Inputs 4 XLR (2 Constellation Direct), 2 RCA
Power output, 8Ω (1 kHz @ 1% THD+N) 550 W
Power output, 4Ω (1 kHz @ 1% THD+N) 750 W
Power output, 2Ω (1 kHz @ 1% THD+N) 1 kW
Frequency response 10 Hz to 100 kHz, +1/-0.5 dB
THD+N (1 kHz @ rated power) <0.05%
Output impedance 0.05Ω
Damping factor (8Ω load) 150
Input impedance 10KΩ unbalanced, 20KΩ balanced
Output noise <500 µV, -100 dB @ 250 watts
Weight 220 lbs / 100 kg
Dimensions 13" / 330.2mm x 19" / 482.6mm x 32" / 812.8mm (hwd)
The horizontal format of the Hercules II amplifier made it practical to create a stereo version—an amplifier in the same chassis as the Hercules II Mono, with the same effortless, extraordinary sound, but with two 500-watt channels instead of a single 1,000-watt channel. The Hercules II Stereo uses exactly the same circuit as the Hercules II Mono and the original Hercules. The same circuit that inspired a leading reviewer to describe our original Hercules amplifier and Altair preamp as “the most transparent, detailed, and cleanest electronics I’ve heard.” The Hercules II Stereo cannot quite match the dynamics of the Hercules II Mono, but the fundamental sound quality is the same.
The Stereo benefits from the same upgrades we made to the Mono. The power supply features substantially larger storage capacitors, to deliver cleaner DC power and more headroom on loud peaks. The pure copper bus bars used for the speaker outputs and power supply rails are twice the size of those in the original Hercules. Both of these improvements allow the Hercules II Stereo to perform even better with low-impedance speakers.
The transformers and digital control circuits are now isolated in their own fully shielded and suspended enclosure, to protect the audio circuits from electromagnetic interference and vibration, and to prevent any vibrations from the transformers from being carried into the listening room. Despite the reconfiguration from vertical format to horizontal, despite the splitting of the monoblock resources into two channels, the Hercules II Stereo maintains exactly the same sonic character, the same unprecedented combination of solid-state power and control with the warmth and musicality of a small, single-ended tube amplifier.
