For right now, this is just an optimistic placeholder in the hope that it will get me started working on building one of these amps. I haven't accomplished much so far but will detail a little of my initial explorations.
I was able to try some weeks back a wonderful 45 amp, built by Redboy and now owned by Olson, on my newly acquired and cobbled together Altec 2-ways. See this post for details on the speakers:
http://www.hifihaven.org/index.php?threads/more-2-way-altecs.3162/
My regular amps are a set of AES Sixpacs, which I absolutely love - except for the expense of re-tubing with twelve EL34 tubes and the fact that with the higher efficiency Altec 2-ways now, I have virtually no volume leeway on my preamp. As I type this, playing music through Roon and my iFi dac, the preamp is set to the 3rd detent (7 o'clock) and I'm at about 75dB volume level!
So a little less power would be welcome here. And it wouldn't hurt to have something with a little more triode magic.
After reading @marantzfan 's thread on his build I got interested in perhaps trying to do the same.
So far, I've talked to Jack Elliano over at Electra-Print about output transformers. I'm thinking at this point something like @marantzfan 's OPTs. I'm thinking 3K partial silver at 60ma to 12ohms. Sound right for the 2A3s?
I've also dabbled a little bit at trying to understand the schematic. I made a list of caps to buy but am unsure of exactly when to substitute a can cap for an electrolytic, etc. Here's my list:
Power Supply:
20uF@500v - ASC can cap
(2) 50uF@500v - ASC can caps
100uF@100v - electrolytic?
Tube Circuit:
(2) 40uF@450v - ASC can cap
(2) 100uF@25v - electrolytic?
(2) .22uF@630v - coupling caps/paper in oil/fancy
(2) 100uF@100v - Cathode Resistor Bypass Caps. @marantzfan used Sprague Atoms.
So, the goal is to get working as soon as possible. I'll revisit as I get parts and try to understand this crazy tube amplification thing.
I was able to try some weeks back a wonderful 45 amp, built by Redboy and now owned by Olson, on my newly acquired and cobbled together Altec 2-ways. See this post for details on the speakers:
http://www.hifihaven.org/index.php?threads/more-2-way-altecs.3162/
My regular amps are a set of AES Sixpacs, which I absolutely love - except for the expense of re-tubing with twelve EL34 tubes and the fact that with the higher efficiency Altec 2-ways now, I have virtually no volume leeway on my preamp. As I type this, playing music through Roon and my iFi dac, the preamp is set to the 3rd detent (7 o'clock) and I'm at about 75dB volume level!
So a little less power would be welcome here. And it wouldn't hurt to have something with a little more triode magic.
After reading @marantzfan 's thread on his build I got interested in perhaps trying to do the same.
So far, I've talked to Jack Elliano over at Electra-Print about output transformers. I'm thinking at this point something like @marantzfan 's OPTs. I'm thinking 3K partial silver at 60ma to 12ohms. Sound right for the 2A3s?
I've also dabbled a little bit at trying to understand the schematic. I made a list of caps to buy but am unsure of exactly when to substitute a can cap for an electrolytic, etc. Here's my list:
Power Supply:
20uF@500v - ASC can cap
(2) 50uF@500v - ASC can caps
100uF@100v - electrolytic?
Tube Circuit:
(2) 40uF@450v - ASC can cap
(2) 100uF@25v - electrolytic?
(2) .22uF@630v - coupling caps/paper in oil/fancy
(2) 100uF@100v - Cathode Resistor Bypass Caps. @marantzfan used Sprague Atoms.
So, the goal is to get working as soon as possible. I'll revisit as I get parts and try to understand this crazy tube amplification thing.
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