I'm proud to announce that Ray Tubes is teaming up with Polish brand BonaWatt to supply our vacuum tubes for use with their tube amps. Founded and led by designer and engineer Krzysztof Lewandowski, BonaWatt has made a name for itself with its range of power and integrated amplifiers.
Krzysztof is one of the smartest people I know. As a child, his curiosity for hi-fi audio and electronics was nurtured by the audio equipment he saw at his neighbour's house. At age thirteen, he received his first soldering iron and never looked back, skipping high school and taking his passion for DIY tube audio straight from middle school to university, where he obtained a master's degree in mechatronics. After a few years in that industry, he quit to focus on tube audio full-time, and BonaWatt was born.
Speaking to Krzysztof, I was extremely impressed by his drive and dedication, and by the unique design philosophy he brings to his products. If I had to sum it up in a single word, I'd call it contrarian. Krzysztof is always tinkering, putting things together in ways that aren't obvious and seeing what happens. Sometimes this is reflected in his choice of vacuum tubes—perhaps opting for a 6SL7 like our SELECT 6SL7 over the more common 6SN7—and sometimes in the nature of the product itself. Take BonaWatt's Triton amp. It's a hybrid integrated amplifier with a twist: two modular expansion slots that allow owners to customize its capabilities with, for example, a DAC module or a phono pre-amp.
I'm a big admirer of this kind of creative-contrarian design, and it's an honor to be collaborating with someone who shares that philosophy. We'll be working closely with BonaWatt to support their future product roadmap, and I can't wait for everyone to see what's in store. Until then, if you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to get in touch at nelson@raytubes.com. It's the enthusiasm and engagement of audiophiles like you that makes us thrive.
Until next time,
Nelson Wu
CEO, Ray Tubes
