Audio Research VT80SE Vacuum Tube Power Amplifier Preview

See the complete review of the Audio Research VT80SE Tube Power Amplifier

The VT80SE version of Audio Research’s well-received VT80 power amplifier sports a new set of KT150 output tubes.

The previous version of this amp used KT120s. Although they had a smidgen more bass output, the KT150s excel in soundstage width and depth. The difference has nudged what was a very good amplifier to a very very good one!

The VT80SE is built to survive just about anything without breaking a sweat. The metal film resistors and film capacitors in the signal path appear to be discrete components that are sufficiently overbuilt so that you can buy with confidence now and your grandkids will still be enjoying it later on. But despite the discrete components, the VT80SE also sports some 21st-century technology. Output tubes are auto-biased by the amp’s microprocessor so that manually setting tube bias is a thing of the past. Each tube has an individual fuse so that if one tube fails for any reason, it won’t take others along with it. AC power rectification is done by solid-state rectifiers with a time delay – not by a rectifier tube. This makes for cooler operation and lower losses. And I could go on…

But the point is that if you’ve always wanted the “Audio Research sound” and couldn’t afford one of the “Reference” power amplifiers, there’s never been a better time to check out the marvelous VT80SE. Watch for the review!

See the complete review of the Audio Research VT80SE Tube Power Amplifier

Glenn Young

I learned to play the guitar in high school, hoping to persuade Berma Sanchez to date me, but alas, no such luck! In the late 1970s, a neighbor who was the station engineer for the local PBS network took me under his wing and taught me the electronics of audio reproduction. Throughout college, I used that knowledge to modify Dynaco vacuum tube equipment for friends. After graduation from LSU, I took a job in the chemical manufacturing industry, learning about industrial hygiene and the mechanics of hearing. In the 1990s I learned to write, initially as the newsletter editor for my local Safety Engineering chapter. In the early 2000s, I had my first book published (I’m now working on my third). A few years ago, the Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity website issued a call for authors. I responded and was excited to be selected. Over the years, I’ve published a number of equipment reviews and am honored, in 2019, to be given the title of “Senior Editor.” But none of the above offers the “why” of my interest in home audio. My musical tastes are highly diverse, and my love of music (acquired probably in the church choir of Grace Baptist Church) has been passed on to my daughter, who got her B.S. degree in music and her M.S. in violin performance and music education before being switching gears and then going on to graduate from Harvard Law. Although the majority of my extended group of friends and family prefer hobbies such as hunting, fishing, football games, etc., I’ve found that I still greatly enjoy time with my audio system and discovering new music. At some time in the fairly near future, my hearing will decline and I’ll no longer be able to listen analytically. But so long as my audiograms show acute hearing, I’ll keep doing what I enjoy best - listening to wonderful music and sharing my thoughts and impressions with like-minded friends.