EAR Yoshino V12
EAR Yoshino’s V12 marries open transparency with a warm, valve-rich midband and deep, disciplined bass. HiFi News found it exceptionally coherent, separating dense arrangements while preserving their musical whole, and rendering voices with striking nuance. Its 50W Class A-style authority makes this a luxurious analogue integrated for listeners who want finesse without sacrificing grip.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
92/100
Build Quality
88/100
Features Connectivity
81/100
Value for Money
85/100
Pros
Transparent, open presentation reveals delicate vocal detail and separates complex arrangements without losing coherence.
Deep, tightly controlled bass is balanced by a warm, distinctly valve-like midrange.
Minimalist, no-nonsense valve amplifier presentation is described as luxurious.
Cons
The phono-labelled input requires an external phono stage.
Connectivity is strictly analogue, with no digital, streaming or headphone facilities stated.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 92/100
The V12 is described as notably transparent, open and coherent, combining finely resolved vocals with a warm midrange and deep, tightly controlled bass. Its presentation appears more about natural musical unity and presence than overt hi-fi spectacle.
Transparency Resolution
94/100
HiFi News praises the V12's transparency and openness, saying it reveals every delicate nuance in a vocalist's performance. The reviewer also found it able to separate individual musical elements without losing the whole performance.
Tonal Balance Musicality
93/100
The review describes a deep, controlled and dry bass foundation balanced by a distinctly warm midband. It is also praised for respecting the music and making disparate elements cohere into a convincing whole.
Dynamics
90/100
EAR Yoshino designed the V12 around a more substantial 50W-per-channel output, seeking greater grunt and longer tube life. In listening, the reviewer specifically notes deep, controlled bass, though there is little direct discussion of large-scale transient impact or ultimate headroom.
Soundstage Imaging
89/100
With a sparse Billie Holiday mono recording, the V12 created a vivid central image described as a cloud of music in the room, with visceral if slightly obscured presence. This is strong evidence of image density and coherence, although the review offers limited discussion of stereo width and depth.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
88/100
The V12 is a clean-sheet design packed with valves, yet HiFi News calls its execution minimalist, no-nonsense and luxurious. The review gives a positive impression of its finish and presentation, but provides little detail on internal construction or long-term reliability.
Features Connectivity
81/100
The V12 provides five RCA line inputs, a tape output and dedicated 4- and 8-ohm speaker connections. Its input labelled phono still requires an external phono stage, and there are no stated balanced, digital, streaming or headphone facilities.
Value for Money
85/100
At £6,690 in the reviewed configuration and roughly £8,635-£8,999 in the supplied pricing, the V12 sits firmly in premium valve-integrated territory. The review is highly enthusiastic about its sound, but does not directly compare its value with competing amplifiers at this price.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Valves
- Twelve EL84 (6BQ5) Ten ECC83 (12AX7)
- Performance
- Frequency Response: 12-60Khz -3dB Signal-to-nosie Ratio: 93dB Input Sensitvity: 0.4V Input Impedance: 47kΩ Output Damping Factor: 10
- Connectivity
- Five Line Inputs (RCA) One Tape Output (RCA)
- Output
- Power Output (20-20KHz): 50W nto 4 & 8Ω (8 & 16Ω optional) Total Harmonic Distortion: <0.03%
- Dimensions & Weight
- Weight: 22kg (48lb) Length: 420 mm (16.5”) Width: 440 mm (17.3”) Height: 135mm (5.3”)
- Power
- Power Consumption: 200 watts 240 volt / 110 Volt / 100 Volt (depending on model)
Manufacturer's Description — EAR Yoshino
Push-pull stereo integrated amplifier operating in enhanced triode mode. 50 Watts per channel into 4, 8, or 16 ohms. Twelve EL84 output tubes (six per channel). Self-biasing design with six line inputs and one tape output.
Inspired by Performance
Referenced from Tim de Paravicini’s admiration of Jaguar’s powerplant, the EAR V12 extracts much of the same philosophy. The design utilises six EL84s on each bank for a total of twelve, the sum of which is high performance with balance and grace.
The geometry isn’t just engine mimicry but allows for an organised and compact layout with central weight distribution. This creates a design that has powerful lines and compelling proportions. Despite its bold use of chrome and adventurous styling, the EAR V12 sits proud but is not obtrusive in any environment.
Exquisite detailing
The V12 utilises EAR Yoshino’s rich tradition of workmanship, blending high calibre engineering with craft. Beautiful hand selected and polished wooden end caps on the ‘half moon’ valve covers add a simple but distinctive touch to the design making each EAR V12 unique. Chrome transformer covers suggesting a sleek aerodynamic power block, with sufficient power in reserve for the most demanding audio terrain.
Breathtaking from every angle, the EAR V12 is built with a level of quality associated with solid construction that gives the impression that you are using something truly special.
Our greatest engine
Tim de Paravicini’s vision was beyond just a collection of EL84s but to create an amplifier of unparalleled power and clarity. Utilizing Tim’s own ‘balanced bridge mode circuit’ that takes the primary windings of the output transformer and splits them equally between the Anode and Cathode circuits of the tubes so they’re capacitively cross-coupled enabling increased bandwidth.
Aided with the use of a Pentode Mode parallel push-pull class “A” circuit, the valve amplifier produces soft second harmonic distortion in low quantities with superb linearity.
Power behind the beauty
The transformers are bespoke designs, that are hand-wound in Cambridgshire, England. The output transformers are designed and built for ultra-wide bandwidth. Providing extended frequency response at both ends of the spectrum.
Each bank of six EL84’s provids fifty watts of pure high quality audio and improved low-level detail. With perfect loudspeaker coupling, the V12 is equipped with the smooth muscular power of its automotive namesake. As a consequence of Tim de Paravicini’s attention to detail in the design process, he ensured that this power is conservatively within the capability of the V12.
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Authorized dealers for EAR Yoshino V12
- Acoustic Dimension — in-store — Steenderen, Gelderland, Netherlands (website)
- Alternative Audio — in-store — Taunton, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Altitudo Audio — online and in-store — Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (website)
- Assai Audio — in-store — Centro, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (website)
- Audio Aktoren — online and in-store — Horten, Vestfold, Norway (website)
- Audio Emotion — online and in-store — Glenrothes, Scotland, United Kingdom (website)
- Audio Gallery — online and in-store — Las Rozas de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (website)
- Audio Hum — in-store — Norte Sierra, Andalucía, Spain (website)
- Audiocompagniet — online and in-store — Odense C, Denmark (website)
- Audiophile Zone — online and in-store — Baywood-Los Osos, California, United States (website)
and 35 more verified dealers