Psvane Reference Parallel Single Ended 845 Monoblocks

The 845 is a triode that I’ve had somewhat limited, but really positive experience with. Enjoying both the Mr.Liang and Art Audio 845 creations, I’ve been on the lookout for another interesting 845 amplifier for a few years now. Most of what I come across are somewhat cookie-cutter feeling, so when I first saw the ad for this amazing pair of 845 monoblocks and matching preamp, I was immediately intrigued. These do not look like all the rest!

With two 845 on each monoblock I first assumed it was a push pull design. But after realizing I was looking at a pair of very unusual parallel single ended monsters, I jumped in with both feet! Driving a 10 hour round trip to collect everything, I managed to maneuver these 100 pound boat anchors into place on the floor of my living room and hooked it all up. Pushing 60+ watts of single ended triode power into my big Bozaks, I was greeted with quite a different sound profile than what I’ve become used to with the venerable McIntosh 240. Gripping the big speakers in a way that the Mac just can’t do, the Psvane monos brought a new level of crisp fidelity to my living room system. They also dominated the space and took up a lot of room!

Paralleled 845 powered sound sparkles like pure spring water folks! Here is a single ended amp that delivers all of the subtle nuance and delicacy of the little boys like the 45 or 2A3, but with an enormous power reserve that gives the sound a very grounded and realistically staged presence that is just remarkable. And it can sound very impressive! Relaxed and calm one moment, but when thunder strikes it leaps out of the speaker with convincing force and size, and startling speed. The Psvane 845 have a similar character in that regard to the big Altec PA amps I was generously loaned a few years back; quickly moving density. But this sound is sharper and more defined and just clearer across the board.

On the right speakers, this amplifier is perhaps the most dynamic of anything I have experienced so far. This kind of power going into a 100 db/wm full range driver is breathtaking, and it absolutely lights up my Coral and Isophon coaxial drivers in my small room, creating a huge space and a realistic “fullness” that is gripping. And I’m not alone in my assessment. The previous owner took the amps and preamp to Bill Thalman of Conrad-Johnson fame, and he upgraded all of the passive components throughout, while leaving the circuit intact. With upgraded binding posts, RCA jacks, and V-caps throughout; no expense was spared. Bill later stated that this amplifier has the “one of the sharpest leading edges” of anything he’s heard, and measures 60 watts per channel.

So, what are the downsides? Well, the sheer size and weight of these monoblocks is daunting, as well as the famous heat output common to big transmitter tubes, which is not exaggerated. Weighing in at just under 100 pounds each, and with each monoblock having a footprint of 18x24 inches, these do need a lot of room and require some assistance to move around. All of the weight is in the back of course. And like all 845 amps these do put out some serious heat! In my larger room, even though I bought the amps home mid-summer I didn’t feel that the heat was an issue. Now that I have them downstairs in my smaller room, I can feel that they do get pretty hot, but thankfully so far its been only a small nuisance, even though I do sit quite close to the amps when I’m working. After 5 or 6 hours the chassis have heated up and are pretty warm but not hot to the touch. The air a foot or so from the tubes heats up considerably, and you can almost see the waves of heat. (Side note: Art Audio’s glass chimneys were actually an effective diffusor, aiming the heat straight up rather than radiating in all directions.) So, size, weight and heat are definite drawbacks to these monsters. But from strictly a fidelity standpoint, these monoblocks are just magnificent and without any real downside that I have heard or felt.

Some listening notes:

Extremely muscular sounding amp but it still has lot of finesse…although its hugely grounded feeling makes the sound of the 45 or 50 seem more delicate and fragile. This has the warmth of the best little triodes, and once warmed up it really lets the emotion shine through too.

Leonard Coen’s gruff growl is very present and mesmerizing.

Its sound is so big and immersive. Very energized.

This is absolutely one of the most dynamic amplifiers I’ve had so far. I’ve only had this much power in my room once, with the big Altec 1578 PA amps. These 845 monoblocks have some of the same immediacy but are more refined and clear, and much more “hifi”.

No surprise that these play much louder than the flea amps can manage without clipping. The “turn it up” moments go a lot father there.

There is a small amount of hum/hiss on my more efficient speakers. Silent on the Bozaks.

Meaty. The images are big and well fleshed out. Putting on the Yamamoto 45 and surprisingly the same image is more like an outline. The Psvane monos make a fully fleshed out figure. Joanna Wang is in real space on her acoustic playing “You’ve got a Friend”. Donovan on stage in Anaheim singing Celeste (one of favorite recordings) and you can “feel” the weight of the audience in front of him and the flutter of the flute is throaty and ethereal. Just about perfect.

Deep sounding. Iron handed grip. This one makes the others sound anemic.

I like rougher, on the fly demo-type recordings a lot. One example that I’ve been listening to for many years are Molly Drake’s home recordings. Mother of Nick Drake, Molly recorded quite a set of small original piano and vocal pieces. It’s a series of 1950’s home recordings, so the sound has hiss and tape noise, but she has such an interesting voice and the songs are so intimate. I’ve used them as a sort of measuring stick. This amp takes the listener right up next to Molly at the piano. Many amps make these sound good, some amps not so much. These Psvane monos are perhaps the closest to what I imagine the reality to be.

The other 845 amps hinted at this level of immersive fidelity, but two tubes in parallel really delivers the goods!

As good as it is, for whatever reason its somewhat fatiguing. After 3-4 hours I find myself turning it off, or going to a smaller amplifier. Maybe the “all filled in” density in the performance is a little much for long duration listening. My McIntosh 240 does not have this handicap.

As you can see, I’m pretty enthusiastic about these Psvane 845 monoblocks. I’m sold on the power of power! 60 watts of single ended power is a revelatory experience that is hard to come back from. If you are looking for a tube amplifier rocket ship, here it is. Good Lord do they have a presence factor! Up close, and personal, and as huge as the room allows. An amp like this demonstrates what sheer brute force is capable of. I do still love the intimate and comforting feeling of one and a half watts of 45 power, but it sure is nice to have a bigger brother on hand as well! While I don’t think this model Psvane is made any longer, perhaps there is something similar available from another builder. I can say that if you have the space and can tolerate the heat, these are end game amplifiers. Highly recommended.

One thing you can’t miss with these amps is their room dominating presence. As mentioned, they are ginormous. And when running, the quad of 845 look like some madman’s candles burning the music right out of the speaker! Psvane seem to have spared no expense in their creation. Inch thick solid aluminum top plates with no visible screws. Transformer coupled and just massive everywhere. And with upgrades throughout by Mr. Thalman, an audio legend, I think these are close to a penultimate single ended 845 experience.

This circuit features 300B and 6SN7 in the front end. 300B seems to be a popular tube to drive the 845. Both of these choices allow the user to tailor the sound pretty significantly. There are SO MANY great 6SN7 out there. Here with Ray Tubes Reserve in both slots.

These are manual bias amps, but the process is fairly straightforward.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Tower of 845 Power!

Here is the two-chassis preamp that was made to match with the mono amps. I just didn't have enough room for this one, and moved it along. Its performance was pretty good, if perhaps a bit dark.

Very clean looking amplifiers. Psvane spared no expense on these.

The middle of the room was short lived (as was the Tower of 845 Power), but sounded like a good idea until made a reality. Wow these are big amps!

Ray Tubes Reserve 300B and 6SN7. Very nice and balanced sound in this combination.

Linlai Elite 6SN7. I like these, partly for their looks, but they do sound quite good as well.

These Brimar have been my long time favorite 6SN7.

Shu Guang “Western Electric” 6SN7. These sound pretty good, forward and crisp in the Psvane monos.

The tower was fun but took up too much floor space.

Eventually I cleared off my bench and put the big amps in the main spot. They fill the space! Sitting close to the right hand amp when working on the computer you can definitely feel the heat output. But the sound is worth it. Just magnificent.

Back to back with the Yamamoto 45, the 845 is more energized for want of a better term. Its not “louder” in the sense that both can play loud enough for me to not want it louder, although yes the 845 can play clean way past the point of the little 45. The 845’s power lends a weightiness to the sound, its meatier. I guess that might have been obvious before even trying, but it is still interesting to experience in a 2 minute changeover. The Yamamoto sound has a more intimate character in that its gentler and the image is a little smaller, which makes it feel a little quaint in comparison. The Psvane 845 paints a huge space that is a little beyond even the Yamamoto.