I60 Owner’s Manual Ver 1.2
5
About Your Amplifier
Introduction
The Genesis Integrated 60-Watt Stereo Valve Amplifier uses proprietary
technology, high quality components, and state-of-the-art vacuum tube
topology to deliver sonic performance rivaling other amplifiers costing much
more. The design objectives of this product are to:
1. Deliver musically accurate amplification,
2. Provide a vacuum tube amplifier that would approach the reliability
and ease of use of solid state amplifiers, and
3. Provide an affordable vacuum tube amplifier that would be able to
drive the Genesis family of loudspeakers.
A valve amplifier matched with an appropriate loudspeaker can produce a
sound that we can only call magic. The hard, brittle, and edgy presentation
of many transistor amplifiers is contrasted with the rich, lush and silky sound
of the tube amplifier. Often, tube amplifiers offer much better imaging and
sound stage presentation compared to an equivalently priced solid-state
amplifier. It is more musical, and the performance seems almost
alive
.
A properly designed and built tube amplifier, such as the Genesis I60, is
capable of reproducing midrange and treble with crystal clear definition – the
sound can only be described as smooth and silky, and musically accurate
with the right timbre and harmonics.
As for the bass, the I60 is designed to maintain tight control over the bass,
and deliver the powerful punch and dynamics at the low end with the solidity
and weight of transistor amplifiers.
Design and Construction
The I60 is an integrated amplifier with four high-quality selectable inputs and
a discrete resistor ladder potentiometer as a volume control. It uses a single
12AX7 per channel as the main voltage gain stage, with 6SN7’s as the driver
stage. No ordinary 6SN7’s for the I60 – military spec 6N8P are selected for
their reliability and durability, and then hand-picked for linearity and low
noise. Two sets of matched-pair KT88 power output valves are used to
deliver a very conservative 60 watts RMS per channel.
While the I60 is developed as a value-priced product, quality has not been
scaled down. Extensive listening tests were done throughout the design
process, and expensive components were used where they were
appropriate. Custom-made military-spec paper-in-oil capacitors with
aluminum cans are selectively used; a hand-built discrete resistor stepped
