We've had a series of dinky iTube valve amps and iPod docks from Fatman, but now the company has gone to the other extreme and unleashed the "mother of all tube amps" in the form of its £5000 preamp/monobloc Mothership.
The three-box unit pumps out 200w per channel, and comprises the iTube Controlroom preamp linked up to a pair of iTube Engineroom monoblocs.
Silly names aside, this looks like a formidable set-up. The Controlroom is a Class A vacuum tube preamplifier, equipped with six high-quality valves, while each Engineroom monobloc has 18 vacuum tubes.
While you could play your iPod through the system, Fatman tactfully suggests a higher-quality source might be more appropriate.
The Mothership will be available in the UK and the rest of Europe from September.
Other technical highlights include:
Controlroom preamp
- Frequency response: 10-30KHz +/- 0.5dB
- Distortion: < 0.05%
- Signal-to-noise ratio: > 93dB
- MM gain: 39dB
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 16 x 29 x 34cm
- Weight: 12 Kg
- Power output: 200 watts
- Frequency response: 20Hz - 20KHz +/- 0.5dB
- Harmonic distortion: < 2%
- Signal-to-noise ratio: > 90dB
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 18.5 x 39 x 38cm
- Weight: 51Kg
