Continuing the long Digital Designs tradition of building the "best of the best" we announce the new ZT-45 full tube amplifier.

Each amp is hand built to order, using the very best components available.

The ZT 45 is extraordinarily powerful for a full tube design, producing 2x45Wrms.

Rrp is set to be $6999

A quote from Jassa, the head of DD: "In a recent test with SQ competitors in Europe, against best of the current tube amps the T45 was the hands down winner."

More info to follow.

Phil

This is the first time i've actually been interested in a DD product! Nice work Phil!

LOL, didnt expect to see this any time soon

What tubes are they using? I wonder how they cope with all the bumping on Australian roads, as usually they aren't the most sturdy of things.

.25 burps?

ohh interesting... what tubes are used?

got a laugh out of me!


I'm sorry, but am I the only person who think the price is ridiculously expensive? Thats more expensive then most Bulters isn't it? And they are one of the best in the tube game

The price is pretty standard for a real tube amp, the butler tube driver is not a real tube amplifier, has a tube pre amp.
I think good on DD for giving it a go
Would love to hear it!!!

Ahh wasn't aware of this, thanks for that

Does that mean there are options? or that they won't be building them unless someone orders it?

^ for that price I guess that could be the case but let's wait for a definitive answer

I think they would all be the same no hop ups (at a guess) they are just built to order because of the such high end they are and the cost to DD themselves if they built them and they were not selling it would be very costly I would imagine.

We'll carry maybe two in stock.....

Carl already wants four for the X5.

Phil

very unexpected from DD. a nice product to brag about though.
would be interesting to hear one of these, well done DD

Very nice, hopefully some people in Aus get the chance to hear them

I always wondered about tube amps for hi-fi. Does "warmth" mean colour/noise? I guess that could be construed as more natural-sounding. I know how desirable they are for guitars, having owned one. Seems like they are a bit more responsive to dynamic range and a bit more fragile, but that's Fender, and not DD =)

would go nicely with the higher end splits that are in the mill too i guess

Hawt! Out of pocket tho! Dayum!

phil put me down for a pair

This'll be one for the tube diehards to yearn for.

Phil, is there anything in glossy I can flash around at the next Melbourne Audio Club meeting??

Damn .... that is a nice looking amp!

High end tube amps are always expensive .... just ask any serious home audiophile

Are they EL34 output tubes?

Looks pretty good..

But sorry to ask and be a newb what exactly makes these tube amps so "special"?

.

ohh, harsh

Not harsh, fact. That's not a stab at DD, it's the way valves are. The warm sound we love is harmonic distortion.

that looks like a nice built amp

Hey Phil, Id also be interested in knowing this one. Also whether the opportunity will exist to tube roll either during manufacture or aftermarket??

The Butler TDB has tubes in the preamp, but it doesnt use them as tubes. They are used as Diodes instead. A quick voltage check across the plates can confirm this. So really, the TDB is a full solid state amp with pretty lights
No its not. Its output impedance. Tubes can sound warm because the damping factor is extremely low. This can easily be replicated on a solid state amp. Note too that not all tube amps have that warm sound (Tru tech for one). Harmonic distortion is simply a myth of sorts (some tube amps do have higher even order distortion, but thats not what gives them the sound).

Seven grand seems like a lot of money for a folded steel chassis, Asian made amp. Still, it makes a change from attaching the biggest magnet possible to a subwoofer. Lets see one with the lid on.

I just got some info from Jassa regarding the components:

"The main tubes are EL34, other tubes are ECC82. the EL34s are mounted in steel fixing clamp with vibration control. in amps like the Milberts, people want to change the tubes to Mullards, but Mr. Lee has tested these also and the tube change doesn't improve the amp, it does change it a little, but hard to quantify a subjective improvement.

The transformers in a tube amp are really more important, its where the black art lies. Mr. Lee had many, many transformers made while researching the final design.

This is a full tube, push pull design with current control. the amp only pulls 5 amps at idle. I think only the T45 and the Milbert have this function.

Jess"

I'll post more info as it comes to hand.

Phil

ahh 45 watts nooo! that'll be enough to make my speakers think about wanting to do something hehe looks great though! id get one but just cant justify the hefty price tag.............why soo costly?

Hmm wonder how one of these will go bridged into a 9918?

Given that this will be DD's flagship amp will the 'technology' filter down into cheaper model's across the range?

In all seriousness it looks like a nice tube amp with balls!

Look at the prices of other full tube amplifiers on the market

It'll give it good SQ



Definately solid looking Next step is to hear them

who is DD aiming this product at? surely the demand would be quite low....

The demand for ultra high end esoteric items usually is. That's what makes them exotic, this often ads to the appeal.

Phil

Sometimes I dont understand why people just dont 'get it'.

Tube amps for the 12volt environment are few and far between. Milbert is by far the most famous, and they retail for $5k. They are the types of amps that arent designed to fly off the shelf. Think Audison Thesis.

Its not new technology, but then again, its not meant to be. Tubes were invented before WWII, and these particular units (the EL34's) are a fair few years old. No-one is trying to beat the sound barrier or send man to the moon, so why does it need to be 'futuristic' and 'affordable'??

These are a rare item, and designed and priced as such. They are marketed to be 'unaffordable' to the masses, like most audiophile equipment. It gives the people who do own them that extra bit of satisfaction. I know if ever I ran one in my car, it would be a very unique sound indeed. Seperates you from the Jones's.

And regarding the power output. This is a tube amp. 45W RMS is a superb achievement, considering most push-pull Class A tubes put out between 5-10W RMS per channel. If you have ever actually sat down and listened to a Tube Amp (I personally have heard a Milbert @ 40W per channel) you would realise that the actual numbers dont show what they are capable of.

Sorry Matt, my comments were made very tongue in cheek.

There are also tube amps like the yamamoto which produce a huge 2wrms per channel. The 45wrms is absolutely huge in tube terms in comparison to the flea power amplifiers.

I'm amazed at the headroom that comes from my little 13w valve amp in my home system. Mind you, it has SS rectification so it does pack a punch.

And yeah, sure valve amps suck when it comes to specs but for goodness sake, have a listen to a good one and you'll know why people love them.
In fact, many a person will not go back to solid state after trying tubes.

And as far as reliability goes, can't beat a valve!

Good on DD for trying it out though.
I wish them all the best.

lol, not poking a stick at you toby, I was just blabbing 'in general'. Would HIGHLY recommend you have a listen to one though (and anyone else out there who hasnt) and then lets here your thoughts.

Would all tube amps sound the same as long as the tubes are the same i.e. Two tube amps, different manufacturers yet the same tubes, EL34's for arguments sake.

And if you had a tube amp, would you run each channel into a crossover (obviously custom) for a set of speakers? Or do most people who use tubes actually purchase 2 for an active setup to keep the true sound of the tube?

Anybody have any ideas on this?

How about people stop giving him crap with 'insider' jokes and tell him what he wants to know.

Peter, if I knew I would tell ya mate

Off ya horse mate. If I saw the question, I would have answered it. As it turns out, I skimmed right over it. Im sure others did too. No 'insider jokes' here, just people chatting about a hobby which they enjoy.

Peter, tube amps have been around since the dark ages of audio. They have a history that Solid State (transistor) amps would only dream of. In simple terms, they work by increasing the voltage on the input stage across 'plates' (inside a tube) and when the voltage gets high enough (saturation point) the electricity begins to jump the gap. The tubes are under vacuum, but if they werent, you would see an Arc. So think of it as an invisible arc constantly happening under controlled circumstances.

Home Audio has had Tube Amps for many years, and there still exists certain groups who love the sound so much they continue today, even though better 'numbers' appear from modern amps. The Tube amps design typically produces a 'sound' that is very spacial in the top end (great recreation of space and ambience) and recreates vocals with a warmth and body that for some reason, actually appeals to people. They dont tend to have a good snappy bass line, but if done properly do produce a 'fullness' to the music down low. Also, when a Tube amp clips, its waveform doesnt saw tooth like a standard Solid State amp, but begins to gently flatten out (obviously a generalisation, there will always be exceptions).

The reason they generate a buzz in Car Audio circles is because Tube Amps for the car are few and far between. It takes a bucket load of power to run, is almost a full Class A (and hence the power is not related to output volume), and are really big, clunky and unwieldy. Oh, added to that, tubes are fragile and can either break (very expensive to replace) or 'detect' vibrations in a car environment and recreate them as sound (nasty, nasty noise). When done well, they 'sound' FAR superior to most Solid State counterparts.

Obviously, being an amp, this can be audibly recreated in a solidstate using some clever tools and understanding on how the 'sound' is produced from a tube. But you still dont have that warm feeling of owning a piece of exotic history (which really is important to some people).

I would say not the same, as its more then just the tubes that influence the sound. As Phil mentioned, the pre-tube transformer has a lot to do with it too. Tubes do have characteristic sounds that are unique to that style of tube, but because a Full tube amp can have multiple stages of tubes, you'll really need to start 'tube rolling' to understand the differences between each one. Power Stage, Output Stage, Preamp stage etc all usually have different styles of tubes in them to produce a sound. Start swapping them around, and you can start to 'customise' a sound (keeping in mind you need to reset the voltage bias on the plates every time, or you'll snuff the tubes).

The only Tubes Ive heard in the Car environment (and Home for that matter) have been through Passives. With the Home drivers, the passives have been incorportated into the Speaker units (as they tend to), but the Car Audio ones have had Custom Passives to suit. To me, it seemed the design of the Custom Passives were done to 'emphasise' certain traits in the music to make that style of music absolutely stunning, and really did take my breath away, but they were one-hit wonders (other styles of music were sounded weird). I preferred the Home Audio tubes I heard, but cant say whether it was the equipment, the room or the music (listened to different music on them) that hit that sweet spot for me.

The first (and only) tube component that I ever heard was a Tube preamp. I can't remember the name as it was so long ago, and it was basically my introduction to 'real' hifi. The guy that owned it owns the Opus Music store in Geraldton WA, so he was a music first, audiophile second type of listener. He played a few cd's on the solid state preamp that he had, and then played them on the tube amp. From what I remember the sound was just exquisite from tube preamp. It had a real 'live' sound while being full and rich (difficult to explain) that was so pleasing to listen to.

I would go so far as to say I would prefer the Tube setup that he had than the big dollar Grand Utopia BE/Halcro/Marantz setup I heard at Len Wallis Audio in Sydney. Don't get me wrong, that setup was nice, but it really didn't do it for me like a $250k stereo should, lacking involvement and that live airy sound.

I like tubes.

it can depend a lot on the manufacture of the tuba also.
say 3 companies make an EL34 (I think it's 6 really) - each will have their own 'sound' and should be selected by the listener to their preference.

I have a pair of DD ZT-45's well & truley on their way.
They have been built to order, and freighted to arrive soon.
I trust the carriers are gentle with my babies !

After some CNC Milling to the amplifiers and Titanium / Carbon Fibre mountings then to create & integrate, I can't wait for wiring, tuning & listening time !
To actively drive a complementary pair of 6.5" drivers & tweeters in the front.
Fullrange & complete !

I anticipate joy come time !
Even though it will be by far the " lowest powered " system I've dedicated time too.

"Edited to correct the typo's"

The first four ZT45 are due in Australia on Monday.

Phil

Hope someone in Perth orders one and is kind enough to show it off to eager listeners.

See Adam or Simon at Alberts Cannington.

They will soon have one to audition.......

Phil

i want one (well 2 would be nice haha)