Air Tight
Air Tight ATM-1S EL34 Power Amplifier
Air Tight ATM-1S
Stereo Power Amplifier (EL34)
The legendary AirTight ATM-1S is a culmination of many generations of ATM-1 stereo amplifiers and released to commemorate the company’s 20th anniversary. AirTight have developed a philosophy that it is not difficult to choose a set of valves and build an amplifier however to build a great amplifier takes time. Time to really understand the nature of that valve, time to experiment, adjust, listen, hone, evolve and refine the design so that it is a pure expression of that valve’s best capabilities.
This philosophy informs as to what to expect from the ATM-1S. This is not just a stereo amplifier of the highest quality. It is also the company’s statement of the ultimate evolution of this type of amplifier partnering with these valves. The designer’s own words also reveal this ingenious approach…. “The ATM-1S is our ultimate circuit configuration reflecting a comprehensive survey of 20-year accumulated studies on the EL34 (6CA7) valves.”
Compare this design philosophy and hand-made ‘coachbuilding’ attention to detail to your typical mass-produced amplifier available at most hi-fi shops. It is so rare to have this traditional approach applied to anything today, let alone a power amplifier at this level of cost. The ATM-1S is a beautiful, bespoke amplifier that combines heritage, brand credibility, audiophile performance with a touch of nostalgia. It has an uncanny ability to produce music with a natural tone, an inner glow that infuses every note, every lyric and passage. When you’re no longer interested in the intellectual critique, when all you want to do is listen to music and simply enjoy…the ATM-1S is for you.
Features
- Orthodox circuitry composed of a Mullard phase inverter with NFb under UL connection reproduces the sublime treble with second-to-none musicality inherent in the acclaimed EL34 valve.
- Hefty headroom in output capability achieved by a newly developed transformer boasting of 60W handling capacity ensures stable operation for long term use.
- Bias adjustment facilities (meter, switch & pots) provided for easy service-accessibility.
- Retained unchanged are those outstanding features such as point-to-point wiring without PCB, OFC wiring, etc
- CD-direct input
- Copper-plated chassis
Reviews
HiFi News, Ken Kessler, 2019
With that attitude, there’d be no more mechanical Rolexes, only throwaway watches. No, ownership of the Air Tight amps requires a bit more than money. It requires a weird and wonderful blend of nostalgia, an appreciation for hand-crafted mavericks. The Air Tights are to me simply the nicest products around for powering classy little boxes like the Sonus Fabers, for satisfying a craving for the past without the risk of running elderly components. The ATC-1 and ATM-1 aren’t really hi-fi products after all. They’re the stuff which dreams are made of.
Stereophile, Art Dudley, 2014
The Air Tight ATM-1S is right up there with the best I’ve heard: the artisanal, the small, the artistically sensitive, the colourful and characterful, the smart. At $9500, it isn’t cheap. It isn’t a toy or a half-hearted effort or an appliance to be used in the oozing of background music. The AirTight is as serious an EL34 amplifier as I’ve heard, offering texture, colour, poise, and musical drive and rightness, all in good proportion to one another. It also looks nice and represents at least decent if not outrageously good value for the money. In that most artificial yet most sincere of all review constructs, the Air Tight ATM-1S is among the few power amps I’d care to live with. Strongly recommended.
Type
Stereo Power Amplifier
Design
Push Pull
Valves Employed
6CA7 × 4, 12AU7 × 2, 12AX7 × 1
Rated Output
36W + 36W (8 ohms)
Input Sensitivity
1V
Input Impedance
100 kOhms
Load Impedance
４Ω/８Ω/16Ω
Interchangeable by inner wiring
Set at 8Ω load when shipped from the factory
Features
Input selector (2-ch), bias adjuster
Dimensions
368mm(W) × 293mm(D) × 231mm(H)
Weight
22kg
