Hello, group! First off, I'm a REAL newbie into modding audio equipment...I've never done it before (color vision kinda preempts it, you see). I am, however, a dedicated audiophile who wants to try his hand, as far as may be possible.
While my Pioneer SPEC-1 and -4 are in the shop being refurbished and upgraded, I'm using a Kenwood Basic C-1 preamp and M1A Power Amp to drive my Maggie SMGs, and a Kenwood KM993 to drive my HPM 1100s. My question, however, is for an amp I've longed for and should be receiving shortly...a Dynaco ST-150, untouched and unmodded.
I just wanted the Dyna because of its quality/price, but now that I've seen your site, I'd like to know if it's possible for a 'non-techie' like me to do the following to it without buying a lot of equipment I'll never use again. My 'price point', as it were, is to stay under what I paid for the Dyna, $100 (hopefully in toto, but no more than that per mod, max...):
1. Upgrade the current single power transformer to dual transformers, possibly with higher-grade, higher-capacity toroids without breaking the bank?
1a. Wouldn't this then make the amp a true dual amp, without the attendant possibility of crosstalk and associated distortion?
2. Upgrade the caps in the front end to larger, newer caps (and if so, what manufacturer/capacity/type do I look for, and what can I expect to fork over for them?).
3. Can I add adjustment pots to the front panel to adjust the output without excessive modification, or would I be better off just relying on the pre-amp's balance control?
4. I'd like to add a pair of meters (hopefully digital, but VU would be ok I guess) to the front plate...how would I do this?
Again, you've kinda reached the sum total of my technical knowledge, but if I can buy / obtain and install these components myself without buying variacs, etc (which I have no idea how to use, anyway...) and have a really kickin' amp, I'm all for it. There's my gauntlet!!!
Chuck Klasek
Norman, Oklahoma
While my Pioneer SPEC-1 and -4 are in the shop being refurbished and upgraded, I'm using a Kenwood Basic C-1 preamp and M1A Power Amp to drive my Maggie SMGs, and a Kenwood KM993 to drive my HPM 1100s. My question, however, is for an amp I've longed for and should be receiving shortly...a Dynaco ST-150, untouched and unmodded.
I just wanted the Dyna because of its quality/price, but now that I've seen your site, I'd like to know if it's possible for a 'non-techie' like me to do the following to it without buying a lot of equipment I'll never use again. My 'price point', as it were, is to stay under what I paid for the Dyna, $100 (hopefully in toto, but no more than that per mod, max...):
1. Upgrade the current single power transformer to dual transformers, possibly with higher-grade, higher-capacity toroids without breaking the bank?
1a. Wouldn't this then make the amp a true dual amp, without the attendant possibility of crosstalk and associated distortion?
2. Upgrade the caps in the front end to larger, newer caps (and if so, what manufacturer/capacity/type do I look for, and what can I expect to fork over for them?).
3. Can I add adjustment pots to the front panel to adjust the output without excessive modification, or would I be better off just relying on the pre-amp's balance control?
4. I'd like to add a pair of meters (hopefully digital, but VU would be ok I guess) to the front plate...how would I do this?
Again, you've kinda reached the sum total of my technical knowledge, but if I can buy / obtain and install these components myself without buying variacs, etc (which I have no idea how to use, anyway...) and have a really kickin' amp, I'm all for it. There's my gauntlet!!!
Chuck Klasek
Norman, Oklahoma