Hi,
I'm new here, but i'm very interested in what I'm reading. Let me state that I'm very new to amp builing but do have some basic soldering skills, and a very general understanding of componets, and there functions. I'm pretty green , but I'm a fast learner, and love technical reading. I have just received a pas 3 preamp that I will start a restoration on. Soon after I would like to scratch build my own Poweramp. I'm looking for a basic /classic EL34 PP amp layout with an output of perhaps 35 watts /ch. It occured to be that The Dynaco ST-70 clone may be my best option. The reasons are many. Number one would, be the fact that an actually contruction manual would be very helpful, as I've never built from a schematic, or from anything else for that matter! Number 2 is the abundance of parts available. The prebuild driver boards are very appealing. I know many would recommend rebuilding a old unit, but these thing are now up to $500 with pits of rust and all!
My plan would be to build the amp on a new wood base / metal top plate chassis such as the 17 x 11 x 2.5 model from Wellborne labs. I want a new layout with Tranies lined up across the back. A row of EL34 across the middle, and the drivers up front with the driverboard hidden under the plate. I have not been able to work out how this would be possible.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to best accomplish this hidden board approach? Any other comments as to my plan to change the tube placement using the new chassis would be very welcomed. I'm also open to suggestions regarding other el34 pp circuits, but I don't think any exist with the documentation of the dynaco. I am NOT at the level of building from a schematic alone. As for kits, I have not found on with a layout, and specs that I care for!
Thanks!!
I'm new here, but i'm very interested in what I'm reading. Let me state that I'm very new to amp builing but do have some basic soldering skills, and a very general understanding of componets, and there functions. I'm pretty green , but I'm a fast learner, and love technical reading. I have just received a pas 3 preamp that I will start a restoration on. Soon after I would like to scratch build my own Poweramp. I'm looking for a basic /classic EL34 PP amp layout with an output of perhaps 35 watts /ch. It occured to be that The Dynaco ST-70 clone may be my best option. The reasons are many. Number one would, be the fact that an actually contruction manual would be very helpful, as I've never built from a schematic, or from anything else for that matter! Number 2 is the abundance of parts available. The prebuild driver boards are very appealing. I know many would recommend rebuilding a old unit, but these thing are now up to $500 with pits of rust and all!
My plan would be to build the amp on a new wood base / metal top plate chassis such as the 17 x 11 x 2.5 model from Wellborne labs. I want a new layout with Tranies lined up across the back. A row of EL34 across the middle, and the drivers up front with the driverboard hidden under the plate. I have not been able to work out how this would be possible.
Does anyone have a suggestion as to best accomplish this hidden board approach? Any other comments as to my plan to change the tube placement using the new chassis would be very welcomed. I'm also open to suggestions regarding other el34 pp circuits, but I don't think any exist with the documentation of the dynaco. I am NOT at the level of building from a schematic alone. As for kits, I have not found on with a layout, and specs that I care for!
Thanks!!
for kits with full instructions-
www.diyhifisupply.com Ella - http://www.diyhifisupply.com/diyhs_ella.htm
www.diyhifisupply.com Ella - http://www.diyhifisupply.com/diyhs_ella.htm
I'm aware of the ella, and it's amost exactly what I want. The problem is that foward placed Trannie. It's hiding some of those wonderful tubes! Anyone know of a kit like it for a similar price, but with all the tubes out front? Otherwise, i need to come up with a way to hide the driver board on a clone,(leaving the driver tubes exposed out front and on top of the chassis! Perhaps I could use Tall sockets, and mount the board underneth using standoffs?????
Tom Bavis
You can mount the board underneath, with all the parts on the back side of the board, except for sockets, of course, which will be on top (flush if you get the right length standoffs).
DEFINITELY get a board using 12AU/T/X7 - the 7199 only gives you the choice of expensive NOS vs. one new maker.
You can mount the board underneath, with all the parts on the back side of the board, except for sockets, of course, which will be on top (flush if you get the right length standoffs).
DEFINITELY get a board using 12AU/T/X7 - the 7199 only gives you the choice of expensive NOS vs. one new maker.
Originally posted by audiohead
Do yourself a favor and stay away from dynaco topology including the after market driver boards. Dynaco has absolutely nothing to offer musically, the stuff sucks.
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The Truth Revealed
dynaco transformers were/are low quality as well
o well
much better- than dyna
http://elekit.co.jp/english/catalog/srch_result.php?ssi=1
Do yourself a favor and stay away from dynaco topology including the after market driver boards. Dynaco has absolutely nothing to offer musically, the stuff sucks.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````
The Truth Revealed
dynaco transformers were/are low quality as well
o well
much better- than dyna
http://elekit.co.jp/english/catalog/srch_result.php?ssi=1
Finally... the lies and hype re Dynas is dying. Bloody well time.
Bought a st70 in '71 loved it modded it with Curcio bits in 80's V exppensive.. Loved it.. Untill it was demonstrated to me that a cheap NAD simply outclassed it in every possible way.
Also not a Fan of the Chinee amp kits sold with names like Ella
Wanna decent Amp kit?? Buy a Bottlehead, save some coin and get better sounds.. Fact that it looks like a Boyscout project is just icing onna cake. This is alegedly about the Music.. Right?
Don't wanna Build ?.. Buy an NAD, Way better than a lot of high(er?) cost Audio Weenie equip out there... sad but true.
As an aside don''t go building an system of high accuracy/specification cuz the majority of recordings available aren't overly well done and are basically unplayable/listenable on such a playback systyem... making the entire excersise into a joke.
Don't ask.
Bought a st70 in '71 loved it modded it with Curcio bits in 80's V exppensive.. Loved it.. Untill it was demonstrated to me that a cheap NAD simply outclassed it in every possible way.
Also not a Fan of the Chinee amp kits sold with names like Ella
Wanna decent Amp kit?? Buy a Bottlehead, save some coin and get better sounds.. Fact that it looks like a Boyscout project is just icing onna cake. This is alegedly about the Music.. Right?
Don't wanna Build ?.. Buy an NAD, Way better than a lot of high(er?) cost Audio Weenie equip out there... sad but true.
As an aside don''t go building an system of high accuracy/specification cuz the majority of recordings available aren't overly well done and are basically unplayable/listenable on such a playback systyem... making the entire excersise into a joke.
Don't ask.
WOW. Not what a guy that that just had 2 Dynaco units dropped off today by Fed Ex, wanted to hear. . Perhaps joe sixpack is right. Panasonic may be the way to go! This Pas 3 I just got today is dead mint and does look wonderful though. Maybe I'll put a Foreplay kit in it!
Back to my question. If the ST-70 is out, is there any other EL34 PP 25-35W project out there that is doable by a green horn? I'm talking lots of documentation and pics! If not I may have to look to Asia. I've decided against Typical hgh end gear as I feel There's alot of high priced voodoo and hocus pocus going on, much of it is just rich man's status stuff!!!
Back to my question. If the ST-70 is out, is there any other EL34 PP 25-35W project out there that is doable by a green horn? I'm talking lots of documentation and pics! If not I may have to look to Asia. I've decided against Typical hgh end gear as I feel There's alot of high priced voodoo and hocus pocus going on, much of it is just rich man's status stuff!!!
Also not a Fan of the Chinee amp kits sold with names like Ella
Wanna decent Amp kit?? Buy a Bottlehead, save some coin and get better sounds..
I'm not a fan of ST70 myself. When I was looking for my first tube amp, I listened to it and never liked it. No love at first sound
Bare, have you actually heard the Ella? What about it that you don't like? It seems to me that you have a bias with Bottlehead products because you recommended something which the original poster can't find- 30W of power.
Bare said:
Hi Bare. Can't comment on the Dynaco/NAD thing other than to say my brother agrees with you in respect to his first-run 3020 and his pair of modified Mark IV. However I can say I'm not convinced a good amp necessarily makes bad material unlistenable. Not in my short experience anyway. There seems to be a common belief in the inverse though, that the measure of a 'good' amp is how bad secondary material sounds. So far all my playing around has been no-feedback SE and it's possible to optimize circuits to sound excellent with excellent material and still retain the full entertainment value of contemporary horrors without obvious ploys like frequency tailoring or intentionally adding harmonic 'sweatening'. The better amp almost invariably measures better as well, though the inverse isn't true. A better measuring amp might sound worse.
Is it possible a lot of good amps are optimized in such a way that their flaws are just under the threshold of audibility with excellent material? And the cumulative flaws of a good amp and poor material exceed the threshold and sound cumulatively nasty? Of course the material is blamed. There are limits of course but I believe (legal qualifier
) a surprising number of terrible recordings are still good music through some amps without sacrificing the top notch stuff.
Well, I always thought the dynaco ST70 was an awful design too, and I could never understand how it's managed to attract the fans that it has. I suppose that was inevitable, though, seeing as how it sold in such large numbers.
If it's true that the trannies are poor, then why would anyone want to buy a used one to cannibalize? Just for the chassis?
I have moded two dynaco MK3's with Curcio premium driver and power supply boards and think they sound just fine. It's a big improvement over the stock version. Also Dyna's are some of the easiest amps to mod. It realy dosen't matter how good your amp is if the other components in your system lagging behind. What you need to do is count the cost if this project if it is going to go over the 1K range you might want to just buy something already built like a AE-25 super amp. There are lots a other EL34 designs on the web that you could build but there is know guarantee those are going to sound great and the endless amount of time tweeking to make it sound good not there is anything wrong with tweeking but don't we just want to listen to music at some point.
Just my two cents
Dave
Just my two cents
Dave
Hi,
There is another el-34 project based on the dynaco 70 though not a complete kit in true diy form it has a redesigned pcb, bill of material, schematic, instruction manual and online tech help. Here is a link to the webpage http://www.diytube.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=813 I have not built or heard this project but I have built his el-84 project with the so called crappy original dynaco iron and have to totally disagree with audiohead and others. This amp sounds wonderful and although I plan to build a 2a3/45/300b set I will be keeping my dynaco st-35 el-84 clone forever. I would highly recommend either of these projects. Oh he also has a mullard 5-20 monobloc project. There is also another website here http://www.tubes4hifi.com/ST70.htm which has dynaco clone projects
Ps: All of you dynaco bashers are welcome to stop by my place to listen to my dynaco clone with fostex horns and be converted to the darkside. And yes I have heard high end sets 300b's, 2a3's, 45's, 50's, 10's etc and they all sound beautiful and are definitely a couple notches above my el84 but it absoutley does not suck.
Mark
There is another el-34 project based on the dynaco 70 though not a complete kit in true diy form it has a redesigned pcb, bill of material, schematic, instruction manual and online tech help. Here is a link to the webpage http://www.diytube.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=813 I have not built or heard this project but I have built his el-84 project with the so called crappy original dynaco iron and have to totally disagree with audiohead and others. This amp sounds wonderful and although I plan to build a 2a3/45/300b set I will be keeping my dynaco st-35 el-84 clone forever. I would highly recommend either of these projects. Oh he also has a mullard 5-20 monobloc project. There is also another website here http://www.tubes4hifi.com/ST70.htm which has dynaco clone projects
Ps: All of you dynaco bashers are welcome to stop by my place to listen to my dynaco clone with fostex horns and be converted to the darkside. And yes I have heard high end sets 300b's, 2a3's, 45's, 50's, 10's etc and they all sound beautiful and are definitely a couple notches above my el84 but it absoutley does not suck.
Mark
looks good
Hi Mark
I'm glad to see they replaced the 7199, 6AN8 pentode->triode amp/driver with a triode->LTP. That in itself would improve any Dyna, almost a different critter altogether...More like an Eico.
Really sticking with the 'classic' tube sound(?) with the 5AR4. A moment of silence please for the Bell 6060 Intergrated Amp with it's 5V3A (later went sand) I used to own, RIP in a garage right in the middle of horse country in FL (Sugar Sand).
I don't hate Dynaco's, I'm listening to a ST70 clone right now! Actually I'm tweeking it (still)... I have most all of the parts to LTP' it save the CCS for the tail.
Not knocking the diytube guys, personally if 'I' were to toob rectumfrier it I would go with a SS - TV Damper bridge! If using a CT secondary; 2) Damper diodes. Of course that's what DIY all about!
Cheers
Wayne
Hi Mark
I'm glad to see they replaced the 7199, 6AN8 pentode->triode amp/driver with a triode->LTP. That in itself would improve any Dyna, almost a different critter altogether...More like an Eico.
Really sticking with the 'classic' tube sound(?) with the 5AR4. A moment of silence please for the Bell 6060 Intergrated Amp with it's 5V3A (later went sand) I used to own, RIP in a garage right in the middle of horse country in FL (Sugar Sand).
I don't hate Dynaco's, I'm listening to a ST70 clone right now! Actually I'm tweeking it (still)... I have most all of the parts to LTP' it save the CCS for the tail.
Not knocking the diytube guys, personally if 'I' were to toob rectumfrier it I would go with a SS - TV Damper bridge! If using a CT secondary; 2) Damper diodes. Of course that's what DIY all about!
Cheers
Wayne
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