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Specs · VK-3i · VK-5SE · VK-20 · VK-30 · VK-40 · VK-50 · VK-50SE

The VK-50 and VK-50SE preamplifiers represent the pinnacle of Balanced Audio Technology's revolutionary Unistage® topology that was first pioneered in the immensely popular VK-5 model.

The VK-50 family incorporates the same single-stage design principles but makes improvements in several important areas:

  1. The VK-50 gain stage incorporates twelve 6922 tubes, as opposed to six in the VK-5i.
  2. Caddock (VK-50) and Vishay Bulk Metal Foil (VK-50SE) plate load resistors are used in place of the standard metal film types used in the older models
  3. Vishay Bulk Metal Foil resistors are used in the volume control attenuator.
  4. New more efficient current sources used in the VK-50 model provide better AC performance.
  5. A next-generation shunt volume attenuator now incorporates 140 steps of 0.5dB.
  6. A new flexible user interface that provides the following remote controllable functions:
    • BALANCE adjustment
    • RELATIVE VOLUME OFFSET (any input with respect to any other input)
    • PHASE INVERSION setting
    • MONO/STEREO setting
    • MAXIMUM volume setting for any input
    • FIXED volume setting for any input
    • DISPLAY (Volume) mode - choice of linear counts scale or two different dB scales
    • INPUT NAME assignment in multiple languages