Deang

Troy, You haven't told us your budget. Tell what you have in mind to spend, and we can offer some suggestions worth considering. In the meantime: www.audiogon.com

Now Craig, no pilfering of the tubes, I told Pat to carve my name into the glass before he sends it to you:) Seriously though, where the hell is Kelly, hee hee -- he's going to wring my neck.

How about those phase splitters Pat, which ones are they? Craig, here is the deal on the EL84/7189. One can use a 7189 to replace an EL-84 -- but a 7189 MUST be replaced with another 7189. Only three current production tubes provide the necessary output to support a circuit designed to run off the 7189. Sovtek EL84 Ei-Yugo EL84 Tesla-JJ El84 These tubes match up spec wise with a 7189, and the Ei-Yugo, is an exact copy of the old Amperex 7189. I wouldn't mind hearing this particular tube. At any rate, this explains why NOS EL-84's burn up fast in the Scott.

We will have to ask Pat what's in there. I have no idea. Yeah, let's hot rod that thing a little. This is my last hurrah for a while, now that my wife isn't working -- so I might as well do it right.

Pat says the cans are good. Worst case -- how much are those things? I've got the tubes covered. Brent owes me four NOS EL-84's, so I only have to come up with the rest. Can the EL84/6BQ5 be used in place of the 7189? Same tube isn't it? What the hell is that tube compliment again? What, about 20 tubes in that thing, or something like that? O.K. -- 11 tubes 4) 7189/6BQ5/EL84 4)12AX7 2) 6BL8...or does this one use the 6GH8? 1) 5AR5 Guess this amp is going to cost me about a grand. O.K. Kelly, you can have it

ahh...that's because they are discontinued! The RTX caps utilized POLYSTYRENE film, which has been deemed unsafe for the environment by the EPA, so Richard Marsh quit making them. What's out there is all there is. The PPFXS has similiar characteristics as the RTX, and is considered the cap superceding the RTX. The PPFXS also has the better heat characteristics (105c as compared to 85c). However, the polystyrene and tin foil RTX is considered to be the best sounding Multicap.

Yea, I think I can do the RTX's, which would be sweet. RTX caps are in the second block on Mike's RelCap page in the Cat. All the values are there. RT's are at the bottom. We will need to use RT's for the .0012 value. Everything else can be RTX. That's cool, I can give Mike all of my money again (I still don't like thinking about how much I spent on those DQ crossovers!). I think Kelly's Cary pre uses the RTX caps, and my AE-3 DJH has a few in there too. I think he would approve of that cap.

I just edited my post after going to Mike Percy's site. Yeah, about $50. No, Kelly is right -- an outstanding resistor. Everybody loves the damn things.

Craig, The Thetas may not be able to tolerate the higher temperatures found in a tube design. I'm also wondering if this cap might end up making the amp sound to "syrupy", or thick. RelCap RTX would be outstanding, but again running into the heat thing. Values may dictate some RTX being used though. I think the best RelCap for the Scott is the PPFXS polypro. film and tin foils. It's a multicap design (internally bypassed), and able to tolerate temperatures up to 105 degrees Celsius. I couldn't find any other cap willing to take the heat:) Only problem here is that Mike doesn't carry the PPFXS, only the PPFX (polypro. and aluminum foil). The PPFXS have to come from http://www.partsconnexion.com Good resistors you're getting ready to try. Jeepers, 30 of them! About $30 to $50 depending on wattages used. Kewl.

I think the coherence of the RF-7 just comes from being an old fashioned two-way. Surprises me you would think the Fortes are smoother. Interesting. I imagine I'll eventually have some Scalas, or something equally obnoxious downstairs. I'm still thinking about building some Cornwall types with parts from Layne Audio. Maybe next year.

I'd love to get the go ahead from Kelly, I could pay Pat, and send you money for some parts. Good resistors ain't cheap either -- how many of those do you like to clip out?

That kind of money takes you into B&K territory as well.

Guess you guys will be doing some laid back, low level listening at that meeting.

It's always worth it.

Jazman, have I really been that bad? Amps Anthem Amp1 Bryston 3B-ST AE-25 Super Amp AE-25 Super Amp DJH Wellborne Apollos Preamps Anthem Pre1L Bryston BP-20 Sonic Frontiers Line 1 AE-3 DJH I guess it is kind of ugly, but not too bad. Isn't this somehow Kelly's fault? I'm certainly not taking responsibilty for it:) Heck, who's looking for right amp? I'm just checking out all the different flavors! Mike, I don't know if the 300BXLS is a military varient or not, but it is a high current 300B.

The REL Thetas are the king of film and foil, and can be used for VDC's of 600 and 200. However, there are limited values for 600VDC. The Thetas are carried by Jeff at www.soniccraft.com REL designs different caps for different applications, and the value and VDC together will determine the best cap. I researched caps for a month, and lost several chromosomes in the process. It's insane the claims manufactures and people make regarding different caps. I felt RELCAP (Reliable Capacitor) offered the most information regarding their products(www.capacitors.com), along with a great reputation. I also traded some email with Richard Marsh, and was really impressed with him as a person. I used the middle of the road PPMFX Multicap (internally bypassed) polypropylenes. They transformed the DQ-10's I just restored. I bought all my caps from Mike Percy at www.percyaudio.com Once I know the values and VDC's of the caps you want to yank, I'll have an easier time figuring out what I want to try. I'm also at the disadvantage of not having your direct experience. I know what I think about caps in speakers, but don't know crappola about amp circuits. You have the advantage of having tried a few things, and that's important. What happens will also depend of the quantity of parts you want to change. This relates to the money thing. I just shelled out for the Apollos, and my ever tolerant wife is ready to hang my testicles off the front porch for public display. I need to catch up -- I'm still reading through all of yours and Kelly's old posts about the Scotts and Eicos of the world.

All speakers you might buy with lottery winnings.

Clipped, where did you find the pic of the Bose engineers trying out the prototype of the new system their going to use to replace Acoustimass?

That's why I'm desperately hoping Kelly let's it go. I want a good backup amp that I can throw in when I want to push the envelope a little. Now, the Apollos are not your "typical" SET amps, which is why I was willing to consider them. It's not just SET, but 18 watts of SET. I should get 95db with some headroom to boot. I'm really looking forward to comparing an EL84 based Pentode to the Apollos. I'm sure I would have a lot to say. What do you think of the following comments Craig? "All the 299 series are stellar performers, but due to their small physical size, they have always had problems with heat. Because of this, most need power supply capacitors and plate resistors right off the bat. As with any amp this old, you MUST replace the coupling capacitors and bias rectifier. The 299C should always have it's first filter capacitor replaced. This is the can near the rectifier and power transformer. Because of the amount of heat in that area, this capacitor likes to develop shorts." I know you have some definite ideas of what is best, and I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. I emailed Kelly the other night, and we kind of went back and forth, and the best I could get out of him was that "we might be able to work something out." I'm not sure what he had in mind though. If I can wrench the Scott from him, I would like to twist your arm into using some REL Thetas or Auricaps in there for the coupling caps.

Hey Nak, why not use the edit feature and just add your additional comments to the initial post? Also, we are not in the habit on this forum of insulting someone's intelligence or taste, based on the equipment they own. It's all about preference -- and extremely subjective. I definitely don't get the "1 bit DAC" statement. Whether multi-bit DACs are superior to single bit DACs is highly debated -- and I see no evidence that anyone has cornered the market on truth regarding this debate. I used to own an Anthem CD-1 with a multi-bit DAC, Burr-Brown Op amps, and tubed output. I paid $1800 for it when it came out. 6 months ago I bought a Sony 9000ES to compare to it -- fully expecting to send it back after the comparison. The Anthem was sold, and the 9000ES is king in my house. If you do a search on the 9000ES, you will find my two part review on the machines Rebook performance, and SACD as well. At any rate, the DAC is only part of the equation, as the execution and quality of the analog section is just, if not more important. As far as "accuracy" goes, I'm for the most part with Manuel here. A myth. The word is wide open to interpretation, and everyone has a different idea of what it means. Music encompasses so much -- macro-dynamics, micro-dynamics, pace, tone/timbre, and all those words we use to describe it. No speaker does it all, and no one agrees on what elements are the most important. However, most here would rightfully put the emphasis on "dynamics". BobG said it best at some point in the past. If you are going down the street and hear music -- what is it about the music that tells you whether it's "live", or being "reproduced" on a system. It's actually the dynamics of the music that tell you, and believe it or not -- the uneven frequency response -- for "Live" music is anything but flat!

HR -- have you ever heard the Jubilee, or have you ever talked to anyone that has? Having lived around those squawkers for so long, I'm interested in what you think.

Dalton, Here is something for you to think about. I don't do multi-channel, but for a year -- I ran RC7's as my speakers in a two channel setup. I couldn't afford the RF7's, so I bought the RC7's, twirled the horns around, and put them on stands (upright). It was a way to get the massive horns of the RF7 without the cost. Now, consider that two RC7's cost the same as two RF5's. Since you are running SVS, you COULD run 3 RC7's across the front -- which would be nothing short of incredible. If you do a search on RC-7, I'm sure you'll run across my posts regarding the set up. Are you thinking?

Now that's more like it!!! Think I'll break 'em in with some Pearl Jam, something a little more laid back than usual. It's time to see what all the fuss is all about. It'll take me all of about 15 seconds to see if SET can actually deliver the TONE of a Marshall Stack. The Super Amp came close, and certainly closer than anything else I've ever owned in the past.

Tough for most to find two perfect corners for the K-horns, especially now, with everyone putting windows adjacent to most corners. If I ever make such an insane move, I would probably go for the Belles.

Man, isn't anyone going to share my joy. Where the hell is Kelly? Hee-hee, probably still trying to recover from the 90 posts he submitted on Friday:)