Description
About the Tsakiridis Devices Hermes
The Hermes takes a different route to tube power than most integrated amplifiers. Instead of a pair of large output tubes per side, it runs eight EL84s — four per channel in a double push-pull arrangement — to produce 25 watts per channel. The EL84 is a small, fast, famously sweet-sounding tube, and running four of them in parallel push-pull keeps that character while producing real usable power. The result is an amplifier with more delicacy in the top end and more immediacy in the midrange than a comparable EL34 design, and a presentation that suits vocals, acoustic music, and small ensembles particularly well.
The output stage is self-biasing, so there are no bias pots to adjust and no meter to watch. You replace tubes when they need replacing and otherwise leave the amplifier alone. The driver stage uses one 12AU7 and two 12AT7s, input selection runs through high-grade signal relays, and volume is handled by a blue Alps potentiometer. Along with three line inputs there is a built-in USB DAC input, so a laptop or streamer connects directly without a separate converter in the chain.
Construction is the same as everything else Tsakiridis Devices builds in Athens: hand-soldered through-hole components, handmade eight-layer output transformers, a handmade power transformer, gold-plated RCA connectors, and Ultimax speaker posts. An aluminum remote handles volume, input selection, and mute. At 14 kg it is noticeably lighter and shallower than the Aeolos, which makes it a good fit for a rack or a shelf that will not take a 44-pound amplifier.
Backed by a five-year factory parts and labor warranty.
Key Specifications
- Topology: Double push-pull Class AB1, self-biasing
- Output Power: 25W per channel
- Power Tubes: 8x EL84 (four per channel)
- Driver Tubes: 1x 12AU7, 2x 12AT7
- Inputs: 3x line level (relay switched), 1x USB DAC
- Outputs: Ultimax speaker binding posts
- Input Impedance: 50 kOhm
- Output Impedance: 6 Ohm
- Input Sensitivity: 350mV
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 81dB
- Channel Separation: 67dB
- THD: 0.48% (10W @ 1kHz)
- Frequency Response: 10Hz – 47kHz (-3dB)
- Power Supply Energy Storage: 80 Joules
- Power Consumption: 90W
- Dimensions (WxDxH): 29 x 44 x 22 cm (11.4 x 17.3 x 8.7 in)
- Weight: 14 kg (31 lbs)
- Warranty: 5 years parts and labor; 90 days on original tube set
Shipping
Free shipping within the contiguous United States.
