TubeMaster
New Reference Loudspeaker for high-end tube based systems
BRITON
Creating a new loudspeaker is always a bit of a quandary ... Is it needed? Is it better than its peers and predecessor[s] and in our case; will it come close to Berlin and L'instrument with their unique horn loading. The Briton TubeMaster is that good! Its upside down layout helps create the large soundstage of its horn loaded lot improves timing and coherence. The internal resonator preserves acoustic energy; improving efficiency, and bass.
The wide-body layout further expands the sound-stage and bass. The drivers are anchored directly into a massive solid heirloom wood baffle which is set in a semi-suspension for improved damping without killing acoustic energy.
The super strong cabinet is clad of 3/4 in 15 layer void-free ply from Finland and is built in its entirety in-house. We've named it TubeMaster as it can fully deliver the detail, and inexplicable magic of vacuum tubes. We believe that Tubes are the future of high-end audio and tube systems pair so well with today's digital sources... or go completely analog either way Briton TubeMaster is a High-End best choice for vacuume tube amplification.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver Compliment:
12" wide-band bass driver with ceramic or hybrid ceramic AlNiCo or AlNiCo motor
6' wide-band driver (adjustable gain)
Horn-Loaded Super tweeter with AlNiCo motor (adjustable gain) plays to 50 Khz!
+- 12db attenuation knob on front for easy sound contour adjustments
Solid tone wood baffle (No Ply no MDF)
Cabinet made of 15 layer void-free ply (no MDF) finished in gloss black, white, or Kabuki red
Internal resonator/damper with front by-pass port
Binding post/Terminals:
4 way low-mass tellurium copper
Internal wire: 18awg solid-core copper in cotton dielectric + silver solder (upgrade possible)
Sensitivity: 95.5-98.5db
Impedance: 8 Ohms
Bandwidth:
22 Hz - 50kHz
Recommended Power:
1.5 - 50 high-volt tube watts
50 - 250 transistor watts
Dimensions:
46.25"H 18.5"W 12.5"D
Weight:
55-62 LBS EST
Contour adjustment for wide-band driver and Super tweeter
Internal resonator / damper with front by-pass port
BRITON TubeMaster
How to Order:
Choose your wood baffle:
(rubbed oil finish or sprayed satin-gloss finish)
Two-tone
Maple Center with Cherry sides (shown)
Maple center Claro walnut sides + $ 250
Claro walnut center maple sides + $ 350
One tone:
All Maple
All Cherry
All Claro walnut + $600
Choose your cabinet colour:
(Gloss, satin or matte)
Near Black
Just off white
Kabuki Red
True Red
AT Gray
Custom colour: +250
Solid wood outrigger:
extends footprint depth and adds one inch to overall height. +150
How to Order:
Choose your upgrades:
Standard Reference: Woofer with large ceramic magnet hybrid wide-band driver, AlNiCo super tweeter 95.5 SPL
Price Upon Request
Reference: Woofer with hybrid ceramic AlNiCo magnet hybrid wide-band driver, AlNiCo super tweeter, coil and capacitor upgrade + $1200 97SPL (4-6 week delivery)
Master Reference: Hand-made AlNiCo woofer with ecru coloured diaphragm with matching hand-made AlNiCo wide-bander with turned spruce phase plugs top beeswax coil and capacitor + internal wire upgrade, Euro spruce-wood resonator 98.5 SPL + $ 6000.00 (8-10 week delivery)
How to Order:
50% deposit starts your TubeMaster Order! Final payment plus freight due upon shipping. TubeMaster is shipped in KuBox re-usable crates!
Low-mass tellurium copper terminals and driver frame earthing at the back
Viking Acoustic TubeMaster's low-profile, wide-body cabinet is made from exceptionally strong15 layer Finnish Birch Ply (no MDF) features hardwood dowel construction (no metal screws) and is internally braced with a solid spruce-wood internal beam.
The solid tone-wood baffle overlaps the cabinet which gives the illusion of an open-baffle design from certain angles.
First Impressions:
November 2019
BRITON TubeMaster
Let me just say this: Bandwidth is paramount!
we all know this; but need to be reminded if considering a small monitor or single driver system and should be prepared to miss much of the of the music and the magic and purity of tubes.
I was shocked again at how deeper bass and higher highs really improved the cello and piano and yet TubeMaster's fineness was apparent in the perfection of female vocals while the deep bass voice of Leonard Cohen was a visceral experience. The cymbal is now so right thanks to the AlNiCo horn super tweeter similar to the one found in Gottenburg and clearly no soft dome can do this. Flexible, powerful, crazy detail with finesse describe the TubeMaster's sound..
dc
January, 2020
TubeMaster + Audio Note Ongaku
Paul from Santa Fe, NM
First off, let me just say that I don't do product reviews and have never done a product review good or bad on anything. I don't blog, and never look at facebook or twitter and this will be my first. I'm a private person and musician as is my wife. I've spend many hours and much money on obtaining the finest audio gear. I've purchased solid state gear and large metal speakers from California that cost as much as a good used automobile which in the end I sold off and then purchased tube gear which is hand made in Japan along with matching speakers and have been pleased with this system.
Music, I listen to classical strings and jazz. My wife is a concert Cellist and so this is part of our listening repertoire too.
I first heard David's speakers in Munich a few years back while looking for my next audio acquisition. David's room had Audio Tekne gear and Kabuki speakers which were really beautiful and the most expensive phono preamplifier on earth this was one of the top three rooms for me but In the end I did not purchase Kabuki or the big gray amplifiers and went a different direction.
More to the story. I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico so asked if I could come and hear their new speaker the "TubeMaster" even though I was totally happy with my current Audio Note setup. David suggested he deliver and set up TubeMaster in my home to demo on my gear so that we did.
Acoustic Resonator, One of the reason I did not buy Kabuki a few years back is that I was told not to by the good people selling Audio Note they said that a vibrating resonator in a speaker was just not a sound idea even though everyone I spoke to that heard Kabuki, Audio Tekne in Munich were amazed by the sound, the bass and dynamics.
The TubeMaster has this resonator too and is visible through the port at the lower front of the speaker and if you place your finger on this while playing music you indeed can feel it resonate...as well as vented bass.
Sound: overwhelming, It's hard to explain but now the cello has another dimension the piano has that rich bottom end which is subtle and requisite full symphonic music is now complete and massive all-there. My AN speakers sounded really good to me but now sound a little contrived and a little small and I can hear the cabinet making its own not so pretty sound. The TubeMaster is the master sound reproducer for me. Eat your heart out Peter Snell.
Innovated and hand-made in the USA
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