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EAR - 890 POWER AMPLIFIER

The 800 series of amplifiers from EAR has received widespread and consistent acclaim from users and reviewers the world over. However, feedback from some quarters suggested that there was a need for an amplifier with similar sonic prowess but just a little more power.

Taking as a starting point the circuits used in the 834 integrated amplifier, Tim de Paravicini has addressed that need by producing the 890 power amplifier. Using the innovative KT90 valve from EI, he has been able to offer 70W of clean Class-A audio from the same chassis as the 834. One of the few new valve designs of the last 30 years, the KT90 draws on the strengths of the EL509 valve (as used in many EAR amplifiers) and is capable of sustained high power operation with great reliability. Two pairs per channel are hardly stressed in the EAR 890.

Features include balanced inputs (transformer-coupled) as well as unbalanced, separate level controls for each channel, and the option of flexible mono-block operation to deliver 140W into a wide range of loudspeaker loads. Build quality and finish are to EAR’s usual high standards, with a distinctive touch of luxury in the thick brass front panel, heavily chromed and polished to a mirror finish. Reliability is assured and there are no user adjustments.

And the sound? All the EAR trademarks are there: beautifully natural midrange and treble, superb stereo imaging, and of course extended but perfectly proportioned bass, with the extra power raising the roof even further than our earlier models.