THE HUNGARIAN IS HOME!!!
History of Audio Hungary. Source AH website.
The history of AH is important to illustrate that they are not a newcomer to the industry.
The
history of our firm started in the late 1940s. Rafilm National
Radio-and Film technical Company was established by that time. The
profile was very wide.
In 1951 Audio Voice-, and Film technical
Co., which was specialized in voice technology left from it. Audio line
contained sound film projecting -, and amplifying equipment’s ,which
became dominant. The development turned into electro acoustics and audio
technology.
Its name changed into Electroacoustic Factory, using
the abbreviation EAG since 1960. Under the pressure of the German firm
AEG it changed its name into BEAG (Budapest Electroacoustic Factory).
The successful history of the Co. started by that time. It produced
complete studios, sound systems, teaching equipment’s. Manufacturing in
Nyíregyháza has developed from 1970. One of the most successful
movements was the building of the full sound-system of the Moscow
Olympics in 1980. BEAG, the biggest electroacoustic factory of the
eastern block, broke into smaller units in the privatization period. The
main line, which contained the producing of amplifiers, loudspeakers,
and microphones was continued by UNIVOX Ltd.
In 1990, the
old-established Budapest Electroacoustic Factory (better known as BEAG)
which mainly produced PA systems, was disbanded. At this time, based on
the Nyíregyháza plant of the company, Univox Kft was established. This
new company continued to offer a considerable portion of the product
range of BEAG, including amps for industrial use, outdoor and indoor
speakers, intercom systems and microphones. This extraordinarily wide
product range was available for our customers until the beginning of
2014. In 2014, Univox Kft was bought by Audio Hungary Kft which
perpetuated the name UNIVOX as a brand name. The production range did
not cease to exist, but the number of products went significantly down.
Due
to the fusion of the two companies, the huge body of this acquired
knowledge and production experience enabled to create and produce
premium category audio products. Following the most possible recent
electrical and mechanical engineering solutions, by the first quarter of
2015, our specialists, relying on their considerable hands-on
expertise—and complemented by the young engineering team of
Audio-Hungary Kft—came up with the very first amp of the company,
designed under supervision of the new management: the UNIVOX APX 200
tube power amp. This is our way of paying tribute to the appliance APX
100 of the company BEAG which now has been rendered into a remarkable
piece of home consumer electronics by us.
When engineers at
Audio-Hungary were trying to get the measurements for their amplifiers
as perfect as possible, Laszlo Fabian decided to train the ears of the
engineers by exposing them to natural sound via live symphony concerts.
That’s the kind of bold and different thinking that has led the
company’s Qualiton brand of tube amplifiers and preamplifiers to quickly
gain recognition in the European high-end audiophile market
Review Qualiton X200 by Audio Hungary.
Build
Quality: Right off the X200 exudes quality. It is a heavy integrated
and it weighs in at 23 kg (50.6lbs) and the remote control a massive
piece weighs in a ¾ of pound according to my fish scale. So, I have
established that the X200 is built like a tank and yet has a standard
footprint for integrated amps of this type. The X200 is in the same size
range as my Raven Blackhawk 3.1 and only slightly larger than my
Quicksilver Integrated and for that matter my SS amps like the Moon by
Simaudio 340ix and my 600 v2 are about the same dimensions 43 x 47.5 x
20 cm.
Setup: Unboxing the X200 was a task. I think a
few other manufacturers should take a Q from the packaging engineers at
Audio Hungary. This integrated was packed in a double wall corrugated
cardboard box that is stapled together not taped, though all seam were
taped. Specifically engineered foam insert to cradle the tubes and
integrated amp line the box and ensure to isolate any vibrations or
impacts when shipping. The box was shrink wrapped and there was at least
a ¼ of an inch of shrink wrap cocooning the box.
So, once I got the package opened, I removed the manual, power cord and tubes. Below is the list of the supplied tubes.
Tung-Sol: 4 x KT120 (KT150 or KT170 optionally) I have ordered KT170 and will review later.
Electro-Harmonix :2 x 6922
Electro-Harmonix Gold: 2 x 12AX7
I
installed the tubes per the extremely well written and exact owner’s
manual. I am not going to bore you with the detail, but the tubes are
all matched and the power tubes will need to be installed as indicated
on the tube box and manual. I have linked the manual to this review. https://audiohungary.com/files/productpdfs/x200users-manual.pdf
Bias
was perfect and setting bias on this unit is a piece of cake and all
adjustments are done from the front of the unit and no meters are needed
Green is go, Blue or Red mean adjust your bias.
Burn In/Break In/Dyno Test/Heat Treat/Case Carburizing/Through Hardening: Whatever you want to call it.
I talked to Constantin @ https://www.atelier13-usa.com/audio-hungary-qualiton
and he said just run a few heat cycles though the tubes and
transformers and you should be good to go. Unlike Solid State or Hybrid
Integrated Amps the time frame should be more compressed. I know with my
Pathos Integrated and Simaudio it was like 500 plus hours.
I
hooked up the power using Raven Audio Soniquil power cord, hooked up the
digital and analog front end using Raven Audio Soniquil interconnects
RCA, XLR. Attached my Sonus faber Olympica Nova II’s using Raven Audio
Soniquil speaker cables (love the Soniquils as they are neutral and no
coloration).
Fired up the Moon 280D Mind 2 and played several
rock playlists on Roon/Tidal for 48 hours cycling the gear on and off in
8-hour shifts. Yes my wife thought I lost my mind.
HOW’S IT SOUND MAN!!!
Okay let’s talk about the 100 watts of A/AB PP Tube Sound from this wonderfully engineered machine.
"The
Qualiton X200 was built with the ANALOG GUY IN MIND". This machine is
just as talented in the digital arena so the DIGITAL GUY’s will love it
too.
The X200 is equipped with a MM Phono Section that will work
with your HV MC cartridges. I have a lovely Lejonklou Gia 2 MM phono
section that that is connected to a Clearaudio Concept Black with
Concept tonearm and Nagoka MP200 cartridge, yep I am one of those guys
that loves MM cartridges. At some point I will try the X200 installed
phono section but that is for another day.
The X200 also several features that are highlighted here:
The
Qualiton X200 is designed to serve analog enthusiasts who need a
combination of a high-performance vacuum tube power amplifier and a
versatile preamplifier, along with sophisticated technical details,
built into a single chassis. In this way, perfect matching is achieved -
both sonically and technically - between the main signal processing
sections.
The most important aspect of the design process
was to meet the widest possible range of user needs in a compact
footprint. All internal circuits were designed from scratch, avoiding
the usual clichés throughout, to create a complete all-rounder.
The
X200 can be used as a separate pre-amplifier, as an integrated power
amplifier, as a stand-alone power amplifier with direct inputs, or as a
headphone amplifier, but other configurations are possible.
The
low noise analog front-end is built around a wide-band and transparent
circuit and features a phono preamp with enhanced precision too. Line
level and subwoofer outputs are an absolute necessity in this category,
and these ports are included on the back.
We’ve added a
real specialty too: a built-in, studio grade Parallel Equalizer. This
kind of tools is primarily used as a master channel effect in recording
studios, to bring fresh air into the mix, as a finishing touch. We’ve
found that this effect can also be a huge help at home as well, as it
can breathe new life into certain, not so vivid records.
So I
queued up a few albums to see how the analog feature worked. Well work
it does and how. No matter what I played I was in musical haven even
listening to an old worn out copy of The J Giles Band “LIVE FULL HOUSE”
using the equalization curves did not make this record sound new but
made it enjoyable playing with the curves and making this piss poor
engineered record sound fuller and well like I engineered it (joke).
Overall
the thing that really stood out no matter the source was how quite,
black, dead silent the background was. The music stood out and it was if
you are there at the studio or concert hall. Detailed, transparent, all
the cliches that every reviewer uses.
I am just going to say
this the Qualiton X200 Integrated KICKS ASS!! Musical, Delicate, Rocks
when you want it to and is one of the best tube amps I have ever owned
and I have owned a pile of them Mac, AR, Raven, Pathos, PL, and none of
them IMMERSED ME IN THE MUSIC like the X200.
The X200 has me
rethinking my recent acquisition of the Moon by Simaudio 600i V2. Yes
the X200 is that good and I have 30 days to decide if I am sending the
600i back, I am sending it back.
Discography.
Nils Frahm, Spaces
King Crimson, In The Court Of The Crimson King an Observation by King Crimson Atlantic org 1969 pressing
Radiohead, The Bends
Queens Of The Stone Age, Songs For The Deaf
Yes, The Yes Album Atlantic org 1971 pressing
XTC, Black Sea.
Marvin Gaye, Let’s Get It On
Pat Metheny, From This Place
Norah Jones, Pick Me Up Off The Floor
J Giles Band, Full House Live
Beethoven The Nine Symphonies, London Festival Edition, Josef Krips and the LSO.
Qualiton X200 Specs.
Pre Amp Section
Input impedance - Phono 47 kOhm || 120 pF
Input impedance - Line 25 kOhm || 10 pF
Max. input signal - Phono 40 mV (f = 1 kHz)
Max. input signal - Line 8 V
Gain - Phono +46 dB (f = 1 kHz)
Gain - Line 0 dB
Max. deviation from RIAA curve - Phono +/- 0.5 dB
Frequency response - Line 4 Hz to 1 MHz (-3 dB)
Total Harmonic Distortion - Phono < 0.03% (f = 10 kHz)
Total Harmonic Distortion - Line < 0.001% (f = 20 Hz to 20 kHz)
Total Harmonic Distortion - EQ < 0.002% (f = 20 Hz to 20 kHz)
Signal-to-noise ratio - Phono > 60 dB (1 V, without A-filter)
Signal-to-noise ratio - Line > 90 dB (1 V, without A-filter)
Signal-to-noise ratio - EQ > 90 dB (1 V, without A-filter)
Bass boost in setting I - EQ + 5.6 dB
Bass boost in setting II - EQ + 7.6 dB
Treble boost in setting I - EQ + 6 dB
Treble boost in setting II - EQ + 8 dB
Head Phone
Rated output power 2 x 0.3 W (RL = 32 Ohm)
Gain -6 dB (RL = 32 Ohm)
Frequency response 4 Hz to 1 MHz (-3 dB)
Total Harmonic Distortion < 0.008% (RL = 32 Ohm, 0.125 W)
Signal-to-noise ratio > 95 dB (RL = 32 Ohm, rated output))
Power Amp
Rated output power 2 x 100 W
Input impedance, Direct balanced IN 20 kOhm
Input impedance, Direct unbalanced IN 10 kOhm
Input sensitivity, Direct balanced IN 460 mV, to rated output
Input sensitivity, Preamp IN 460 mV, to rated output
Input sensitivity, Phono IN 2.25 mV, to rated output
Gain +35.5 dB (RL = 8 Ohm)
Frequency response 27 Hz to 70 kHz (-3 dB, rated output)
Total Harmonic Distortion < 0.5% (f = 1 kHz, rated output)
Signal-to-noise ratio > 100 dB (RL = 8 Ohm, rated output)
Load impedance 4 to 8 Ohm