Although much of our research at Silbatone Labs is focused on cost-no-object designs for the extremist crowd, some of our best ideas provide direction and inspiration for more popularly priced products. A case in point is our new L-107 Line Amplifier, which could be called a trickle-down version of our high-dollar L-107 Mk.II, a line amp of substantial merit and corresponding price tag.

When the two most prominent audio magazine editors in Japan heard our fancy L-107 Mk.II silver input and output transformer line stage based around the WE 310A, they both wrote personal checks for full retail and bought the unit on the spot. They even told us it was underpriced, after they paid of course. One thought it might be the best piece of audio gear he ever heard. Frankly, we were impressed that they were so impressed. We liked it too but we surely welcome such validation! It was a statement piece, as they say, an attempt to nail down a particular point in our line amp evolution.

For the production L-107, we substituted a 7044 triode section for the collector item WE 310A tube and switched to copper transformers, but we must say that it is not far behind its expensive sister in musical performance, if at all. Built to high Silbatone standards, it features a broadcast-grade 40 step Tokyo Ko-on attenuator and a 7044 output buffer configuration that is actually one generation beyond the Mk.II output stage. Input and output transformers for maximum isolation and optimal drive.

The L107 features four inputs-- 2x balanced and 2x unbalanced - with both balanced and unbalanced outputs available for optimal system building extensiblity.