Final Amplifiers at Walrus Systems hifi website

Every now and again, a product comes along which reminds us how much fun our hobby can be, and how musically rewarding also. Final is one such product.
Made in Japan, a country normally associated with "high-tech" but "low-fi" mass market equipment, Final is unique in being the product of a very small, very specialist, manufacturer which carefully hand builds these amplifiers in very limited numbers.
The Music 5 preamp, and Music 6 power amp are (nearly) unique, being powered by dry cell batteries. They are small, finished throughout in Perspex with meticulous attention to detail, sound gorgeous (as only battery powered hifi can), and are very, very, desirable.

(click for larger image)

Music 5 Preamplifier

Line level preamp with 30dB gain. Input impedance 50kOhm, output impedance 60 Ohm, powered by 28 AA size dry cells giving +-21V.
Size 230W, 43H, 160D, with identical size battery box, all sizes in mm.

GBP 2500.00

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Music 6 Stereo Power Amplifier

10W/ch output, DC~100kHz response, powered by 36 C size dry cells giving +-27V.
Size 230W, 43H, 160D (amp), 230W, 88H, 320D (battery box), all sizes in mm.

GBP 2500.00

Please read: An appraisal by the Final design team

A Note About Batteries

Final have done a lot of research into the "sound" of different types of battery, and the conclusion is "the cheaper, the better"! Well, more accurately, standard Zinc Carbon cells sound the best by a large margin, and Alkaline (long life/high capacity) the worst.
We thought about supplying a do-it-yourself "armed robber" kit with every set of Final amps sold (you know, Balaclava, gloves, crowbar, mock gun, etc) to aid you obtaining all those batteries.
But then we changed our mind.

A Note About Sound Quality

It's very difficult to talk about the "sound" of Final, since it has very lttle of its own. Yet, you are immediately aware of something very special, a sort of "deadness" inbetween the musical notes, an absence of the "hash" you are normally only subliminally aware of. This is probably the most "un-hifi" equipment we've ever heard, transistor or valve; it shows just how much influence the power supply has on what you normally hear.
The Final is a very simple design, too, and this brings sonic rewards (a lot of the complication in the circuit design of conventional amplifiers is to do with power supply noise rejection, something the Final has no need of). The best idea is to come and judge for yourself - we have the Final available almost permanently for demonstration.

A Few More Piccies
Amps complete with battery boxes

Amps with battery boxes
Final Isolation feet

Daruma-3II ball bearing isolation feet
*now available in the UK - GBP 70.00/set of 3*
Some modest Japanese compact speakers

A little system put together by Final in Japan
Final amp with multiple battery supplies

Amp and multiple battery supplies for above system

Final turntable (not available in the UK)

If you are a distributor interested in representing Final in your country, you can contact them by the following means:

Address: Final Lab, 8-2 Tenouzan, Fukouzu, Kouta-cho, Nukata-gun, Aichi 444-0124, Japan

Fax: +81 564 63 3279

e-mail: mail@finallab.com