I've checked out both and I like the latter, lower cost is paramount for the essentials (other luxury items can come later as a gradual upgrade)
Though this one doesn't have the upgraded cap board...
Product Detail: ST-70 KIT (240 VAC)
Choice B
I'm asking them for a postage quote.
Cheers guys, if anyone else would like to suggest one, feel free to come up and say hi.
Yikes:
INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS
We have a number of shipping options available to us for international shipments; however, no single carrier services all destinations. Cost of shipping is always a factor including reliability of service to your specific area of the world. Accordingly, shipping costs will be quoted after receipt of your order and confirmation by either e-mail or fax. Customs fees and/or taxes may apply. These costs will be at your expense. UPS and Fed-Ex air shipment charges include customs clearance fees and in most cases it is the best shipping option for international shipments.
Though this one doesn't have the upgraded cap board...
Product Detail: ST-70 KIT (240 VAC)
Choice B
I'm asking them for a postage quote.
Cheers guys, if anyone else would like to suggest one, feel free to come up and say hi.
Yikes:
INTERNATIONAL SHIPMENTS
We have a number of shipping options available to us for international shipments; however, no single carrier services all destinations. Cost of shipping is always a factor including reliability of service to your specific area of the world. Accordingly, shipping costs will be quoted after receipt of your order and confirmation by either e-mail or fax. Customs fees and/or taxes may apply. These costs will be at your expense. UPS and Fed-Ex air shipment charges include customs clearance fees and in most cases it is the best shipping option for international shipments.
Last edited:
Bingo:
I had better get in contact with them:
Important! (HEAVIER ORDERS) We typically use Flat Rate Boxes, which the shipping calculator cannot figure for, so we will manually reduce your shipping charges & use Flat Rate Boxes whenever possible. If your Country is not shown, or if you have any questions or problems, please send us an email to questions@triodestore.com.
I had better get in contact with them:
Important! (HEAVIER ORDERS) We typically use Flat Rate Boxes, which the shipping calculator cannot figure for, so we will manually reduce your shipping charges & use Flat Rate Boxes whenever possible. If your Country is not shown, or if you have any questions or problems, please send us an email to questions@triodestore.com.
Last edited:
I'm with you. Gathering parts for a scratch build is not the most fun part of this hobby for me. I just started building a TS - Son of Beast and all the parts came in the box...nice! The instruction book looks very clear as well. I have built 3 of his components already and they are all excellent.
Son of Beast OTL Tube Amp
It's a 15W P-P push/pull OTL. Kit was $749 sans tubes. I just got it yesterday and got the chassis mostly populated in a couple of hours. I should have it wired and fired sometime over the holiday weekend. I'll be driving Heathkit AS101 (Altec Valancia) speakers at +/-102dB efficiency. Should be a religious experience. Can't wait!
Attachments
What is idle power consumption like for this OTL amplifier? ah:
Reduction of heat. Draws only 1.4 amps at 120V. (0.7 amps on 230-240V)
168 WATTS!!???
Is that at maximum output or at idle? *pulls EL509 datasheet* 126 watts for all 8x + 7.56watts for 4x 12AT7's = 133.56 watts without power transformer losses, at idle.
YIKES
Forgive me for saying, but 168 watts down the tube for 30 watts out? no thanks... enjoy your kit tho, I love kits!
I really like the idea of tube rolling with the ST-70 tho...
Oh wow, I had a set of Custom 15's and I let them go, oh well they didn't have a tweeter like yours has
Last edited:
FINAL CALL
Any further suggestions must be submitted by the end of this weekend. (Monday Morning at 9AM AEST)
ATM the current contender is the Dynaco ST-70 kit from http://triodestore.com/st70buildkit.html
I've emailed them with a quote for postage of $229.95 which brings the total cost down to...
$964.90
Any further suggestions must be submitted by the end of this weekend. (Monday Morning at 9AM AEST)
ATM the current contender is the Dynaco ST-70 kit from http://triodestore.com/st70buildkit.html
I've emailed them with a quote for postage of $229.95 which brings the total cost down to...
$964.90
Last edited:
No, nothing as silly as that with our power coming from coal power stations.
Electricity here is amazingly expensive, even though it comes from coal.
As a test, get your power bill and DOUBLE the figure on it.
My last power bill was $350 for 3 months, and I don't own an aircon, I used to have a Core 2 Quad with a GTX260 which would draw about 160 watts at idle, I don't paticularly feel like going back to those days as I now have a Core i3 2120-T.
Last edited:
But as far as I can see, the ST-70 draws about 175W. Sure you get more headroom, but how often are you using 35W output anyways? I'm running a 3W cathode follower now and it makes my ears bleed when I turn it up through an efficient pair of speakers. I was playing an old 45RPM Frankie Goes to Hollywood club mix of Relax (yes, I'm that old) the other day, and the sound pressure was thumping my chest. I can't imagine what a real 15W is going to do.
And I can't wait to hear what this OTL sound is all about. From what I've gathered, it's well worth a little extra tube heat.
And I can't wait to hear what this OTL sound is all about. From what I've gathered, it's well worth a little extra tube heat.
Indeed, I just figured that out.
Well there is one reason why, the use of more powerful/less efficient drivers.
And I can get new old stock EL34's or 12AU7's and adjust the colouring of the sound
You never know I might come across a driver that I just love the sound of but 15 watts is just going to waste.
Upgrading the speakers is next, and for 1 grand, an ST-70 could go a long way to building a nice large and loud 8 inch full range driver system with a 15 inch driver on the floor facing down.
I also like it loud sometimes, so 35w per ch is awesome, I could live with the ST-35 but if I'm going to fork out 1g on an amplifier then why not go for the ST-70 vs the ST-35?, even if its only 3db-4db louder than 15 watts.
Ontop of that, I know what the EL84 tube sounds like, we've had them in amps here the world over, so for me to spend 1 grand on an EL84 tube amp is just silly to me, don't get me wrong I do love the sound of it but I think its time to move on.
With the ST-70 I can lower the distortion by driving it with less input on more efficient speakers, like the Frugalhorn
The original idea was to get a reference amp for under 1g and less than 20 watts.
I now realise that reference grade within this budget requires not the best sound but the most common tube around, the EL34 does that.
I also need training, I need to know what tube sounds like what, and then go from there, I need to burn in tubes and I need to burn in drivers, and re-gain my footing.
The ST-70 will let me do that. So yes its out of specifications for the original request, but who has built a house and not had to make changes mid-way?
Well there is one reason why, the use of more powerful/less efficient drivers.
And I can get new old stock EL34's or 12AU7's and adjust the colouring of the sound
You never know I might come across a driver that I just love the sound of but 15 watts is just going to waste.
Upgrading the speakers is next, and for 1 grand, an ST-70 could go a long way to building a nice large and loud 8 inch full range driver system with a 15 inch driver on the floor facing down.
I also like it loud sometimes, so 35w per ch is awesome, I could live with the ST-35 but if I'm going to fork out 1g on an amplifier then why not go for the ST-70 vs the ST-35?, even if its only 3db-4db louder than 15 watts.
Ontop of that, I know what the EL84 tube sounds like, we've had them in amps here the world over, so for me to spend 1 grand on an EL84 tube amp is just silly to me, don't get me wrong I do love the sound of it but I think its time to move on.
With the ST-70 I can lower the distortion by driving it with less input on more efficient speakers, like the Frugalhorn
The original idea was to get a reference amp for under 1g and less than 20 watts.
I now realise that reference grade within this budget requires not the best sound but the most common tube around, the EL34 does that.
I also need training, I need to know what tube sounds like what, and then go from there, I need to burn in tubes and I need to burn in drivers, and re-gain my footing.
The ST-70 will let me do that. So yes its out of specifications for the original request, but who has built a house and not had to make changes mid-way?
Last edited:
Yeah, I'll think about the OTL amp, thanks for your help guys.
Alright, I'll go with the OTL amp.
Removing those output transformers from the signal path is what convinced me that its a good idea regardless, that and the fact that I've currently got speakers that will sing just fine at 15 watts (Sony SS-212's), and that it consumes the same amount as an ST-70...
And that 10 watts tube power is enough for me, but 15 watts is even slightly better.
And I can always roll a couple of chip amps for the 12inch or 15 inch down throwing drivers.
Alright, I'll go with the OTL amp.
Removing those output transformers from the signal path is what convinced me that its a good idea regardless, that and the fact that I've currently got speakers that will sing just fine at 15 watts (Sony SS-212's), and that it consumes the same amount as an ST-70...
And that 10 watts tube power is enough for me, but 15 watts is even slightly better.
And I can always roll a couple of chip amps for the 12inch or 15 inch down throwing drivers.
Last edited:
What's the point of a nice amp with poor source and poor speakers? The amp makes the least amount of difference. You should upgrade the rest first and just use a chipamp for under $200.
When you have the funds, you can get a SE 845 or GM70 setup for your 20W of output. The transformers alone might cost $1000. An EL34 based amp is not going to be near as transparent as a direct-heated triode amp based on George Anderson's design.
When you have the funds, you can get a SE 845 or GM70 setup for your 20W of output. The transformers alone might cost $1000. An EL34 based amp is not going to be near as transparent as a direct-heated triode amp based on George Anderson's design.
I've got a nice source, its in the mail, arriving from Russia, then needs to be built.
nice, very nice: 6C33C OTL power amp running two heaters on OP tubes.. - YouTube
All I need now is good speakers.
Last edited:
You might be surprised what this OTL can do, but as cotdt mentioned, the amp is not nearly as significant as the speakers first and signal source second. Once they are taken care of, the right amp can bring it all to life.
Of course if you're in the mood for an amp project, then go for it. It would be hard to beat this OTL for the $$$.
I've been wiring like a maniac all night. Time for a break.
Attachments
Indeed, its good to take a break once in a while from doing THAT many point to point joints.
You might be surprised what kind of amp I am using, a Sony STR-K670P
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
And I have reached the limit of what this amp can do, and I'm bored with it, infact its ticking me off.
It'll be a nice upgrade I reckon
I just hope I can get the order in before the country shuts down for the year...
Last edited:
Agreed, Freax. I've had one of these for a few years now (Sony STR-DA5600ES). It's actually great as a 7.1 processor, but for music listening, it's pretty much useless. Weak-kneed with a hard and thin sound. I can show you some $59 DACs from ebay that sound better than the one in this thing. The controls on the front panel are impossible to understand and the on-screen menus are just as bad. See that knob on the left marked "TONE"? Yeah, doesn't do what you'd expect - at all. And that's just the start...
Cheap tho, thats why I bought it, for $120 off ebay
Mine does good as a bass driver, I might keep it hanging around to drive my 12 inch sealed sub in combination with the OTL tube amp.OMG the dac is actually worse than my onboard soundcard's DAC!
This is the one that I'm working on at the moment: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-source/222658-modifying-russian-tda1543-dac-off-ebay.html
I was surprised when I switched from using TOSLINK/optical SPDIF for 4 years over to analog rca just recently as an experiment.
I suppose back when it was made it was half decent for consumer gear, but not today, even when contending with an onboard motherboard DAC.. haha
Yep I had another Sony here with me not that long ago with Bass + Tone controls on it, neither one did a damn thing! Weak at the knees even for a cheap integrated chip amp.
Last edited:
Which amp? The 15W OTL? If so, the schematic is published in his book Tubes and Circuits: Bruce Rozenblit: 9781477532867: Amazon.com: Books and is copyrighted so I don't want to post it online.
From what I gather, this design is a fairly new upgraded circuit to his previous amps. It eliminates two transformers and a drive tube yet maintains all the OTL goodness.
He also has a 300B OTL monoblock project in there that is going to be a must build for me. The tubes aren't cheap, but the sound is supposed to be second to none. "The most glorious 1W in all of audio" is the claim. I have heard nothing to refute it. My long term plan is to biamp my Altecs and run the 15W OTL into the 15s and the 300Bs into the horns.
BTW, if you're ditching your Sony, what are you going to use for a preamp? I don't think a preamp is a must as it has an input sensitivity of 2.2V, but it is recommended.
Click around his website. Bruce has a refreshing DIY mindset and interesting philosophy with respect to audio. He also has an interesting DIY speaker project using full-range Tang Band 8" drivers. I built a pair for <$600 and they sound excellent for that $$$. 95dB sensitivity is very loud with 3W. They will work nicely with 1W and scream with 15.
Transcendent Sound DIY Specialist in Vacuum Tube OTL Amplifiers
Bugger, oh well I'll just have to use my imagination and your build pictures for now
I've wanted to build a 300B amp for almost a decade, enjoy
Yes I saw that this afternoon, for now I will do without and just power it with whatever the TDA1543 can muster, I've thought about swapping out the driver tube(s) with something with a bit more gain, I would like to try the 12AU7 but it hasn't got more gain than the 12AT7...If it becomes an issue I might get a really high quality 12AX7... or something with a gain of 90 instead of 60 (12AT7).
I'll have to use my turntable preamp if things get too desperate, I'm not going to build a tube preamp just yet
I might be able to fit a battery tube preamp into the TDA1543 DAC which /might/ put out 2.2v pp but it would be a super tight squeeze.I'm outta luck until I can get a preamp and will just have to make do.
This is what the DAC puts out:
Analog first output
The output voltage of 0.7 M RMS when connecting a digital signal corresponding to 0 dB
The first output OR1/OL1 is for connecting to a tube amp that has high input impedance, 300k Ohms - 500k Ohms and sensitivity of 300 mV.
XP3
Pin 6: Out R1
Pin 5: Common bus, GND
Pin 4: Out L1
Analog second output
The output voltage of 0.7 M RMS when connecting a digital signal corresponding to 0 dB
The second output OR2/OL2 is for an upgrade. You can connect Up Transformer through a capacitor 10 uF. For example Sowter 4383 or equivalent. In this case, you can use an amplifier with an input impedance of 47k ohms and a sensitivity of 1V.
XP3
Pin 3: Out R2
Pin 2: Common bus (GND)
Pin 1: Out L2
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/130681589933?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649
No good for me, I'm not in the mood to be cutting wood up, I've got my eye on the Frugel Horn flat pack kits: SOUND WITH STYLE - CUSTOM LOUDSPEAKERS Frugel Horn MK3 kit flat pack Mark Audio Fostex Tang Band
Last edited:
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.