Phat Sounds from the Fatman
I’m an audiophile and invest in the best possible Sennheiser cans. Escaping to a realm of unreal music crafted by geniuses like Enya, Yanni, Tchaikovsky, and yeah- the occasional Josh Groban helps me recharge my batteries.
After a bit, my girlfriend said I was being selfish. In a joking way of course….
‘Joey, share your music!!’. She’d poke my sides each time I’d retreat to the lazy boy and pop on the cans. I wondered if she really wanted to hear my music or if she suspected I was listening to erotic porn.
After the thirtieth poke, I decided I may as well let the music resonate throughout the walls and into the house next door.
‘Yuch’, that’s what I first thought when I heard the Ipod playing Enya’s Shepherd Moons through my standard Creative speakers. The sound was void of soul. I never knew digital music can sound cold and harsh when pumped through standard gaming speakers.
After firing some inquisitive emails with audiophile buds, Richard came over and plugged in a retro looking setup called The Fatman (a creation of TLAudio). It had these funky vacuum tubes that I last saw in my grandfather’s Aiwa stereo system.
‘That’s better than my 5.1′ sytem???’ I mumbled.
‘Just you wait.’ Then he hit play and the Nutracker Suite came on.
The soundwave floored me. I was in tears. Goodness…. now here was full sound that positively resonated with more warmth and richness I never thought possible..
I quickly disengaged the Ipod from the Fatman’s retro looking harness and reconnected it to my Creative system. Nutracker again came on.
Huh…. ?? it sounded hollow. And crappy.
Fatman DID sing the same tune… but more sonorously. One crooned with the vibrance of Elvis Presly… the other croaked like Mr. Weasely.
There was no comparison!
Check out its specs:
* iTube 182 Vacuum Tube Amplifier
* iTube Docking Station
* Brush / Glove for cleaning
* Audio cable to connect Docking Station and Amplifier
* Banana Plug speaker cables
* Aux source audio cable for connecting CD player
* Video cable to connect docking station to TV* Integrated Amplifier (single-ended class A)
* Source Inputs: 3
* Max Output Power: 18W x 2
* Frequency Response: 20-20KHz (±1.5dB)
* Distortion: d 2%
* Signal to Noise Ratio: e 86dB
* Input Sensitivity: 230m V
* Input Impedance: 100K ohm
* Output Impedance: 4 ohm/8 ohm
* Size (LxWxH): 382mm x 290mm x 157mm
* Weight: 14.2KGs
* Tubes used: KT94 (KT88,KT90,KT100) x 2, 6N3(5670) x 4, 6E2(EM87) x 1
Im planning to go out and buy my own. Can’t wait!
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Comment by Degree on 14 December 2007:
transistors have been a boon to the electronics world. This is especially true even in soundcards and amplifiers that use transistors. Strangely, though, I must agree that vacuum tubes used in amps give music a surreally more beautiful quality.
Comment by mlankton on 14 December 2007:
Nothing beats tube power for music. There are only a small handful of solid state designs that I find to be musical enough to do double duty for home theater and two channel listening.
Then again, it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other. A 9 watt tube watt can be magical with the right speakers, but there is also a lot to like about the dynamic capabilities of a good 200 watt solid state amp.
Comment by Rob O. on 14 December 2007:
So, what’s the sticker price on The Fatman? Is the cost equally as out of this world?
Comment by Degree on 17 December 2007:
No, it’s well within budget of the average teener
Comment by Joseph Plazo on 18 December 2007:
And worth it as well. It will be a terminal device- meaning, you won’t lust to get out and buy new ones!