Eastern Electric Monoblocks Tube Amplifiers M156 Rare, 200 watts of bliss

taps for 4 ohm, 8 ohm, 16 ohm
RCA outputs
Balanced Outputs
160 watts
Four EL 156 tubes (output)
Two 12Au7 tubes (input)
Switch for 110/220
Weight of amp alone: 56 pounds

Yes, the 156 tubes are currently manufactured and available from Eastern Electric.
There are quite a variety of 12AU7 tubes available new, NOS, etc.

BTW, I’ve tried some NOS 12AU7. The stocks tubes hold their own quite well.

Purchased directly from U.S. distributor with original boxes, manuals, etc.

Some Review Excerpts:

From Stereomojo: The Eastern Electric M156 Monoblock tube amplifiers were put through an unusual gauntlet of evaluations because we determined early on that they appeared to be an unusual product. By every standard, the amps proved themselves to have a very high level of audio performance at any price and an extraordinary level at their current price - and opinion shared by at least 6 individuals in several different rooms and systems.

Anyone who is thinking of upgrading their tube power amp or amps seeking better sound and/or more power should definitely try these. We at Stereomojo value value, and these represent an outstanding bang for the buck. Stereomojo Maximum Mojo Award

by Stereojomo. Received the Maximum Mojo Award.

Positive Feedback wrote.....At their price, they're not cheap, but they pack a lot of value and performance into their solidly built chassis. They're very well built; they have a grand presentation and tons of power for what I would call a very reasonable price. If any of this appeals to you, I haven't personally auditioned a more recommendable pair of amps with such universal appeal and I'm pleased to offer them my highest recommendation. excerpt by John Potis

[My note]: Utilized ULTRA expensive Einstein for evaluation ….was surprised at how good they sounded compared to the Einstein's in this ultra-revealing system. The big horns and bass cabinets still disappeared leaving a huge soundstage that extended from side to side across the 30’ width and up to the 20’ ceiling. No shrinkage at all. There was still plenty of detail throughout the audio spectrum and nothing was lost in translation. Depth and layering were about equal. No veiling was introduced. Vocals had the same warmth and presence and dynamics were equal if not a bit better on really big drums and orchestral crescendos. The top end did not suffer roll off and had close to the same amount of sparkle and transient response, but perhaps not quite as much speed. The Acapella’s plasma tweeters, which do not use conventional cones but a field of gas to reproduce upper frequencies, are the fastest in the industry. An amplifier that is slow would be exposed immediately. It didn’t happened.

One area actually was noticeably superior and that was the low end as produced by the big bass towers. There was more grip and control and an overall firmness that even the owner a bit begrudgingly recognized. In fact, here is a direct quote by Al Helo whose home and system we enjoyed that night: “Long warm up time. Once warm these bad boys are excellent.Open, plenty of power, no bloat, very good bass, very nice mids and extended open high end. No over blown tube sound, but does retain the smoothness of tube amps. Not the sterile, etched sound as in solid state. They have that bloom in the mids that I like in tube amps. The sound unfolds and blooms from a very black background....Strong controlled bass. These amps would definitely be on a list to hear if I was in the market. Considering price these amps should be a contender on anyone’s list”.

Overall, every listener said how impressed they were by the “little” Eastern Electric’s. I was asked several times how much they cost, as if the panel found it difficult to believe.