KingRex T20 class T audiophile amplifier
Every now and then something in the audiophile world comes along that really stands out, it can be for a number of reasons, such as stunning sonics at a giveaway price, gorgeous build quality, and then the next thing you know is that a rush takes place from music lovers all around the world to get their hands on such a product.
Recently an explosion of highly affordable amplifiers have hit the market which have caused quite a stir, these amplifiers are based around the Tripath chipset and they offer a level of performance that was previously unheard of a such a modest price until recently.
Leaders in this amplifier technology are KingRex, their amplifiers in just a short period of time have managed to whip up quite a storm amongst audiophiles because of the sound quality these little amplifiers produce.
Imagine it now, you can have a range of amplifiers that has the sweetness of the valve sound without the added hassle of having to worry about valve maintenance. They are small in size which is another major plus point in many households, plus they run cool, all of these factors make the little KingRex class T amplifiers a very popular choice today amongst serious music lovers.
Shall we take a more indepth look at the KingRex range and see what they have to offer?
Kingrex T20 AMP
The KingRex T20 amp is the entry level integrated
amplifier, it really does look the part and is a total joy to listen
to.
The T20-AMP is fitted with the TA2020 chipset has some additional
power which allows the end user more flexibility when choosing their
loudspeakers. You can easily reach acceptable volume levels comparable
to live performances in medium spaces with loudspeaker sensitivity
as low as 86db.
But what about the sound? The sound of the little KingRex is very
well articulated and the sound stage is wide, representing a lot of
space around the instruments and vocals. The frequency range is also
very precise from the right down to the lows. The excellent build
quality, finish of the amp and PSU is immediately apparant as well.
The KingRex T20 is very elegantly presented in its 180mm x 138mm x 45mm black box with 6mm thick aluminum face plate, which is prominently adorned by a beautiful to look at matt polished silver chrome volume control knob in the middle, which is smooth to dial as well as to touch. The power on/off switch is located on the back panel, which also accommodates the basic connection amenities: one set of line input RCA gold-plated sockets, two sets of banana/bayonet-only gold-plated speaker terminals and of course, the 12 volt DC power input. Everything you'll ever need.
Below is the rear shot of the KingRex T20 amplifier.
Using TRIPATH ® power module TA2020-20
"Audiophile" Quality Sound
0.03%THD+N@10W 4ohm
0.1% THD+N@12W 4 ohm
0.18%IHF-IM@1W 4ohm
Power output
22W@4 , 10%THD +N, VDD=13.5V
13W@8 , 10%THD+N, VDD=13.5V
High Efficiency
88%@12W 8ohm
81%@20W 4ohm
Dynamic Range =99dB
Over Current & Over Temperature Protection
Using anodize gold RCA and SP terminal
6m/m thickness aluminum face plate and aluminum button switch using audio capacitance.
Interior shot of the Kingrex T20
KingRex Pre amp
The rather wonderful KingRex Pre-AMP
has a hybrid design that improves on conventional voltage amplifiers
with discrete components and high-performance op amps. It features
two sets of line inputs with auto-select.
The KingRex PRE-AMP also shares the
same aluminum faceplate as the other KingRex amplifiers, plus the
same volume knob and the same chassis measurements of its sibling.
The cabinet is of a rigid construction with elegantly appearance by
the size 180*138*45mm with 6mm thick aluminum face plate which with
polished sliver chrome volume control knob in the middle. The stylish
design with the tiny size will bring fun for life. It also contributes
to the touch and fell factor and is essential for the long lasting
life even in a tough environment.
Key features
The key components include three pairs of Burr-Brown
IC: OPA627 for pre-amplification (being a new generation FET(Difet)op
amp, is recongnized for its low noise and high speed.), BUF634 for
increasing and sustaining higher output current(BUF634 is not only
a high speed op amp current booster, it also improves compatibility
with power amp and loudspeakers), OPA177 for DC servo(OPA177 makes
sure the op amp output is free of DC power, avoiding any chances of
harming the power amp and the loudspeakers. It also has another advantage.
It’s not necessary to use extra output coupling capacitors and
that improves the sonic performance a lot) On the power supply front,
KingRex PRE-AMP is equipped with an 8VA toroidal transformer and a
pair of National LM317T voltage regulators, delivering 13V/0.3A DC
current to the circuit board. The Secret weapon by unique design-
plug-in PCB, Diamond Buffer circuit, which is a transistor-based all
discrete-component buffering circuit that fine-tunes the incoming
audio signal for frequency extension, tonal accuracy, holographic
imaging and warm, tube-like atmosphere. Diamond buffer PCB mounted
on top of the lower-deck main board through multi-pin connection.
This design is detachable.
The Pre-Amp us designed to use two sources.
Each source is selected
automatically depending on which is outputing the signal. Switching
is
carried out via a high quality relay. When using two sources ensure
that the
one not being used is muted or turned off.
Pre-Amp uses a low noise FET input OP-AMP.
The highly-regarded and
expensive OPA627 is used as the main OP-AMP, with a BUF634 increasing
the
current output. The addition of a DC servo circuit enables the elimination
of sound degrading coupling capacitors, resulting in a purer and more
accurate representation of the original source.
A built-in 'diamond buffer' stage is added
at the input to increase the
dynamic range of Pre-Amp.
High quality gold-anodized phono input and output sockets are used.
To encourage the owner to experiment with his/her
preffered sound, we
have designed the Pre-Amp with socketed OP-AMPs. This allows the user
to
change the OP-AMPs as/when new and better units become available.
All this technology - including a dedicated
torroidal transformer and
regulator circuitry for the PSU - is housed in a tiny and smart looking
case as you can see below
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