Featured Product Archive
The inventions and products featured on these pages were chosen either for their
uniqueness in the RF engineering realm, or are simply awesome (or ridiculous) enough
to warrant an appearance.
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
Audiophiles rejoice: What's old is
new again! If you have been longing for the fabled tones that, according to the Apollonic faithful,
only a vacuum tube amplifier can produce, then the
GemTune GS-02 might be what you have been seeking. Of course you could buy a
vintage tube amp off of eBay or at a Hamfest, but maybe you don't have time or knowledge
or desire to recondition it. One nice feature of the GemTune GS-02 is that the five
vacuum tubes it uses, one (1) each 5Z3PA and two (2) each
KT88 (matched pair) and 12AX7, are readily available, whereas you could have trouble
locating some of the tubes a vintage amplifier might have. The painted chassis with
natural finish wood panels provides a nice mix of classical and modern styling,
and the open design makes it a real showpiece!
Over the last few years I have noticed many new vacuum tube products coming on
the market. Maybe that is due at least in part, according to societal and style
experts as prominent as The
Old Farmer's Almanac, to people tending to crave reminders of 'the good
old days' in times like these when everything seems to be turned upside down.
GemTune GS-02 Hi-Fi Tube Amplifier - Chassis Front
GemTune GS-02 Hi-Fi Tube Amplifier- Chassis Rear
GemTune GS-02 Rear Panel Connections
Unlike when I did the write-up on the
Tesslor R601S vacuum tube AM/FM radio, I do not own one of these
GemTune GS-02 audio amplifiers. If I had one (donations gratefully
accepted), I would be glad to open it up and provide photos and a circuit
description.
Here are the specifications from the website:
GemTune GS-02 Tube Amplifier, Hi-Fi, 100% Handmade
- Output Power: 13 W (x 2 channels)
- Frequency Response: 20 Hz - 25 kHz
- Single Ended Class A Amplifier to reduce distortion
- Distortion: <1 % (1 kHz)
- Input impedance: 100 kΩ
- Output impedance: 8 Ω or 4 Ω
- Signal/Noise Ratio: 90 dB
- Dimension: 390 mm x 245 mm x 145 mm
- Weight: 14 kg
- Tubes:
5Z3P (x1),
KT88 (x2),
12AX7 (x2)
 User's Manual
Note: I was originally going to feature the GemTune X-1 tube
amplifier, but in researching it I discovered that the 5Z4P rectifier tube is no
longer available directly from them. Therefore, I do not recommend buying the X-1
until a ready source can be found. The X-1 is an older design.
GemTune GS-02 Vacuum Tubes
Posted June 4, 2014
|
