Anyway, I ordered my fu-50 a few minutes ago. So now I guess I have 1-2months of waiting ahead of me...
I ordered from hllyaudio.com, I had to email them a few times before they finally put it on their homepage.
Well, it ended up with the Sweet Peach fu50.
What really got me into this version is the output tubes. If it's possible to use the soviet GU50 tubes that's great, as you know they are cheap.
I will surely contact you S.Spielbergo when I have recieved my amp, just to check with you what you have done to make yours sound better.
Separating power cables and signal cables sounds like a very good idea.
Are you using gu50 tubes in yours or the original fu50?
My intention isn't really to mod it much, just tuberolling and maybe I'll try to bypass the volume control to use the amp strictly as a power amp.
I will just wait and see when I get it.
Well, it ended up with the Sweet Peach fu50.
What really got me into this version is the output tubes. If it's possible to use the soviet GU50 tubes that's great, as you know they are cheap.
I will surely contact you S.Spielbergo when I have recieved my amp, just to check with you what you have done to make yours sound better.
Separating power cables and signal cables sounds like a very good idea.
Are you using gu50 tubes in yours or the original fu50?
My intention isn't really to mod it much, just tuberolling and maybe I'll try to bypass the volume control to use the amp strictly as a power amp.
I will just wait and see when I get it.
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The GU50's do work in place of the FU50's, most of my GU5o's did a lot of popping once fired up but they seem to work just fine now. I have some otk 6n3p-ev tubes installed instead of the chinese 6n3's, perhaps they just need a lot of burn in (been about a week) but they seem to be adding a somewhat astringent quality to the sound, I would like to try using the 2c51 instead. Swapping in a 6n1p ev a few weeks ago improved the sound and I'm not sure changing to GU50's has done much at all. I'm going to start a Sweet Peach thread so I can better organize any modifications made to the Peach.
Good stuff!! the GU50 is extremely sturdy and can be sourced easily. I use my Sweet Peach as primary amplifier on big rear-loaded-horn speakers (Cyburgs das Viech) with the internal USB DAC connected to my linux mediacenter 🙂
If I open the volume 25% the cups and plates are vibrating in the cupboard 😀 This little amplifier packs some serious bass!!
I am so happy!
Recieved my Sweet peach two minutes ago, after just two weeks! I haven't unpacked it yet...
Recieved my Sweet peach two minutes ago, after just two weeks! I haven't unpacked it yet...
Well...
It is really too early to tell, I have listened to some tracks on different albums, some good recordings and some not so good..
My first impression is that the midrange is quite withdrawn and not as clear as it should be, however on a couple of albums it sounds ok. Maybe the amp is more revealing than I thought.
It will probably get better with time.
Other than that, I was expecting more hum.
Only with the volume at maximum I can hear a slight hum with my ears close to the speakercones.
I popped in a e88cc instead of the stock 6n1, now if you'll excuse me, I'll just go and listen some more 😛
It is really too early to tell, I have listened to some tracks on different albums, some good recordings and some not so good..
My first impression is that the midrange is quite withdrawn and not as clear as it should be, however on a couple of albums it sounds ok. Maybe the amp is more revealing than I thought.
It will probably get better with time.
Other than that, I was expecting more hum.
Only with the volume at maximum I can hear a slight hum with my ears close to the speakercones.
I popped in a e88cc instead of the stock 6n1, now if you'll excuse me, I'll just go and listen some more 😛
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Well, you need to let it run for a while to get the tubes to burn in.
Then, you should check and adjust any tube bias voltages (if they are adjustable and have a factory spec).
I personally don't buy into the idea of subjective measurement of sound. It either sounds good or it doesn't. If it doesn't sound right or it has a "colored sound", then the first place to look is tube bias.
The end objective is a clear, uncolored sound from the amp. A tube amp should give you that once the tubes are settled in and all adjustments are correct (and assuming no bad components).
When I finished my tube amp and listened to it I found that I was hearing things that my solid state Harman/Kardon did not reveal. The H/K is a 7.1 home theater receiver and not the highest quality HiFi amp. So, it depends where you are coming from as far as listening comparisons.
Nevertheless, you really need to give it 20 to 100 hours of time to burn in and you will get a much better picture of its real quality. The good news is that there doesn't appear to be anything overtly wrong with the amp, so you can freely sit back this evening with a glass of wine or beer and enjoy some music. 🙂
"HOWEVER, according to the EMS slip, the shipping cost was 1971 RMB. Converted to US dollars, that is more than I paid for the entire auction ($270). Someone is losing money here. "
When I was in China in 1989, there were two different types of money. There was money for foreigners and money for Chinese people. The exchange rates were vastly different. I'm not sure if it is the same now.
When I was in China in 1989, there were two different types of money. There was money for foreigners and money for Chinese people. The exchange rates were vastly different. I'm not sure if it is the same now.
Got 10 GU50, 8 6n1p and 8 6n3p in the mail today.
Tried two of the GU50's with no problems at all, just plugged them in.
And I am now using a russian 6n1p.
Haven't tried the russian 6n3p's yet.
Tried two of the GU50's with no problems at all, just plugged them in.
And I am now using a russian 6n1p.
Haven't tried the russian 6n3p's yet.
They got rid of the 2 currency system 10 years ago, and everything is RMB now.
I guess the ones complaining about the low RMB exchange rate are not the diyer's here. 😀
Any updates on how it sounds now? I'd love to read a mini-review 🙂.
Which speakers are you using and does it go loud enough?
What's the bass like?
Does the music sound interesting or a bit dull through it?
Did you re-bias the tubes?
Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance!
Another SET from left field
I also saw this amp here:
350B X2 EF184 Single Ended ClassA Tube Amplifier (6L6)
350B X2 EF184 Single Ended ClassA Tube Amplifier (6L6) on eBay (end time 06-Apr-10 17:34:24 BST)
which looks hand built, the seller is great at fuzzy pictures and omitting vital details (Not on purpose I do not think) but it has a lovely set of ingredients there - a big choke and some great tubes plus a tube rectifier (lovely soft start and possibly better sound). All tubes look to be chassis mounted so it may really be point to point wired too.
8W may be a little low for me but it's interesting. The SoundTrack FU50 also looks nice - the size of it means it's very domestic friendly but could be cramped inside meaning a big PCB and no space to install anything else (Remote volume, chokes etc).
I'm tempted by the Sweet Peach FU50 for practical reasons of more weight (iron), more space, a bit better known but the SoundTrack looks very neat, and the 350B looks interesting too.
Or should I just go for the safe option of a Yaqin MC-10L ??
I mainly play rock (Stones, Floyd, Sheryl Crow etc) so I need some dynamics but also a decent bass, clear midrange and a sweet top.
Maybe too much choice 😉
I also saw this amp here:
350B X2 EF184 Single Ended ClassA Tube Amplifier (6L6)
350B X2 EF184 Single Ended ClassA Tube Amplifier (6L6) on eBay (end time 06-Apr-10 17:34:24 BST)
which looks hand built, the seller is great at fuzzy pictures and omitting vital details (Not on purpose I do not think) but it has a lovely set of ingredients there - a big choke and some great tubes plus a tube rectifier (lovely soft start and possibly better sound). All tubes look to be chassis mounted so it may really be point to point wired too.
8W may be a little low for me but it's interesting. The SoundTrack FU50 also looks nice - the size of it means it's very domestic friendly but could be cramped inside meaning a big PCB and no space to install anything else (Remote volume, chokes etc).
I'm tempted by the Sweet Peach FU50 for practical reasons of more weight (iron), more space, a bit better known but the SoundTrack looks very neat, and the 350B looks interesting too.
Or should I just go for the safe option of a Yaqin MC-10L ??
I mainly play rock (Stones, Floyd, Sheryl Crow etc) so I need some dynamics but also a decent bass, clear midrange and a sweet top.
Maybe too much choice 😉
That 6l6 amp is pretty cool looking, the power trafo is beefy, the outputs look a little small but the weight is there at 15kg. If it was my hard earned money Globulator, I would start to also consider the Yaquin mc10l and Audioromy fu29 at that price point if you like power. With Visaton B200's (~96db at best) open baffle and a small sub the Peach has plenty, plenty,plenty of power. I just switched back from using a Proton integrated amp with up to 600w of instantaneous power and I don't miss a watt of it. Its going to sound silly but one of the reasons I went with the Peach is the selector switch, with a CD player, dvd player and phonograph to hooked up I got very tired of swapping cables around with my Trends TA10.
No problem. I will try to answer your questions, though not all of them right now.
I am using a pair of dipolar speakers with eight 8" woofers for bass, one 8" midrange and two tweeters. Quite efficient, my guess is at least 93db, they may be up to 95db.
Current tube setup is all russian tubes, 2x GU50, 2x 6n3p and one 6n23p (instead of the 6n1p). Have not re-biased it in any way.
I will listen some more also I'll try to compare the sound with 6n23p and 6n1p, if I can notice any difference.
I will also (briefly) try to plug it to a pair of Mission 750, they are small bookshelf speakers and they are not efficient, 86db and 6 ohms impedance.
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Very nice speakers Bicolor! What driver is the 8" mid? I'd like to know how the 6n23p sounds, will scribble down a load line using the existing B+, cathode and plate resistors.
S. Spielbergo --> Hmm, sadly, I really don't know! Maybe I'll take some close up pictures of the midrange.
My uncle made these, he sold 10-20 pairs of them and kept this pair, they are the prototypes. He also made other speakers, almost all of them were dipolar. He later became involved in audio systems for cars, and he more or less found the cones at his workplace, they were just laying around, and he thought he could have some fun with them. They look cool though.
He put the woofers together, though not the tweeters..
Regarding the 6n23p, please do! So far it sounds just fine, I'll do some more swapping back to the 6n1p and see if I can hear the difference.
Then, it would be fun to change the plate and cathode resistors to see how the 6n1p would thrive at a better operating point -but that is more work than changing the tube to a 6n23p...
My uncle made these, he sold 10-20 pairs of them and kept this pair, they are the prototypes. He also made other speakers, almost all of them were dipolar. He later became involved in audio systems for cars, and he more or less found the cones at his workplace, they were just laying around, and he thought he could have some fun with them. They look cool though.
He put the woofers together, though not the tweeters..
Regarding the 6n23p, please do! So far it sounds just fine, I'll do some more swapping back to the 6n1p and see if I can hear the difference.
Then, it would be fun to change the plate and cathode resistors to see how the 6n1p would thrive at a better operating point -but that is more work than changing the tube to a 6n23p...
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Just curious if anyone has tried Separo / Kendiy amps:
Separo vacuum tube amplifier audio Eechology CO.,Ltd
The SE35i model is sold in the USA by Tecon Audio
Separo vacuum tube amplifier audio Eechology CO.,Ltd
The SE35i model is sold in the USA by Tecon Audio
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