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    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
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    the safety precautions around high voltages.

Red Army Power-amp

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sharpi31

Member
Joined 2005
For a while now I've been toying with the idea of building a valve power amp using surplus Russian military components throughout.

I have four main reasons for wanting to do this:

1. Russian military capacitors, resistors and valves are readily available on ebay. Many of these components are superb quality and cost peanuts.

2. I like the idea of building an amp using components designed to last. If possible I'd be keen to avoid electrolytics entirely - I have already acquired four 100uF 1000V PIO caps for psu duties.

3. Using surplus components designed for use in war machines to produce beautiful music makes me smile :)

4. I need a new power amp...

I have never built a valve power amp so I'll need some help with the design. I've built valve preamps and plenty of sand amps so I'm confident I can bring the creature to life once I have a good design. I'd like 10-20Wpc.

What Russian valves would be worth considering?

Any help would be much appreciated :)
 
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ak_47_boy

Member
Joined 2006
Single ended or push pull?

I would defiantly go for the GM-70 as a power tube. You can find lots more info and many schematics at the GM70 Boatanchors Amp Club on yahoo groups. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GM70

The only thing is the transformers will be expensive. To make a good gm-70 amp you will need input transformers and interstage transformers too. All this will be heavy so you need to make monoblocks, so you need two power transformers, more chokes, etc.
 
lcsaszar

lcsaszar

Member
Joined 2004
I built a push-pull with G-807 tubes in triode mode, driven by cathode followers, that are driven by a long-tailed pair (3 x ECC88, but 6N23P should be also OK). The two coupling capacitors per channel are Russian teflon FT-3 220nF/400V. The resistors (4 pieces per channel) are Mills, though. There is no global feedback and I get 10W @ 1% THD.
 
Salas

Salas

diyAudio Chief Moderator
Joined 2002
Paid Member
MQracing said:
Here is another cold war amp complete with hammer & sickle;)


http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/magnequest/messages/7815.html


It uses all Russian tubes, Russian signal coupling caps, and the beautiful 20 uf 400v Russian bathtub power supply filter caps. Audio tranneys were made by us (MagneQuest) in the US :)


I think you'll enjoy the pictures of the amp.


MSL
Click to expand...

Thats GROOVY!!!!!!
 
soundbrigade

soundbrigade

Member
Joined 2006
pastisch.se/tubes/
No its not ... The emblem is too indiscrete....:rolleyes:

If you are lokking for a non-DIY amp you should look for a Priboy. I have one that I unfortunately have modified but I plan to either throw in some GU50's or 6S36P (EL500) and get back some of the 60W it was originally made for.


PS. I like the hammer and sickle, but I could even consider a small emblem made of Lenin in profile.
 
Salas

Salas

diyAudio Chief Moderator
Joined 2002
Paid Member
Colt45 said:
There might not have been Stalin, cold war, or SSSR without Lenin ;)
Click to expand...

Of course. But thats cause and consequence...And no Bolshevik (majority) party would have been organized without a Tsar* to overthrow, and no Marxism would have been conceived without capitalism to criticize etc.
But strictly as a cold war protagonist in a historical context was Stalin. So I guess he is the prominent candidate for a figure on an amp named cold war.

*Caesar

soundbrigade said:
And Stalin was from Georgia (USSR that is). Not a real Russian.

It would have been great to find someone who could spraypaint a chassis as if a Soviet flag was draped over it and the hammer and sickle barely were visible in the "folds".
Click to expand...

CCCP was a union. No need for Stalin to have been Russian. Only ''Russocentric''.

Very nice cosmetic idea!
 
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sharpi31

Member
Joined 2005
My 100uF caps look the same as the silver one in the ebay listing except mine are painted brown and NOS.

I'm aware that the amp could end up being massive - each of these caps is about 15x9x9cm so four will take up a lot of space!

Thanks for the info. I hadn't found a source for Russian transformers so that's very useful information.
 
soundbrigade

soundbrigade

Member
Joined 2006
pastisch.se/tubes/
If Stalin and Lenin are scary a simple red star is enough. And pick a suitable name for the amp - VladLen or Iosip or UZIL will make people confused.

Check Golden Middle, but I guessprices for transport will be high. I got an offer for two X-formers to Sweden (500km away) - not that very cheap. And I think, but cannot say for sure, taht there even may be added som export tax. Check that all out.

One more thing; Russians are very good at making things (that work).
 
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