8573 - Moth Audio XANA Tube Amplifier, Serial No. 1, with Original Road Case

Moth Audio XANA Tube Amplifier, Serial No. 1, with Original Road Case Moth Audio XANA tube headphone amplifier and preamplifier, serial number 1, measuring 15.5″ x 17.5″ x 21″ and weighing approximately 30 pounds, hand-built in Hollywood, California, to a circuit designed by Craig Uthus. The burgundy-stained wood chassis with box-jointed corners is fitted with a front “Moth Audio Corporation” trademark badge and a “Phones” jack, and its black textured top deck has a hinged control panel. The panel holds two “Volume” and two “Bias” controls, a “Power” switch, and a “Meter” selector, along with a Moth Audio bias meter and a red jeweled pilot lamp. A raised rear deck carries two tall metal housings flanking a Black Gate “Heart of Muse” capacitor, with tube sockets labeled “6C33B” and “5U4.” The rear panel bears the original brass plate reading “Model XANA, Serial No. 1, Volts 117, Hertz 60, Made in Hollywood, California,” gold-colored RCA jacks for input, line out, and loop, and a multi-pin circular connector. In fine cosmetic condition, with light wear and patina. Tubes are not present, and the unit is untested. Accompanied by its original wheeled road case by Encore Cases, measuring 32″ x 23″ x 21″ and weighing approximately 23 pounds, in burgundy and black with aluminum edging, recessed latches, a recessed handle, and a custom-fitted foam interior; the lid bears a plaque, "XANA, Moth Audio Corporation, 1746 Ivar Ave. Hollywood, CA 90028, 213 467-4300." The case shows wear, scuffing, and oxidation to the corner hardware. Moth Audio paired Craig Uthus’s circuit designs with the visual styling of Joel Marshall, a Hollywood set and prop designer. The XANA was conceived as an ambitious, top-tier headphone amplifier. After Moth ceased production, Uthus continued under the Eddie Current name, revisiting the XANA’s concept in the Zana Deux, a design meant to accommodate a wider range of headphones at a lower cost.