensures that even when the volume is turned down, the sound is expressed well without sound loss.

The carefully finished chassis construction is impressive. The "Maierbehr" exhibits a firm sense of grandeur and power, and yet it also displays a clear audio quality. The wide sense of realism with depth is impressive, and the stereoscopic effect is well-defined. One by one, the sound image was well localized and visually audible. Bass voices were high in tension, with clear endings and a sense of push. The sense of scale and exuberance of the voice, which was majestically raised in the overall resonance with depth, was appealing; there was a calmness that ensured three-dimensional localization and clearly delineated the sound image, while at the same time firmly expressing musical heightening. The dynamic range of expression is wide. The output transformer was also excellent in the area where it showed excellent resolution through the mid and high frequencies while providing a mature sound.
Teresa Ten" was reproduced in three dimensions. Her voice was grainy and appealing with a slightly sweet quality. The bass and other rhythm instruments provided a solid foundation for the low-frequency support, and the reproduction was rich and atmospheric. Unlike the other reproductions, which show a very clear and clear resolution of the sound, this reproduction has a sense of stability that allows the listener to hear a mature pyramid-balanced sound. It is a high quality reproduction. Voices are soft and blend nicely with the overall resonance, and at the same time, a crisp sound image is localized so that the mouth is visible. The voice is three-dimensionally sculpted. The recording device, which gives the entire recording a rich echo, reveals a superb arrangement of the song. The high resolution of the recording also shows the unique melancholy of the songs and makes us feel that this is an excellent Japanese amp.
Harry Connick Jr." was also reproduced with an excellent sense of stability and power. The sound was a bit gentle in the highest frequency range, and not very exciting. The sound was enjoyable with a clear expression. The piano was played with a clear sound, deeply sculpted, and full of energy in the lower and middle registers. The piano has a thrilling charm, building up phrases with a dense and condensed touch. The lowest register is slightly dry rather than soft and mature, but the strength, clarity, and lucidity of the brass instruments' sharply articulated choruses are quite appealing. The trombone virtuosity, which sounds as if it is talking, is also presented and expressed in a neat analytical manner.
The "Tchaikovsky" also had depth and dimension, and the quality of the acoustic instruments was skillfully expressed. The midrange was thick and dense, not something to be probed by the ear, but something to be listened to in a relaxed manner while giving everything that was supposed to come out. It made me feel that this amplifier must have undergone careful and meticulous refinement of the sound, including the chassis construction. The orchestra formed the background on a large, powerful scale, and the sound image of the violin was clearly localized in the foreground. The tone is somewhat cool, depending on how you listen to it, with a calm analytical power. However, it is rich in information, and has the ability to depict the virtuoso's skillful phrasing and the way the music is built up over a long span of time by gradually increasing the tension. I could hear an expression that is typical of a modern sound.
*KANEIKYU OHKOKU Vol. 93