Visually, this amplifier exudes a no-nonsense vibe that reflects its status as an instrument for reproducing music. The silver chassis (black is also available) is nicely finished, but the 211/845 is decidedly not a piece of audio jewelry. (See also Vade Forrester’s Golden Ear Awards this issue.) Berning pulled out all the stops in creating the 211/845 in his 47-year career he has never created an amplifier this sophisticated, or lavished such expense on the execution. Others who have heard Berning’s amplifiers, particularly the ZOTL variety, have been similarly enthusiastic. An earlier and less ambitious implementation of the ZOTL circuit (in the $8360 Berning ZH-230) was praised mightily by Dick Olsher in Issue 210. For starters, it is the ultimate implementation of David Berning’s patented ZOTL circuit, which allows a tube output stage to drive loudspeakers without an audio output transformer (see sidebar). On paper, the Berning 211/845 is scintillating. No other amplifier is built like the 211/845-and no other amplifier sounds quite like the 211/845. But I’m glad that I gave this offbeat amplifier a listen, because it opened my ears to the starling qualities of vacuum tube power when freed from the sonic bottleneck that is the output transformer. With 60W of pure Class A push-pull tube power, no output transformer, and zero global feedback, the 211/845 certainly occupies a little-explored corner of high-end audio. Just when I thought I’d heard virtually the entire spectrum of power amplifiers, along comes the 211/845 from The David Berning Company.
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