Built for mobile use yet comfortable in even the finest home and studio audio systems, the BaM-235ab is one tough amplifier with true high-end heritage and musical finesse. Introduced over 37 years ago to a stunned mobile audio industry, the original BaM-230 all tube car amp sprang from esoteric roots. The enhanced BaM-235 followed a few years later. The latest BaM-235ab (introduced 2006) supersedes both. David Berning's EA-230 home audio amplifier that inspired all three became Stereophile Magazine's reference amplifier for several years. Designed and built for maximum reliability and sound quality without regard for cost, the BaM-235ab continues to set the standard for genuine high-end sound quality and musicality in the automobile. As one reviewer put it, "nothing can beat this amp." »
Features & BenefitsSound & Other Qualities
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FAQPeople often ask, how does the BaM-235ab compare, in terms of sound quality and loudness, to a transistor amp? From Tubes vs Transistors - Perception of Loudness, Clarity, Distortion, Sound Quality: General perception holds that a tube amp can sound two- to four-times louder than a transistor amp of equal power. Since 10x measured power is required to give a doubling of perceived power », the 60 Watt tube BaM 'sounds at least about as loud as' a 600 Watt transistor amp... This is entirely consistent with Earl Zausmer's famous competition car », which uses two BaM amps (about 120 tube Watts) and 1,200 Watts of (transistorized amp) power on the subwoofers. What's the difference between the latest BaM-235ab and the older BaM-235 and BaM-230? The BaM-235ab offers several substantial improvements, including auto-bias, better construction, and greater energy storage. The BaM-235ab supercedes both the BaM-235 and the original BaM-230. Upgrades are available. What's the rating? 30 Watts per channel, 20 Hz -- 20 kHz, -3 dB, 3% THD Some owners have reported that the BaM-235ab's "30 tube Watts sound much more powerful" than comparably-powered amps. This is often attributed to the soft-clipping nature inherent in its design. Unlike transistorized amps which smack and crackle with abrupt distortion, the BaM-235ab exhibits graceful, smooth overdrive into clipping. What's the difference between 30, 300 and 3,000 watts? 300 watts sounds only twice as loud as 30 watts.
Hearing is a non-linear, biological/psychological process. It takes ten times the power to sound twice as loud, and that's if everything else scales properly. Wattage rating without sensitivity is meaningless. With an adequately efficient speaker, it is possible for 1 watt to overpower any listener. How much current does it draw? 5 amperes at idle, which is about the equivalent of one headlight; 20 amps at full power; the power supply current-limits at 25 amps. More detail (2018), regarding the question of nearby battery or farad cap: The power supply limits to 25 amperes draw under extreme test condition. The amp idles at about 5A, approximately equivalent to one headlight. Casual listening will cause current draw in averaged bursts to rarely exceed 10A peak. Top performance music will usually not draw over 15A bursts and never over 20A. A battery nearby would slightly reduce voltage drop and thus extend playing time on a single battery charge. We've run one BaM on a standard Sears DieHard battery for about seven hours in hotel rooms (at normal listening/audition levels) for demonstration before recharging the battery. Some enthusiasts have installed farad supply capacitors near the amp and that works well, although there is no audible improvement (because the regulated power supply is a negative-resistance, drawing more current to compensate for lowering voltage, to maintain equivalent power). Therefore, given choice between nearby battery and capacitor, we'd use a farad cap and leave the battery stock lead-acid or use Optima/gel: Because many transistorized amplifiers, which are sometimes also installed nearby (usually for bass or auxilliary channels/rear/fill) often lack adequate internal energy storage or power regulation, the farad cap often audibly improves their performance. How often do the tubes need to be changed? "Need" is subjective. Some owners may elect to change tubes yearly -- though we don't know of one who does so; meanwhile, quite a few owners mention tube lifetimes exceeding ten years or more. The tubes are operated conservatively and enjoy correspondingly long useable lifetimes: operating the tubes for ten years or more is not uncommon. What about other "tube" car amps? In production since 1986, the BaM-235ab uses only tubes to perform all audio amplification. Recent "tube" car amps are mostly transistorized. See Truth In Car Amp Designs for technical comparison of schematics, patents, etc. What's the design history? The BaM-235ab incorporates audio circuitry that has been used in high-end home tube audio equipment for decades. It is the mobile version of a high-end home amplifier which was J. Gordon Holt's (Stereophile Magazine) reference amplifier for several years. In continuous production for over 37 years, we know of no other similarly pedigreed or proven car audio anything. What about microphonics...in a car, with all the vibration? Microphonics are inaudible / non-existent in the BaM-235ab. You can violently shake and jar the amplifier yet not hear a single hint of microphonics. In fact, people often notice the absolute quietness of the BaM-235ab. Even on sensitive horns, hiss or noise is practically inaudible. How long does it take to warm up and play? Under 30 seconds normally, and up to 60 seconds in sub-freezing temperatures. How about heat? The BaM-235ab mounts in the trunk with no heat problem at all. The chassis is its own heat sink. Some clearance is required for air flow, and mounting upside-down should be avoided. The BaM-235ab has a thermal cut-off that will power down the amp if necessary. Don't miss this Some years ago we wrote this article that was published in a now defunct car audio magazine. Press ReleaseFor immediate release: Germantown, MD, June, 2005, Milbert Amplifiers introduces its BaM-235ab car tube amp, the evolutionary third model in its 20-year-old line of automotive vacuum tube amplifiers, which offers several improvements including patent-pending "auto-plasma-bias" (TM) circuitry which Milbert claims adapts to music levels and maintains proper bias at all times while also automatically compensating for tube aging and obviating any need for using matched tubes or manual tube bias adjustments. According to Milbert, other improvements in the BaM-235ab include radio-frequency layout and design techniques, additional energy storage, adjustable feedback, adjustable grounding, and "above-mil-spec" circuitboard material that is thicker, able to sustain higher temperatures and carry more current than standard "glass-epoxy." Christopher Milbert explains, "it's like a car made out of better metal, and it improves everything." "BaM car tube amps have always been impervious to microphonic noise from vibration," continues Mr. Milbert, "and they also offer ten-year-plus tube lifetimes --practically unheard-of in home or studio, and definitely unique in the harsh car enviroment. With a high-end home audio pedigree and numerous strong reviews and industry awards, the BaM sound quality is renowned. Automatic Plasma Bias, adjustable feedback, adjustable grounding, improved layout and more energy storage --all of which provide real and audible benefit-- result from our ongoing honing and improvement of our classic tube car amp, now available in its third incarnation, the BaM-235ab." Based largely upon its predecessors yet recently reviewed as "most certainly the Holy Grail of auto sound," the 30-watt-per-channel stereo BaM-235ab uses ten vacuum tubes, class-A input stages, an 100% all-tube audio signal path, and patented designs to eliminate microphonic noise from vibration and maximize sound quality. Milbert Amplifiers has been building vacuum tube car audio equipment just outside of Washington, DC since 1986, with its single model car tube amp (in three consecutive versions) in continuous production for over 38 years. The BaM-235ab is available directly from http://milbert.com BaM-235ab press releases appeared in 12volt News, Celebrity Car magazine, Enjoy The Music, 21 HiFi, and others as well as various sites and forums online. ReviewsFrom The Robb Report CollectionAutomotive Audio: Tubed Tunes on the Go Milbert BaM-235 Car Amplifier Milbert's recent amplifier, the BaM-235, is an evolutionary design that steadily improved over 19 years. The stereo power amplifier, which is built to military specifications, generates 30 watts per channel and can be bridged to be a single-channel monaural amplifier capable of 60 watts. Just remove the cover to reveal the same high-quality components you would find inside an amplifier from Audio Research or Krell. Thanks to a new auto-biasing circuit, the output tubes will never need adjustment during their 10-year lifespan. Skeptics might be wary of the durability of vacuum tubes when used in an automotive environment, but Michael Milbert assures that I could dropkick the BaM-235 while in operation without affecting performance. While I did not take this extreme, a drive on the most tortuous roads in my BMW equipped with aftermarket (i.e., stiff) sport suspension did not affect the system's performance in any way. Anyone installing a Milbert in a luxury car should have no worries at all.Because an amplifier designed with vacuum tubes has a much gentler distortion characteristic than a solid-state amplifier, such amps tend to sound louder -- per watt -- than transistor amplifiers. Don't be fooled by the modest power output figure of the BaM-235. With a pair of very accurate two-way speakers and a modest subwoofer, a system built around the Milbert will outperform one of those big multiamplifier systems. If musical accuracy is what you are seeking, the Milbert is most certainly the Holy Grail of auto sound. ...the Milbert BaM-235 carries a very high price per watt, but considering its sublime performance, it is one of the best buys in car audio today.
BaM-235ab --Jeff Dorgay, Tone Audio |
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updated 5 Dec 2023