hi,
one of my private use we300b also use this JE lab circuit.
only one resisters I change is the 3.3K 5W. I change to 27K 5W.
because if use 3.3K the voltage for 6sn7 is too high.
only the GTY grade 6sn7 can use. But i like the VT231.
So low down the voiltage.
pls see my amp.
thanks
Thomas
www.diyaudiocraft.com
one of my private use we300b also use this JE lab circuit.
only one resisters I change is the 3.3K 5W. I change to 27K 5W.
because if use 3.3K the voltage for 6sn7 is too high.
only the GTY grade 6sn7 can use. But i like the VT231.
So low down the voiltage.
pls see my amp.
thanks
Thomas
www.diyaudiocraft.com
Attachments
300B Kit Amp
dear Magnetmaz,
I just had to reply to your complaints about your USD500 purchase of a 300B kit Amp. Just to remind you that you paid USD 500, What did you expect a Gold Plated Chassis. The Iron alone is worth USD 400 + another USD 60 for bits and pieces. To be honest with I do not know how the Guy who supplied you is making any money out of it. Unless he is making these by the thousands. USD 500 does not sound like a bad deal to me, so I suggest that you delight in your purchase. Even if it sounds crap, you have still got USD 500 worth of parts that you can only improve on.
James
dear Magnetmaz,
I just had to reply to your complaints about your USD500 purchase of a 300B kit Amp. Just to remind you that you paid USD 500, What did you expect a Gold Plated Chassis. The Iron alone is worth USD 400 + another USD 60 for bits and pieces. To be honest with I do not know how the Guy who supplied you is making any money out of it. Unless he is making these by the thousands. USD 500 does not sound like a bad deal to me, so I suggest that you delight in your purchase. Even if it sounds crap, you have still got USD 500 worth of parts that you can only improve on.
James
Hi Magnetmaz;
Assuming that the iron's okay, it looks fine for the $$ to me. I spent more than that building my 2A3 to the JE Labs circuit, so I doubt the guy made much money off it - heck, if I were to start building amps professionally I'd need to make at least a couple of hundred USD off each one given the amount of time and effort involved in custom building. And that's assuming I was willing to work for sub-minimum wages.
Frankly the iron looks a lot like the Hammonds I've used in some of my amps - sorry can't tell too well from the photo (maybe he pulled the labels?). As far as the RS fittings are concerned, they work fine - when I was young and foolish I used to spend a lot more money on name brand fittings, but not any more. Nowadays I go with whatever I can afford from Parts Express or Radio Shack; know what? They sound fine.
Only changes I'd make up front are cosmetic - I like the previously posted idea of putting some wood side panels on it. Also, I would personally prefer to shorten the lengths on the control shafts so that the knobs would sit closer to the panel. FWIW, although I too prefer toggle switches, I'd leave the power switch alone since it's already got a square cutout in the chassis. You'd have to make a fitting to cover that hole and it's just not worth the effort.
What brand valves are you putting in there, anyway?
Good luck and let us all know how it sounds!!
All the best,
Morse
Assuming that the iron's okay, it looks fine for the $$ to me. I spent more than that building my 2A3 to the JE Labs circuit, so I doubt the guy made much money off it - heck, if I were to start building amps professionally I'd need to make at least a couple of hundred USD off each one given the amount of time and effort involved in custom building. And that's assuming I was willing to work for sub-minimum wages.
Frankly the iron looks a lot like the Hammonds I've used in some of my amps - sorry can't tell too well from the photo (maybe he pulled the labels?). As far as the RS fittings are concerned, they work fine - when I was young and foolish I used to spend a lot more money on name brand fittings, but not any more. Nowadays I go with whatever I can afford from Parts Express or Radio Shack; know what? They sound fine.
Only changes I'd make up front are cosmetic - I like the previously posted idea of putting some wood side panels on it. Also, I would personally prefer to shorten the lengths on the control shafts so that the knobs would sit closer to the panel. FWIW, although I too prefer toggle switches, I'd leave the power switch alone since it's already got a square cutout in the chassis. You'd have to make a fitting to cover that hole and it's just not worth the effort.
What brand valves are you putting in there, anyway?
Good luck and let us all know how it sounds!!
All the best,
Morse
Better figure more profit, Morse
Even a couple of hundred won't make it Morse (I am assuming you meant this in a genral way my friend).
By the time Fed taxes, SS, local sales taxes etc. are paid, you will actually lose money. This is assuming a one man operation.
Business is a real killer, as far as paying taxes, fees etc.
Take care.
Even a couple of hundred won't make it Morse (I am assuming you meant this in a genral way my friend).
By the time Fed taxes, SS, local sales taxes etc. are paid, you will actually lose money. This is assuming a one man operation.
Business is a real killer, as far as paying taxes, fees etc.
Take care.
Hi Positron;
Yes, that was a general 'no bureaucratic expenses' kind of figure off the top of my head, rather than a "going into business" kind of number.
>>>...By the time Fed taxes, SS, local sales taxes etc. are paid, you will actually lose money. This is assuming a one man operation...<<<
That fits with what I've been finding out lately; even a one man operation would have a lot of trouble making money unless a hefty premium over the parts cost were charged.
Thanks and all the best,
Morse
Yes, that was a general 'no bureaucratic expenses' kind of figure off the top of my head, rather than a "going into business" kind of number.
>>>...By the time Fed taxes, SS, local sales taxes etc. are paid, you will actually lose money. This is assuming a one man operation...<<<
That fits with what I've been finding out lately; even a one man operation would have a lot of trouble making money unless a hefty premium over the parts cost were charged.
Thanks and all the best,
Morse
Yikes, i had no idea this thread was still alive. Sorry for my late reply to questions:
This guy makes these amps regularly and sells them on ebay. If you search for 300b amp on there, you can typically find him selling one of his makes. He makes this chassis which is a 12" X 12" X 2", another stereo chassis which is 12"x8"x2", and monoblocks...which cost a bit more.
The Trafo's he makes himself...which is probably where he makes up his profit.
The amp sounds great though. I've got all EH tubes in it now, with the exception of a NOS JAN RCA 5U4.....i had some crazy tung sol NOS 6SN7, but i had problems with them and ocilations....i'm not sure why.
Sounds awesome through my Klipsch horns.
-Maz
This guy makes these amps regularly and sells them on ebay. If you search for 300b amp on there, you can typically find him selling one of his makes. He makes this chassis which is a 12" X 12" X 2", another stereo chassis which is 12"x8"x2", and monoblocks...which cost a bit more.
The Trafo's he makes himself...which is probably where he makes up his profit.
The amp sounds great though. I've got all EH tubes in it now, with the exception of a NOS JAN RCA 5U4.....i had some crazy tung sol NOS 6SN7, but i had problems with them and ocilations....i'm not sure why.
Sounds awesome through my Klipsch horns.
-Maz
What limits me, fragman56, is that i dont have much experience with stereo tube amps. The Klipsch + 300b make for a musical epiphany.....i've never sat for just hours and listened to music. Now I pour a glass of wine, and queue up 5 or 6 CD's, and just sit in the sweet spot and enjoy.
I can hear the difference when i go over to someone's house, and they are running all solid state junk gear, and everything sounds flat and harsh. ( the only exception being Rodd Yamashita's gear
)
The Klipsch Cornwalls were the best money i ever spent, though....and i'm not even using them in a proper configuration. An ideal setup for them would be in the corners, facing in towards the listening room, and as far apart as you could push them.
Mine are flat to the wall, about 5 feet from cone to cone... ( i have a very small livingroom)
-Maz
I can hear the difference when i go over to someone's house, and they are running all solid state junk gear, and everything sounds flat and harsh. ( the only exception being Rodd Yamashita's gear
)The Klipsch Cornwalls were the best money i ever spent, though....and i'm not even using them in a proper configuration. An ideal setup for them would be in the corners, facing in towards the listening room, and as far apart as you could push them.
Mine are flat to the wall, about 5 feet from cone to cone... ( i have a very small livingroom)
-Maz
Hi Magnetmaz;
>>>...I can hear the difference when i go over to someone's house, and they are running all solid state junk gear, and everything sounds flat and harsh...<<<
That's the biggest problem with seeing the light and going to valve based hifi - it's darned nearly impossible to enjoy music at your friend's houses anymore! Also, you'll find yourself stocking up on those precious little glass 'bottles of music', against the possibility of a day dawning when they are no longer available (*shudder*).....
Glad to read that it's all working out for you!!
All the best,
Morse
>>>...I can hear the difference when i go over to someone's house, and they are running all solid state junk gear, and everything sounds flat and harsh...<<<
That's the biggest problem with seeing the light and going to valve based hifi - it's darned nearly impossible to enjoy music at your friend's houses anymore!
Also, you'll find yourself stocking up on those precious little glass 'bottles of music', against the possibility of a day dawning when they are no longer available (*shudder*).....Glad to read that it's all working out for you!!
All the best,
Morse
My friend comes over, and listens to my system.......I play him albums that he listens to on a regular basis on his own system...and he's blown away.
( he has a little bookshelf system (maybe yamaha?), and a velodyne sub he added onto it )
He questions "I hear the difference with my ears....but what i don't understand is why technology from 50+ years ago sounds better than stuff you buy at the store brand new. Surely technology has advanced to a point where something sounding better has been designed!"
What would you respond?
-Maz
( he has a little bookshelf system (maybe yamaha?), and a velodyne sub he added onto it )
He questions "I hear the difference with my ears....but what i don't understand is why technology from 50+ years ago sounds better than stuff you buy at the store brand new. Surely technology has advanced to a point where something sounding better has been designed!"
What would you respond?
-Maz
Hi Magnetmaz;
>>>...What would you respond?...<<<
Well, I'd tell him that the objective of the big companies was not to make better sounding equipment, but to make less expensive equipment, and pocket the savings as profits.
The cost of transistors, IC chips, and the autoinsertion of components on surface mount boards for wave soldering permits the construction of a 50-100wpc RMS amp at a fraction of the cost of valve technology in a hand assembled amp.
Another part of this story was the parallel trend in cost cutting of another major hifi component - the speakers. Since the large wooden box is a goodly percentage of the cost of a speaker, shrinking it's size permitted a significant cost reduction. However, shrinking the size of the box either results in a less efficient speaker, or one with less bass.** Since bass response is a highly desireable sales characteristic ("listen to the low end on this baby!!"), this meant that efficiency of mass market speakers has suffered.
The upshot of all this is that as speakers have become smaller and less efficient, requiring more and more amplifier power, the manufacturers were able to take the average mass market hifi from being less than 10wpc to being around 100wpc - and sell the consumer a series of progressively more powerful amps along the way.
Moreover, the big manufacturers need to keep people buying new equipment every few years, thus they all have marketing departments that exist purely to foster the idea that this year's soul-less black box hifi is somehow better than last year's soul-less black box hifi. Nowadays of course the marketing push is on for "home theatre" (i.e. 5+ channels of "perfect" digital sound). This means the purchase of more speakers (and yet smaller ones to pack all of 'em into someone's living room) and thus more sales of 5+ channel amps to drive them.
The problem with your friend's reasoning is the belief that companies are in business to make better quality products. They are in business to make money and it has long been the case that it's more important for mass market companies to create the image of superior products via slick advertising and electronics gimmicks than it is to actually offer the consumer a superior product.
That's just my opinion, natuerlich. Sorry for the sermon!
All the best,
Morse
**This is the "iron rule" of loudspeaker design - think of the qualities of a loudspeaker as being represented by a pie that can be sliced into 3 slices called "efficiency", "bass extension", and "small size". If you optimise on any one of those it is at the expense of the other 2 "slices" of the pie.
>>>...What would you respond?...<<<
Well, I'd tell him that the objective of the big companies was not to make better sounding equipment, but to make less expensive equipment, and pocket the savings as profits.
The cost of transistors, IC chips, and the autoinsertion of components on surface mount boards for wave soldering permits the construction of a 50-100wpc RMS amp at a fraction of the cost of valve technology in a hand assembled amp.
Another part of this story was the parallel trend in cost cutting of another major hifi component - the speakers. Since the large wooden box is a goodly percentage of the cost of a speaker, shrinking it's size permitted a significant cost reduction. However, shrinking the size of the box either results in a less efficient speaker, or one with less bass.** Since bass response is a highly desireable sales characteristic ("listen to the low end on this baby!!"), this meant that efficiency of mass market speakers has suffered.
The upshot of all this is that as speakers have become smaller and less efficient, requiring more and more amplifier power, the manufacturers were able to take the average mass market hifi from being less than 10wpc to being around 100wpc - and sell the consumer a series of progressively more powerful amps along the way.
Moreover, the big manufacturers need to keep people buying new equipment every few years, thus they all have marketing departments that exist purely to foster the idea that this year's soul-less black box hifi is somehow better than last year's soul-less black box hifi. Nowadays of course the marketing push is on for "home theatre" (i.e. 5+ channels of "perfect" digital sound). This means the purchase of more speakers (and yet smaller ones to pack all of 'em into someone's living room) and thus more sales of 5+ channel amps to drive them.
The problem with your friend's reasoning is the belief that companies are in business to make better quality products. They are in business to make money and it has long been the case that it's more important for mass market companies to create the image of superior products via slick advertising and electronics gimmicks than it is to actually offer the consumer a superior product.
That's just my opinion, natuerlich. Sorry for the sermon!
All the best,
Morse
**This is the "iron rule" of loudspeaker design - think of the qualities of a loudspeaker as being represented by a pie that can be sliced into 3 slices called "efficiency", "bass extension", and "small size". If you optimise on any one of those it is at the expense of the other 2 "slices" of the pie.
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