[Todd]

HI All,
 
Both Pete and I have been hard at work creating new products for the high end headphone listener. Our newest creation is the Apex High Fi Audio Arête. The Arête uses a single ended discreet JFET gain stage and the same MOSFET output stage as our Peak. It serves as both a headphone amplifier and a preamplifier.  The Arête is $1095 and comes with an external switching power supply and can be upgraded with our Volcano power supply!
Save $50 if you order the Arête and Volcano together (the switching supply is not provided in this package) or upgrade to the Volcano later for $750.
 
Both power supplies operate 110v - 240v,  50Hz to 60Hz
 
The Arête is now in production and orders are being taken. The first amps will be shipping in 1-2 weeks. Get in line and order one of these great new amps now!
 

The Arête front panel and top
 

3 inputs and 1 line out make this a very versatile headphone amp/preamp!
 

An inside look at the Arête
 
Talk to you soon!
 
Todd
 

 

[priest]

Damn that's nice. Somebody stop me.

 

[MorbidToaster]

Very nice. Pairing this with a Volcano would be so fun. Interested.

 

[USAudio]

Wow, these guys have been very prolific lately!  The more choices the better!  Good stuff.
 
Looking at the specs, I wonder how well it would do with a power-hungry headphone like the HE-6:
[size=x-small]Max output level into 150 ohms @ 1kHz: 7.4V RMS / 21V P-P / 360mW
Max output level into 33 ohms @ 1kHz:  4.7V RMS / 13V P-P / 670mW[/size]

 

[zilch0md]

 
I took it upon myself to enhance the photos.  I removed the color cast, adjusted contrast, corrected the perspective, etc.
 
I hope Todd is OK with this (crossing my fingers).  
 

 

 

 
 

 

[Todd]

I have plugged a number of headphones into the Arete and the HE-6 was one of them. It drove it with ease and it sounded great too! The LCD-2 also sounded very good with the Arete. I think many will find this very much to their taste - a little bit on the warm side for a solid state amp.
 
Todd

 

[jpelg]

Any chance of a gain-switch (with 0-gain) option/version?

 

[Todd]

HI jpelg,
 
As of right now there will not be an option for the gain switch, sorry.
 
My comment earlier about the HE-6 - the Arete does drive it very well to moderate to loud listening levels but at very loud it no longer sounds so good... so if you want to use the HE-6 and listen very loud, this will not work for you.
 
Todd

 

[Skylab]

Looks like an interesting amp and I am looking forward to reviewing it, but based on the output specs you published, I would not think it a good match for the HE-6.

 

[Todd]

[size=x-small]Here are the specs...[/size]
 
[size=x-small]Values are typical.  Measured using the standard switching power supply.

Max output level into 150 ohms @ 1kHz: 7.4V RMS / 21V P-P / 360mW

Max output level into 33 ohms @ 1kHz:  4.7V RMS / 13V P-P / 670mW

Peak output current: 220mA

Input impedance: 50k ohms

Output impedance: 1.0 ohm

THD+N 1V 1kHz 150 ohms: 0.08%

THD+N 1V 1kHz 33 ohms: 0.06%

FR: 20-20kHz +/- 1dB

FR: -3dB 15Hz – 45kHz

Noise 400Hz-30kHz: 70uV

Max gain (Headphone out) 1kHz: 21dB

Max gain (line out) 1kHz: 15dB

DC Offset: +/- 10mV[/size]
 

 

[Wedge]

Well based on what I know from the Peak, it will probably put out around 1W ish @ 50 Ohms.  These are RMS numbers, so around 2.4 ish W peak.  I don't see why it wouldn't work all that well with the HE-6.  It might not be the best, but I didn't find the Peak as congested as many people have said amps at this power output would be.

 

[USAudio]

Great product but if they had given it a bit more power it would have a wider market appeal, given the new power-hungry headphones such as the HE-6's.

 

[45longcolt]

General question - aside from the HE-6 and 500, just which headphones are so hard to drive as to demand Godzilla-sized amps? Certainly not the Audeze LCD-2s from my experience. Not that I regret buying a Lyr (quite the opposite,) but I wouldn't shy away from the Arete unless I owned the HifiMan phones.
 
Specific question for Todd - (and other manufacturers) - why no Balance knob? A lot of recordings, not to mention individuals' ears, can really benefit; especially in a detail-critical environment like headphone listening.
 
And isn't arete French for "Stop?" A mixed message, or is my French just rusty? 

 

[acidbasement]

Quote:

And isn't arete French for "Stop?" A mixed message, or is my French just rusty? 

Your spelling is rusty.  

 

 

[USAudio]

Arête - "a sharp-crested ridge in rugged mountains"  http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ar%C3%AAte
 
Look at all that unused circuit board real estate that could be used to make more go-juice ...