I am the original owner of this amplifier. The original price is excluding the upgrades. For those familiar with the ZH270 it really is a special piece of gear and a landmark product when it was originally introduced in 1998. While the newer Berning amplifiers have improved in areas of refinement and nuance, the intrinsic character of all the ZOTL amps are still remarkably similar. All comments concerning the speed, transparency, soundstage clarity, dynamics, bass control and lack of any glare or irritant artifacts are quite accurate. This amp, power wise, is the sweet spot with the ZH230 a little less than may be required for some rooms and systems and the Quadratures maybe too much power and too expensive! Hopefully in the future David Berning will come out with a 70-100 watt amplifier ZOTL to fill in this void. If the case, it will certainly be considerably more expensive to purchase new.The highlight of the amplifier over my time of ownership is its feature set, gain control, 3 feedback adjustments, multiple inputs. I have but once had to change an output tube because it became a bit noisy. Transconductance was still testing very strong, this after 12 years in the amp. The remaining cryoed output tubes are still in service. This zh270 has been totally reliable in every way, not a hiccup. I expect it will still be in service for decades into the future. I recently changed out 4 of the filter capacitors because I noticed a bulge in one close to the output tube and didn’t want to risk an exploding cap. I did speak with David about this before proceeding as he seemed a bit less concerned but why take a chance? This particular ZH270 has several notable upgrades including Audience auricap coupling capacitors, Goldpoint Attenuator and Van den Hul silver hybrid wiring. There are also 2 ERS boxes over the small transformers that can be simply lifted off, see photo. All of these enhance the performance of the amplifier in notable ways. I clearly remember the moment that the wiring finally coming into its own about 2 weeks after installation, a much more refined/relaxed presentation, quite significant over the stock unit and probably the most significant improvement over the stock amplifier. The benefit of the Goldpoint is near perfect channel matching as noted compared to the stock Nobel. This could clearly be seen on the oscilloscope before and after installation. The result of this sonically was greater specificity of imaging, separation of instruments and voices, that I and everyone familiar with my system clearly heard rendering a more realistic presentation than through the stock Nobel. Having owned the amp and listened to various tubes I can say that they all make a difference but it will be taste and system dependent. I have settled on a quad of Phillips SQ Miniwatt 7062 input tubes which will come with the amp and GE 5 Star 5965 driver tubes. I will also include a full set of Sylvania outputs and 2 extra RCA outputs PLUS a pair of Tungsol 12at7s and a pair of Amperex 12at7’s. You are set for tubes for the next 15+ years conservatively. The Miniwatts have been in the amp about 2 years and test like new. Add 2% for paypal fees. Shipping included in price to anywhere in the Continental US. I will ship overseas and out of country but all shipping/insurance costs will be paid by the purchaser. Condition is overall excellent but there are a few minor scrapes on the top edge of the unit. Otherwise no scratches or marks on the face, rear or case. I will gladly audition the amp for those seriously interested in hearing prior to purchase. I am located in Central Florida. The amp has been in a pet, child and smoke free environment and covered when not in use, very clean inside. Please see my feedback on Audiogon under tubegroover. Website for technical information. www.davidberning.com
|
| Payment and Shipping |
| Pay By: |
Personal Check after it clears, Paypal, Money Order/Certified Check |
| Ship Weight: |
15 lbs. |
| Ships From: |
32955 (Rockledge, FL) |
| Ships To: |
USA Only |
| Shippers/Payer: |
FedEx, Postal / Paid by: Seller |
| Shipping Notes: |
Shipping paid by Seller To Continental US ONLY!
|
|
|
