Good question - no I haven't. It would be nice to improve on the transformers. The Lundahl 1660/5mA in the preamp is pretty good and suits the 26 - plenty of inductance. The Hammond 126C is really good for it's price point - bifilar wound. So I'm not unhappy, but I'm sure it can be improved. The O-netics OPTs are good. They're the small "commercial" model that Bud makes, and he's been quite rightly suggesting I upgrade to one of his better models. I could do with a little more bass - maybe a larger OPT. But the bass that's there is tight and detailed so I'm not unhappy, and in any case the lack of extension is the speaker's problem - Alpair 10s in infinite baffles. I should port them to get the extension, but I just like the sound of closed boxes.
Do you have any suggestions for a 3K SE OPT, or somewhere from 2.5K to 3.5K? I haven't tried James either, and they are a contender.
Andy
My everyday amp used in my home-office....
Built mid-1990's and based on the Maplin Millennium design but with mains transformer from the 1960's, 2 x GZ34 rectification (one for each channel). Replaced PSU caps, a few resistors and EL34s last year (after these photos were taken). Still giving very good service.
Built mid-1990's and based on the Maplin Millennium design but with mains transformer from the 1960's, 2 x GZ34 rectification (one for each channel). Replaced PSU caps, a few resistors and EL34s last year (after these photos were taken). Still giving very good service.
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Your memory seems to be better than mine... After some thinking I remembered that the crossover between the Beta-8 and the HiVi RT8 was passive. The system went to full 3 way active after you left P town.
I do like the horns. They are a neat mixture of more detail and better tone and texture.
Ukrainian monoblocks (6B4G in PSE, no feedback, 2C51 and E288CC driver) I bought broken and had to rebuilt:
Now it sounds like dream and I can't stop listening to.
I'm listening to it several hours a day and often all night long sleeping with music.
Preamp is handmade by me, as well as tube output DAC (picture taken in DIY room at "Audio Show", an exhibition of audio stuff in Poland):
Now it sounds like dream and I can't stop listening to.
I'm listening to it several hours a day and often all night long sleeping with music.
Preamp is handmade by me, as well as tube output DAC (picture taken in DIY room at "Audio Show", an exhibition of audio stuff in Poland):
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These days my "everyday amps" have become my Altec 1570B twins. I have recapped them and replaced all tubes and they sound heavenly! I also did a few things with the cosmetics because these amps are truly ugly as-is! I blacked out the whole thing except for the large cans in the front and the tubes. I then put an edge lit engraved plexi front on them.
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My every day amp is SS but my mixer is valve.
I use an ecc82 valve. I have 2 stereo inputs, a guitar input and a mic input.
The stereo channels only have 1 stage of gain where as the guitar and mic have 2.
All the channels are mixed into one output channel.
I use an ecc82 valve. I have 2 stereo inputs, a guitar input and a mic input.
The stereo channels only have 1 stage of gain where as the guitar and mic have 2.
All the channels are mixed into one output channel.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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My everyday amp is a Tubelab SSE clone driving a pair of Frugal-Horn "spawn" Saburos. The drivers are Planet10 modified Fostek 126e.
I always thought I would be rolling tubes and using the U/L / Triode / feedback switches to find the perfect combination. Nope, it sounds great just the way it is!
The amp is clear enough that the quality of the recording, or lack thereof, plays a much greater role in the final sound than any of the changes to the amp I've tried.
Ben
I always thought I would be rolling tubes and using the U/L / Triode / feedback switches to find the perfect combination. Nope, it sounds great just the way it is!
The amp is clear enough that the quality of the recording, or lack thereof, plays a much greater role in the final sound than any of the changes to the amp I've tried.
Ben
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Thanks! That what i remembered, but it's been a few years.
FYI - Gary has one of the best systems I've ever heard. Room, speakers, electronics, sources - all top notch. Very clean, very natural - a joy to listen to. And most of it real DIY.
My everyday amps are Emotive Audio Vita monoblocks using Genalex reissue KT-77's mostly and occasionally KT-120's. However, I like to swap other amps in from time to time. Right now, I am using my 46 SE amps which use a Western Electric 403B (in triode) with an Intact Audio 1:1 interstage. The IT is new; until a week ago the amps had an Electra-Print plate choke and Dueland CAST coupling cap. The IT sounds a lot better. The 46 amps sound really nice but the 1-watt output is a limitation even with my high efficiency speakers.
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Hello, Thanks for your reply. You mean I can change the EL34 with KT88 and vise versa? Do I need to adjust the Bias or something else. I have 4 new Harmonix KT88. Should I try them in place of EL34? Which Tube is more musical from EL34 and KT88?
Thanks for your answer. I will sure inform about the sound quality once my system is all set.
Thanks for your answer. I will sure inform about the sound quality once my system is all set.
Sheraz80,
Mmm ....
Meaning that I will be careful! One must know which exactly are the output tubes. From location it would seem EL34s, but what then are the KT88s doing, or the other way round. It would be rather funny to use a EL34 and KT88 in parallel, or .... as I said, what exactly is going on?
Theoretically, to put EL34 in place of KT88 if KT88 were original, could easily overload the EL34. The bias is different, and the EL34 (25W) cannot stand the dissipation of the KT88 (35W).
Sorry to sound difficult, but one must be careful. Are there any indications on the chassis which tubes should actually be in their sockets? Or can you determine from the wiring whether the power tubes are actually two in parallel?
Mmm ....
Meaning that I will be careful! One must know which exactly are the output tubes. From location it would seem EL34s, but what then are the KT88s doing, or the other way round. It would be rather funny to use a EL34 and KT88 in parallel, or .... as I said, what exactly is going on?
Theoretically, to put EL34 in place of KT88 if KT88 were original, could easily overload the EL34. The bias is different, and the EL34 (25W) cannot stand the dissipation of the KT88 (35W).
Sorry to sound difficult, but one must be careful. Are there any indications on the chassis which tubes should actually be in their sockets? Or can you determine from the wiring whether the power tubes are actually two in parallel?
Wise advise above. I think you need a greater dissection and ideally to trace out the schematic to post, or at least some detailed high resolution pictures f the wiring. It is an odd combination of tubes and you need to know more about it before swapping stuff. Looks like a cool amp! But I like to see my tubes.
favorite amp 572B PP
My favorite amp is a push pull 572B using sowter output transformers can drive the most difficult speakers.
I have 845's se and 2A3's push pull , KT 88'sPP, 813's Se, but the 572b leaves them for dead; has wonderful vocals and powerfuil bass . I use horns over 100db.
Phil
My favorite amp is a push pull 572B using sowter output transformers can drive the most difficult speakers.
I have 845's se and 2A3's push pull , KT 88'sPP, 813's Se, but the 572b leaves them for dead; has wonderful vocals and powerfuil bass . I use horns over 100db.
Phil
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I've built similar amps with both. Hard to beat the super lush mid-range of an EL34. Best I have heard and own is Siemens NOS though some Svetlana NOS come awful close.
