ASTOR AS-XP99GTS Vacuum tube preamplifier

The AS-XP99GTS is the top-of-the-line preamplifier in Astro Electronics' AS-XP series. The chassis is made of the same 2mm-thick 18-18 stainless steel mirror finish and 2mm-thick metal fittings as the company's other products, and the XP type 2mm-thick mirror finish stainless steel plate is used. This robust and beautiful mirror-finished casing alone cost nearly 200,000 yen.

The volume is a gold-plated 2P2511 type from Tokyo Kohon Denpa-do, and the electrolytic block capacitors are semi-custom-made by Nichicon to provide a stable B power circuit. All parts are carefully selected for their reliability, and each unit is completely handmade. The insulator is machined from a 50mm oxygen-free copper round bar and mounted with young cowhide between the bottom plate and the insulator.

Astro Denshi's high-end preamplifiers have an overwhelmingly quiet, vibrant, dynamic, and three-dimensional sound, and the AS-XP99GTS provides power and dynamics from the lowest volume range with even greater clarity of each note. The AS-XP99GTS reproduces the recorded sound field information faithfully as it is, with a frequency range from 10Hz to 80kHz, with almost flat reproduction characteristics. The system can reproduce the atmosphere and atmosphere of each recorded sound source without any seasoning, so you can fully enjoy the recording conditions and flavors of CDs and vinyl records. The full-fledged built-in phono equalizer is also an attractive feature.