The
Company:
Thermionic
Culture is focused on producing the very best all valve design audio products.
In this day and age of mass-produced solid-state audio equipment it's a
refreshing change for a company to constantly strive for the ultimate all valve
signal path.
The
owners/key people involved at Thermionic Culture are totally dedicated to valve
audio equipment, all having many years experience in recording and working with
valves. Company founder and designer Vic Keary built his first studio in the
late 50's and went onto building Maximum Sound Studios which was later bought
by Manfred Mann and renamed The Workhouse, Chalk Farm Studios, and the all
valve based studio Chiswick Reach.
Jon Bailes,
Thermionic Culture's co-founder is responsible for the mechanical design &
visual appearance. Jon has a wealth of experience as a Chief Designer in the
electronic manufacturing industry.
Nick Terry
engineers on many current albums and singles working recently with artists such
as McAlmont & Butler, The Libertines. All this 'real world' experience is
an invaluable aid to creating all valve equipment that other artists will no
doubt appreciate.
Philosophy:
Audio
amplification, compression, mixing and equalisation took a backward step when solid-state
technology was introduced. Valves are much more real and natural when
amplifying and processing audio. We use no transistors or ICs in the signal
path. Solid state is relegated to where it works best - in power supplies,
although we do use a valve voltage regulator in The Culture Vulture's HT
supply.
Some of our
circuits take ideas from the 1940s to '60s and refine and update them to
produce the low noise and distortion which are expected now. Other circuits are
really original! To achieve high standards we use modern components such as 1%
metal oxide resistors and polypropylene capacitors where their use is a
positive advantage, but we avoid Hi-Fi type gimmicks such as gold plated XLR
connectors. We take pride in the construction and reliability of our equipment.
To date it is all hand wired using the best quality components. We give a
2-year guarantee against manufacturing defects, though we can only guarantee
valves for 1 year. Many valves we use, are Military/Industrial grade. Also, we
select and match (where necessary) all of the valves that we supply so a far
longer life span can be expected