I’ve never experienced a high-end audio component so completely and immediately win me over as has Kora’s tube amp technology. It combines all the attributes of tube liquidity and solid state control, without any of the usual drawbacks. Though Kora's entry level it qualifies as a true high-end bargain.

Kora TB140 in stock and on demo with Wolf von Langa’s Chicago speakers, just stunning. Kora TA 240 including Preamp with DAC module available/ in stock next week.

Highly reviewed by Michael Lavorgna and Christiaan Punter

High Fidelity RED FINGERPRINT award, Kora TB200

• It's a dream come true for many lovers of SET-type amplifiers, who give up on them because of low power and a limited choice of suitable speakers.
• Came closer to "live" music than most amplifiers I know… encouraged the perception of music as some kind of a finished, complete, immensely rich, complementary and harmonious whole. In a nutshell, it did not offer a "recorded" but a "concert" version.

Kora amplifiers are unique in that they are not classic hybrid amplifiers (transistors preceded by tubes), but a proper tube amplifier assisted by transistors. Four double triodes work in the voltage amplification stage, polarized in pure class A with an operating point placed in the middle of the load line. This operating point is imposed by current source on the two ECC83 triodes input into the differential stage and by reference voltage for the two ECC82 triodes output in order to guarantee a maximum service life. The heating of these tubes is regulated direct current and referenced to earth. The transistor output stage works as a follower without gain and at very low impedance, which guarantees very high operating stability even on complex loads. It replaces the output transformer of a fully tube amplifier without the usual technical drawbacks such as problems of phase shift in the bass and treble, poor coupling in the bass and current limitations.

Reference Audio Systems is an hour north of Auckland on the Matakana coast