David Wright VRR IKON integrated vale amp...
I Bought this off a bloke from the wam about a year ago, I had it refurbished and serviced and had the faceplate covered in shrink wrap vinyl to match the decor of my room and which can be easily removed
David Wright (Audio Note, Beauhorn) VRR Ikon Integrated valve amplifier
The text below is taken from the listing on the wam.
A high sensitivity 7 Watt per channel (at 8ohm) single-ended pentode-connected amp. This uses 5B255 tubes (807 derivatives from USA military), with stabilized screen grid. It has no fewer than 5 inputs plus a tape loop and it comes with eight spare valves and a sturdy AC power cord.
Please read in full before considering, and forgive the verbosity – I’m likely to wax on more than a little so grab a cup of tea and get comfortable – so I can try and fully communicate the history and performance of this wonderful amplifier.
It looks, shall we say, workman-like, though the basic casing hides particularly high quality components.
It’s a tricky thing to get across – primarily because VRR amps have almost no recorded provenance or status out there although a few valve fanatics here will be familiar with David’s name and reputation when it comes to amplifier design. Also, no matter how I persuasive I might be, as a virtual one-off someone is going to get an incredible bargain, and one I’m doubtless going to regret selling in years to come.
I bought this amplifier in 2005 from Cherry records, an independent classical record dealer based in Herefordshire, they were moving to Canada and were in the process of selling off their prized collection of LPs and a cache of high quality valve amplifiers they offered as a sideline out of their enthusiasm for them.
I had the good sense to archive some of the owner's opinions on VRR and copied the text below which I'm repeating here verbatim:
The choice of valve amps, old and new, is surely wider than ever these days – and each one of them is hyped by somebody, as being in some way special. So, how does one make a rational choice when one can’t hope to home-sample more than a tiny proportion of what’s on offer?
Not surprisingly, people tend to play safe by homing in on such proven amps as Leaks and Quads. Or maybe they trust the judgement of their favourite hi-fi writer (only to find that that next month he will have found something ‘even better’). So let me tell you how we, at Cherry Records, ended up favouring the products of one little-known valve amp designer/constructor – in the hope that it may give you reason to trust our recommendation.
Our discovery was a by-product of finding that Beauhorn loudspeakers provided the musicality which is our prime requirement. It followed that we became interested in the amps that drove them – and this led us to the man who designed and built them.
David Wright had worked for Audionote as a designer and, as I got to know him, I learned that he used to repair and service old Quads and Leaks in his spare time (still does, for that matter). I learned how, even from his lofty Audionote perspective, he was struck by the enduring quality, good value and good sound of those old amps. Yet he knew he could do much better – not only through superior design but also through using better quality components that were coming on the market via military equipment sell-offs in the late 70s and early 80s. Hi-fi build-quality was generally falling fast at the time (still is?) and David felt confident he could create a new generation of winners, by combining old-fashioned quality with new technology, at a reasonable price. He is one of those rare people who really and truly put helping people enjoy recorded music first. Add tremendous application and technical nous - and he surely could not fail…
Thus was born VRR. It means Vintage Radio Restoration – and choosing that name, I suspect, may have been the first mistake made by David and his partner. To me, the name implies retro, whereas they were actually engaged in quite major evolution. Altogether, I suspect that they did not take their marketing seriously, perhaps under the common illusion that ‘if it’s excellent and well-priced, it’s bound to succeed’.
They did sell some VRR amps, but not in sufficient numbers to make a go of it.
At this point, I’ll stick my neck out and say that VRR amps are substantially better than any equivalent Leak or Quad model in every single area, and more musical than most of the best current designs, at a fraction of the price. They are also more practical than vintage amps (and many modern ones), in that David Wright’s telephone number is on the back of each one and he stands behind his products!
Consequently… we at Cherry Records accumulated a small stock of these VRR amps and got David to service them. We had intended to encourage the cult following they deserve and sell them off slowly.
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The amp has performed flawlessly for a decade or so - I've had it serviced just once a few years ago and had the volume pot upgraded to an ALPS blue velvet.
I've also swapped the valves in the pre-amp section to the very best I could find: military grade NOS Mullard CV4004/M8137 box-plate anodes, these alone cost over £200.
Over the years I've stockpiled spare power tubes which are still freely available, the amp will be sold with 8 NOS and boxed 5B255m valves. I doubt you'll ever need to buy another in your life. The original Golden Dragon 12ax7s originally fitted by David in the pre-amp section are also bundled with the sale. That's another £100+ worth of untouched valves in with the bundle.
Indirect communication with David a couple of years ago indicated that he was proud to have made an integrated amplifier in such a small housing, his contention was that if only people listened to VRR amps rather than being driven by contemporary hysteria for certain valves or configurations they would have sold like hot cakes.
Here's your chance to own a domestically acceptable amplifier that will go toe to toe with the very best for what is likely to be a bargain price. All sensible offers considered. I would much (much) rather it went to an aficionado or someone who has an appreciation of the amplifier hence its listing here.
A very lovely amp is yours for just £650 collected
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& a fair bit better than my audio note oto, also sounded great through my Harbeths too.
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