Boulder Officially Announces Immediate Release and Initial
Shipments of the 3050 Mono Power Amplifier.
New power amplifier offers unprecedented levels of power and clarity and is the highest performing product in the history of the company.
For nearly 30 years, Boulder Amplifiers has been America’s premier manufacturer of high-performance audio electronics. We are very proud to announce the official release of the 3050 Mono Power Amplifier (MSRP US$195,000). The 3050 is the largest and most powerful amplifier in the history of Boulder’s product range, delivering 50% more power than the 2050 Mono Amplifier, already widely acknowledged as the world’s finest audio amplifier by no small margin.
Nearly 100% of circuitry and assembly of the amplifier was refined or redesigned during engineering of the 3050. Noteworthy improvements and features include:
• Massive Power Output. With an abundant reserve of power, the 3050 is the ultimate audio amplifier. It will produce 1,500 watts of continuous power into any load and requires a 240VAC mains feed. Peak output power is a staggering 6,000 watts. 5 encapsulated and potted toroidal transformers, 48 filter capacitors and 120 bipolar output devices ensure that voltage headroom is more than adequate, current delivery is
New power amplifier offers unprecedented levels of power and clarity and is the highest performing product in the history of the company.
For nearly 30 years, Boulder Amplifiers has been America’s premier manufacturer of high-performance audio electronics. We are very proud to announce the official release of the 3050 Mono Power Amplifier (MSRP US$195,000). The 3050 is the largest and most powerful amplifier in the history of Boulder’s product range, delivering 50% more power than the 2050 Mono Amplifier, already widely acknowledged as the world’s finest audio amplifier by no small margin.
Nearly 100% of circuitry and assembly of the amplifier was refined or redesigned during engineering of the 3050. Noteworthy improvements and features include:
• Massive Power Output. With an abundant reserve of power, the 3050 is the ultimate audio amplifier. It will produce 1,500 watts of continuous power into any load and requires a 240VAC mains feed. Peak output power is a staggering 6,000 watts. 5 encapsulated and potted toroidal transformers, 48 filter capacitors and 120 bipolar output devices ensure that voltage headroom is more than adequate, current delivery is
instantaneous, damping is optimized and control of every driver in the
loudspeaker is ideal. Distortion is 0.0006%, unheard of for an amplifier of
this size.
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Distinctive, Modern Architecture. Despite their size, the amplifiers’
aesthetics are a dramatic step forward in audio component design. The
exterior of a pair of 3050s is truly unique. Nowhere does the casework
terminate in a 90-degree angle and no assembly screws are visible.
Because every piece of metalwork is carved from a single block of
aluminum dedicated to each finished unit, the amplifiers’ left and right
chassis do not share any common exterior parts. Even the power buttons
and LED indicators are new creations.
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Substantially Improved Noise Floor. Improvements in the circuit layout
properties of electronics originally developed for the 1008 Phono
Preamplifier led to further engineering advances in the 3050’s new circuit
architecture. As noise is reduced, more low-level information from the
recording is revealed and rendered more accurately.
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New 99H Gain Stage. A new, fully discrete, surface-mount gain stage
evolved from Boulder’s own renowned 993 features prominently in the
3050. The new gain stage, dubbed the 99H (“H” for “high voltage”),
utilizes +/-38V rails to raise the dynamic headroom of the gain stage to
unprecedented levels. All 99H circuitry is sealed in a beautifully
machined, textured and heatsunk housing before being potted with a
proprietary mineral and epoxy resin. Thermal stability and increased
reliability are thus happy by-products of dramatically improved
performance.
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Fully Balanced, Phase Isolated Construction. Outputs are fully-balanced
and inputs are of instrumentation quality balanced design. Active output
audio circuitry is separated for total isolation of mirror-imaged positive and
negative phases. Attention to detail is, of course, well beyond
expectations in a product of this level.
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Framed and Damped Circuit Board Mounting. Every critical audio circuit
board in the new 3050 is framed in a custom machined, aerospace-grade
aluminum housing rather than screwed to a plate. Vibration damping
material is then sandwiched between the circuit board and the frame in
order to eliminate even the tiniest mechanical resonances that could
have any possible microphonic effect on the clarity of the musical output.
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Custom Granite and Stainless Steel Platform. Because of the tremendous
weight of each 3050 (380 lbs./172 kg), every unit is shipped with a stable
platform of alternating layers of black granite and polished stainless steel
that is custom cut to the angles and dimensions of each chassis. This is no
longer just an audio component, but art on a pedestal.
Matej Isak
Mono and Stereo ultra high end audio magazine
All rights reserved, December 2011
www.monoandstereo.com