The Bottom Line
Butler Audio has merged the best of the vacuum tube with solid state audio engineering in a 5-channel power amplifier that will please both home theater enthusiasts and the most demanding audiophiles.
Pros
- Great sound -- vacuum tube quality
- Easy installation
- Solid as a rock
Cons
- Requires additional preamp for control functions
- Very heavy -- 50lbs
- Very Expensive
Description
- 5-channel power amp with separate power modules with line input and speaker output for each channel.
- One 6SL7GC dual triode tube for each channel within the output stage to provide true analog sound.
- Remote operation power switching available with included 8-13VDC tigger.
- Heavy duty gold-plated speaker binding posts and line input connections.
- Comfortable 150 Watt-Per-Channel RMS output at 8 ohms.
- Innovative vacuum tube/hybrid design eliminates need for traditional output transformers.
- Attractive, cabinet design with trademark blue glowing tubes visible through front grill.
Guide Review - Butler Audio Model 5150 - Short Review
The Butler Audio 5150 releases the full potentional of any audio source with powerful, pure, smooth, non-fatiguing full surround sound that can only be classified as "Nirvana". The demo setup included an Outlaw Model 950 Preamp, a Technics DVD-A10 DVD/Audio Video player, and several loudspeaker arrangements. No additional powered subwoofer was used; everything was piped through the 5150 via the preamp. In all sound modes, including the most demanding DTS soudtracks and DVD audio discs, the 5150 showed no sign of distortion across all frequencies, even with modest loudspeakers. To sum it up, if you need an audiophile quality 5-channel power amplifier and have the budget to do it, check out the Butler Model 5150; it is well worth your consideration.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
