EAR 890 Tube Amplifiers Pair

E.A.R 890 Tube Stereo Power Amplifiers,Color: Chrome & Black,Push-pull power amplifier. 70 wpc stereo (bridgeable to 140 watts mono) into 4, 8, or 16 ohms. Uses KT90 or 6550 output tubes. Self-biasing.Balanced and unbalanced operation.The 890 uses four KT90s per channel in a pure class A, push-pull design, to achieve a stated 70 watts continuous power per channel.The damping factor is over 30, high for a tube amp.The story continues, and so does the power, beyond 70 watts.I tried the 890 with Avalon Eidolons, which are 87 dB efficient, and it made clipping mincemeat out of an ARC VT 100 II with four 6550s per channel.The 890 refused to clip. I substituted it for a pair of Pass X 600s, which are 600 watts per channel, and it drove the speakers 95% as hard.Overall detail was improved by a factor of two.I heard nuances never revealed by the Pass, and the jump factor of a more real presentation was astounding.