Surprised noone has mentioned the Aikido yet...
I have an octal 5687 / 6cg7 running in current configuration is about a gain of 11 and sounds great.
There are now all in one kits so you now just have to add a xformer and RCA's, power inlets/fuse etc...
There is an octal kit too but 9 pins give you many more options for gian/impedence.
I have an octal 5687 / 6cg7 running in current configuration is about a gain of 11 and sounds great.
There are now all in one kits so you now just have to add a xformer and RCA's, power inlets/fuse etc...
There is an octal kit too but 9 pins give you many more options for gian/impedence.
No, but I think I'll just sell it to pcx for $275. I paid $500 for the preamp 5 years ago, and if I did figure out how to repair it myself it'll probably be worth less than I paid due to the fact the original pt was burnt up.
This one i like very much
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/206415-6n16-12x-preamp-srpp-cathode-follower-printed-circuit-board-design.html
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/206415-6n16-12x-preamp-srpp-cathode-follower-printed-circuit-board-design.html
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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Thanks cjkpkg and Einric, the Aikido is definitely in the running.
I am going to stay away from a "from scratch" project for now, what I really need is a good preamp at a decent price, and I need it now because the digital amp w/ volume control I'm using in place of my SE tube amp is killing my ears. It's interesting how an amp can make such a difference in listening fatigue... Anyway, I'd like to attempt a more advanced project with ptp wiring, but I am thinking that now is not the time as I do not have the patience to troubleshoot issues when my system is down.
So I think I will choose between an Aikido and the SAS 7A. Both get great reviews, and it looks like the 7A is very similar to the 10A with the difference being a regulated PS in the 10A. I think the price difference between the two will end up being fairly minimal. So far I am favoring the 7A because it is less work and I can buy all the necessary parts (including chassis) from SAS at once, and he has tested all the parts to make sure they work well together and are a good value. Also, professional reviews of the 10A are stellar... not much out there on the new 7A design, but they should be very similar.
This is a tough decision to make considering I cannot listen to either of these preamps in my system first!
Where are you? I wouldn't mind lending you my Aikido if you didn't mind paying to ship it both ways.
I know I would have loved to have an audition before my purchase.
I'm in Montana, so long as you are in the lower 48 I wouldn't mind a bit.
I'm in the process of building an F5c for my Aikido and until that is finished I could part with my preamp for a while.
I know I would have loved to have an audition before my purchase.
I'm in Montana, so long as you are in the lower 48 I wouldn't mind a bit.
I'm in the process of building an F5c for my Aikido and until that is finished I could part with my preamp for a while.
Hi, Thank You and I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm going with the SAS 7A and will see if I can build a preamp, possibly from scratch, that will be it's equal or better.
The 7A is not really a DIY project, more of an assembly exercise, but I think it is a good value for the money as I'm saving several hundred dollars by installing all the parts in the chassis and wiring them up myself. The Aikido gives me more options to build it out, but really isn't that much different from the 7A project, I'd just have to solder up the board myself, and am left on my own to find some of the components and chassis where the 7A already has a chassis designed for it.
This will give me time to research all the possibilities and learn more about preamp design before I commit to a more in-depth project. If I do come up with a better pre than the 7A, I think I will be able to sell the 7A for a reasonable price as well.
LOL, now Steve at SAS is saying he's going to stop selling the 7A after exchanging several emails about his kit. What a PITA!!!
So now I think I will follow Einric, cjkpkg and adason's advise and build a 6SN7 Aikido from the glassware all-in-one board.
Does anyone have any suggestions for power and filament transformers?
So now I think I will follow Einric, cjkpkg and adason's advise and build a 6SN7 Aikido from the glassware all-in-one board.
Does anyone have any suggestions for power and filament transformers?
I'm just starting the Aikido 9 pin All in One. Feel free to follow/contribute to this thread:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/212362-aikido-9-pin-all-one-build.html
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/212362-aikido-9-pin-all-one-build.html
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
[/QUOTE]it may sound good but blue led under the tube just looks bad
I've been looking at tubes and figuring gain, and using all 6SN7s results in about ~20 dB gain, which is a little too much.
It looks like if I use a 6BX7 in the input stage with a mu of ~10 and a 6SN7 in the output stage I'd get a gain of ~12 dB, which would be perfect... any opinions on this?
It looks like if I use a 6BX7 in the input stage with a mu of ~10 and a 6SN7 in the output stage I'd get a gain of ~12 dB, which would be perfect... any opinions on this?
Wanna trade your Pre-1 for an Aikido?
FWIW, I have an Anthem Pre-1 (older one with the outboard PS) and I love the thing. I built a dual mono Aikido 9 pin a couple of years ago but I keep going back to the Anthem. With most of my DIY tube amps the volume control sits around 12:00 so a bit less gain would be fine. The Pre-1 has an internally switchable gain for the phono stage, but unforch the line level gain is fixed.
Rebuilding the PS on the Pre-1 should be fairly straightforward.
I need to pull the Aikido out and play with it again........
FWIW, I have an Anthem Pre-1 (older one with the outboard PS) and I love the thing. I built a dual mono Aikido 9 pin a couple of years ago but I keep going back to the Anthem. With most of my DIY tube amps the volume control sits around 12:00 so a bit less gain would be fine. The Pre-1 has an internally switchable gain for the phono stage, but unforch the line level gain is fixed.
Rebuilding the PS on the Pre-1 should be fairly straightforward.
I need to pull the Aikido out and play with it again........
Not a good idea. 6BX7s are variable - that is section to section and they produce a great deal more inherent distortion than do 6SN7s. Also their heater/cathode insulation is sometimes a little questionable; I had to cook a few of mine to sort 'em out!
I have used 6BX7 in the past, where its brute current capacity and voltage swing was fine for driving a pair of 813s triode-strapped. I wouldn't choose it as an input stage. I have not time to read this thread all the way through; could you simply configure the 6SN7s to provide less gain? How are you running them?
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