I am wanting to purchase and build this kit:
http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobespc/S.E.X./SEX.htm
My speakers are Soliloquy 5.0 and was wondering if they would sound good with the kit. My listening environment is a small room. Info on the speakers here:
Frequency response: 45 Hz to 18 kHz
Impedance: 10 ohms Nominal
Sensitivity: 88dB
Bass/Midrange Driver: 5.25" rigid poly fiber cone,
Die cast magnesium baskets and specially vented
Magnet systems. Magnetically shielded.
Tweeter: 1.125" double chamber, silk dome with unique
Proprietary coating applied by hand. Magnetically shielded
Crossover: 3.2 kHz @12 dB/ octave
Physical: 7.5" Width, 14" High, 11" Deep,
Weight: 22 lbs.
Price: $1,395 (with Custom Stand) $895 without.
http://www.bottlehead.com/et/adobespc/S.E.X./SEX.htm
My speakers are Soliloquy 5.0 and was wondering if they would sound good with the kit. My listening environment is a small room. Info on the speakers here:
Frequency response: 45 Hz to 18 kHz
Impedance: 10 ohms Nominal
Sensitivity: 88dB
Bass/Midrange Driver: 5.25" rigid poly fiber cone,
Die cast magnesium baskets and specially vented
Magnet systems. Magnetically shielded.
Tweeter: 1.125" double chamber, silk dome with unique
Proprietary coating applied by hand. Magnetically shielded
Crossover: 3.2 kHz @12 dB/ octave
Physical: 7.5" Width, 14" High, 11" Deep,
Weight: 22 lbs.
Price: $1,395 (with Custom Stand) $895 without.
I must agree with Jeff here, Two watts of output power is just simply too little to work with for your speakers.
Perhaps you should be looking at some 300B variations, maybe a parallel 2A3 set-up or??...something with around 6-9 Watts of power.
Your speakers will really only be suitable for the likes of a computer sound-system (Very close-in) with this little power.
Even so, with Eight watts of power your still looking at only 97Db of SPL.
___________________________________________Rick.........
Perhaps you should be looking at some 300B variations, maybe a parallel 2A3 set-up or??...something with around 6-9 Watts of power.
Your speakers will really only be suitable for the likes of a computer sound-system (Very close-in) with this little power.
Even so, with Eight watts of power your still looking at only 97Db of SPL.
___________________________________________Rick.........
how about..
What about the new stereomour tube amp that is getting ready to come out? It supposedly can put out about 3.5 watts. I am currently building a seduction unit for my lp deck and was wanting to build a tube amp next. Are there any other recommended kits or would upgrading my speakers be the better option?
What about the new stereomour tube amp that is getting ready to come out? It supposedly can put out about 3.5 watts. I am currently building a seduction unit for my lp deck and was wanting to build a tube amp next. Are there any other recommended kits or would upgrading my speakers be the better option?
3.5 watts and those speakers wouldn't be a great match, IMO, unless you're content with not a lot of unclipped volume.
What about a ST70 or ST35 clone kit from Triode Electronics? http://store.triodestore.com/
Or maybe a Tubelab Simple SE board with EL34s or KT88s...
What about a ST70 or ST35 clone kit from Triode Electronics? http://store.triodestore.com/
Or maybe a Tubelab Simple SE board with EL34s or KT88s...
Two watts is not going to work with your speakers. Don't forget with single end amp you do not get to use all of the power because the distortion goes through the roof as you get close to full power out. You can get maybe half the power. So you are really looking at 1 watt not 2. Unless you planning on listening in a closet you will be clipping that 2 watt amp in a heart beat.
You will need either a big single end amp, which will be expensive or a push pull amp. Check out Tubelabs' simple push pull amp. It is all on one board and you can use Edcor outputs and do the whole thing for less than 500 bucks. His website is www.tubelab.com. There is a nice picture of a populated simple P-P board.
You will need either a big single end amp, which will be expensive or a push pull amp. Check out Tubelabs' simple push pull amp. It is all on one board and you can use Edcor outputs and do the whole thing for less than 500 bucks. His website is www.tubelab.com. There is a nice picture of a populated simple P-P board.
so would the better option be investing in better speakers that have a sensitivity above 94db? From the reading I've done, SE amps are considered much more desirable when compared to others. I have been looking at the tubelab website, but I can't find any kit orders, other than the circuit board.
Higher efficiency speakers would allow you to explore more of the tube world, that's for sure. And as long as you can make the size tradeoffs, not needing as much power to reach undistorted reference levels is always a good thing, IMO
SE amps are definitely cool, but there's a ton of good PP amps out there...just depends on the application...
He doesn't stock parts. Parts can be found at places like Mouser, Digi-Key, Antique Electronics Supply, PartsConnexion, etc...
figure out what you need. If the majority of what you listen to tends to be acoustic (vs electric/dance/drum and bass etc) or vocals (as against rock / pop / grunge etc) then SE is going to be a fun move. If you are into wailing guitars, heavy bass lines, or lots of sound, abandon hope of satisfaction in an SE and look for a PP and some new speakers.
Before I get shot in the back here, there ARE ways of getting noisy satisfaction from an SE setup, but they tend to be expensive or involve bi-amping to get the bass range and level you (may) need.
Having said ALL that, I'd still get out and build a real simple SE just for the experience. A good (read: cheap as chips) way to start is to find a ratsnest old console from the 1950's in your local charity shops. Dismember it for the parts and rebuild using some of the simple techniques plenty here will be happy to tell you about. You'll learn heaps!
Before I get shot in the back here, there ARE ways of getting noisy satisfaction from an SE setup, but they tend to be expensive or involve bi-amping to get the bass range and level you (may) need.
Having said ALL that, I'd still get out and build a real simple SE just for the experience. A good (read: cheap as chips) way to start is to find a ratsnest old console from the 1950's in your local charity shops. Dismember it for the parts and rebuild using some of the simple techniques plenty here will be happy to tell you about. You'll learn heaps!
I am not shooting at anybody, but I get the most complaints from the neighbors from a Simple SE with KT88's and the big Edcor OPT's through my 15 inch OB speakers (96 db). The bass can be heard inside the house across the street!
The same amp played through my 87db Yamahas is plenty loud in a 10 by 11 foot room, but you are not going to rock the whole house with a 7 inch woofer. no matter what you drive it with. I have found that hitting these speakers with anything more than 15 WPC doesn't make them any louder, it only makes more distortion (which can seem louder on some music). Once the cone is moving as far as it can on bass notes, more power won't make it move farther.
I have used a 2 WPC 45 based SE amp on these speakers. In fact that is what I listen to the most. No, it won't rock the house, but it is loud enough for casual listening. This combination makes about the most sound that I can get away with when my wife is home. When she is not home, then I hook up something loud. The Simple SE in UL (12 to 14 wpc) or the Simple P-P (14 to 20 WPC) at the threshold of clipping is very loud in the room with the speakers, but not extremely loud outside the room. The Yamahas are "near field monitors" so they are made for close in listening.
There will be component packages for the Simple SE and the Simple P-P starting some time in November. This will cover all of the parts that go on the PC board. You will still need to get the transformers, chassis, jacks and switches from a local supplier.
Thanks George - and if anyone is known for liking it loud, its you! I guess I was generalising and leaving room for my agreement with the likes of yourself. I still suggest that you have to consider not only the components (SE or PP amp), but the system (speaker efficiency and range, source devices) as well and what you want to do with it (loud daytime rocking out, quiet background dinner music, all things to all people).
How many beers in a "six pack"? (Sorry I could not resist.)
The ST70 is a Stereo 70 watt amp, hence the name "ST70". It is 35 WPC.
It would be a very good match to your speakers and it is one of the best classic amp circuits around. Very mature and well tested. Lower priced then two monoblocks
People build them from kits but you can do a scratch build also or because the amp is so common you can buy an old one or even a broken amp and use it for parts.
If cost is an issue a scratch build push pull using a pair of 6L6 tubes per channel. The major cost will be the three transformer at about $90 each and then another $100 for the tubes and chassis. The rest is pocket change unless you go nuts on exotic parts. This asumes new parts. There are many deals around on used and salvage transformers.
You want multiple inputs. A preamp based on 12AU7 tunes is very inexpensive and maybe a good starter project. But maybe all you might need is a rotary selector switch if they are all line level sources.
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+2, I guess. I learned this with guitar amps. I finally connected a 97+ dB speaker to a small 6V6 powered single ended amp and, well people who where not at all close by thought it was a bit loud.
A few dBs of speaker sensitivity is the same as doubling the power in the amp.
Dynaco ST70 was more like a 25 Watt power amp, Due to its wimpy power supply and near class A bias to compensate.
However, whats 1 db among friends.
If you are attached to the speakers, then I can also vouch for the ST70 with one of the many driver board upgrades out there. If you are looking for a turn-key already-upgraded kit that will look very authentic when you are done, take a look at Bob Latino's VTA-70 kits. This is essentially what I have and it is a very nice sounding PP amp with plenty of power to drive those speakers.
I'll add a +1 for the Simple SE, I finished mine recently, incredibly easy build. I wouldn't advise a point to point for your first build (yes, I did this and by the time you get the bugs out it just gets too frustrating). The Simple SE sounds fantastic - my speakers are a touch short of 90dB sensitivity and I'm using Russian 6L6G equivalents biased to around 22watts, so I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even be getting 8wrms out of it per channel and it's plenty loud enough. To be exact it's (in a room 4m by 6m) 87dB in the centre of the room, 97dB one metre from a speaker at full volume.
EDIT - Just checked and the woofer is 99dB 1w/1m
EDIT - Just checked and the woofer is 99dB 1w/1m
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