Einstein Audio Components, a German designer of self-designated “premium audio components,” will launch the Tube MKII Balanced Audio Preamplifier at CES next month.  Einstein says the Tube MKII represents a new concept employing proprietary new ideas and circuitry that help it stand apart from other preamplifiers. Basically, fully balanced, it features dual-differential, dual-mono design.

Einstein claims the Tube is an exceptionally quiet (no spec though) and neutral-sounding preamplifier capable of “ultra-quiet operation, explosive dynamics and fast transients.” They say their secret is an unusually large complement of tubes — 18 E88CC/6922 dual triode tubes and one ECC82 dual triode. Ingeniously, only 10 of the 6922 tubes operate at any given time, eight for power and two for whichever audio source happens to be playing. And, the Tube MKII boasts a volume control outside the signal path, an ultra-low 50-ohm output impedance, short signal paths with point-to-point wiring, wide bandwidth circuitry, an S/N ratio under 95dB, a total harmonic distortion (THD) less than 0.05 percent at 1.5 Volts RMS, and a 98 db channel separation.

To see all the specs (if you read German) of the $18,000 MKII, click here.