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Simple SE Build (hopefully high-end!)

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Greetings All,

Welcome to the first post in my Simple SE build!
I've been getting together all the parts over the last few months and I picked up the final parts today (the OPTs). The details are as follows:

Onetics Level-1 OPTs
Edcor XPWR035 Power transformer
Edcor CXC125-10H-200mA Choke
Tube power supply with Thermistors
ASC supplemental cap
JJ electrolytics
Cardas bypas caps
EL34s (JJ Blue Glass) or EH6550s (I have a ton of these)
Six position switchable cathode resistor (a la Russ)
All Cardas internal wiring
Cardas binding posts
Audio Note RCAs

At this point, I'm not including the UL/Triode switch (I will just use triode).

I have my top plate almost completely drilled and some nice Koa wood for the rest of the chassis. The board is populated (and double checked) and I should have some pictures tomorrow.

Nate
 
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It is my first diy amplifier, but I've build a few other projects that required some chassis work…
At the moment, the diy components in my system are an Aikido preamp, Pearl Phono preamp (with lundhal step up transformers) and some nice mtm floor standers (eton mid-woofs and accuton tweeters).

I ordered some "soft" aluminum from onlinemetals.com (they are local which is nice) and i used various drill bits and bi-metal hole saws in my drill press for the metal work. Bending is actually pretty easy. I have a blade for my table saw that is good for cutting aluminum so I cut a shallow channel in the plate to help guide the bending. I've done this before and it works really well. The finish is some sort of rustoleum rattle can green primed first.

I mentioned in the previous post that I was going to use Koa… I switched to some burled maple instead.
nate
 
Thanks to an understanding wife and a sleeping daughter… I was able to go through the final check out (thanks Ty) and triple check all of my wiring for the second time…

I still didn't find any errors and I took the plunge and broke out my variac and started taking some readings. My dvm is only rated to 300v so I had to use the variac to bring the voltage up slowly. Everything checked out fine and now I'm listening to some nice Ralph Towner. According to the manufacturer, the Cardas caps take 500 hours to break in… So in terms of sound quality of the amp, i will get back to you sometime next fall… :)

What I can say is that the noise floor is incredibly low, and far lower than that of my Audio Research D125. I turned my preamp up (with no music playing) and there was very little tube rush or any other noise coming out of the speakers.

Tomorrow I will be able to do some more listening at realistic volume levels and have more comments.

Thank you George for an amazing amount of support and dedication to our hobby and tube amps. I will be thanking you for many years to come.

Nate
 
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It is a "hammer tone" green and it looks kind of pebbled up close. A friend of mine has a preamp and amp made by Ken Shindo of Japan… His gear sounds really incredible and it is all painted a really nice green… I loved the sound so much that I though that there must be something with that green paint! I nicked the front corner when I was flipping it over to tighten a couple bolts… this sucker is heavy. I will have to drop fill the ding sometime soon…

nate
 
Hi All,

So, there have been a few random posts about KT120s in a Simple SE. After some searching, I wasn't able to find anyone who had actually tried these tubes. Taking George's advice, I dropped the tubes in my stock Simple SE. The results were interesting when compared to JJ EL34s. Immediately, the noise floor seemed to be lower and the soundstage more distant (pushed back farther behind the speakers). The bottom end tightened up a bit as well. I have the adjustable Cathode bias switch as Russ used in his build and I was able to turn it all the way up and the tubes sounded even better with no noticeable changes in the tubes (no unusual glowing etc.) I really like both sets of tubes but I have found myself listening to the EL34s the most.

I had a couple sets of Audio friends over this past couple months and they all agree that the Simple SE with all of its 6 watts is a huge winner. It took some time for the amp's sound to settle down and now it is delivering the best sound I've had at my house.

Thanks again George and also thanks to Bud for the sweet OPTs.

Nate
 
Hi,

I think it is better to get a ready made single ended amplifier and modify it, it is cheaper as well.

I bought this,
EL34 6CA7 SE Single Ended Integrated Tube Amplifier | eBay

I mean to modify it, without modifications it sounds quite good already. BTW I use KT88 instead direct plug in without any component changes. I got it from the wholesaler direct and it costs me US$200 excluding postage. The chassis is chrome plated and worth more than $100 already.
 
Nate,

Very nice build!

Read many a happy builder testimonial on George's Simple SE on how good the amp sounds, and I am planning to build one also. I too wanted to go for O-netics Level-1 OPTs (users love'em) , but will have to pass this time. What speakers are you using?
 
Hi guys,
For speakers, I built some MTM floor standers using an Accuton 1.2" ceramic tweeter and a paid of Eton 7-372 mid woofers. They come out to be about 90db or so. I am getting enough volume out of them with EL34s (about 6 watts or so), but my Aikido preamp is pretty much full open…

I would strongly recommend the O'Netics OPTs. Bud is local for me so that saved on shipping costs. I'm getting a superb amount of detail out of this amp andI have give the credit to george and Bud.

Nate
 
Hi,

I think it is better to get a ready made single ended amplifier and modify it, it is cheaper as well.

I bought this,
EL34 6CA7 SE Single Ended Integrated Tube Amplifier | eBay

I mean to modify it, without modifications it sounds quite good already. BTW I use KT88 instead direct plug in without any component changes. I got it from the wholesaler direct and it costs me US$200 excluding postage. The chassis is chrome plated and worth more than $100 already.

Interesting amp. I have though about buying an old Dynaco ST70 and refurbishing it, but I don't think that would have really scratched my itch. Building this amp was not cheap, but I sold my Audio Research for a good enough price where I could put the money right into another project (plus another couple hundred). As the title says, i wanted this amp to be "Hopefully Hi-End). It certainly has delivered so far. Given my schedule and total lack of free time for my hobbies (this is ok as my #1 hobby now is my daughter!) I had to build this amp right the first time. I don't really have any time to change out parts or experiment. I have heard quite a few other tube amps and this stands on its own. For $1000 this amp really is a game changer for me.
Nate
 
What's the purpose of this post in a vendor forum? How does this help anyone considering or building Tubelab products.

The best one can say is that it is uncalled for.


Hi,

I think it is better to get a ready made single ended amplifier and modify it, it is cheaper as well.

I bought this,
EL34 6CA7 SE Single Ended Integrated Tube Amplifier | eBay

I mean to modify it, without modifications it sounds quite good already. BTW I use KT88 instead direct plug in without any component changes. I got it from the wholesaler direct and it costs me US$200 excluding postage. The chassis is chrome plated and worth more than $100 already.
 
I agree Fastbike1. Not really sure how that post fits in. I guess I gave the author the benefit of the doubt.

Hi Dave- I would like to try some full range drivers with the SSE, but I don't think it will happen any time soon…. My amp will be making a short local road trip to see how it powers some other speakers. A friend of mine has a pair of Daedalus Athenas that are amazing. They use a Fostex full range driver for the midrange. They are quite sensitive at 94db so it will be an interesting test. I have another friend with some 94db Coincident total Eclipse speakers at 94db that we will try too. I'm pretty excited.
Nate
 
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