Eddie Wang: Polaris Head & Hadron 1x12

Overview:
The Polaris is the bigger sibling of the Quantum Zen, yet it has taken on a character all its own. With a turn of the Bottom control, the Polaris can go from big sweet Tweed to punchy British that can rock out with the best of them, all with more feel, tone, and clarity than any "traditional" design.

In order to "size up" the Quantum Zen, some circuit changes were needed. Instead of the EF86 pentode as in the Quantum Zen, the Polaris uses an old tube radio trick, wiring a 12AU7 to behave like a pentode, so you get all the increased bandwidth, musical compression, and sweeter harmonics that pentodes are known for.

Next, they worked closely with Soursound to find the perfect transformer that matches the vision of the Polaris. For this transformer, they took inspiration from some of the best guitar amp transformers from the golden era of British amps that were known for giving massive bandwidth all while still sounding huge and warm.

The circuit design around the pair of EL34 power tubes is also something we are super proud of. This ground up design gives you both the big 3D sound that the best vintage Tweed amps are known for, while still having that wonderful harmonic bloom that our favorite British amps are capable of.

Specs:

• 1-30 watts

• Tubes: 1 x 12AX7 preamp, 1 x 12AU7 preamp, 2 x EL34 power, 1 x GZ34 rectifier

• Point-to-point wiring

• Custom Soursound transformers

• Premium components throughout

• 8 or 16 ohm speaker out

Power:
This amplifier feature a wattage control that works by controlling the internal voltages where they need to be, and not where they shouldn't. The Polaris can go from 30 watts all the way down to 1 watt. Since this circuit is not in the signal path, tone and touch sensitivity are unaffected. 


Tone Controls:
Charm: This is a character switch - up is "normal", and down tightens and cleans up the bass. When overdriven, down gives you a crisp and tight crunch tone; up gives you a creamy drive.

Bottom: Shapes the bass "character" of the amp. Turn it all the way down to get Vox like chime or Marshall like overdrive. Turn it all the way up for some Tweed-like sounds. Turn it anywhere in between to create your own distinctive tone.

Top: Unlike traditional designs, this "treble" control does not dampen the harmonics when turned down. Use it to brighten dark pickups, or turn it all the way down for some jazzy tones

Watts: Adjusts your wattage to fit your situation. That way, you can set it at your favorite Volume setting no matter where you are.


Transformers:
The Polaris uses custom Soursound transformers for unrivaled quality and tone. Soursound transformers are also made right here in Portland, Oregon. Being so close has allowed us to work together through multiple iterations to nail that perfect match.


Circuit:
Every component has been examined and reexamined to give you the maximum in tone. Features include point-to-point and turret construction, 99.9999% pure solid core copper wire in all signal paths, premium carbon comp resistors (sourced from a factory that still makes them like they used to) in all the places that matter, Jupiter capacitors, and an aluminum chassis that is also made right here in Portland, Oregon. Wiring and construction is done to the highest standards possible - this amp is built to last forever.

Cabinet:

The Hadron is an acoustically designed cab, featuring:

• Hand selected tonewoods

• Acoustically designed solid pine cabinet

• Sapele and birch tone woods for the baffle

• Front vented/closed back

• 1X12 speaker configuration

Speakers from Amperian and WGS