General Information
The new Almarro A205A MkII
I've had the MkII version of the Almarro A205A for a couple of months now. Its latest incarnation employs the same circuit but Yoshihiro-san says that it has better output transformers for more frequency extension and now 8- and 16-ohm taps. The main difference between the original and current trannies is a narrower EI gap for greater high frequency extension and more accuracy: "The output transformers of the A205A and MKII sport relatively high primary inductance, necessary for better bass extension in a small EL84 SEP or SET amplifier. Especially in triode mode, the primary inductance of the OPT has considerable effect on bass extension, more so than in pentode mode. The size of a OPT is defined by the primary inductance. We decided on a relatively big size for both pentode and triode mode. The EL84 has a smaller input capacitance with relatively balanced amplification character to offer some unique tube qualities for its size and price."
The MkII version also has two switchable sets of RCA inputs and a higher-quality set of binding posts than the original. The inputs and outputs are now flush with the back of the amp which makes connections easier. Plus, there's now a removable power cord so you can frustrate yourself playing with different cords. Last but not least, there's a new headphone output for late night listening. It taps into the circuit at the speaker outputs. With all these updates, Yoshihiro-san has kept the price the same as the original - $800. That is very fair indeed.
I've had the MkII version of the Almarro A205A for a couple of months now. Its latest incarnation employs the same circuit but Yoshihiro-san says that it has better output transformers for more frequency extension and now 8- and 16-ohm taps. The main difference between the original and current trannies is a narrower EI gap for greater high frequency extension and more accuracy: "The output transformers of the A205A and MKII sport relatively high primary inductance, necessary for better bass extension in a small EL84 SEP or SET amplifier. Especially in triode mode, the primary inductance of the OPT has considerable effect on bass extension, more so than in pentode mode. The size of a OPT is defined by the primary inductance. We decided on a relatively big size for both pentode and triode mode. The EL84 has a smaller input capacitance with relatively balanced amplification character to offer some unique tube qualities for its size and price."
The MkII version also has two switchable sets of RCA inputs and a higher-quality set of binding posts than the original. The inputs and outputs are now flush with the back of the amp which makes connections easier. Plus, there's now a removable power cord so you can frustrate yourself playing with different cords. Last but not least, there's a new headphone output for late night listening. It taps into the circuit at the speaker outputs. With all these updates, Yoshihiro-san has kept the price the same as the original - $800. That is very fair indeed.
