Another Happy TU-8600 Owner - Don from CO

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Hi Victor,
I completed the TU-8600 last Saturday evening after 2 nights of easy-paced work. I could have gone faster, but I took my time and enjoyed it. All parts were there (as they were with my 8200 and 8500 builds). I learned how to neatly braid 3 and 4 wire bundles for the Lundahl connector cables (picture) and I added an Alps blue velvet pot (I had a brand-new 100KA around that wasn't used for another project).

Thanks to the extra instructions on DIYAudio I was able to figure out the pot and Lundahl construction/wire placement. After a double-check of components and polarities, and plugging in the tubes.... I powered it up. It worked perfectly first time. What a thrill! I immediately started to listen to my favorite music in my library. Wow!!

After an initial 2-hour run, I shut the amp down and let it cool down completely. I took off the top cover to verify all voltages were in spec. Both sides were equal and pretty close to the published voltages. Filaments were right on, and any variances were equal in both channels, so I figured it was correct since there were zero sound quality or balance issues. I buttoned up the covers, swapped the startup-test Shugaung 12AU7s with my RCA 12AU7 cleartops and called it completed.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled with this amp and I hate to turn it off for the night when I've been listening for hours. I know it sounds trite, but I truly am hearing new details in the recordings I have not noticed before. Creaks in a guitarist's chair, vocalist's breath, tremolo ping-pong on electric piano that makes your head spin in headphones. When music passages become complex with many sound sources at once, it is not busy and is very easy to listen to -- and to pick apart all the sound sources in both channels clearly.

Thanks to you and EleKit for an outstanding product!

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Thanks for the kind words on the build, Cifte12AU7.

I used to work at an engineering model shop and loved working with my hands. My hat's off to all the skilled people (now retired, I'm sure) that taught me assembly and fabrication - many of them were women with deft hands. They could wire-wrap a proto board like a hurricane :) I guess we're "makers" now, I've always just considered my electronic projects (kit or scratch) to be a "hobby" LOL. Of COURSE we're making stuff!

In order to get those bends perfect, I use a cheap pair of calipers. Line up the cap with leads straight out and visually center the cap between the solder pads. Take the caliper "ears" on top and put one ear against the cap body and the other right at the inside edge of the solder pad. Look straight down from the top, and re-check the center on both sides. When it looks good, use the span between the ears as the bending gauge for each side. They make a special tool for this Pace 6016-0003 Caliper Lead Forming Tool | JENSEN Tools + Supply but the caliper trick works good if you already have one.

Good luck with the remainder of your build, and happy listening! You'll be pleased!!

Don from Denver
 
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