Owner's Manual

SPECIFICATIONS

HIGH DEFINITION

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Frequency response: +0-3dB, 0.4Hz to 200kHz at rated output

(Balanced, 200k ohms load). THD: Less than .01% at 2V RMS BAL output.

Gain: Main output, 12dB Balanced output, 6dB SE output. Record out: 0dB

(Processor input: 0dB BAL output). Noise: 1.7uV RMS residual IHF weighted

balanced equivalent input noise with volume at 1 (109dB below 2V RMS

output). Tube complement: Six 6H30 dual triodes, plus one 6550WE

and one 6H30 in power supply. Dimensions: Width:19” (48 cm), Height:7.8”

(19.8 cm), Depth: 16.5” (41.9 cm). Handles extend 1.6” (4 cm) forward of the

front panel. Weight: 37.5 lbs. (17 kg) Net; 49 lbs. (22.3 kg) Shipping.

The Reference 160S establishes a remarkable new benchmark

for stereo ampliﬁers, oering transparent and eortless

playback performance while allowing the tonal beauty of the

music to shine through and captivate the listener.

Receiving ampliﬁer-of-the-year awards from the publications

Stereophile, The Absolute Sound and HiFi+ for the monaural 160M

is almost unheard of. Encapsulating that acclaimed performance

and beauty in one chassis was dicult, but Audio Research’s

engineers accomplished that feat in the 160S stereo ampliﬁer.

The 160S carries-over the stunning look of the 160M, with dual GhostMeters™

that ﬂoat in front of eight KT-150 output power tubes. It also continues

the feature set introduced in the 160M, including a proprietary auto-bias

circuit, switchable Triode- or Ultralinear-mode operation, true balanced

and single-ended inputs, and output tube monitoring. The four-layer

circuit board allows music to emerge from a jet-black background, never

achieved before in a vacuum-tube ampliﬁer. Except for the 160M.

The Reference 160S distills the astonishing resolution, dynamic

impact, musical purity, and ﬁnesse of the 160M into one beautiful and

attainable chassis. It was designed for the music lover in all of us.