Coincident Frankenstein Mono Block M300B Tube Amps ***FINEST OVERALL*** Trades OK

M300B Frankenstein MK II - This is , without a doubt, the finest amplifier, overall, I have ever heard. - Arthur Salvatore- High End Audio See these in RM 404 at the Chicago Axpona or come to South Bend, Indiana to audition these amazing amps. $5999 per pair. Available now with upgraded Psvane 300B Tubes. Sales outside of our territory ( 150 mile radius of South Bend, IN. ) should go through Coincident Speaker Technology directly. I am also an authorized dealer for Legacy Speakers, Auralic, and Triangle Art. Resonessence, Coincident, and NAT Audio. The M300B Frankenstein MK II mono amplifiers are now in stock. Built to the absolute highest standard - All hardwired The finest 6N copper interstage,output and power transformers No coupling caps in the signal path Finest Teflon caps All polyproylene power supply Self biasing 3 tube configuration (6EM7 input driver, 300B output, 5U4 rectifier) for purest sonics Input and rectifier tubes are the best NOS American. Electro Harmonic 300B Gold Grids are standard. Others available at special discount pricing. Triangular chassis shape to ensure rigidity These amps represent a sonic breakthrough. Their transparency and absence of an electronic sound set new standards. Mated to the appropriate speakers, they will prove to be a revelation. They easily drive every Coincident speaker model. 300B Mk II Mono Block Output Power: 8w (Triode) / Se Class A Output Impedance: 8ohm,16ohm Frequency Response: 20hz-20khz ±1db T.H.D.: 90db Tubes: (6em7×1, 300b×1, 5u4g×1) / Channel Power Requirement: Ac 115v Or 230v±5% 50/60hz (Selectable) Dimension: 310 * 166 * 385mm (W×H×D) Gross Weight: 18.50 Kgs Net Weight: 15.50 Kgs From Stereomojo: Coincident is a Canadian company helmed by Israel Blume. He has a rather interesting background that began at 18 when he got a summer job at an audio store. “I completed my undergraduate degree while working there part time for 4 years. I then went on to do a Masters in science with a major in physics. Something then snapped in my psyche and I turned down a dark path. I became a lawyer. All the while, I was constantly involved in audio. I imported some very esoteric components, did system setup , consulting and component modifications. After many years in the manufacturing world (I retired from law shortly after being called to the bar) I decided to devote myself full time to my passion- audio. Coincident Speaker Technology was founded in 1994. Prior to its founding, I had modified some very well known speakers with amazing results. I was astounded at the design flaws and the widespread use of inferior components in many very expensive speakers. With the coaxing of many of my customers and fellow audiophiles, I came to the inescapable conclusion that I could build a far superior product for much less money. The rest, as it is said, is history. Coincident has been thriving and we are now into our fifteenth year.” When a manufacturer/designer dubs his amplifier the “Frankenstein”, you might be led to think the amp has “monstrous” power output. A quick glance at the Coincident monoblocks will tell anyone who is even casually acquainted with vacuum tubes that this is not the case here. A solitary 300B tube providing the output in a Single Ended Triode design will never be described as “powerful” in relative terms in the amplifier universe. Indeed, each monophonic amplifier churns out a meager 8 watts. Of course, for stereo you need two for a grand total of 16 watts. So, is designer Israel Blume engaging in some extreme hyperbole with his “Frankenstein”, or is there something about these that is truly colossal? Let’s investigate. Knowing that there are many 300B integrateds as well as monoblocks in the marketplace at prices ranging from around $5,000 upwards to over $20,000 and bearing in mind the $5,500 price of the this pair, I asked Blume if his goal was to make the best sounding amp period or the best sounding at a particular price point. He replied, "The design goal was to create the finest amplifier in the world with no consideration to cost. All component parts from the transformers to capacitors to resistors had to be the best sonically. Only those parts that fit this criteria were employed and countless were measured and tested." We have reviewed many amplifiers that employ driver tubes from EL34's to KT88's and everything in between. I asked him why he choose the 300B; "The 300B tube was chosen since it, when properly implemented, offers the purest sound with just enough power on the appropriate speakers. The 300B is a directly heated (filament and heater are one and the same) triode tube (consists of 3 parts - the filament or cathode, the grid and the plate or anode). The 300B is simply the most linear amplifying device ever invented." The Frank was built over a period of years that consisted of trial after trial and combination after combination. He doesn't rely on computer aided design, he relies on his ears. One tube he ended up with is a rather unusual choice. I asked him to explain; "The choice of the input driver tube was far more critical and it is largely here that the Franks are set apart from its competitors. Instead of using the ubiquitous 6SN7 which is cheap and simple, years of research lead me to the 6EM7 super tube. This octal tube has so much current capability it can put out 2 watts as a single ended output tube. Used as a input /driver this enormous current capacity provides so much signal to the 300B that distortion is reduced by a factor of 10 and prevents the 300B from ever being current starved no matter how dynamic the signal. Using the 6EM7 is an expensive proposition( another reason other manufacturers shy away from using it) since the tube requires its own power transformer and power supply." I asked him what other factors, in his mind, set his amps apart from the competition. He told me that experimentation also lead to the eschewing of coupling caps in favor of an input transformer. "Again", he continued, "a much more costly route to take since a top quality transformer costs in excess of $100 while a good capacitor costs $10. But the sonic result is enhanced purity and transparency. Nothing in the Frankensteins construction or design was deemed unimportant. The layout of the circuit in maintaining very short signal paths, the isolation of the power supply from the sensitive input circuitry, the close proximity of the output transformer to the output speaker binding posts, the ultra expensive use of an exclusive polypropylene capacitor power supply, the high gauge, rigid stainless steel chassis, the special feet in a tri pod arrangement all done to minimize internal and external resonances, the 6N copper .25 " stem on the speaker binding posts, the use of Coincident Extreme internal wire etc, etc. In short, every aspect of the Frankensteins design and construction was analyzed and given the most thorough consideration." Appearance wise, the “Franks” remind me the Carissa integrated from Art Audio I reviewed last year. Both are swathed in shimmering, highly polished stainless steel that you would have no problem using as a mirror to shave if you so desired. Absolutely gorgeous as long as you avoid fingerprints. Once the amps are set up,there is really no reason to touch the polished surfaces since the only switch is an on/off toggle placed on the rear of each chassis. Speaking of mirrors, Israel built the amps so they are mirror imaged and not exactly the same. You can configure the amps so that the toggles are both on the outside or the inside depending on which is more convenient for you. Also on the rear panel are speaker taps,a single gold RCA for input from a preamp , a standard power cable socket (he DOES make power cables that he sent and were used in this review). A fuse and a 110/220 switch complete the simple back panel. Each amp is hand built and hard wired in Canada with .999999% pure copper wire as well as the transformers. Blume has built a self biasing circuit into the silver beasts which keeps them running optimally as well as making tube rolling very easy – something I did a lot since I used these amps for our shootout of about a dozen different 300B tubes.0 Since I already had an arsenal of 300B’s including Blume’s favorite KR300B, he did not send any with the amps. The KR’s are an extra cost option over the standard Harmonic 300B Gold Grids. Those were not among the sample I had so unfortunately I cannot report on how the Franks sound with their standard 300B bottles. The speakers used were Coincident’s own Super Victory. Their review was published previously and you can find a link to it at the end of this review. If you are at all interested in pursuing these amps, you should absolutely read that review. In that review, I said, “As I mentioned earlier, they (the Coincident Super Victory’s) sound good with a wide variety of amps, but everything changed when Blume sent me the newest version of his “Frankenstein” 300B monoblock amps that we will review separately later. But I will say that inserting them in the system triggered a quantum leap in sound quality. The rest of the review is based on the Frankensteins in place.” In that review amplifiers were used with prices ranging from about $800 to $14,000 – wattage ranged from 3.5 per channel to almost 2,000 per side. Tube and solid state models were included. There were integrateds and separates. The best sound was easily produced by the Super Victory and Frankenstein combo. I used my reference Halcro preamp as well as another very fine Chinese tube preamp called the Doge 8 in front of the Frank’s. For most of the time, the 300B tube of choice was the KR300B. Let me emphasize here that the tubes you use very much change the sound of the Franks. Of course, such is the case for any tube amp, but It seems the Franks, perhaps because of their superb transparency, are even more sensitive to tube choice than the norm.