Ask Power II

The ASK POWER II is our brand new power amplifier in the ASK series. Designed using all the accumulated experience we made from designing the power amplifier stage in our flagship integrated model the ODEN.

Many of the design features of the ASK POWER II, apart from its looks, were directly inherited from the ODEN. Such as the power amp gain section and the multi stage linear ultra low noise regulation. With its more compact format, truly packed with vast amounts of musical power without any compromises in quality, it clearly can be seen as a derivative of the ODEN in terms of sound quality. Albeit with slightly less, but still great amounts of power.

From its 2kva toroidal transformer and massive capacitor bank the amplifier output is 2x220 Watts at 8 ohms and the peak current output is a massive +/-68A. Which makes it capable of handling the most demanding speakers on the market with ease and full control.

With the design philosophy Simpler is better, we reduced the voltage amplifier stage to a singular one for the shortest signal path possible. Just like the ODEN, the ASK POWER II provides a truly balanced design without ground as reference for highest possible performance. A high-performance dc-servo that works outside of the signal path, the input stage is run by a pair of current loaded hand matched JFET:s in a foldback cascade arrangement. This renders a very linear performance regardless of the output level. Combined with current feedback technology the ASK POWER II will perform extremely fast and stable.

Via a rear mounted switch the user can conveniently select to run the unit in heavy Class-A or a more standard Class A/B mode.

The chassis is made out of machined non-magnetic materials for the lowest possible electromagnetic fields for improved sound quality. The design and layout of all components are made to minimize the impact from vibrations, and like all our products the ASK POWER II is a very robust and stable unit with a clean Scandinavian design.

Mythology

ASK, was the name of the first man in the Norse middle earth and also the name of this integrated amplifier. ASK, together with the first woman in the Norse world, EMBLA was created by ODEN, which is more or less the case for this power amplifier that we have designed using all the experience we made from the power amplifier stage of our flagship integrated model the ODEN.

Specifications

Amplifier

Power Output

2x220 W @ 8 Ohm
2x400 W  @ 4 Ohm

Rated Distortion

Less than 0.01 %

Signal-To-Noise Ratio

More than 125 dB

Frequency Response

1 Hz to 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB

Input Terminal

1 Pair of True Balanced Inputs

1 Pair of Balanced Inputs (may be used with unbalanced equipment via adapter)

Output Terminal

2 Pairs of WBT Next Gen Loudspeaker Terminals