FatMan iTube 182

By Michael Jones

December 2007

FatMan iTube 182 valve amplifier. $1999.

iTube 182 with Valve Dock

Front view

Back of the iTube 182

Paul Klipsch, the designer of some very high efficiency loudspeakers, once said that what the world needed was a great five watt amplifier. He may well have been correct. But what New Zealand has needed for a long time is an affordable valve amplifier.

Like many in New Zealand, my main involvement with valve amplifiers is reading about them in UK and US hi-fi magazines. The few I’ve seen in the flesh have been expensive units.

But that’s all changed. Now there’s a valve amp you can buy for $2000. Oh yes – and it sounds great!

If you’ve heard of Fatman then it’s probably been in relation to the cute iTube amp/iPod dock. Fatman also make a couple of standard integrated amplifiers. Since I discovered this I’ve been bugging Paul Quilter, the local Fatman agent, for a review sample.

The 182 is the baby model in the range of integrated amps and is supplied with a matching iPod dock. The 182 has three line level inputs (one input will be taken by the iPod dock). The 182 is labelled as a single-ended amplifier and rated at 18 watts. As there are no limitations placed on this figure, it may be downhill with a tail-wind!

Seven valves are used in the amp: a pair of KT94s for output, four 6N3s prior to this and a 6E2, used solely as a VU meter!

My sample of the 182 drove my Epos ES14 speakers to a decent, if not neighbour annoying, level before audible distress started. While not overly sensitive by today’s standards (86dB) the Epos is otherwise a very easy load to drive. Sources for the amp included my Meridian 508 CD player and VPI Scout/AT OC9 through a Plinius Jarrah phono stage. The iPod dock was not used, as I don’t have an iPod – a surprising omission for an Apple fanboy and music fanatic. I used the four ohm output connection on the rear of the amplifier as the eight ohm output gave a wimpy sound.

The Fatman 182 is not an amplifier for everyone. The power output won’t be enough for some people or for some music. I found that it wasn’t quite loud enough for me when I listening while cooking in the kitchen, for example. And larger scale classical music ran out of steam very quickly. Of course, if you have a pair of higher efficiency speakers then this may not be a problem.

For when everything was right then the sound through the Fatman 182 was magnificent. There was a musical warmth, a sense of ease and a definite lack of grit and grain that made listening to music very moreish.

Contrary to what you may believe with valve amps, the quality of bass reproduction was very good. Pitch definition in the bass and portrayal of rhythm was surpriswingly good.

Interesting, Fatman importer Paul Quilter tells me that the 182 sounds a little sweeter than the more powerful iTube 252. This is not uncommon within an amplifier range, with the smaller, simpler models often sounded a little better than their more powerful, more complicated brothers.

Yes, there are limitations. Switching back to my Plinius 8150 gave a lot more authority to the sound. And the gentle compression as the 182 reached its limits did get annoying when I needed to listen up loud. But that was about it.

Conclusion

New Zealand has been waiting for an affordable valve amplifier for some time. With the Fatman 182 it’s here! Match with the right speakers and listener and you’ll have magnificent musical sound. And the price makes this amplifier something of a bargain. Highly recommended.

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