Goldmund Telos 3500 Mono Power Amplifier
By Greg Borrowman | Monday, 21 March 2011 09:22
Thirty-year old circuit re-surfaces yet again at Goldmund, but with subtle refinements…
Goldmund has been so pleased with performance of a circuit it’s been using in its power amplifiers since 1980 that it’s used it again in the new Telos 3500 Mono Power amplifier, which it says was inspired by the Telos 5000, which was available only in a limited series. ‘The Telos 3500 circuitry is the latest enhancement of our 30-year old circuit that made quite a few generations of audiophiles consider Goldmund the Master of Power Amplifier design,’ says Michel Reverchon, President of Goldmund. ‘Several R&D developers have painstakingly added layers of subtle evolution to this schematic, building one of the longest continuity stories in the audio design art.’
Goldmund’s new amplifier derives its model number from its rated continuous power output into a 2Ω load, which is 3,500-watts, at no more than 0.01% THD+N. When driving an 8Ω load, the amplifier is rated to deliver “only” 875-watts, at 0.001% THD+N with a frequency response of 0–2.5MHz ±3dB. With power output and frequency response figures like these, we were pleased to discover that Goldmund has fitted its famous super-fast protection circuitry to the Telos 3500. ‘If it is required, the original protection circuit inside the Telos 3500 will react in less than ten nanoseconds to protect the extremely fast circuitry we use in this amplifier,’ says Reverchon. ‘These components include hyper-velocity rectifiers and ultra-low impedance capacitors. We also use 12 separate power transformers in this design.’
Like all Goldmund products, the Telos is also a work of art, with its hard brass structure and the subtlety of the traditional Goldmund metal finish applied to the aluminium external surfaces. ‘The Telos 3500 is the best and most spectacular power amplifier currently delivered by Goldmund, directly inspired by the famous limited series Telos 5000,’ Reverchon told Australian Hi-Fi Magazine, ‘and like its illustrious predecessor, it can drive any ultra-high-end loudspeaker system with true ease, providing an incredibly powerful sound. But with a few more years of refinement, its improved sonic delicacy will make it totally unique.’
Goldmund Telos 3500 Specifications:
Power Output: 875-watts continuous (8Ω)
1,750-watts continuous (4Ω)
3,500-watts continuous (2Ω)
Frequency Response: 0–300kHz ±0.1dB
0–800kHz ±1dB
0–2.5MHz ±3dB
Propagation Delay: less than 100 nS (DC to 200kHz)
Slew rate: >200V/uS
Rise time: Signal to noise ratio: >116dB
Dimensions (WHD): 390×620×470mm
Weight: 180kg
Price: TBA
For more information contact Goldmund's Australian distributor Kedcorp.