Kwangho Kim's Hi-Fi and Photos

In July 2009, when I acquired the JBL C40 Harkness, the thought of pushing my amplifier setup to the limits crossed my mind. It’s fascinating how human desires seem endless; I ended up parting with my cherished McIntosh MC240 power amplifier and C20 preamplifier, which I thought I’d keep for a lifetime. While it was incredibly hard to let go of the MC240 and C20 due to their elegant appearance, I felt they lacked about 2% in terms of sound character. This led me to consider triode amplifiers and eventually brought me to acquire a rare push-pull amplifier using 45 tubes.

The Presto 45 monoblock power amplifier uses the 45 tube, which was in use before the development of the 2A3 tube. This includes the 245 and 345 tubes, often referred to as “eggplant tubes” due to their shape. This amp is a monoblock from the 1930s-40s, originally part of Presto’s cutting machine equipment. Although it uses the same triode configuration, unlike the 300b amplifier which delivers a rich midrange, the Presto 45 provides a sound that is modest yet refined. Whether paired with the Harkness or the C38 Baron, it indeed delivers a beautifully delicate sound.