Preamplifiers and Amplifiers
OK, so..... if you'll just stop drooling for a moment, I'll tell you all about this stuff...

A lot of folks only became aware of the excellent work done by the Hovland Company with the introduction of their HP-100 preamplifier five years ago, but the story goes back further than that.

In fact, the company has been around for more than 25 years, quietly changing the high end of the audio world "from the inside out", so to speak, by designing and manufacturing a line of ultra-high quality capacitors called MusiCaps, which quickly found their way into some of the best audio components around the world. Bob Hovland also began offering his own cable to audiophiles, meeting with similar success.

As far as electronics, though, I can remember seeing early prototypes of the Hovland amplifier as far back as the early '90s, and being mightily impressed with the sound (and looks!) even then.

So why wait so long to "officially" introduce your product to an eager public?

Simple: You want to wait until your efforts are as good as you think you can produce; with every last bit of R&D done in the lab (not by the consumer, like some other companies we could name), and the component itself reaching a stage of completeness where nothing else can be tested, reconsidered, or fiddled with. This is harder than it sounds, because most company marketing people want to get the product "out there" as soon as possible. Fortunately, Hovalnd has decided to take the more difficult, and ultimately rewarding, path.

"No wine before its time?"

How about "No preamplifier until it's the absolute best it can be"?
And that certainly proved to be the case with the landmark HP-100, (seen on the right), a full-function, all-tube preamplifier with a phono stage that is one of the finest on the planet and a line section that defines "transparency". But don't take my word for it. Check out the virtual frenzy of rave reviews this preamp elicited upon its introduction. Some of the most respected reviewers were left grasping for superlatives.

All as it should be!
Of course, Hovland hasn't been sitting on its hands since then.

The Sapphire 40Watts per side vacuum tube/FET hybrid amplifier (shown left), garnered a similar reaction on its debut, especially when used as a complement to the HP-100 preamp. (There should be no surprise that a good amount of synergy exists when Hovland preamplifiers, amplifiers, and cabling are used together.)
And THEN Hovland threw everyone a curve ball.

They introduced the Radia stereo amplifier (see photo at the top of this page).

A SOLID-STATE amplifier!!

What were they thinking?

Well, they were thinking it was time to bring out another superb design they'd been perfecting for many years, that's what.
It 's easy (and human nature) to pigeon-hole companies. If you've made your mark in the land of vacuum tube amplification, the LAST thing people expect is a world-beating solid-state design. But that's exactly what the Radia is. And, again, the critics and public agree.

The Radia is a completely dual-mono design with the AC connection being the only shared point. The power supply is purposely overbuilt, featuring massive, custom designed and hand-crafted power trandformers, as well as ultra-high speed capacitors and the best rectifiers money can buy. Obsessively-matched J-FET input circuitry provides high input impedance (the Radia is, of course, an excellent mate for Hovland preamps!) along with outstanding DC offset stability. Etc., etc., etc.,.....

And it sounds absolutely superb! Those of you who know our love for the glowing fire bottles might think it's hard for us to say this, but it's not. This is simply one of the best amps we've ever heard, regardless of topology. Don't believe it? Come hear for yourself.
Oh, and while I've got your attention, take a gander at the stunning box with the cool blue glow to the right.

This is what evolution looks like in action.

It's the latest addition to Hovland's stable, the HP-200 linestage preamplifier.

With an overwhelming number of customers demanding remote-control capabilities, Hovland began their usual painstaking R&D into a truly clean, non-invasive way to implement remote functions. What became apparent was that all of the off-the-shelf chipsets for remote volume control were unacceptable and sonically inadequate for a true reference audio component. So Hovland designed their own, a large array attenuator circuit using specially-selected metal-film resistors and reed relays. Signal paths were also shortened, and the non-essential plethora of mid-fi "bells and whistles", like tone controls and "programming" options (that no-one ever uses anyway!) were dumped in favor of audio signal purity. (And, yes, a truly reference phono section can be added!)

So, can you really take something that's already State of the Art and make it better?

Yup. Call us at 707-575-8626 and we'll tell you all about it.
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