Custom-made by hand. Made in Germany.

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Production

At OCTAVE it is the boss who develops: Electronics as well as design and mechanics of the amplifiers. It is our demand to construct amplifiers that sound honest and that are mechanically studied, perfectly manufactured, durable, absolutely safe and timelessly good-looking. We can only match these high quality standards if we determine formation of the devices right from the beginning. At OCTAVE, every amp is individually handmade. With our qualified team we can reach and ensure quality standards that would not be possible in case of externally bought elements. Top modern measurement systems are very valuable in development and allow measurements according to international standards.

Mechanics and Electronics

The heart of every Octave amplifier is the electronics. Andreas Hofmann can draw on 35 years of experience when developing. Every Octave device is constantly evolving; New developments benefit all other devices. The challenge of being closer to the original, of being able to convey the beauty and feeling of the music and at the same time meeting our demands for universal usability for almost every loudspeaker, stable power, dynamics, longevity and safety, inspires Andreas Hofmann to constantly strive New developments.

The design of an Octave device is based on the motto “form follows function”. Only when all logical and safety-related considerations have been taken into account is the design of a device finally determined. Clearly structured design and ease of use are always in the foreground.

 
 
 
Electronics

The production of the circuit boards is very complex. After optimizing the board layout by creating a few prototypes, the standard circuit boards are produced by ISO-certified board manufacturers and assembled with components supplied by us.

The assembled boards are 100% checked and aligned.

Not only the circuits but also the components used are responsible for the durability, reliability and sound of a device. Only the highest quality components are used in Octave devices, e.g. E.g. relays from NAIS, electrolytic capacitors from EPCOS, capacitors from WIMA, SOLEN and ROE, switches from ELMA, transformers from our own production, speaker terminals from Druseidt and and and...

Mechanics

We work with highly qualified companies in our local area. Some mechanical parts go through up to five stations. In order to rule out errors in the individual processing steps from the outset, the parts are subjected to thorough quality control after each work step.

Steps at the example of the front panel for our V80:

1. CNC-milling " quality control at OCTAVE and forwarding to surface processing
2. Glass bead blasting " quality control at OCTAVE and forwarding
3. Partial polishing of surface " quality control at OCTAVE and forwarding
4. Anodizing " quality control on site and forwarding
5. Silk screening " final control at OCTAVE

Parts

A lot of work and time goes into each mechanical part before it can be installed.

There is a long way to go before all mechanical and electronic components of a device are available.

The OCTAVE in-house transformer winding

Since OCTAVE originated from a transformer winding shop. We have the knowledge how to develop our own transformers and produce them specially tailored for our devices. Only high temperature resistant enamelled copper wires and low-loss core materials are employed.

To increase long-term constancy, the transformers are vacuum soaked or moulded. Magnetic shields eliminate possible interference.

Preproduction

Once all electronical and mechanical parts are ready, preproduction can start. At OCTAVE, four employees are exclusively responsible for the preproduction of the single devices.

Check and safety tests

After the preproduction phase, the device is extensively checked. Test records for each device are set up, components and features of a device are documented. Up to one hundred measurement points are checked and compared to the reference values. Only upon completion of the electric check, the design parts are mounted and final assembly of the device starts. In this stage, customer specific requests can still be considered. After that, each device passes 24 hours of continuous operation; finally, the parameters of the output tubes are checked. In the listening room, the devices are listened to and pass another 24 hours test. For the different models, different loudspeakers are available. One possible source is an analog disk player with MC pick-up head. Our acoustically optimized listening room allows reproduction of sound characteristics under optimum conditions. The completely new listening room in our new facility has a reverberation time of about 0.3 seconds.

Once the devices have run through this check procedure, they have to pass different safety tests before they can be shipped into all parts of the world.

Last check and shipping

Without documents like operator’s guide, warranty card and packing lists, no device is complete. Prior to packing, the amplifiers have to pass one last optical and mechanical check, e.g.: Are all turning knobs and switches in the right position? Before shipping, the output tubes are removed from the device, labelled and packed separately.

Conclusion: OCTAVE devices are 100% handmade in Germany
We know our devices right from the first screw, can deliver all parts also later and can support in both word and deed if service is required, independent of the device’s age.

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Reutaeckerstraße 5
76307 Karlsbad
Deutschland

T  + 49 7248 3278
F  + 49 7248 3279
E  info@octave.de

Made in Germany