A friend has just inherited a pair of Wharfedale Dalesman speakers (rather, rescued them from the skip) and is liking the sound. I helped him replace the rather useless sockets for cheap but functional speaker posts, checked things out, tightened bolts etc. Quite interesting listening to them on my PX25 amp, rather different to my Lowthers. Nevertheless it's fuelling his slide down the long slippery slope, I mean it's fuelling his interest in the hobby.
He's currently driving them with a 50W Kenwood tranny amp. The speaker posts are those plastic things, the threads don't grip cable. I wondered about helping him to replace them but the connectors are tightly bound to a PCB and I try not to mess with them unless I have to.
He's already talking about building a low cost valve amp and I wondered if anyone could recommend a suitable low cost design. I don't know the sensitivity of those speakers nor what design would suit them.
I've built a couple of amps and designed my phono stage based on a Broskie circuit but I'm no expert. Is a low-cost design just one using cheap components (or whatever is to hand) ?
He's currently driving them with a 50W Kenwood tranny amp. The speaker posts are those plastic things, the threads don't grip cable. I wondered about helping him to replace them but the connectors are tightly bound to a PCB and I try not to mess with them unless I have to.
He's already talking about building a low cost valve amp and I wondered if anyone could recommend a suitable low cost design. I don't know the sensitivity of those speakers nor what design would suit them.
I've built a couple of amps and designed my phono stage based on a Broskie circuit but I'm no expert. Is a low-cost design just one using cheap components (or whatever is to hand) ?
The snag with a low cost valve amp is that it often means a low cost OPT. Best to buy a decent OPT, and then save money elsewhere e.g. by using perfectly ordinary commercial components rather than 'designer' brands - this might even improve the sound as in audiophilia you often don't get what you thought you were paying for.
You get what you pay for . There are no bargains in the world of valve audio , what I would strongly suggest is to avoid like the plague any of these low cost Chinese amplifiers or kits .
316a
316a
Agree with both of the above - choose a suitable OPT first, build around it. I wouldn't ever advise him to go Chinese route.
What sensitivity are the speakers ? If under 88dB/1w that more or less rules out single ended unless using pentodes
316a
I disagree about Chinese amps as an entry level option. I bought and built a Douk audio EL34 kit and it is stunningly good, better than some ready built a from UK suppliers who Badge engineer
These old Wharfedales probably don't need much power to drive them. Look for posts by member SHOOG about using power toroids as output transformers for low impedance valves(which themselves may be very inexpensive).
Assuming, as other posters have suggested, that the Wharfdale speakers are reasonably sensitive, "Baby Huey" by Gingertube (Ian) or "El Cheapo" by yours truly are possibilities. "12" W. multi-grid O/P tubes sound good and decent "iron" for them is comparatively modest in price.
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I guess you are in the UK? Here in the USA, there were in the 60s and 70s many console amps that were powered by single ended el84 tubes. I don't know if your country had these units around. They can be had for around 100 on flea bay and rebuilt for just a few dollars. They can sound excellent rebuilding the original circuit or trying something like the RH84 circuit. I have built several rh amps, with different output tubes . Some with new output trans and some using the stock ones. To me and their new owners they all sound really good. If you can get one of those console amps they make a good entry into tubeampdom. btw, some of these amps are small enough to ship in a US post office large flat rate box for about 40.00 international shipping. good luck
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