State of the Art Tube Designs for Music Lovers!
Andros Téssera Reference Phonostage
Price USD $19,900.
Shipping, taxes, and customs are additional.
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Accommodates up to 4 tone arms
For comparisons between:
Andros II, Deluxe II and T-REF Click here
Tessera and T-REF Click here
No upgrades available on original Tessera
Key Features For A Quieter and More Musical Phonostage
Musical Features
- Completely new 100% tube analog circuit design with optimized components.
- Dynamic range increased from 108dBV to 116dBV, so the quietest parts are quieter, louder parts are louder.
- Loading on the secondary of the MC transformer to capture the most detail from the cartridge.
- 12 position MC load per channel with more finessed adjustable options like 1000, 800, 700, 500, 400, 350, 300, 250, 200, 150, 100, 50 Ohms
- Two completely independent dual mono channels, with LED indicators for A and B
- Gain is improved up to 7dB, which increases the output volume to better match your cartridge to your system.
- The voltage increases from 250V to 300V for more headroom.
- The power increases from 52W to 60W to provide more energy needed to reproduce the highs and lows of music accurately.
- The amps increase from 3.4 A to 8 A to provide more current to the tubes.
- Maximum output improved from 8V RMS to 12V RMS increases the headroom to allow more musical peaks like trumpet and drums.
Quieter Features
- New 12DW7 tubes improves the amplification to better drive the output tubes which gives you lower noise, more headroom and lower distortion.
- Dual chassis external power supply
- New Toroid design ESP Supply replaces the linear regulated power supply which generates significantly less noise by concentrating the magnetic fields.
- The dark black noise levels went from -90dB to -95dB.
- New PCB layout with significantly more grounding for lower noise.
- Dual chassis with 3-meter RFI filtered umbilical cable to eliminate external noise.
- Dedicated output tubes driving high quality output transformers to create a true differential low impedance output for lower noise and ideal transfer of power to the preamp.
- True floating ground, transformer balanced XLR inputs and outputs
- New grounding throughout to further reduce the internal and external noise.
- Switching on relays so there’s no digital chatter.
- Easily adjustable MC “Load on the fly” without klicks or pops so you can hear the change
- Elegantly designed 16-gauge steel enclosure to help isolate the electronic “chatter” from nearby equipment
- Ground lift switches on the MC inputs on each channel to prevent noisy ground loops
- All the RCA and XLR connectors are Gold plated for better conductance and lower corrosion
Other Features
- Accommodates 4 tonearms, 1 MM and 1 MC per channel
- All settings are saved when you switch between channels
- More energy efficient Standby power that reduces the drain from 7w to 0.5W.
- All switches and knobs are easily accessible, nothing hidden inside to adjust
- Recessed RCA connectors are durable and will hold up to the typical Audiophile who loves to change their configuration
- Each unit is hand built “Made in the USA”
- 50-hour factory burn in on all circuits and vacuum tubes before final testing
Tessera means the number 4 in Greek
Specifications:
Inputs per Channel
- Two completely independent dual mono channels, A and B with LED indicator
- Accommodates 4 tonearms, 2 per channel
- Separate MM and MC inputs per channel
- Each channel has independent controls and all selections are saved when you switch between channels
- Selection switch for MC and 2 position MM 47K and MM 68K
- MM impedance switch 47K or 68K Ohms
- MM capacitance 220pf
- MC transformer Balanced gold plated XLR input
- MM and MC Single Ended RCA input, gold plated with isolated ground
- 4 MC ground on/off switch
- 12 position MC load impedance:1000, 800, 700, 500, 400, 350, 300, 250, 200, 150, 100, 50 Ohms
- 4 Superior quality MC Internal step up transformers
- 3 position MC gain switch for High, Medium & Low output cartridges
- Two ground binding posts
Outputs per channel
- High quality output transformers driven by dedicated 12AU7/ECC82 output tubes
- True floating ground, transformer Balanced XLR gold plated outputs
- Single Ended gold plated RCA output, with isolated ground
- Impedance 600 Ohms
- +12V max output level
Active Components
- Two (2) Gold pin JJ ECC83S/12AX7 vacuum tubes with high quality gold pin ceramic sockets
- Two (2) JJ ECC832/12DW7 vacuum tubes with high quality gold pin ceramic sockets
- Two (2) Gold pin JJ ECC82/12AU7 vacuum tubes with high quality gold pin ceramic sockets
Power
- Dual chassis
- Power supply with 3 meter DC umbilical cable incorporating special RFI suppression
- Locking bayonet connector rated for higher voltage and higher current
- New ESP Supply with 3 Toroid. 1 high voltage 300V and 1 low voltage 12V low power and 1 low voltage 12V high power, housed in the external unit.
- Power supply dual color LED, yellow for standby and red for ON
- Main unit push ON/OFF front power switch illuminates a red LED on Channel A or B
- Power supply standby switch on the front
- Power supply standby power rating 0.5 Watts
- Power consumption 60 Watts
- Standard 3 pin 15A IEC power connector on power supply
- Voltage 110V – 120V AC 60Hz
- Optional factory installed 220V – 240V AC 50/60Hz
Detailed Specifications
- 3 position Gain switch
- MC input 65dB, 70dB and 75dB or MM input 47dB, 51dB and 55dB
- Noise 95 dBV below max output level
- Dynamic range 116 dBV
- Frequency response complies with the original RIAA curve within +or- 0.5 dB
- RIAA curve is achieved using a passive filter
- 1% metal film resisters throughout
- Polypropylene capacitors throughout the audio path
- All analog tube circuitry with no solid state devices in the signal path
Other Features
- Controls on the front
- “Made in the USA” using US and imported parts
- Each unit is built by hand
- 50 hour factory burn in on all circuits and vacuum tubes
- Dimensions main chassis 17″ W X 15″ D X 5.5″ H, Power Supply 17”W x 8”D x 5”H
- Weight: Main unit 27 lbs. (12.25 Kg), Power supply 18 lbs. (8.16 Kg)
- Shipping weight 55 lbs.(24.9 Kg), box 20″ X 20″ X 16″
- 16 gauge zinc plated steel enclosure
- Two year limited warranty
- Six months warranty on Vacuum Tubes
Zesto Audio Andros Téssera Reference Vacuum Tube Phonostage Preamplifier: World Premiere!
11-04-2021 | By Robert H. Levi | Issue 118
“Congratulations to Zesto Audio for a stellar Reference phono offering for the pickiest audiophiles! I extend my most humble and sincere statement: the Zesto Audio Andros Téssera Reference Vacuum Tube Phonostage Preamplifier is most highly recommended, without reservations.”
Zesto Audio Andros Téssera Phonostage: Quadruple Your Input
“…the Zesto Audio Andros Téssera phonostage embodied a certain level of surefooted calmness. Easy to operate in daily use, it appeared to be a quiet and solidly designed piece of electronics. It didn’t seem to give any more than it took from the cartridge by adding something obtrusive to the signal. It was warm and full-bodied in a preferred way, but there was nothing thick or sluggish about it—the sound retained timing and pacing along with its portrayal of musical content. With the capability to connect up to four tonearm/cartridge combinations, the user has the option to quadruple his analog front-end input choices for musical playback from a single phonostage. A look and listen are encouraged.”
Read the full article on The Absolute Sound.
Andre Jennings | The Absolute Sound | Dec. 3, 2018
