Been playing with valve amps

PX25's I believe. There are loads of really good, but obscure valves out there.

Another really good one is the 45 (according to Thorsten). He has helped Brian Cherry of DIYSupply to redesign the Lady Day 300b amps so that they can potentially take quite a few different valves. Actually sound's a very interesting idea.

 

Lord,

I was going to bid on that 300b PP, but you were sounding so enthusiastic about getting it on WAD that I didn't in the end. I had heard Neil's and thought it sounded fantastic. Not you typical 300b sound at all. There must be something to interstage transformers and not caps.

 

DEV

The 9th looks good for me. Why not see if you can rustle up any other interest. Maybe SideShowBob, how about a day out Julian?

 

I was going to but I remember Ian saying he was only free last w/e and the next one. I.e. 2nd July. Also I wanted to wait until I got hold of the Rogue and 300BPP. However, Ian/Julian if you are free, you are more than welcome.

 

Lee, I have one too, 300bpp, its a tim de para design originally, reworked slightly by Andy Grove. I think its probably one of a handful of very best amps there is in the world ever, I have a feeling its better than a border patrol. It has SS diodes in the psu, and single ended 300b are very sensitive to this, but it does no wrong here.
300b amps single ended esp. are very sensitive too, to the method of drive.
Feedback kills sound dead.
Its probably more to do with choke loading the valves anode and grid, I have played with cap coupled grid chokes and they transform it totally, who'd've thought?
FWIW, usually, universal amps are a bit of a compromise and you are better getting a dedicated one, it affects things like output transformer inductance which may be a bit low for some valves, but nevertheless, its a top amp the billie, and 3dsonics is cleverer than most of us here.

 

Dev that sounds pretty representative of most of the commonly used valve types. Should give you a good idea of what will work well with your Tannoys.

I know I keep bleating on and on about it, but you really ought to try the power amps with an active aswell as a passive pre to see which you prefer. They bring out very different characteristics in the amps IMHO and it may alter which you like the best.

 

Yes but I don't have one any more. Also there are already too many choices and introducing an active pre will give far too many permutations I feel.

 

Thanks for not bidding on it, it was my best bargain ever!
I think I put in a snipe bid of over £500 but got it for the £330 starting price as I was the only bidder. As 'Data' says it has an SS rectifier which is fed through a valve rectifier which gives a slow start for the HT.

I was just interested that's all!
Paul has a thing against 300Bs, fair enough. Unfortunately not many people have the same access to the very rare and desirable valves that he has.

 

Sorry, wasn't meant that way, just wondering. Yes, its a pain once you've heard them tbh. But he isn't unjustified in what he says, just a bit ott.

 

Anex, to give some DATA on transformers would take a book, I will give a very brief idea, I am learning about these wonderful items.

They are VERY complex, probably more so than loudspeakers.

In there essence they are just a core of iron or other part magnetic material, like cobalt, nickel (alnico is aluminium, nickel and cobalt) and other bits like manganese.

And a few coils of wire.

that's all, just iron and wire.

The iron mixes are myriad, the cores have different sizes, shapes, materials, laminations.

They are treated with insulation.

The wire is obviously insulated as you have perhaps 400 volts on one winding and perhaps 10 on another.

That also makes a capacitor, different voltages.

You have myriads of insulating material, and also tapes to wrap the thing.

Innumerable ways to wind the coil, interweave the windings like a big sandwich layer.

Numbers of turns, inductances, 'conductivity' of the core to magnetism, a huge amount of variables to balance out.

Much more to it.

The capacitances(wires and insulation) and inductances interact to electrically resonate, which it does at some highish frequency, anything from 20khz to a few hundred, this needs controlling and causes test waves to show this up. All the variations in winding and materials colour the sound.

The core can distort a bit, hopefully not but I am sure cores colour the sound.

The leaks are old, so they probably have more 'basic' insulation, perhaps more natural materials, possibly a less complex coil winding, but the kel 84 wad are actually quite simple coil from looking.

So on paper, the wads are more modern, but I bet the leaks sound superb. In transformers, like speakers and amps, measure better doesn't mean sound better, frequently the old stuff is better. Its also likely built better the windings can come loose and buzz, older top quality ones were excellent in that respect.

Andy Grove of audionote who apparently is very clever with transformers, which means he is very clever period designed the wads, but they are built to a price, by SP wound components, and I have had quality control problems with them. I have had about 6 or 7 wad amps, inc 2 kel84's.

much more to it, and the maths is horrid.

They do sound as different or more so than differeing capacitors, but again its the case of different, not necessarily better. for the regular ones, once you get into exotics...well, I don't have any yet...

 

well seems most likely to me its the trannies that give the leaks their sound

 

Would like to, but the 9th is no good for me. Will be interested to read your impressions. The Rogues look like a good, practical, choice, and have sounded pretty good when I've heard them (only at shows though, it must be said).

-- Ian

 

Dev, this is a good price and a nice amplifier:



Item Code 1341

TRILOGY VTi VALVE INT AMP
RRP: £2500

Price: £1048

from

www.hifitradingstation.com

 

Paul dumped his 300b's a few years ago after hearing my px 4 amp..
the old valves seem to be better at the top end and the bass..

my amp with px4 or px25 makes really deep bass.. 3.5 watts and 5 watts respectively ...

if you want to get into old valves.. try a trioded pt15 pentode.. the anode lookes the same a the later px25 with the same out put
i have some to try out soon.. and they are cheap..
and drive it with a couple of ml4or 6's or one mh4..

steve

 

hi Steven, pm me at wad about old valves, need to learn me some about them, just a list of good uns...., hammond 1627se!!

 

I bet that's the one Walrus had for sale secondhand for ages about 3 or 4 years ago, and could never shift for some reason (hifitradingstation.com is a clearing house for lots of dealers). IIRC GrahamN even got it home for an audition. If it is the same one, it's way overpriced, that thing's been on the market forever, they should be giving it away by now.

-- Ian

 

If my experience with the trilogy pre is anything to go by they aren't that great, pretty nice sound but really crappy transformers, cheap CHEAP casework (the plastic chrome effect stuff blisters and lifts off in places and looks like its based around a biscuit tin anyway). Alot of money for what you get.

 

woah! steady on!

It depends on your reference..

It could well be the one at Walrus, but Walrus were asking around £1500-£1700 for it.. so you could say at £1050 for a £2500 amp they are giving it away.

In terms of value, I'd be confident to say it would regain its value if ever sold on e-bay.. which of course is the good thing about buying second hand. A new WAD for example will instantly deppreciate... kits arent as bad for that as shop-bought kit, but they do all the same.

The finish on that particular amp is pretty nice. The box work is square, but it has good WAF and looks generally very presentable. GrahamN really liked it when he demo'd one. I believe what put him off was that he had inefficient speakers that needed more power.

I havent looked inside it so cant comment on the internal components. It IS good value for £1000 though. It would be interesting to hear it against the Rogue Audio.

I think personally you are really going to like the 300B PP amps Dev, but of course they need building and deserve a decent pre-amp, which bumps the price up quite a bit...

When you start talking about £1500 or so, its a whole new ball game and theres all sorts you can get...

 

Hi Chris,

I was hoping to get the 300BPP and Rogue but neither has shown up so far. Nick from the Emporium told me that he despatched the Rogue last Friday and it's still not here. WAD's 300BPP are out with a customer who doesn't want to hand them back :grrr: (i.e. he wants to buy the monoblocks).:grrr:

 

Wasn't dissing it, but if it could be established that it is the one at Walrus, I'd offer £500 for it and no more ;-)

-- Ian