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Zikra Audio tube poweramp 300B XLS Amorphous Core Silver Wired High Gain - Price:20,000 Euro
Zikra Audio SUTs Amorpheus oversize core. Copper - 6,700 Euro.  Silver 9,400 Euro
Set of Audio Note loading resistors in WBT plugs - 500 Euro.

Manufacturer - Zikra Audio, Denmark - ZIKRA AUDIO

Danish distribution: /Sallingboe Audiio - www.sallingboeaudio.com

Latest update January 10  2024
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Zikra Audio is a small Danish high-end company. Absolutely HIGH END. I have previously reviewed their two-piece preamplifier with LCR RIAA. LOOK HERE. This time I have moved a little further along the signal path. A SE 300B amplifier is now connected, which drives my midrange and treble units from 550 *Hz and up. The sensitivity is approx. 97 dB, so the 2 x 17 watts is plenty.

Zikra logoZikra 300B XKS is the largest and most expensive version in Zikra's stereo series, which starts at approx. 13,000 Euro. The 300B XLS is 100% hardwired – i.e. without a printed circuit board, but with silver cabling all the way internally. The stereo amplifier is available in three variants. In addition, there are also mono amplifiers and amplifiers with other output tubes, but that is another matter. Here I am looking at the most expensive of the stereo 300B amplifiers – called the 300B XLS, which produces 2 x 17 Watts. The amplifier is relatively compact and heavy. It is open and has a polished steel cabinet. Not exactly childproof with the open construction, but that's what a 300B amplifier should look like! Amorphous Core transformers with silver are used internally. The Czech 300B XLS tubes from Emission Labs are used here.

Now it's class A single ended and it gets a little hot. I measured the power consumption. Right at the start, the amplifier drew 92 Watts. After an hour it stabilized around 112 Watts. Consumption was, as expected, the same regardless of allocated power to the speakers. At no time was there any noise. Neither from the amplifier itself nor out into the speakers. Even with very high volume, there was only a slight hiss, which probably came from the signal source


Zikra tubes
Zikra 300B XLS

Zikra use the Czech tubes from Emisison Lab. They have a guarnteed lifespan of five years.  
The Zikra 300B XLS was a Chritmas visitor so very fittingly, two little Santas should keep watch

Zikra grant 10 years guarantee on all their amplfiers.

Specs:
Output tubes: Emission Lab 300B XLS
Inputtubes: EC 8010
Power output: 2 x 17W
Load: 4 to 16Ω
Input impedance: 10KΩ
Frequency range: 12-150kHz
Unput terminals: RCA/WBT
Dimension; (WxDxH): 44 x 33 x 21 cm
Veight: 28kg
Power consumption: 112 Watt measured after one hour use.

Premises and limitations

At short notice, I was allowed to borrow the amplifier for just two weeks right up to Christmas. Limited time, but I struck. It could then only be used on the midrange/treble section of my speakers. Didn't have the opportunity to get (build) other full-range speakers at such short notice. In other words, the amplifier powered my BlieSMa domes from 550 Hz upwards. The sensitivity is about 97 dB/1W and the load is around 6-12 ohms. Teh Zikra amp substituted my  my 20 Watt Class A Holton Precision. Gain was adjusted and the frequency range from bass to midrange was measured to fit in terms of level.


300B SLS terminaler
Terminals at he back of the amplifer. Note that there is only one set of speaker outputs, which will be used with all speakerlaods. . 

The sound of the 300B

For many people, tubes are synonymous with a somewhat warm, closed in and forgiving reproduction. This is very much far from the case and certainly not with the 300B XLS. On the contrary, This tubeamp lets everything through. Revealing anomalies in both the music material and the preceding chain. There's certainly no noise either - no hum or hiss. In short, it's "just" an amplifier.  But then again, it's not.

Looking at the power output there is not big differnce between my own amp and the Zikra 300B XLS. But what a surprice, the difference in sound i gigantic. At firs the amp was running a couple of hous. The radio played a lot of christams music, and yes - it was alle absolutely OK. But  in the evenignat 10 PM my girfried said good night, and i could close the doors. With a reasonabe level i could now play all my favorite jazz track from Qobuz. Yes - only streaming, but the vinyl will come later.

I also listened a lot to the new Peter Garbiel / Io. Mostly the "Briht Side". Streaming from Qobuz at
Peter Gabriel ioDer blev også lyttet en del til det nyeste udspil fra Peter Gbariel i/o. Primært "Brigt Side". Streaming from Qobuz at 96 khz/ 24 bit (Innuow Zenith III and Denafrips Terminator II(. This album will for sure be added to my LP collection. Excellent music with a lot of nerve and a bunch of detalils. .I very quickly got used to listen through the Zikra 300B XLS. Going back to my owm Class A amp, i must say, that the soundstage was s a bit flat, bu t still very transparent. May not be a difference all wil notice. You can say, that depth of the soundstage with my amp was like a lot of flat figres behind eachother and accros the with. Switching back to the 300B XLS the instruments and singer were mush more "there", like physical thre dimensional people and instruement. Almost ast if you could reach out and grab around the objects in the sound stage. This of course very much depending on the quality of the recording.

With familiar jazz tracks, I noticed the immediacy and the size and coherence of the soundscape. There is a very special three-dimensional definition of what is going on between the speakers. Even placed outside the "hot-spot" I heard clear stereo and room. The entire sound image almost floats between the speakers. At once physical, but also with a roundness and lightness, so that you relax. This is definitely suitable for acoustic music. I also heard other things, but where the amplifier excels is in creating the illusion of real musicians right there behind the speakers. Yes, absolutely addictive, because a huge space opens up if the recordings are up to it. The same with the voices that are real and alive so that the little hairs on the arms stand up. Almost as it Christmas ghosts have entered the living room to play and sing for me.

I have now tried a number of Zikra's amplifiers, but somehow I have to conclude that this 300B XLS hits the nail on the head. But what if it's just as much the Zikra LCR preamplifier and the RIAA that i'm excited about? Yes, with streamed music via my Denafrips Terminartor II and MICHI P5 preamplifier, there was absolutely nothing left to be desired. However, there is still an extra level when the black disks come to life.  See more below.

Analog and very large SUTs

If you can say that a power amplifier is a kind of interface to the speakers, then a SUT is the same in relation to an MC pickup. In both cases, a conversion takes place. In the amplifiers from voltage to current and in a SUT from current to voltage. But in reality these are two very different devices.. Zikra's brand new SUTs are absolutely high end. They are of course suitable for use with his own preamplifier with LCR RIAA and as a link in the chain to the 300B XLS described above. Thus, both transformers were also used as part of the complete Zikra chain.

The man behind Zikra is Michael Zingenberg. He describes it thus "A good SUT around 3.000 Euro can do very well. But if you have a MC cartridge that costs around 10 to 12,000 Euroi  why not aim for the best with a SUT in the same quality and price range?"
W ell, that makes sense. I myself have two good SUTs. An Ikeda IST 201 and the Danish Tona 20/40. They are both in the first mentioned price category. They both do it well, but are also different from each other.

Zikra silver sutThe new SUTs from Zikra were brought into play. Very large and heavy. The two types are respectively with 99.9999% pure copper in the transformer or in the top model with 99.99% pure silver. These are oversized transformers on permalloy cores with ultra thin layers. A bifilar multi-layer winding technique is used which ensures an upper frequency limit of more than 100 kHz. Internal turnover is 1:20, which gives a gain of 26 dB. The transformers are encapsulated in permalloy from birth. In addition, they are placed in a solid copper box, which is further enclosed in the outside pulished stainless steel cabinet. The cabinets are riveted together and cannot be separated! The last external cabinet is polished in a mirror finish. In other words, there is absolutely no possibility of radiation or hum if your audio chailn is in order.

On the back there is a reasonably large frame screw and 3 sets of RCA sockets per channel. In addition to inputs and outputs, there are additional terminals for impedance matching. This is done with small RCA plugs with suitable Audio Note resistors inside. These are placed in parallel across the output. See more below. This adaptation means that the transformers can be used with cartridges with internal impedances from 1 to 100 ohms.
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0    open  117 Ohm
1   100K    80 Ohm 
2     50K    60 Ohm 
3     30K    45 Ohm     Denon
4     16K    30 Ohm      Koetsu / Ike a/ Dynavector
5      7K  15 Ohm    Kondo /  Audio Note / Ortofon

Zujra bagsuder 2
Zikra sut bagside
Zikra SUTs - ciooer and silver version. At first glance no difference seen from the outside. The mirror polished stainless steel is like mirrors which makes it very diffucult ot take pictures. Here closer lokke at he backside. The two outer terminals are the outpurs. The next tow are connection for the impedance corrcktion and at each side of the ground connection you finde the inputs.  

Music all through the Zikra chainI received the copper SUT first, Directly compared to My Ikeda IST 201 and the Danish Tona Audio T20/40 there is a minor difference. These are only small details, compared to thhe Ikeda SUT which has a tendency to make it all a little warmer and "neat". The Tona SUT is more neutral and transparent. Compared to teh Tona, it is only details that separate Zikra sound. It is a little bigger, has some better power and control. But otherwise, this is very small details we are talking about. Especially compared to what I just experienced with the Zikra 300B XLS. With the silver version, it is conceivable that there is a small improvement. I did not experience the big difference. Maybe with silver throughout, it could be an improvement. Both SUTs are absolutely high-end. They were also tried with my Ikeda cartridge kup. Here too there were no substantial difference between the SUTs. Overall, however, again some more calm and overview. Especially in relation to IS 201 there was something to gain. 

Webste Soulville

One of my latest purchases is Ben Webster / Soulville. A recording from 1957. In some tracks there is a little distortion in the recording, but the dynamics certainly impres. It was played with my Ortofon MC Diamond as well as Ikeda G9st. With both cartridges you typically notice that the top is super smooht and resolved. It's not just treble "noise", but really a sound of metal with heaviness and fullness. It sounds correct when the drumstick hits metal or when the saxophone turns up wiht extra energy This is now seen and reviewed as the complete Zikra chain where the silver SUT is just the iceing on the cake. Yes, this is absolutely high quality sound and with details that ar just there, without forcing them upon the the listener. Natural, liquid and smooth. Definitely some of the best musical experiences I have had from the black vinyl discs.
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 Conclusion

I have now had the pleasure of reviewing three different Zikra products. There is a common thread through the reproduction. The preamplifier and the 300B XLS are both absolutely high-end producst and a combination made in heaven, Together they provide an exquisite musical exåeroemce and to a large extent a super revealing sound image. The two SUTs are the icing on the cake if you want the best. For me, an Ikeda IS201 or Tona T20/40 will be "enough". I can hear that the Zikra SUT gives just a touch more peace and blackness, but in the overall sound picture it is absolutely the 300B XLS that made the big difference for me. A classy amplifier that gave a high degree of withdrawal when it left the address.

Follow up

I have subsequently tried the silver SUT with Ikeda G9st and my Accuphase C27 RIAA. It just confirmed that it has a notch more air and detail at the top. On my latest bought record with Snorre Kirk / Top Dog, you hear details from the whiskers and the room with a slightly better resolution. If it weren't for the direct comparison, there probably aren't many people who will notice the difference. But that's how it is - you always pay more for just the last details.

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