Ypsilon

The VPS-100 is one of the finest phono stages you can own, without being the most expensive.

The VPS-100 returns phono equalization to its roots, with some very modern twists. The phono stage itself is “low gain,” employing no C/R networks for equalization. Instead, Ypsilon makes LCR networks using its own in-house produced transforme made of a special amorphous C-core material with paper- winding insulation. A properly implemented LCR RIAA sounds much more natural, musical and open than CR networks with better-defined macro and micro dynamics.

"The Ypsilon produced an absolutely intoxicating blend of stupefyingly extended high frequencies, resolution, clarity, and transient precision, along with tight, deep, nimble, nonmechancial bass, and an ideally rich-ie, not too rich-midrange with just the right amounts of body and harmonic structure". - Stereophile Class A+ Component: Aug. 2009

"I heard the high-frequency clarity, air, and extension of the best solid-state phono preamps, as well as the harmonic expression and musical flow of the best tube phono preamps, with none of the negatives of either". - Michael Fremer

Conventional wisdom would suggest that the most critical part of a preamplifier is the active circuit design. Ypsilon, however, believes that the means of signal attenuation (the volume control) is most critical to the overall sound. Most designers use resistor attenuators for volume control, while Ypsilon long used resistor attenuators with high quality resistors, but that was before they developed their own transformer as the means of attenuation.

Unfortunately, even the best resistors can sound grainy and discontinuous. The materials used in resistors are far from ideal as conductors and sound much worse than pure copper or silver, doing harm to the signal. In a transformer, however, the magnetic circuit can be ultra-linear when the very best core materials are used creating a sound that is more musical and detailed compared with the best resistors. That’s why Ypsilon produced, in-house, a special transformer attenuator with 31 taps.

The maximum attenuation is 52db and maximum gain is 12db. The output impedance is 150 Ω max. The PST is the pinnacle in pre-amplification and a must have component for building a “no holds” system.

Ypsilon’s SET 100 Ultimate is s a 120W single-ended class A hybrid amplifier. It has the magic midrange of a small S.E.T amplifier with the scale, authority, and macro and micro detail that no amplifier has ever achieved until now. It uses a specially designed s-e mosfet output stage direct coupled at the output using as the dc current path a double c-core amorphous choke. The SET 100 has power and drive with transparency, musical involvement, and above all, creates a natural sound.

With only 2 gain stages in the signal path, the level of immediacy and transparency is unequaled by designs using more than 2 gain stages. Having no overall feedback, the distortion is kept comparably low while the output impedance is sufficient enough to drive real world loudspeakers.

The first stage uses a high transconductance triode, the SIEMENS C3g, which was selected for its sonic capabilities and reliability. It is powered by a separate power supply with tube rectification and choke regulation. This stage is transformer coupled with the output stage. This interstage transformer is a state-of-the-art component that uses a proprietary double c-core material and is silver wound using Swiss-made pure silver enamel wire. Sonically, it is virtually a nonexistent component. The output stage and all internal wiring are hard-wired with silver wire extruded to the highest specifications.

The power supply is designed with the smallest detail in mind to avoid any affect to sound quality. It uses a low-noise E-I power transformer, a big size differential mode power supply choke, and 4 pole electrolytic capacitors. It is also hard-wired using silver wire.

Mechanical, magnetic and electrical noise is very low, thus contributing to the quiet operation of the system. A darker background is produced from which sounds suddenly emerge as if coming from real life.

Ypsilon’s SET 100 Ultimate is an amplifier that produces music in its true natural scale and brings you as close as possible to the music event, so that you are touched by the music and the feeling that lies within, free from distortion. Compared with conventional amplifiers it is more direct sounding and musical featuring more instrument body, lower frequency extension, frightening dynamics and, most of all, magically three-dimensional.

The Ypsilon Phaethon integrated amplifier uses many of the technical solutions developed in the Ypsilon Aelius monoblock amplifier and PST-100 Mk.II, in a more compact and elegant design.

The Phaethon is a hybrid line level amplifier utilizing only three active gain stages, two of them with low-noise valves operating in single-ended class A fashion for the input and driver stage. It uses an in-house built transformer attenuator, embedded in the preamplifier section using a novel post attenuation technique.

The tube driver stage is coupled to the output stage with a wide bandwidth inter-stage transformer that provides perfect phase splitting for the output stage. The output stage combined by same polarity semiconductors for both phases in a “balanced single-ended architecture,” offers the flavor of pure single-ended designs with the power of a push-pull design.

There are separate power supplies for the tube and output stage, utilizing five power supply inductors for low-noise filtering.

All these were designed to operate in unison, offering unmatched sound quality, making the platform of the integrated amplifier a clear advantage. All functions are remote controlled and visible through a high quality LCD display with large characters so it can be read from across the room.