Hilgen Amplifiers
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MODEL 2522:  the "VICTOR" DUAL-CHANNEL BUILD

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Front Baffle

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Back Panel and Right Side Panel. Note positioning of external reverb attachment screws, which varies in different Hilgen examples. External footswitch input is located to the upper right of reverb screws.

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Back Panel Removed

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Faceplate (Unlike most two-channel Hilgen amplifiers, the letter "D" was not added to the standard model number when the Victor was converted from a one-channel to a two-channel design.)

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Lower Chassis. Note printed circuit board on the left end of the chassis. It appears that each time Mr. Gentul upgraded a single-channel amplifier to a dual-channel design, he added a printed circuit board to allow the additional pre-amp tubes to be mounted within the width of the single-channel chassis. Despite popular bias against PCB circuits versus point-to-point wiring, I have noticed no difference between the two designs in terms of sound quality or reliability.
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Upper chassis. (Minor spatial and shading distortion resulted from creating high-resolution panoramic view)
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Faceplate with upper chassis.

Tube Array as found

(right to left)


V1:        Amperex (Globe Logo) 12AX7/ECC83 (dual triode preamp tube)
            (original tube; both triodes tested well above "good" specs)

V2:        RCA 7199 (triode/pentode reverb recovery tube) 
            (original tube; triode and pentode tested exactly at "good " specs)

V3:        Unbranded, original 12AU7A (dual triode preamp tube) 
             (original tube; both triodes tested well above "good" specs)

V4:        Unbranded, original Sylvania 12AU7A (dual triode phase preamp tube)
             (original tube; both triodes tested well above "good" specs)

V5:        Amperex (Globe Logo) 12AX7/ECC83 (phase inverter preamp tube)
             (original tube; both triodes tested well above "good" specs)

[Pre-amp tubes mounted to PCB, facing front of amp; power tubes and rectifier mounted to side of chassis, facing downward] 

V6:
        Sylvania 7591A (beam-power-pentode power tube) 
            (original tube; tested well above "good" specs)

V7:        Sylvania 7591A (beam-power-pentode power tube)
             (original tube; tested well above "good" specs)

V8:        Amperex Bugle Boy 5AR4/GZ34 rectifier (original tube; tested "good")

All tests performed on calibrated Hickok Model 535A tube tester.
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