Please School me on Tubes and Suggestions on DIY or Kit

[Kyngfish]

Most of the threads I find on this subject are pretty old, and I couldn't find anything recent. Really new to this.

Friend gave me some old Fostex 206e in the Fostex enclosure. After chatting on the full-range section I ordered a set of modified 206en from Planet 10. Eventually I'll build new cabinets, but not yet.

Right now the horns are driven by a 15 year old T-Amp with a power supply from Radio Shack. My previous "system" was a Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin Wireless. So these beat up horns and T-Amp sound magical to my ears.

My DIY experience is mostly shade-tree mechanic work and minor carpentry. But I'm not scared of creating something, but I have limited tools being in a condo while I look for a house, so I was gravitating towards kits.

I'll list the ones I've seen here:

• Paramour II - 1000 USD - Looks OK, I'm worried whether the 3.5 amps are enough for my 96db sensitivity. The T-Amp lives around 1/3 to 1/2 on the volume knob. Given its 6 watts at 8 ohms, that puts it sort of close to the 3.5 watts the paramour gives, doesn't distortion increase closer to max?
• Decware Zen - the 2 watt amp might be too low, the 6 watt amp is $500 higher than the Paramour and uses EL34 tubes? I thought EL34 and EL84 weren't quite as good as 2a3?
• Kaiju 300b - pricey, not integrated
• El Cheapo DIY - how does it measure up to the kits? Do I need the headache of fabricating everything right now? (new baby, limited space/time)
• Completed amp like a ASL Orchid, how does it compare to the kits?

All-encompassing question: given what my speakers are, am I barking up the entirely wrong tree?

More than likely, 2k is the top of my budget in the near term, and I'm not scared of spending the money, but I'm looking for maximum ROI here, the sweet spot for money, while still recognizing that my 1 year old doesn't really allow me much time for a new project.

I'd appreciate any feedback or additional suggestions.

Best,
Martin.

 

[Steve Morley]

Elekit Maybe?



Hop on over to the Elekit forum. http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/elekit/


Though not simple for a beginner they are straight forwardand Victor Kung, the importer/distributor is very helpful. Elekits, ifyou believe the reviews are over-achievers. I've heard the TU-8340 withLundahls and Reissue KT77s and it sounds very good.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/elekit/301548-elekit-tu-8340vk-lundahl-ll2769.html


Their new 300B amp looks promising.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/elekit/308263-elekit-tu-8600-300b-set-amp.html


Their cabinet work though utilitarian is decent and far better than most people (myself included) can do with home made.


Steve

 

[Eli Duttman]

4 WPC is sufficient for 96 dB. 2A3 based SE amps don't quite get there. The 6 or so WPC a triode wired "El Cheapo" yields is more than sufficient and some "head banging" will be possible. Edcor's GXPP15-8K O/P trafo is OK for a cost conscious builder. A 0.068 muF. cap. between the volume pot. and grid resistor will be safe, as a fair amount of magnetic headroom is available.

 

[cgnman59]

I can also recommend the Poddwatt from Oddwatt Audio. Plenty of good reviews on the audio quality of this kit. It is 5 wpc and the gentlemen (Rodney & Bruce) at Oddwatt are very helpful and quick to answer emails. They also provide excellent documentation with their kits. I put together their Oddwatt Alpha in about 10 hours. It worked the first time and I enjoy it with my 94dB Klipsch KG3.5 speakers. For a beginners kit in fact it sounds amazing. I can only imagine the quality of sound from the Poddwatt.
OddWatt

 

[Kyngfish]

Their new 300B amp looks promising.

Is the Lundhal version the one with the updated transformers? I had read a 6moons review on this kit that ended with something about elekit switching transformers to a cheaper Indian model.

 

[mkane77g]

Tubelab TSE in 300b configuration. Easy to build, sound great.

 

[colnago55]

I second the Tubelab TSE. Also look at the Tubelab SSE.

Both sound great and are supported by a forum.

 

[leadbelly]

A contrarian point of view, that I share, would be that you should be that you should still be targeting a modestly powerful PP amp and try to ensure that you stay out of clipping as much as possible in all situations.

 

[Eli Duttman]

A contrarian point of view, that I share, would be that you should be that you should still be targeting a modestly powerful PP amp and try to ensure that you stay out of clipping as much as possible in all situations.

The OP mentioned "iron" quality in a post. He could take your suggestion to heart and build an "El Cheapo" around "Dynaclone" Z565 O/P trafos and include UL/triode mode switches. "6" WPC, with max. "finesse" or "12" WPC for "difficult" material.

 

[rotaspec]

3.5w into 96dB drivers is hella loud, so unless you are trying to fill a large space, it will probably be ample. Some headroom is always good though.

 

[ColinA123]

Some advice of things to perhaps avoid.
Chinese / E-Bay kits or amps. Unless you have the skill to examine and rectify things.
They are often poor or faulty design with questionable quality parts.
"Cheap" valves / tubes again E-bay and China.
Trying to save money on transformers. Quality here does not come cheap and will be the limiting factor of an amp.

 

[Steve Morley]

Kyngfish: Is the Lundhal version the one with the updated transformers?

I believe this was a different model Elekit where an Indian power transformer was used.


The stock OPTs in the Elekit 300B amp (TU-8600) and the PP amp (TU-8340VK) are made by Atene in Japan. The North American importer, VK Music, offers optional Lundahl OPTs as an upgrade. An expensive upgrade but worth it in my experience with the TU-8340VK. I heard the same amp with both and though the stock opt isn't bad the Lundahl just took the amp to a much higher level of performance.


Cheers, Steve


http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/elekit/309606-tu-8600-stronger-rack-ll2770.html


Elekit TU-8340VK Follow-up: Reviewed with Lundahl transformers and Triangle speakers | Wall of Sound | Audio and Music Reviews

 

[w5jag]

...... but I have limited tools being in a condo while I look for a house, so I was gravitating towards kits..

Given that circumstance, I also suggest Elekit. Very high value for the price, everything you need is in the box - a day or so later, you are listening to your amp. I have a TU-879S at our second house - thought enough of it to buy a couple of other Elekits to put in reserve.

Re: your speakers. You gain another 3 dB by having a pair (stereo), so, practically, you start at 99 dB. I have 96 dB Klipsch speakers. One or two good watts to a pair of those will run me out of the room, so I would not overly worry about power unless your ears are fried.

Win W5JAG