Siltech Saga

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SAGA Structural Amplifier Gain Structure www.siltechcables.com ©2012 Internaonal Audio Holding Models and technical specificaons are subject to change without prior noce.

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Transcript of Siltech Saga

Page 1: Siltech Saga

SAGAStructural Amplifier Gain Structure

www.siltechcables.com©2012 International Audio Holding

Models and technical specifications are subject to change without prior notice.

Page 2: Siltech Saga

The Structural Amplifier Gain Architecture - SAGAQuantum leaps are not everyday things in the evolution and de-velopment of high-end audio. Yet that is what happened when the Siltech engineering team, led by Edwin van der Kley-Rynveld, devel-oped a new amplifier topology, the Structural Amplifier Gain Archi-tecture: SAGA

Sagas usually start with a quest. Siltech’s quest has been and always will be the reproduction of sound at the highest level of integrity and excellence. Since you cannot add quality to a source, it comes down to keeping alterations of the original signal to an absolute minimum. Easier said than done. Sound deterioration comes in many shapes and forms as a direct result of design choices: the way circuits are conceived, the influence of individual components and materials on the signal and the shielding of external noise sources, to name just a few. The Siltech engineers have studied the sources of sound deterioration extensively for decades: it also forms the basis of all Siltech cable products. Whether the conductors are composed of monocrystal copper, gold-injected silver or monocrystal silver cable, they are designed to keep the sound signal as pure as possible. The same design phi-losophy was used to keep the alteration of the sound in the Siltech Pantheon loudspeaker to the absolute minimum. It’s also the rea-son that the limited edition Siltech SEPA power amplifier from the end of the previous century is still a much sought-after product by connoisseurs. Driving with the brakes onSiltech engineers were convinced that the concept of gain struc-ture in amplifiers needed a serious rethink. Although hardly ever discussed, every audio installation has a gain structure. Ideally this should be, as its name implies, structural. Standard practice is to attenuate the output of modern digital sources like cd, sacd, music server or d/a-converter to the ‘old habit’ standard, only to be re-amplified to drive a speaker. This comes at the needless expense of at least 10 dB of dynamic range. Simply put it’s like driving with the brakes on. Obviously, a complete rethink of the gain structure was sorely needed.

Current insightThe SAGA amplifier doesn’t attenuate the input signal, thus preserving the original dynamic range offered by digital sources. The choice not to attenuate modern sound sources is a simple one, the consequences however are not. The 10dB difference means about a two-fold change in perceived loudness. In ordinary language, the noise of a SAGA ampli-fier will sound half as ‘loud’ as the noise of a conventional amplifier. Since it is this noise that masks the micro-details in music, it inevitably limits the dynamic range. With the SAGA amplifier having such an astonishingly low noise level, the risk of external noise sources becoming audible increases. The single most important noise factor is potentially the AC power supply. The ultimate solution is to forgo the AC power supply and use batteries wherever possible. This is feasible for the control amplifier but not for a normal power amplifier. A power amplifier has two stages: a voltage amplifier and the actual power amplifier. The first stage can easily be fed by batteries. The second needs a large supply of current that would drain a battery far too quickly, so it is mains powered. Since the voltage in the second stage is about the same as the DC voltage on the power rails, here a well-designed and well-built power supply should not reduce the dynamic range. In order to ensure that the power supply noise is not only insulated but separated from low level sound signals, the two stages, normally built into one chassis, are now housed individually: the V1 interstage amplifier and the P1 power ampli-fier. Suffice it to say that through this crucial change in audio architecture Siltech has found a superior lens through which to view music. Listening to music through a ‘clear window’ like SAGA means that everything counts. So only the best monocrystal Siltech cable is used for internal wiring. The cabinets are CAD designed and hand-built in-house to maintain absolute sonic integrity. There is even a setting provided to adjust the amplifier for speaker efficiency, potentially adding another 6 dB of dynamic range. Friend of the familyAll technology aside, what’s in it for you? To begin with, using the SAGA amplifier set could not be easier. Just switch on the amp, select the input, set the volume and you will have 14 hours of uninterrupted music. We even supply you with a top model Harmony remote that can be easily programmed to control all your other audio and video equipment intel-ligently. When you switch off the amps they will automatically recharge and condition the batteries. For the rare occasion you need more that 14 hours of continuous playtime, there is a play-and-charge mode that does both at the same time. The batteries will last typically more than five years and are standard off-the-shelf types that are affordable and available all over the world. And that’s not even half of the story.

Using the SAGA amplifier in combination with quality sources, cables and loudspeakers will bring you the closest you ever have been to experiencing the concert hall at home. Never before has an amplifier been this noiseless and surpassingly transparent in sound. The SAGA amplifiers contain valves but do not sound like valve amps, they contain solid state cir-cuits but do not sound like solid-state amps. The SAGA series amplifiers do not impart a style of sound; they are almost perfectly transparent and fully capable of supplying a real-life projection of sound instead of just a photo facsimile. They are exceedingly fast without being harsh, open without being overly bright, and possess a natural sense of pace, rhythm and flawless timing. In a way you could say that the sound quality of the SAGA amplifiers is unheard of. Conceived, manufactured and assembled in The Netherlands by a skilled team of technicians who are proud of the page they have just turned in audio history.

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