Hi Tubelab members.
I have built and continue to enjoy my sse from George.
I am considering building the SE, I have read that the 2a version (audio tubes) sounds great, I have also read the 300b (transmission tubes) also sounds good.
when considering the SE uses 6l6, kt88 ( love the 6l6 in mine) what is the main difference with the SE? would using 300b version benefit sound over the SSE with 6l6 or kt88? or would the 2a be a better choice? I know it is all dependent to my style and hearing, I am looking for an objective opinion on both of these amps and their sound.
why build it? I have some time and some parts kicking around collecting dust, better to build than to fade away.
Thanks to all who respond..
side note:
My cheap dac with updated opamp chips(burrbrown) and my redesigned turntable(with Audiotechnica 95E cart) sound Amazing thru the SSE
I have built and continue to enjoy my sse from George.
I am considering building the SE, I have read that the 2a version (audio tubes) sounds great, I have also read the 300b (transmission tubes) also sounds good.
when considering the SE uses 6l6, kt88 ( love the 6l6 in mine) what is the main difference with the SE? would using 300b version benefit sound over the SSE with 6l6 or kt88? or would the 2a be a better choice? I know it is all dependent to my style and hearing, I am looking for an objective opinion on both of these amps and their sound.
why build it? I have some time and some parts kicking around collecting dust, better to build than to fade away.
Thanks to all who respond..
side note:
My cheap dac with updated opamp chips(burrbrown) and my redesigned turntable(with Audiotechnica 95E cart) sound Amazing thru the SSE
I built a Tubelab SE a few years ago, and I think it sounds great. I assume you are asking about the 2a3 versus 300b sound. The 300b has a bit more energy in the upper frequencies, maybe too much depending on your ear/speaker/room. I really liked the sound of 2a3's particularly some vintage ones. There is an issue with those, since the filament voltage is only 2.5 volts, they draw a surprising amount of amperage. I had a difficult time keeping the voltage regulator parts cool. I ended up settling on a 300b carbon plate tube, that sounded more like the 2a3 to me. I didn't know which I would prefer when I built mine, so I made both the filament voltage and the plate voltage switchable. It would have gone a lot smoother if I had picked one and stuck with it. The 45 tubes sound very good as well, but only give you about 2 watts of power and aren't really made anymore. If I ever build another one, I would probably just stick to the 300b, especially since I tend to like less efficient speakers and the 300b puts out about twice the power. Hope that helps.
My SSE sounds great. My SE 45 sounds better, more musical, I love it and didn't think I would want another amp until I built a SE 300b for my son (he wanted more power). Now I'm converting my SE 45 to a 300b.
The trick with the 300b amp is getting a big enough heatsink on the filament regulator.
http://a.co/9xQ5wYK
This one worked for me.
have fun
The trick with the 300b amp is getting a big enough heatsink on the filament regulator.
http://a.co/9xQ5wYK
This one worked for me.
have fun
I've not listened to 2A3's in Georges amp. I did just get black bottle PSVANEs in my 300 SE and they do sound wonderful out of the box although I hear they take over 100 hours to burn in. I got some old school 45's that i was going to try and I did build my amp around jumpers to select the 2.5/5.0 volt filament as needed but i just did get my 300 dialed in this weekend and plan on keeping the hood closed for a while. As others have pointed out keeping the 5 volt regulator cool is key. I run a 12 Volt computer fan on mine via the pre filament regulator voltage of 5.8 volts and it keeps it just above ambient temperature and can play all day without issues and cant even hear the fan. Like you i have just started to experiment with DAC's on the input and as you have found the sound is amazing, I virtually stopped playing music through the stereo output of my phone/computer and play everything now through the USB output of my computer; TV, Music, Games, etc... Good Luck
Kevin
Kevin
The 45 tubes
The 45 tubes are still made by TJ FULLMUSIC.
FULLMUSIC-tianjin quanzhen electron tube technology co.,Ltd
I have see a new matched pair on e-bay for about 200$
I know there are expensive, and only about 1,5-2 w.
I am working on a SE- 45 build and I choose the 45-tube because the SE is constructed for the 45-tube from the beginning.
Michael
The 45 tubes are still made by TJ FULLMUSIC.
FULLMUSIC-tianjin quanzhen electron tube technology co.,Ltd
I have see a new matched pair on e-bay for about 200$
I know there are expensive, and only about 1,5-2 w.
I am working on a SE- 45 build and I choose the 45-tube because the SE is constructed for the 45-tube from the beginning.
Michael
As I draw closer to acquiring my parts, Yikes the 300B tubes aren't cheap, has anyone heard another 300B amp? I like George's amps so far, though I've only built the SSE.
musically if if can be described, how would it compare to other 300 B amps? Not to insult George, some of the others I've looked at start at 1000.00 and climb to has high as $6000 +. does price really affect sound? or is that B.S marketing ect.?
Thanks again.
musically if if can be described, how would it compare to other 300 B amps? Not to insult George, some of the others I've looked at start at 1000.00 and climb to has high as $6000 +. does price really affect sound? or is that B.S marketing ect.?
Thanks again.
I think audio philosophers have been trying to answer these questions for many years. I used to read audio magazines. I would often finish an article about a certain product and realize that I really had no better idea what it sounded like than when I started. Explaining what a piece of equipment sounds like is both difficult and very subjective . Better parts can definately sound better. A $100 output transformer seems to sound much better than a $10 one. But how much better could a $1000 transformer sound? I don't know. I have never heard on of these, but I would really like to. That extra money in your $6000 example might go for better parts, or it might go for more time spent designing and testing, or it might just go to a very fancy looking case. Also if I were to say, "this is the best amp I ever heard" would you agree? Maybe what sounds "clean" to my ear sounds "bland" or "lifeless" to yours. What speakers you match them to and the acoustics of your room play a very large part as well.
Having said all that, I think many single-ended amplifiers have a tendency to do very well in the mid range, but less so at the frequency extremes. I think this gives you a sound emphasizes the midrange that people often find pleasing. They might describe this as "warm" or "rich" sounding. This is what I expected when I built the TSE, but it was NOT what I got! George's design has probably the most detailed treble I have ever heard on any amplifier. The base was also very tight and surprisingly powerful for so few watts. I have come to not expect tight bass from a single output tube and zero global feedback. This is not to say there is anything wrong with the mid range, that is excellent too. It just didn't stand out the way it did in other amps I have. I would not be surprised if you have were to spend $800 to build one of these, and found it to sound as good as, or better than, the $6000 dollar one you mentioned. On the other hand, you might connect them to some very bright speakers and put them in a room with a hardwood floor, and decide that you don't like the sound all that much. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. Anyway, that is my opinion, your mileage may very. I would also reccomend scrolling through old posts on this forum. The tubelab vs. other 300b ampliers has come up before.
Having said all that, I think many single-ended amplifiers have a tendency to do very well in the mid range, but less so at the frequency extremes. I think this gives you a sound emphasizes the midrange that people often find pleasing. They might describe this as "warm" or "rich" sounding. This is what I expected when I built the TSE, but it was NOT what I got! George's design has probably the most detailed treble I have ever heard on any amplifier. The base was also very tight and surprisingly powerful for so few watts. I have come to not expect tight bass from a single output tube and zero global feedback. This is not to say there is anything wrong with the mid range, that is excellent too. It just didn't stand out the way it did in other amps I have. I would not be surprised if you have were to spend $800 to build one of these, and found it to sound as good as, or better than, the $6000 dollar one you mentioned. On the other hand, you might connect them to some very bright speakers and put them in a room with a hardwood floor, and decide that you don't like the sound all that much. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. Anyway, that is my opinion, your mileage may very. I would also reccomend scrolling through old posts on this forum. The tubelab vs. other 300b ampliers has come up before.
Having just finished building a SE 45 amp and having already built the SSE and SPP, I'd have to ask how efficient are your speakers? I built a pair of DIYsoundgroup Tempests with around 98 db efficiency, just for the SE 45 amp. They get as loud as I'll ever want and sound great with the SE45 (plenty bass, details), not the last word on high end, though. I found this out because I built a pair of Speedsters from the same outfit...they have a ribbon tweeter ..and require a lot more power, like in push/pull. The SSE with 6L6in triode through the Tempests sound awful good on rock music, tho. I'm using a sand preamp (Accuphase c-200, recapped. Next project is a tube preamp.
I am looking forward to finish my SE 45 building. I hope there is enough power... my speakers are 92 db efficiency. The output transformers are from the swedish LUNDAHL LL1620 60mA. I think this have also an influence off the output power. In the speaker cross-over I have connected a RLC element (resistor,coil,capacitor)
Let´s assume you have a loudspeaker with 8 ohm, having its max impedance of 16 ohm at 1000 Hz. The impedance rise is of no importance when a conventional amplifier is being used.
However, if you connect this speaker to a valve amp. then this impedance rise leads to an excessive level at 1kHz. Therefore, this impedance riseshould be compensated for in the crossover.
To achive this a RLC element should be connected in parallel to the crossover. The component values are calculated by entering the following data:
the nominel impedance of the loudspeaker ( 8 ohm)
The increased impedance that needs to be corrected (16 ohm)
The frequency where the maximun impedance occurs (1000 Hz)
The neighbouring frequency where the impedance drops - exactly to half its value (12 ohm)
impedanc correction for a valve amp.
R in ohm 16
L in mH 1,62
C in uF 15,63
note: R= sum of resistance- value and resistence of coil.
I have a link I can send: RLC serial Resornant Circuit Calculator.
Michael
Let´s assume you have a loudspeaker with 8 ohm, having its max impedance of 16 ohm at 1000 Hz. The impedance rise is of no importance when a conventional amplifier is being used.
However, if you connect this speaker to a valve amp. then this impedance rise leads to an excessive level at 1kHz. Therefore, this impedance riseshould be compensated for in the crossover.
To achive this a RLC element should be connected in parallel to the crossover. The component values are calculated by entering the following data:
the nominel impedance of the loudspeaker ( 8 ohm)
The increased impedance that needs to be corrected (16 ohm)
The frequency where the maximun impedance occurs (1000 Hz)
The neighbouring frequency where the impedance drops - exactly to half its value (12 ohm)
impedanc correction for a valve amp.
R in ohm 16
L in mH 1,62
C in uF 15,63
note: R= sum of resistance- value and resistence of coil.
I have a link I can send: RLC serial Resornant Circuit Calculator.
Michael
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