Granite Audio 861.3 Monoblocks kt88 nib. pair. great sound.

This ad is for a pair of Granite Audio Model 861.3 Monoblock Power Amps.
The amps are New In Box and have full factory warranty.
This pair of amps has the Sandstone Granite faceplate with backlit blue
logo.
This backlit logo is really beautiful in person, but doesn't photograph very
well; especially at 72dpi internet resolution.


Cannot ship to Pennsylvania, NJ, or NYC.


Use this link to see a larger photo.
Large 324kb Photo


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"Most Outstanding Rooms at the Show."
Stereotimes magazine writer Michael Wright picked the Granite Audio room as
one of the "Most Outstanding Rooms" at the 2005 CES Show.

Stereotimes CES 2005 show coverage

"Now let's talk about the music rooms. Having been an avid reader of quite a
few of the competing periodicals and web-zines I have a pretty good idea of
what fellow reviewers like in terms of exhibitor rooms and it's typically
the usual stuff, i.e. Jeff Rowland, Krell, Thiel, etc. What I shall do here
is give you my picks for the "Most Outstanding Rooms at the Shows." These
were the rooms of . . . . companies that I genuinely enjoyed being in and
who I feel don't get the amount of recognition they deserve."

"I found myself having a good time listening to music in the Granite Audio
room. Everything in their room, except for the wonderful sounding Von
Schweikert Research VR4jr, was made by Granite. The VR4jrs were driven by
the Granite 864SR KT-88 monobloc amps, Model 770 tube preamp and Model 657
tube CD player. All interconnects, speaker cables and noise suppression was
by Granite as well. The sound here was lively and dynamic with a tonality
that gave performers a "you are there" quality that was refreshing."
by Michael Wright

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Equipment Lust in Las Vegas: Day Four
The 2002 International CES Show
Greg Weaver, Stereo Times Magazine
11 February 2002

"Having heard so much about Don Hoglund and Granite Audio, I deliberately
made my way to his room. Don was showing all his own products, source to
cables to speakers. The source was his Sony based Model #657 CD Player
($2900), which in turn fed his Model #770 preamplifier ($4900). His gorgeous
looking and sounding Model #861 DECO ($24700) amps have a full Granite
enclosure and were driving his 3-way Model #280 Loudspeakers ($15,700). All
cables were Don's designs as well. I finally was able to see what all the
fuss was about. This room sounded wonderful. and we continued to listen to
some rich, wonderful sound. Don has much to be proud of, and his entire
system approach also has much to be said for it. If you get the chance, go
out of your way to give this equipment a listen. You won't be sorry."
Greg Weaver

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"CES Expensive Tubes"
Jonathan Scull, Senior Contributing Editor
Stereophile May 1999, Page 61

"Their (Granite Audio) tubed electronics and speakers are encased in the
many-hued stuff (acrylic-granite) that's said to offer good inherent damping
characteristics. These are quality tube designs; you'll find Vishay, Holco,
Sprague, and other audiophile parts scattered throughout."

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MSRP with the $500 0.3 Upgrades and $200 backlit blue logo is $5,700.00
Pair.
These amps can be upgraded to 0.7 or 0.8 for an extra fee prior to shipping.
I also have an extra pair of plain Opal color granite faceplates without any
logo that I can put on the amps in place of the Sandstone faceplates, at no
extra cost to you. The Opal color is a black sandstone look.

Output power - 60 watts Pentode , 30 watts Triode
Tubes - 2-KT88, 2-6SN7, 5R4-WGB
Optional Tubes - Will also run on 6550A, EL34, 6L6GC
Power Consumption - 220 watts with removable IEC cord.
Contour - Three user adjustable settings.
Speaker Impedance - 4, 8, 16 ohm with separate posts.
Frequency Response - 9Hz - 48KHz with zero feedback, triode mode.
Signal to Noise - -90dB at &.7 volts output.
Switches & Contacts - Gold or silver over OFC copper, or solid silver.
Bias - Simple user adjustable with factory tool.
Dimensions - 9" W x 16" D x 9" H
Weight - 30 Pounds each.

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This amp can run without a preamp!

Simply plug your CD player directly into it. The 861.3 has a 100K ohm
constant impedance Alps input volume control for just such a simple system!
The CD player "sees" a constant high impedance load at all frequencies.

The 861.3 has zero feedback, and there is a bipass circuit for user
adjustable contours. When the contour circuit is not used, there is nothing
extra in the circuit. The contour loop has no switches or connections in
the signal path when not in use. The zero feedback design is much more
challenging for the designer, but equally more enjoyable for the listener
because of the increased dynamic range and excitement of live
present-sounding vocals, as experienced by Larry Greenhill of Stereophile
Magazine at HI-FI '98. "I was drawn to their room by the stunningly
realistic sound of Eric Clapton's voice."

Why tubes? A tube is a true valve. A transistor is a switch. Tubes let
the music flow, while transistors are incessantly turning your music on and
off by their very nature. Ever notice how the water flows smooth from
conventional shower heads while it pulsates from massage heads? The on-off
pulses feel good on your back, but they're harsh on your music and add to
listening fatigue the same way your back gets numb to the water pulses after
a while.

The tube filaments are run on AC voltage which is lifted from ground by 40
volts DC, and wired with shielded twisted pair wires for maximum current
handling, minimum noise, and a smooth voltage rail. Switches and contacts
are either gold or silver. Tube biasing is user adjustable with factory
supplied tool and Vishay trimmers, all easily accessed from the rear of the
chassis.

The amp is easily switchable from pentode to triode with an 18 amp solid
silver contact toggle switch located between the KT88's. The amp develops a
minimum of 60 watts in pentode and 30 watts in triode. If the user has
efficient speakers, the triode mode offers some excellent dynamic sound. The
RCA inputs and speaker outputs are hard gold plate over silver over copper
for the best in long-life wear and maximum transfer of a clean unaltered
signal.

SO, HOW DOES THE ZERO FEEDBACK 861.3 SOUND?

Live, immediate, present, dynamic, detailed. At CES we were shaking the
suite below us at the Alexis Park with the deep bass battle drums from
"Braveheart" and only 30 watts! We custom design our products to make it
sound like you are on the stage with the performers, listening to real live
vocalists and real instruments.

"Hi Don, Wanted to let you know that my Power amps arrived safely...They're
both physically and sonically beautiful... the cd to amp option (bypassing
preamp) is working very nicely... the upper and lower extension is far
beyond what I was previously experiencing, and the midrange,...ah the
midrange... I will have to eventually find the appropriate adjectives... I
was up until the early hours last night listening to Diana Krall & Patricia
Barber... intoxicating!! " Greg G. Reston, VA.

When you listen to Diana Krall play the piano on our system, you will feel
like you are sitting at the bench with the bass strings vibrating on your
left and the melody running up and down the keyboard octaves on your right,
with Diana sitting on top of the concert grand piano singing to you in
person. You will hear the delicate smack as she parts her lips, draws a
breath, and sings "I'm Through With Love" to you in person. You don't just
hear our 3-dimensional sound stage, you're on the stage involved in the live
performance.

GET A GRANITE AUDIO SYSTEM AND BE THERE.

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".3" Upgrade. Input Circuit.
Make the input grid stopper a fixed value. Add grid bypass to V1-6SN7 tube.
Modify volume control circuit. This upgrade adds only 2 resistors to the
music signal path. This upgrade lowers the system noise floor, gives some
sonic improvement, and makes the volume control work better. Prior to the
upgrade you may have noticed that the volume control would interact with
some brands of 6SN7 tubes in the V1 tube socket. Prior to this upgrade it
was necessary to use only the highest quality tubes in the V1 socket. This
upgrade will cure that issue and allow you to use a wider selection of
available 6SN7 tubes in the V1 socket. It will also lower the
signal-to-noise to -90dB.
MSRP $500.00 pair


Pictures, specifications, and more information.



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The Info link below will take you to my online store where you can view my
other great high-end audio products for sale.

http://www.aspenaudio.com/

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