Past Audio M3 Monoblocks

In Autumn 1995 I met Anatolij Devichinsky, managing director and chief designer on Past Audio at his office north of the Finlandskij railwaystation in St Petersburg, Russian. My intention was to get a look at the company's tube amplifiers that recently had been adverticed in local audio journals and hopefulle get a chance to listen to them.
I got a possibility to listen and three months later I had bought a pair of the amplifiers. At that time Past Audio was the main producer of High End in Russia - approx 25 pairs of amplifiers were sold each month. Most of them went to a prosperous market in Moscow but some went abroad tp Framce, Engalnd, Austria, Norway and even HongKong.
Past Audio also produced a preamplifier with a MM/MC-input and a passive "preamp" (commutator) along with a mains filter and a loudspeaker commutator.
Successively the company enhanced their models and released versions of the amplifier with 6 and 8 tubes, with balanced input and started to use EL34 in a model capable of utputting 120W, and a trioded version giving 50W with an outpot impedance close to zero.

The nickname "Black Shark" came from the colour and the appearance - long and slender, like the Russian attack helicopter used in Afganistan.

When I, recently, wanted to check the amps - I know one had a bad connection somewhere - I accidently managed to power one up before attaching a load. That may have caused some damage, or some LOT of damaged. Have to take a thorough look some day.

 

PHOTOS

 

Tubes	6L6GB/GC	6
	E88CC/6922	4
	OB2	1
Pout at 3kHz and 3% THD		70W
THD by 1kHz	50W	0,6%
	5W	0,1%
	,5W	0,04%
	,05W	0,04%
Frequence response at -3dB and 1W		,6 - 140.000 Hz
Powerbandwidth at -3dB		7 - 130.000 Hz
S/N		-91 +8dB
Slewrate		19V/us
Output Impedance		1,5 ohm
Sensisivity	unbalanced	1V/19 kohm
PSU capacity	STANDARD-7	100J
	LUX-7	140J
Dimensions (w/o packing mtrl)	BxHxD	217x180x458mm
Weight (each)		17kg
Power consumption		210W
Mains voltage		AC 230V/50Hz
Input connections		RCA-jacks
		XLR-jacks (Cannon)