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Symphonic Designs Tube Amplifier
Specifications
Observations
As you can see, the SD-VTA1B18X2 has a highly polished chrome surface with twin side flanges that curve downward for carrying which have a slightly gold tint. The vacuum tubes at the top are surrounded by plexiglass which serves to protect both the tubes and your fingers from the heat and breakage. The small tubes on each side of the main center set are similarly encased and also glow when the unit is turned on. The plexiglass serves nicely to carry the soft glow to the outer edges and provides an excellent accent of this luxury product.
Each of these units is lovingly hand created which may account for the hgih pricetag but also the high quality. The SD-VTA1B18X2 has a sibling which boasts a high power output of 40W x 2 but lacks the bluetooth and iPod docks which we feel really make this unit very usable. Load up an iPod with all the music it can hold and simply plug it into the dock and you have all the super high quality music you can listen to for days if needed. We would like to mention that the included remote is IR and as such requires line of sight to control the docked iPod. Ideally we would have liked to see a remote that operated using RF for controllability from both further away and through walls.
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On the faceplate you will find twin knobs as well as twin VU style gauges.The VU gauges provide feedback on audio levels for both right and left speakers and are much more for appearances rather than functionality. The knobs adjust the input selected and volume control. You can select from three different RCA line inputs as well as having the ability to connect to an iPod as well as bluetooth audio device. In what seems the perfect marriage of old and new technology there is noticeably absent an FM Radio Tuner as well as any kind of phono jack input, both of which would be welcome additions in the price range ($4995) of this product.
Picture a lawyers desk or luxury condominium complete with entertainment center and you begin to have an idea of the target audience for this high end device. The SD-VTA1B18X2 was not meant to provide a lot of sound as is evident by its simple 18W x 2 rating but instead to produce high quality sound which this unit does very well. We paired the Symphonic Designs tube amplifier with a Pioneer Elite Plasma TV and two high end Pioneer speakers and listened to simply clear music without any hint of distortion or noise. This is clearly for the audiophile with cash to burn in a scene reminiscent of lifestyles of the rich and famous.