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Valve Amp Recommendations


Guest jakeyb77

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Whatever the original use, your amp is extremely transparent and clearly shows changes upstream. Recapped the tube coupling and output caps in my Muji Studio DAC II with Miflex KFPM-1 and after a days burn in (takes way less time than KPCU-1 to burn in) I'm gobsmacked by how things are sounding.

 

Just spectacular. More detail and presence than anything else I've run and the soundstage puts my old darTZeel NHB108B / Aurum Cantus F620 combo to shame in those recordings that have a great recorded sound stage and rich, accurate tonality with instrumentation... . To be clear though, the amp to my ears at least seems mostly transparent. It's relying on other components for that added richness and tonality, at least in my system. That's a good thing though as it makes it fit into a larger number of systems with great results. A massive fan of the servo damping of woofers. Really brought in some bass that the system sorely needed.

 

I must say though that I'm still curious to upgrade the coupling caps in the amp though with how tight things are in there, I'm just not going to risk shorting anything.

Edited by MattyW
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It was long time ago when I designed amps as "separate entities", assuming that a system made from optimal components can be optimal. Never!
Today I view amps as "Speaker Drivers". They drive speakers, it is their role, not just amplify voltages and currents.

 

Here is my story.

 

Back in 1970'Th I used to be a student of an Institute of Automated Control Systems and Radio Electronic, TIASUR. Audio was my passion, I played in a rock group, and designed for it amps, guitar effects, synthesizer, mixers, etc... I thought when I graduated in 1981 that I know precisely what is needed to get the best audio reproduction, that tubes were obsolete, transistors were the best. My last audio amplifier then delivered 200W per channel, I thought that it was perfect, and nothing better can be done...

 

...until in 2002 in a small high-end store in Walnut Creek, California I dropped my jaw when heard as if a real Diana Krall playing and singing. The amp was single ended with 211 output triodes, something like 10W per channel, and very inefficient Magnepan speakers, huge like doors. It was not loud, but soo reeeal, I got goosebumps, and sphincters almost unleashed!

 

Since then I started again, with vacuum tubes, trying to get as real as possible sound reproduction. I had my day job in software development industry, but could not shake off the desire to make my own high end equipment. My previous experience with tone shaping for rock group appeared handy, instead of creating audible musical distortions I felt and knew what is needed to make distortions as if to disappear. And now since my job is my passion, I am eager to bring to the market what I finally earned to do: affordable equipment of high end quality of sound reproduction.

In short, Back in 1980 I designed what I though was the best amplifier. It was 200W per channel fully complementary ultrafast wideband opamp.

In 2004, after hearing in 2002 real high end for the first time in my life, I designed 100W per channel push-pull amp with military output tubes.

In 2009 I designed 100W per channel hybrid amp with augmented SiC source followers loaded on modulated CCS,

and finally in 2018 come to 6W per channel single ended amplifier, with regulated power and 3 nested feedback loops.

Well; I forgot to mention that I did not jump from 100W per channel transformerless hybrid amp directly to 6W per channel amp. Between them were 5W per channel triode class A2 amp without feedbacks, and 45W per channel single ended class A2 pentode amp with 3 nested feedback loops, similar to current 6W per channel amp, but much more expensive, and consuming half a kilowatt of electricity constantly. While I love my 45W per channel amp with military transmitting output tubes, it consumes more than half of kilowatt electricity, and I found it impractical, since high end quality speakers with 92 dB/W/M and better sensitivity are widely available, and 6W per channel amp is quite adequate, and many of NOS and current production tubes are available for such amps.

 

 

Edited by Anatole
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Great read, I see you have a headphone amp of sorts mentioned on  your post in FB, what are the specs of that? Your website redirects to your Facebook page but am struggling to work out which is which as none seem to have headphone jacks that I can see.

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1 hour ago, Rockford said:

Great read, I see you have a headphone amp of sorts mentioned on  your post in FB, what are the specs of that? Your website redirects to your Facebook page but am struggling to work out which is which as none seem to have headphone jacks that I can see.

I am still working on finalising the design of the power amp.

What was a "basic version", it will not go to production.

There will be 2 versions,
for speakers only integrated amp, 4 inputs,

and a
headphone power amp, 1 input, separate outputs for speakers and headphones.

In the integrated version the switch will select one of 4 inputs,

in the headphone version it will select outputs. First position for 8 Ohm speakers, and 3 more for headphones with different power requirements.

All of them will cover 6 Hz - 90 KHz low signal bandwidth, full 6W power from 20 Hz, on 8 Ohm and 32 Ohm outputs.

All amps will work with power tubes pin-compatible with EL34.

 

The power amp is planned for the second half of 2020.

 

In the first half I plan to start production of preamps: 4 switchable line level inputs, 1 output.

12 dB voltage gain in maximal position of the volume control pot.

Since the amp can supply up to 30 mA output current, there will be 2 parallel outputs for headphones. It is enough to drive even some planar magnetic headphones that have relatively high sensitivity.

 

Phono preamp is not announced yet, nor I have a prototype. I plan to use zero microphonic super-triodes 6S17K-V that were used in Soviet missiles.

 

As soon as some production will be available, I will bring up my website. ?

 

Edited by Anatole
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Damn, will be very interesting to see how the phono stage turns out. I had previously been intrigued by a phono stage that was offered on eBay that used sub-miniuture tubes also made for missiles I believe.... I never did pull the trigger though.

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183927546301

Edited by MattyW
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17 hours ago, MattyW said:

Damn, will be very interesting to see how the phono stage turns out. I had previously been intrigued by a phono stage that was offered on eBay that used sub-miniuture tubes also made for missiles I believe.... I never did pull the trigger though.

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183927546301

6N17B-V and 6N16B-V tubes are similar to 6N2P and 6N1P (roughly, similar to 12AX7 and 12AU7, respectively). It is a different story.
Stay tubed! tuned! ?

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On ‎8‎/‎09‎/‎2019 at 3:59 PM, Martykt said:

@jakeyb77, Cymer Amplifiers might also be worth looking at.

The one Elson Silva amp that I've heard was pretty good.

 

@Stump is probably the guy to ask about what interesting Chinese prospects there are out there.

Hi 

I second the Cymer amplifier recommendation - I bought a secondhand pair of M160 160 W valve monoblocs here on SNA this year and they are simply magical.

I bought them to see the valve thing would suit me (great mid and treble, very natural and spacious sound) and if I could live with the oft quoted slight woolliness in the bass.

The Cymers had all the advantages expected but blew me away with the tightness and resolution in the bass (I played bass for 20 years in bands live and in studios) - they left my previous 250W Musical Fidelity amps for dead. These amplifiers are very special and I can't recommend them highly enough. The downside is they are only available secondhand as Elson Silva is no longer producing amplifiers I believe  (I would be very happy if I get corrected here). He does keep in touch with owners of his amplifiers - I have corresponded with him and he was very helpful and gracious even though I didn't buy them from him. He is a true gentlemen and his amplifiers are well worth seeking out.

Good luck with the search.

cheers

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2 minutes ago, Cammyboy0_0 said:

Hi 

I second the Cymer amplifier recommendation - I bought a secondhand pair of M160 160 W valve monoblocs here on SNA this year and they are simply magical.

I bought them to see the valve thing would suit me (great mid and treble, very natural and spacious sound) and if I could live with the oft quoted slight woolliness in the bass.

The Cymers had all the advantages expected but blew me away with the tightness and resolution in the bass (I played bass for 20 years in bands live and in studios) - they left my previous 250W Musical Fidelity amps for dead. These amplifiers are very special and I can't recommend them highly enough. The downside is they are only available secondhand as Elson Silva is no longer producing amplifiers I believe  (I would be very happy if I get corrected here). He does keep in touch with owners of his amplifiers - I have corresponded with him and he was very helpful and gracious even though I didn't buy them from him. He is a true gentlemen and his amplifiers are well worth seeking out.

Good luck with the search.

cheers

Ooops just read the rest of the thread.

 

Enjoy the M6i

 

cheers

 

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  • 1 year later...

Edelweiss-3 Preamp+ with Hercules-3 amp
A new version of Hercules prototype, almost ready.
Class A1 push-pull amp, 45W per channel.
Unbalanced RCA and transformer balanced inputs, 0 dB.
4, 8, 16 0hm speaker outputs.
Continuous variable damping factor cоntrоl, from negative output resistance (active servо-damping) tо positive (current drive). Almost inaudible soft saturation when overdriven.

smaller.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...
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