

OCTAVE power amplifiers have always set new standards. With the introduction of the original RE 280 stereo power amplifier, Andreas Hofmann left traditional power amp technologies far behind. With the OCTAVE MRE 130, Hofmann has gone one step further. While it has the same power management and optimized input stage as its stereo brother, the OCTAVE MRE 130 benefits from an innovative and enhanced output stage configuration. What is revolutionary about this new generation of amplifiers is that OCTAVE has employed the classic, yet almost forgotten, pentode configuration.
The classic pentode configuration was quite commonly used in earlier power amplifiers. It offered the benefits of reliability and a relatively high power output. From a modern perspective, its disadvantage was reduced dynamic stability and a high level of distortion. These effects are not a direct result of the pentode itself, but rather of the circuitry employed at the time. Andreas Hofmann has now developed a new circuit design that eliminates the drawbacks of the classic pentode configuration. This novel design involves the use of a second, separate power supply circuit for the auxiliary current required for the pentode mode of operation. The characteristics of this enhanced pentode circuit employed in the OCTAVE MRE 130 are virtually ideal from both a sound quality and an engineering point of view.