T+A’s HV-series first appeared in 2013, and was based on thirty years of experience in the development and construction of first-class transistor amplifiers and valve devices. The series incorporates a revolutionary concept combining the sonic and technical advantages of both technologies, at the same time avoiding the inherent disadvantages of present-day tubes. The HV = High Voltage technology is employed in the amplifier stages of all the machines in this series, and is the secret behind their outstanding performance and sound quality. The source devices of the same series are just as uncompromising and superb as the amplifiers. They represent absolutely the highest level in the processing and reproduction of all digital sources.

Design Philosophy

The HV-series is the true embodiment of the original meaning of the term ‘high-end’: innovative technologies, uncompromising construction and absolutely peak performance.

For the HV-series T+A developed a whole raft of unique and superior technologies which are available exclusively to T+A: amplifier stages work at very high voltages, and are therefore inherently more linear in character than conventional circuits; the players feature separate high-performance converters for PCM and DSD, digital and analogue signal processing are kept consistently separate from each other, and specific subassemblies are galvanically isolated. All devices are fully channel-separate and designed on the double-mono principle. They are of entirely discrete construction, without operational amplifiers (op-amps). Amplifier output is more than 500 Watt per channel. The mechanical construction of all cases is extremely sophisticated, based on an internal framework of 10 mm thick machined aluminum plates. All case components are manufactured from pure aluminum, some of them machined from the solid. Absolutely no ferro-magnetic components are used.

The Power Supply

The PS 3000 HV is a supplementary mains unit which was developed specifically for the A 3000 HV power amplifier and the PA 3100 HV integrated amplifier. Both deliver more than 500 Watts of power into 4 Ohms, and at such a high level of sound quality and performance that simply increasing the output power – and with it the voltage – produces no significant improvement in sound. Our research and development work in high-performance amplifiers – including the M10 and S10 – and the development of the HV design philosophy which flowed from this work, have shown clearly and unambiguously that the stability of the voltage and current supplied by a mains unit is of major and even crucial importance to the sound quality of an power amplifiers. From this we have drawn the only rational conclusion, and developed a supplementary external power supply.

The principle is ingenious, and functions in the following way: if the PS 3000 HV is connected to the A 3000 HV or PA 3100 HV using the special PowerLink with M 23 high-current connectors, the A 3000 HV’s or PA 3100 HV internal power supply is used to supply energy to the input stages and the high-voltage amplifier; much lower power is required for this part of the system, and as a direct result the interference generated in the A 3000 HV or PA 3100 HV itself is much lower. The external PS 3000 HV supplies the energy for the output stages, i.e. it is responsible for the high currents required by the power output stages. With an output of 1200 VA the PS 3000 HV is substantially more powerful than the mains unit of the A 3000 HV or PA 3100 HV itself, and can also call upon twice the reservoir capacity. The net result is a substantial improvement in the current delivery capacity and stability of the system as a whole.

The Transformer

The great advantage of this arrangement in terms of sound quality is that the A 3000 HV is effectively isolated from the load currents and mains-induced interference which can have an adverse effect upon sound quality. The PS 3000 HV is controlled completely by the A 3000 HV/PA 3100 HV amplifier via the HLink bus and the PowerLink connection. For each A 3000 HV one PS 3000 HV is required if you want to improve the power supply. The heart of the PS 3000 HV is a 1200 VA transformer which is painstakingly encapsulated and potted in an aluminum ring. The insulating compound material completely saturates the windings and bonds them together, thereby eliminating any risk of mechanical movement in the winding wires! The encapsulated transformer is effectively shielded, and is screwed to the 10 mm thick base plate with bi-directional resonance absorbers as mechanical de-coupling measure.

Soft-Start Function

This tremendously sophisticated arrangement is used in all HV-series machines, and effectively prevents any hint of unpleasant transformer hum despite the enormous power levels.

The transformer’s huge power requires a corresponding level of reservoir capacity: 24 high-performance 100 V capacitors with low inductivity provide 240,000 µF of reservoir capacity. Internal resistance and inductivity are further reduced by parallel wiring, with the result that the mains unit is able to deliver vast quantities of energy up to 1200 Joule almost without time delay, even when required to cope with extremely fast peak signals. To ensure that all the household fuses are not instantly tripped when the system is switched on, all HV devices are equipped with a Soft-Start function: the control processor limits the initial power-on current, and only allows the machines to ramp up gradually! The large VU meter can be set up to display various items of information such as the power supply voltage or the current delivered.

Specifications