CARISSA SE 845 single end stereo 18 watts
Pursuing the single end high power route our Carissa uses the 845 valve. It has muscular intensity and musical finesse with transparency and intimacy. We have sacrificed some power in this 845 design to double the current output.(less watts, more power or current delivery). No softness here, dynamics with a light and airy soundstage and a treble that is crisp and sweet, emotionally charged and expressively satisfying.
UK SE version fitted with split bobbin mutli section output transformers.
USA version fitted with single bobbin low loss transformers.
Hovland caps twin choke filter solid state high current rectifier.
Speakers required 87 db or above sensitivity.
The Carissa has found favour with reviewers including John Potis of 6Moons who said:-
“The Carissa has, at least temporarily, changed my listening habits. It’s got me pulling out Rock recordings that I either haven’t listened to in a while, or that were sonically too disappointing to use as part of the review process. Two such CDs suffer from a multitude of careless mastering sins: Bowling For Soup’s Drunk Enough To Dance [Silverstone/Jive 01241-41819-2] and Avril Lavigne’s Let Go[Arista 07822-14740-2]. Both exhibit no more than the usual amount of Pop CD midrange veiling – but the tremendously transparent Carissa does a superb job of minimizing that annoyance. The amplifier further produces a meaty and harmonically dense presentation that lends superb body to both CDs to help propel the music. Not only do vocals project as they never did before, but they emerge from a huge wall of highly saturated sound that perfectly serves the music.”
He also said in his conclusion:
“By contrast, (to the Audiopax Stereo 88), the Carissa is a thick juicy cut of Delmonico, Pittsburgh Rare with Red-Chile Béarnaise and crispy onions on the side – rich, flavourful and highly satisfying in a sinfully gluttonous sort of way. Yeah!“
Read the whole review HERE
Specifications:-
POWER: 16 WATTS
TYPE: SINGLE END 845
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20 HZ TO 60 KHZ + – 0.5 db @1WATT
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 15 HZ TO 50 KHZ + – 1.5 db @FULL POWER
INPUT SENSITIVITY: 750 mv
INPUT IMPEADANCE: 180 K
OUTPUT IMPEADANCE: 10 OHMS
NOISE AT SPEAKER TERMINALS: TYPICALLY2.5 mv typl.
FEEDBACK: 9 db
BIASING: AUTOMATIC ELECTRONIC
CONSTRUCTION: HYBRID PCB/ HARD WIRE
COMPONENTS: RESISTORS 1% METAL OXIDE, CAPACITOS LOW INDUCTANCE LOW ESR COUPLING CAPS MKP
TRANSFORMERS: SINGLE BOBBIN MINIMUM SECTION LOW LOSS
RECTIFIER: SOLID STATE, 2 STAGE CHOKE FILTERS
DRIVERS: 6922 AND 12 BH7
HEATERS: SOLID STATE DC PLUS PYE FILTER
MATCHING: REQUIRED ON DRIVERS, NO MATCHING REQUIRED ON POWER VALVES