Dutch distributor Mafico reports that Audio Note UK is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its renowned OTO integrated amplifier.
The legendary Audio Note UK OTO SE is receiving its first major technical revision in decades, featuring internally manufactured Audio Note components and a newly designed power supply. This marks a significant update to what the company considers one of the most enduring integrated amplifiers in high-end audio. The release commemorates 35 years of uninterrupted production of the OTO, which has remained a core product in the Audio Note UK lineup since its introduction in 1991.
Originally conceived by founder Peter Qvortrup and designed by Andy Grove, the OTO was the first amplifier to be fully developed and manufactured in-house by Audio Note UK. While the Audio Note name was already well known thanks to the legendary Ongaku integrated amplifier, the OTO demonstrated that the company’s philosophy—musicality and a refined tube sound—could also be applied at more accessible price points.
‘A rarity’
Peter Qvortrup explains: “When I challenged Andy to design a single-ended [SE] pentode version of the OTO in the early 1990s, single-ended amplifiers were a rarity. The OTO—and now the OTO SE 35—symbolises our philosophy of timeless, high-quality sound. We still maintain and service our customers’ OTOs so they can continue to perform well for many years. That is true sustainability, and it will never change.”
“Over the past three decades, the OTO design has gone through several evolutions,” says chief designer Andy Grove. “I felt it was time to give the OTO SE a complete makeover. The result is an amplifier with a more realistic ‘bass kick’—the kind of physical presence you feel when you’re in the same room as a bass drum or bass guitar. It remains a versatile, musical and enjoyable amplifier to use, but it can now also deliver a serious dose of attitude when the recording demands it.”
The OTO SE 35 integrated amplifier (and the P1SE 35, the stereo power-amplifier variant of the OTO SE) is available now through all authorised Audio Note UK specialists, according to distributor Mafico.