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McChanson Valve Amp Owners Thread


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Just now, Odyssey said:

 

Sounds great to me nevertheless with headphones. In fact I have a slight preference of it over the 300b ... ymmv as usual.

 

I don't use KT150 tubes though. I will use KT88, KT77, EL34, 6550, 807, etc

They all sound good, it is all subjective and depending on what type of muisc too ?

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9 minutes ago, dwbasement said:

I changed the look of mine a bit...timber side panel, solid aluminium knob and isoacoustics feets...

20210409_231737.jpg

Hey Dennis you amp looks so good man!!!!!!! color coordination, silver chassis with black knob!!!! Very impressive looking amp...

 

show us another angle of your amp... want to see your wooden side panel...

Edited by xtiva2000
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On 19/11/2020 at 3:18 PM, dwbasement said:

I use the 6AS7 parallel SET approx 12wpc, more than enough to drive my hybrid horns setup which is still evolving atm, recently added a pair of small tweeter horn so the mid horn can just do its own duty. Next year will look at building the woofer box to complete the project.

I used to have a few of Eric's amps but the 6AS7 is what left becasue this is the one that sings best with my setup.

I am a good friend of him, I think I have tried most of his amps, and we had a few get together sessions to try out his different amps...etc. and actually I have his first 6AS7 amp, as you all know 6AS7 is very popular in the headphones amps world. So I asked Eric to design one for me using the 6AS7, it was started as a power amp to go with his 12AU7 pre amp. Since then my 6AS7 has gone through many rounds of surgery, upgraded to a stage that Eric said there is nothing to change.... it is now an integrated amp without any caps.

It still has his marzE transformer which is now discontinued. I also added bits and pieces myself to change the look a little. Timber trim on the sides, big solid aluminium knobs and removed the words on the front panel  also changed the feets to viprapod cones. 

20201119_150201.jpg

 

I see it here now. It's gorgeous. Looks good with the interstage transformers even if it looks a bit crowded. I bet that will sound great with headphones too. I should show Eric this.... ?

 

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On 20/10/2020 at 10:17 PM, doogie44 said:

Here is a recent pic of most of my lounge room system.

 

The McChanson 300B )Shuguang Black Treasures) is to the right [next to the Elekit (then 5881) SEPentode amp]. I am trying the 6FD7 driving tubes with adaptors.

 

In the front is the Line Magnetic EL84-based 219iA Mini SEP & headphone amp (3W output). Back left is the king--the Line Magnetic 518iA SET 845 amp. Feeding them in the very back is the Leben RS-28CX valve preamplifier (with phono). Other sources are the Clearaudio performance T/T (with Maestro Wood MM); the Naim NAT-01 tuner (hidden); the Audionote CD-2 CD player and the Cambridge CXN streamer.

 

Speakers are the Tekton Design Perfect SET 15 (98dB + 8 ohm). 2 x REL Storm5 subs are stashed elsewhere out of frame.

 

I rotate through the amps according to whim and specific music. The FM radio (ABC or 2MBS Fine Music) via the 845 amp takes some beating.

 

It's a tough gig but someone's got to do it!

 

Nice collection of tube amps. I have Elekit TU-8500 / TU-8200, Oblivion, a custom amp coming from Sweden using Sowter transformers and I'm thinking of getting Eric's 300b or his KT150 amp.

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7 minutes ago, Odyssey said:

 

I see it here now. It's gorgeous. Looks good with the interstage transformers even if it looks a bit crowded. I bet that will sound great with headphones too. I should show Eric this.... ?

 

He seen it before, we chat every now and then. ?

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12 minutes ago, dwbasement said:

Here is the top and side.

2 x 6AS7 running parallel.

20210409_233900.jpg

 

OH awesome!!!! is wooden panel your DIY or did Eric do that for you?

 

looks so much better man :)

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9 minutes ago, xtiva2000 said:

 

OH awesome!!!! is wooden panel your DIY or did Eric do that for you?

 

looks so much better man :)

I did it myself at different times. Eric is technical, he builds great sounding amps, that is just Eric ?

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2 minutes ago, dwbasement said:

I did it myself at different times. Eric is technical, he builds great sounding amps, that is just Eric ?

lol I know exactly what you mean :) 

 

Amp only has only those that are necessary for the sound.. nothing else :)

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11 hours ago, dwbasement said:

Here is the top and side.

2 x 6AS7 running parallel.

20210409_233900.jpg


Eric did say that your amp is the best sounding in his opinion. I have to invite myself over one day. ?

 

Parallel 6as7g and double choke ... I have to witness that in action.

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3 minutes ago, Odyssey said:


Eric did say that your amp is the best sounding in his opinion. I have to invite myself over one day. ?

 

Parallel 6as7g and double choke ... I have to witness that in action.

That's what he said haha, it also has the interstage trannies.

He said it because he has been to my place for couple of gtg with his other amps. 

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53 minutes ago, Odyssey said:

Finally got to try using the KT88 amp driving my main Axis LS88. New respect for Eric's amp now. Sounded better than my vintage Kenwood KA 3300D.  I'm so looking forward to the 300b amp. @xtiva2000 was present.

 

 

 

IMG_2182.jpg

 

Man listening to my HD800 one thing but today it opened up on what Eric's amp can bring out.  Totally amazed!!!!!...

I only have a little bookshelf so can't get that much of body and depth but yeah very impressed with the amp!!!!

My little Martin Logan Motion 15i Speaker using as nearfield 

 

20210411_142647.thumb.jpg.4018a3f3cf2abf5f59c93312fe324d5e.jpg

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On 10/04/2021 at 11:43 AM, dwbasement said:

That's what he said haha, it also has the interstage trannies.

He said it because he has been to my place for couple of gtg with his other amps. 

Sounds awesome. How many watts do you get from the parallel 6as7's?

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On 10/04/2021 at 11:34 AM, Odyssey said:


Eric did say that your amp is the best sounding in his opinion. I have to invite myself over one day. ?

 

Parallel 6as7g and double choke ... I have to witness that in action.

 

If you get a 300B custom job ask for the interstage trafos to be fitted like in Dennis' awesome amp above. ?

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On 11/04/2021 at 8:07 PM, xlr8or said:

 

If you get a 300B custom job ask for the interstage trafos to be fitted like in Dennis' awesome amp above. ?

 

Thanks. I'm having interstage transformers in my custom 300b amp together with upgraded CMC style tube sockets, RCA and speaker posts. Built should be starting soon.

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In the early stage of my talk with Eric, it was propose that a special silver chassis and 3 chrome silver marzE transformers will be used but the matching choke is missing. On top of that, adding the black interstage transformers means it's not matching visually. ?

 

So I've settled on a deeper chassis with silver front plate and black metal top plate. All transformers and choke will be timE and in black. 

 

This is what Eric has to say about Interstage transformers - 

 

When one considers the need to an upgrade to the existing coupling cap - one can either think about good caps like Mundorf Supreme Silver Oil or  others, an alternative is to use I T ( Interstage Transformer) instead. I post a link here from Audio Note advertising their ITs and quote a paragraph extract from there: 

https://www.audionote.co.uk/interstage-transformers

Replacing any coupling capacitor with a well designed and correctly matched driver or interstage transformer yields an almost shocking improvement in sound and should be tried to fully understand what a good wideband transformer has to offer.

I do design and order 10 pieces of I T using Z11 core with interlaced winding

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7 hours ago, dwbasement said:

Matt, get some solid aluminium knobs for Eric to replace the plastic knobs. Also get 4 nice feets to replace the plastic ones.

 

Haha ok... I didn't know they are plastic ones. If I didn't already spend a bomb on my forth coming Swedish KT88 amp which incidentally I call 'Odyssey', I would have paid more attention on this 300b's appearance amp from Eric. Any other upgrades within reasonable means? ?

 

For the KT88 amp, I went with Sowter UK transformers, Mundorf caps and Yamamoto's sockets and a snazzy chassis. Can't wait to see this in the flesh and to hear it.

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1 hour ago, Odyssey said:

 

Haha ok... I didn't know they are plastic ones. If I didn't already spend a bomb on my forth coming Swedish KT88 amp which incidentally I call 'Odyssey', I would have paid more attention on this 300b's appearance amp from Eric. Any other upgrades within reasonable means? ?

 

For the KT88 amp, I went with Sowter UK transformers, Mundorf caps and Yamamoto's sockets and a snazzy chassis. Can't wait to see this in the flesh and to hear it.

I think that would be it.

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