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One of the latest products from Yoshino, the Tim de Paravicini designed EAR 864 pre amplifier, is designed to meet a wide variety of needs, from the most demanding of audiophiles to the professional seeking high quality monitoring equipment in the studio field. It is based on the circuit designs used in the highly successful EAR 834P phono stage and 834L line preamp, with a few additional refinements and features including balanced outputs and one balanced input, all coupled via high quality transformers.

It has facilities for up to five line inputs, and offers a genuine tape monitoring circuit, making a total of six inputs. A high quality volume control is fitted, as well as a panel mounted power switch. Input and output terminals are gold plate.

Designed by Tim de Paravicini in his usual robust style, the EAR 864 is the perfect match for any high end system, if either biased towards analogue or digital. The electronic architecture is minimalist, so that the absolute minimum sonic degradation takes place. There are five double triode valves, arranged in a classic ‘de Paravicini circuit. Special attention has been made to the input circuitry. All inputs are at the rear of the chassis, on the same circuit board as the selector switches, which are operated remotely by long control shafts.

Power supply is a unique arrangement; a high quality toridal transformer supplies a double DC power supply, that provides the low tension (LT) heater current, and the high-tension (HT) anode voltage. It is critical in a pre amplifier that both the HT and LT supplies are pure DC, and free from AC ripple. This is the case with all EAR products, not just this pre amplifier.

The circuit is designed in such a way to have a minimum life of five years continuous operation for the valves (barring random valve failure). The pre amplifier has more than enough output for any power amplifier, transistor or valve, and is ideal at driving long interconnect cables to remotely located power amplifiers.

SPECIFICATIONS

Inputs 1 x phono5 x line level unbalanced (RCA phono connector)1 x line level balanced (XLR connector)

Noise (unweighted) -80dB (IHF)Input Sensitivity for 1V out Phono 2.2mV

Line 200mVInput Impedance Phono 47k ohms

Line 47k ohmsMaximum Output 8V into 10k ohmsPower Consumption 24W max. totalWeight and Size 5kg W 15” (380mm)D 12” (305mm) H 4” (100mm)Valves List 1 x ECC82 4 x ECC83

___________________________________________________________________________________________________EAR/Yoshino Limited: Rectory Farm, Cambridge Road, Godmanchester, Cambs. PE18 8BP

Tel No. 01480 453791 Fax No.01480432006 Web:www.ear-yoshino.com E-mail:earyoshino@aol.com