IMS Electronics, a  New  Zealand  based  manufacturer  of  audio  products  has  just  announced their 'Desktop Valve Amplifier', a compact hybrid valve amplifier with head turning good looks.

Designer Martin Young felt most audio gear looked dull. “Our design brief is simple: Build a stunning looking amplifier that shows off the electronics like a show piece. Make it extremely high quality and make it sound good” 

The desktop amplifier uses Raytheon 6418 Valves, has a 32bit/384kHz DAC, vinyl preamp and Bluetooth input.

Two headphone stages each have their own volume control so two people can listen with headphones at the same time. A power stage provides 100 Watt speaker output and there is also a line ouput for active monitor speakers. 

Milled from a solid block of one inch thick aluminium, it’s just 120mm wide x 140mm long x 25mm high. Other features include 2oz copper circuit board, low ESR capacitors and careful matching of the valves to be within 1% per channel.

At US$500, IMS Electronics thinks it’s well within the reach of most entry level systems while still earning first place amongst the most discerning of audio enthusiasts.