Bottlehead Gear

[Kofi Annan]

After much consideration and the receipt of an AMEX gift certificate, I am going to drop a few dollars on a Bottlehead Foreplay line stage and a pair of Paramours. I also have some Fostex 206Es on the way, for which I'll be building some horns.

After researching this, I've concluded that the amps and the horns will mate OK (SET 3.5W max into 8-ohm, 96dB drivers), so I think I'm set there, but I wanted to ask a few basic questions to see if I am going in the right direction.

First, is it worth investing in a "soft start" circuit to slow the inrush of current to the tubes. Will it really save on the tube life and, if so, will the soft-start circuit negatively impact the sound?

Also, I can't afford the Seduction Phono Preamp at this time, so I'm going to continue to use my Bugle phono preamp and run it into the Foreplay. Will this cause me problems?

Any other advice that you can offer this tube newbie would be greatly appreciated. I realize that for many of you these kits are rather pedestrian, but for me I think they're really the right starting point since I've never built a tube amp before and I need some step-by-step guidance.

Thanks,
Kofi

 

[zobsky]

First, is it worth investing in a "soft start" circuit to slow the inrush of current to the tubes. Will it really save on the tube life and, if so, will the soft-start circuit negatively impact the sound?

Kofi

If you use solid state rectification, you could employ a rugged and inexpensive slow start damper tube diode (such as a 6ct3 or 12ct3), as I did, between the rectifier and the filter section

the downside, IME, is a thump, when the diode finally turns on.

YMMV

 

[Kofi Annan]

Sounds good. The guy at Bottlehead mentioned that I could also just put a switch in line with the B+ and turn it on after the main power. Kind of a manual delay circuit.

He also mentioned that he does not think the inrush will really shorten the life of the 2A3s, so I'm likely to leave it as is for now.

Thanks for the information. I called in my order to Bottlehead yesterday for a pair a Paramours and the Foreplay with the "Sweetest Whispers" attenuator upgrade.

Now its just waiting...... rrrr.....

Kofi

 

[G]

Hi Kofi,

Here is a site which may give you some ideas when you are building your bottlehead stuff:

http://wardsweb.org/audio/paramours.html

 

[JohnR]

Why not just save yourself some time and money by getting something like this:

http://s5electronics.com/gpage1.html

or this:

http://www.diytube.com/products.html

Then you can afford a phono preamp...

 

[G]

Why not just save yourself some time and money by getting something like this:

http://s5electronics.com/gpage1.html

or this:

http://www.diytube.com/products.html

Then you can afford a phono preamp...

Probably because even modded to the gills it will never come close to the sound of the foreplay and the Paramours. Plus it looks like something I built when I was in the Boyscouts. That's not good.😉. Also why would you build a tube amp using PCBs?

 

[Kofi Annan]

Hi Kofi,
Here is a site which may give you some ideas when you are building your bottlehead stuff:

http://wardsweb.org/audio/paramours.html

Thanks! Being the researcher that I am, I have been to this site often. Its one of the reasons that I chose the Bottlehead kits.

quote:
Why not just save yourself some time and money by getting something like this:

http://s5electronics.com/gpage1.html

or this:

http://www.diytube.com/products.html

Then you can afford a phono preamp...

Probably because even modded to the gills it will never come close to the sound of the foreplay and the Paramours...

Yeah. My thoughts exactly. Not that the advice isn't appreciated, John R (ALL advice is appreciated), but I've read the reviews of the Paramours and I think this is what I'm going for at this time.

I gotta get something I'll enjoy and something that Mrs. Annan wont hit me in the head with a rolling pin over. The Paramours fit the bill. I have a solid state phono stage (Hagerman Bugle) that I like and I'll use until a few months passes and Mrs. A will allow an additional purchase.

Thanks for the information and advice! Anyone else willing to chime in? Got a lot going on with the "handover" on the 30th, but I should be able to respond.

Kofi