EAR Yoshino 834

After over 30 years of excellence designing, the legendary Tim de Paravicini does not yet seem to tire of amusing himself. The latest digression of this eclectic high-end guru can be found in one of his most recent creations: the EAR-Yoshino 834 integrated amplifier.

The black metal grids, which protect the double set of tubes mounted on the surface in two parallel lines, are designed to imitate the roof of London’s King Cross Station. As a matter of fact, the absence of the usual cages mounted on most tube amps gives this electronic device a very captivating line. Also the chromatic play of the livery is dynamic and lively: it is based on the contrast between the shiny brass faceplate and transformer cases and the black, also glossy, chassis with the golden inserts of knobs and terminals. The structure is very compact and equilateral, not enormous, but sturdy with its 20 kg declared by the manufacturers. When hit, it resounds like sheet, but is robust. The classification 834 is nothing else but a numerical acronym meaning that the amp is equipped with 8 EL34 final tubes. Instead, our sample was supplied with 8 alternative 6L6 tubes that, in push-pull configuration, deliver a power of as much as 50 watts. A couple of ECC83 and one of ECC85 preamp/driver completes the battery. The circuits are pure Class A, so the heat produced is considerable and the appliance needs a location with a fair amount of space for convection above and around it. Transformers are self-produced on the premises. Very good are the input RCA’s, with a useful tape out, and an optional phono input. So are the speaker-dedicated terminals, vertically positioned on the top just behind the output transformers. The double positive pole allows the connection by selecting the load between 4 and 8 ohms. The use of the amp is very simple because it does not need any bias adjustment. So: switch on, select source, volume, and go!