Hi,
There too many choices to pick from, you must us what you want:
1. Push pull or single ended
2. Power output
3. Any particular output tube you prefer
4. what speakers you have? how efficient?
to name a few, I recently bought a 12 watt single ended(based on EL34) from China waiting to be delivered. Very cheap, $200 plus $100 postage, fully built and I will modify it once I am bored with the sound. If you do not want to modify it then stay away from those that are cheap. Go for the more established brand.
There too many choices to pick from, you must us what you want:
1. Push pull or single ended
2. Power output
3. Any particular output tube you prefer
4. what speakers you have? how efficient?
to name a few, I recently bought a 12 watt single ended(based on EL34) from China waiting to be delivered. Very cheap, $200 plus $100 postage, fully built and I will modify it once I am bored with the sound. If you do not want to modify it then stay away from those that are cheap. Go for the more established brand.
Hi ttan99 thanks for the reply, could you recommend a kit for modding ?
I was thinking before about buying something like this :Sweet Peach EL34B Class A - Intergrated Tube Amp 2X 15W | eBay
and then tinkering with like you said..
I was thinking before about buying something like this :Sweet Peach EL34B Class A - Intergrated Tube Amp 2X 15W | eBay
and then tinkering with like you said..
Looks like a good deal with so many features which my amp does not provide. Having said that for that price you should not expect too much from the output transformer, if there is no feedback the freq response may not that good compared to the more expensive units.
Try listening to it for a while then you can:
1. if no feedback apply feedback to it.
2. modify circuit, to make your job easier get the original cct diagram from the seller
3. The o/p trans can easily accepts KT88 tube which will give you better bass(I was told)
There are so many KT88 ccts on the net you can try many different options.
Cheers
Thanks for the replys , I have my dads old .. and I say old lol QED P300 to tinker with , I will do a full swap out on it to get my brain around electronics and then tackle the Valve.Saves me buying a kit I suppose
heres a quote on the QED from 2004 .. the forums gone now but :
"10-26-04: oldcar63@comcast.net
I have owned several brands all SS If you can find one QED P300 looks crappie sounds great very dynamic open fast with almost tube like warmth. No other amp even double the price I have heard and I have heard MANY sound as good. Another good If you can get a good used price is McCormack dna 125"
So I think the project will be worth it..
Although I've hit a snag already the 470 uf 40v cd 's are like huge on the board and when I search for the replacement they are tiny .. is it the wrong part or progress ? lol
heres a quote on the QED from 2004 .. the forums gone now but :
"10-26-04: oldcar63@comcast.net
I have owned several brands all SS If you can find one QED P300 looks crappie sounds great very dynamic open fast with almost tube like warmth. No other amp even double the price I have heard and I have heard MANY sound as good. Another good If you can get a good used price is McCormack dna 125"
So I think the project will be worth it..
Although I've hit a snag already the 470 uf 40v cd 's are like huge on the board and when I search for the replacement they are tiny .. is it the wrong part or progress ? lol
Last edited:
I bought the FU50 version of that, and converted it into a SEP with GU50s, info here: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/tubes-valves/163459-trying-make-sense-sweet-peach-17.html
It sounded poor when bought, 6-8 new coupling capacitors later it sounded much better, the real transformation of quality and power was going to SEP however. It now sounds fantastic, much bigger than you'd expect of an SE and I really can't fault it.
If you get one, get the FU50 version.
I just recently constructed a Dynakit Mark IV PP using two EL34's. I was just blown away by the sound,they may not have the dynamics and liquidity of an Audio Research,but with the speaakers I'm using they sound awfully nice to me. Check out Welcome to DYNAKITPARTS.com. Highly recommended!!
I personally would recommend a Tublab kit, summit like the Tubelab SE or Simple SE if you're into single-ended amps that is...
They can be modded to use a variety of valves and the maker/supplier posts here regularly.
These are thought of very highly.
I think there's even a Tubelab section on the forum somewhere....
They can be modded to use a variety of valves and the maker/supplier posts here regularly.
These are thought of very highly.
I think there's even a Tubelab section on the forum somewhere....
You could check out the link in my signature. Available as parts only or full kit.
I think people like you are awesome your passion and knowledge ... but I'm lagging behind I realise now that I’m so far behind , I’m an IT contractor for a massive insurance company , I do my job without thinking .. talking in geek speak and understanding 5 way conversations about stuff that sounds like globally gook to all but a select few , I’m not saying all this is esoteric but in a way its beyond me, think I need to step back and start from the basics , I have put a CM)Y together learned soldering in a night but it seems I’m going with the flow without understanding or at least knowing exactly what I want. I have some TDL RTL2’s mk1’s .. I love them as they are but then I read they can be stepped up by 10 with some tweaks.. it all gets deep just to achieve something simple.. good playback of sound.. I’ll go with the QED project then I’ll hybrid it with valves I think lol
Awesome. Always good to start at the beginning. There are many here (most more knowledgeable than I) that will be glad to offer help and guidance in your studies. All you have to do is ask.
Scott
Scott
I’m listening to Nirvana “something in the way” and it seem like the sound is , can’t explain but it feels (closed) I want to achieve .. “””OPEN””” that’s my goal or like I’ve heard on my friends tube set up “ Reign” from Unkles Never Never Land a layer of depth I can’t explain… a sort of warmth of music .. it seems like infinite bits of sound stabbing at your body … like I said it’s hard to explain..
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.