need quick help with A10.3 info !

[Bigun]

Well I shall keep your BLH in mind - it is an enclosure type I've no experience of and I'm the curious type...

Right now the 10.3 Pencil's are being painted by their new owner. I'm looking forward to hearing them again. Not having ever heard the famous 7.3 and reading that the 10.3 is the closest yet to the 7.3 in terms of sound I am now understanding better the enthusiasm for the 7.3.

 

[lorienblack]

As we seem to be ok with wandering topics - I notice that a great many FR and MA purists opt for the low powered tube amps. In a nutshell, what's the great appeal? And would you recommend one for a DIY project? I've built the odd DAC and a Pass amp, reasonable skill with the soldering iron, might be time for another quest I am beginning to think the F5, superb as it is, is not the ideal love match for the 10.3's.

Most grateful for your thoughts on the matter...

 

[Bigun]

In a nutshell ? - this is a question that is unlikely to fit into a nutshell ... I would suggest you ask this over on the Tubes forum and do a bit of Googling. My quick take - tube amplifiers can behave and sound like solid state amplifiers; they can also behave and sound a little different. The lower power no feedback type tend to sound a little different from solid state and most other tube amplifiers. If you are a DIY fan, like most of us, you might feel that your experience is incomplete without trying one. Something from Tubelab (we have a forum for them around here somewhere) or Bottlhead may be a good place to look (along with a zillion chinese amps on ebay).

 

[lorienblack]

Clearly I need bigger nuts then

I did once own a Rogers cadet 3, still regret selling it, but that was before I had lovely speakers and a sweet DAC.

I think my return to tubes will start with a purchase from HK, and then find my feet by modding it. Next stage start from scratch. I find the prospect of becoming a tube roller quite inviting.

Thanks.

 

[lorienblack]

I just changed the stuffing in my 10.3's. The hollow fiber stuffing I had, did tend to clump and I had my doubts. I searched out some other material that came carded at the factory, very evenly fluffy much softer and no clumping at all.

I put 600g in the back of each one.

OMG - my jaw is on the ground at the difference this alteration has made. The sound is evenly balanced, warm, engaging and delightful. Bliss! The bass is full and natural.

I am stunned at how much difference can be achieved by focusing on the properties of the stuffing before worrying about the amout of it.

I am sure this is a well trodden path, but just thought I'd add my 6 pence

 

[chrisb]

see, it's just that easy

now, the search for the "perfect" tube amp

I'd suggest something like a pair of Vacuum State DPA300B, but that'd assume that you just won a lottery

I'm pretty darned happy with my Tubelab SimpleP/P with EL84 - not a particularly hard build, but it did have some teething problems.

As Bigun mentioned there are figuratively (not actually literally) a zillion Chinese amps available directly on e-Bay and through more conventional (dare I say "old school"?) channels such as physical bricks and mortar retail stores. Many of them could be considered as pre-built kits, ready for modification & tweaking.
My first hollow-state amp was a Jolida 302 ( EL34), which was a great introduction to the world of "tweaks and mods I found on the inter-webs" - aside from a couple of solder iron burns (flesh is a surprisingly efficient heat sink), there've been no major catastrophes.

Bottlehead Stereomour might be a little light for ultimate SPLs, but the 2A3 is such a deliciously transparent and music device ( I much prefer it to any 300 that I've heard except the DPA300B), that it'd be to recommend against it.

Of course there will be a flurry of other recommendations, but you knew that'd be coming, right?

that's enough rambling for now

cheers

 

[Bigun]

I put 600g in the back of each one.

This is the amount I started with but found the bass lacking and taking half out produced a better sound. Mine is not clumpy at all, more of a self-supporting open structure where the fibres are connected so that they can't disperse by themselves.

It would be interested if you could post a photo of your stuffing material with a small coin to give scale.

Tube amps - be aware that they are often described by which tube is used as the output power tube. But in my humble opinion this is like telling somebody which power transistor is in their solid state amp. The sound of the amp probably has more to do with the quality of the output transformer and power supply (is it over stressed, does it have good bypass caps ?) than of the output tube. And a linear output tube will tend to reflect the tone of the driver tube, choice of cathode bypass caps and choice of operating points etc.

Conclusion: I would not buy anything expensive that you haven't listened to. If it isn't too expensive (e.g. Chinese eBay) then you have less at stake.

 

[lorienblack]

This is the eBay item number 261069251792 it's a uk listing so you may have to log into the uk site. The fibers are fine, like baby hair and it has the softness of fine wool.

The eBay identiy is "beddingcomfortstore"

I hope that's enough for you to get the info that you need.

I have been listening most of the night - and FINALLY it's the music I'm listening to, not the flaws in the sound.

Best wishes - LB

 

[chrisb]

A trick that someone recommended a while back for keep the loose fibre damping in place is to run a few PSA strips of the "male" side of velcro on the panel walls.

 

[Bigun]

My friend has finished the paint job and started to listen to them

First impressions: "This thing definitely got bass! Angular dependence of highs is at the order I have never experienced before "

 

[lorienblack]

Looking good! What type of paint did he go for, do you know?

 

[Bigun]

He used a chalk paint, followed by a wax. It's a method used for restoring old furniture. And on the inside we have teflon coated silver coated copper wire.