HPower

JBryan, Thanks very much for the welcome into your club. Your words are very re-assuring. Your description (seems to echo Cut-Throat's) is what I am hoping to achieve. I don't mind the occasional rock concert in the basement, but what I am really after is to sit down there and enjoy the music and all it's subtleties. If the 45s are a step up in this regard, I am pretty sure I will enjoy them.

Hey Joe, The seller, Rudolffzigray, did mention your name (joessportster) but I didn't connect the dots to realize that it was you he was referring to. I wish I did know, I would have solicited some advice earlier from you. Imagine that, a sport bike guy (I ride a ZX10R) getting schooled by a Harley guy. [] Anyways, last night I finalized the deal on the DRD45s and if everything goes as planned they should be arriving on Tuesday. I am really looking forward to hear the type of sound that both you and Cut-Throat are describing. My only apprehension is how well they will be able to play the heavier rock stuff. When I first got the Jolida 300B I was blown away what it's 8 or 9 watts did with the Korns, I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised by these guys. The First Watt F3 has 2x the power of the JD-300B and yes it is more powerful than the Jolida but it didn't seem to have as full a sound. I find myself playing the F3 loader than I did with the Jolida, were as the 300B seemed to fill the room better at lower levels. We will see what happens when they get plugged into the system.

Blvdre, Thanks for the heads-up, I just saw that ad myself. If I was not still leaning to the DRD 45 that Wright would be a no brainer at that price. I wish I could afford to by both and then just keep the one I prefered. Then I could play the shell game... nirvana would (hopefully) be under the F3 shell, the 3.5 shell or the DRD 45 shell.

That AGon DRD 45 is the one that cut-throat strongly suggests that I jump all over. But everybody knows white men can't jump. The SETs are slim pick'n right now, maybe that's why it seems a little over priced. I did contact the seller and he didn't say, but he sounds like he is in the business of picking gear up and reselling it... in my very best Jerry Seinfeld voice, "Not that there is anything wrong with that"

seti, Last week I picked up a JM Peach II from AGon, see my 1st post at the top for all the particulars. As good a deal that the AU-15s are, it would be a real stretch on my bank account right now. And as cut-throat mentioned, not a SET design, which is the way I thought I wanted to go. Although it would cover any worries I might have about a single ended 2A3 or 45 not having enough jam on the toast. I spoke to Jack at Electra-Print Audio about what it might cost to build a DRD 300B or DRD 45 and he felt that I would be much better off going with his Single Ended A2 6A3/300B design... 15-21 wpc. Here is a link to the scematic: http://www.electra-print.com/singleended_a2.php

Hey seti, I was curious to see what kind of, if any, response I would get from Welborne. After about 2 googles, I realized that the only safe way to buy a Welborne amp is via the used market. At George Wright's page he has what looks like an outstanding deal on a dealer return demo pair of AU-15s at $2250 (MSRP = $3950)... Blvdre, have you heard these guys?

Here is the official reply I got from Welborne when I asked about buying an amp or kit: Hi, Thanks for your e-mail. We currently are in the process of revamping our amplifier offerings so no amps are available at this time. For DRD amps we suggest you contact Electra-Print Audio. Regards, -D Welborne Labs

Sorry Cut-Throat, I got called away from the computer before I could it the send button... you should have one now.

Hey Cut-Throat, I was hoping that you would chime in. Conversely to Joe's point, a lot of the music that I find myself listening to the most intimately is were I really miss the sound of the Jolida 300B the most (vs. the First Watt) Usually more stripped down stuff like: Emmylou, Keb Mo, Holly Cole, Nancy Griffith, Dave Alvin, Cowboy Junkies Union Station, Jackson Browne, etc. I am guessing this is were the 45 might realy shine? PM sent.

Joe, Your point is a bit of a concern for me as I do like a fairly wide range of music. For those occations when we like to "get the Led out", I would be worried the 45 might not be up to the task. I do know the Jolida 300B was able to cut it for that type of listening.

Hey guys, I have started looking for an affordable 300B SET amplification for my Klipschorns and am considering the Welborne Labs amps. I would prefer to go the used route but the DRD 300B doesn't seem to come up very often here... although, I just saw a DRD45 newly listed. http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstube&1230669380&/Welborne-Labs-drd-45-amps-Tube I was using a Jolida JD-300B integrated which I liked but it was a bit noisy and I also wanted to go to separates. I sold the JD-300B and just picked up a JM Peach II, which I am using with a First Watt F3 clone for the time being. The F3 is nice, with detail, power, dynamics, and DEAD quite, but just lacks that bit of tube magic that the 300B integrated had. My current system: CDP: Jolida, JD-100A... Underwood (Parts Connextion), mini mod. Preamp: Juicy Music Peach II Amplifier: First Watt F3... clone, built by Tim Rawson. Speakers: 1975 Klipschorns... crossovers were recently re-capped by previous owner. Room: 15' wide x 24' long x 7.5' high with the rear wall open to another room approx. 12' W x 18' L. The Khorns are on the short wall in good corners, 15' apart, with the main listening sofa approx. 14 ' from each speaker. Music: I listen to most types of music with the exception of classical and rap/dance music. Out on the coffee table right now... John Prine, Lucinda Williams, Bob Marley, Holly Cole, Grand Funk, Led Zep, Neko Case, Emmylou, Keb Mo, Dave Alvin, Roy Hargrove, Eagles, Iris Demment, Grant Green, Patty Griffin, Eva Cassidy, Nirvana, The Cult... Given my above info, how might the DRD 45 work for me? Other than the obvious output power, how does the 45 compare to the 300B? How does the pricing look on the DRD 45 in the AGon ad? Are there any questions that I should be asking the AGon seller? What might be some other good SET options in the $2000 + or -, 2nd hand is fine if it makes things more affordable? I am guessing the Peach will work nicely with any of the SET designs. Thanks

Hey Blvdre, I grew up in a small town, primarily a farming community and that is a very common saying. I don't mind cats, but they make me sneeze and so does hay... hold on, maybe it's that darn barn that makes me sneeze. [:^)] Not for the faint of feline heart:

We all know cats ONLY belong in the barn... So why do you have such a beautiful pair of KHorns set up in your barn. []

Hey Nola, I am guess you are a Mac user... we are the best, aren't we [] I got around the "run-on" by using Firefox as the browser on my iMac.[H]

Hey Tom, email sent

Hey fenderbender, Ya, I noticed the pricing at Reno... a great price but I want to be as economical as possible, as I will be also needing a pre-amp as well. Tim's clones are in the $500 range, brand new or used. They seem to sell used, almost instantly, for the same or sometimes a little more than Tom charges. A fairly safe buy if it turns out to be not what I am after. http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1227475147&/First-Watt-F3-clone-diy Just noticed another great price for a used original First Watt, but still not 5-600: http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?ampstran&1228435417&/First-Watt-F3-Power-JFET I figured if I can swing a clone for around $500 I could hopefully sell my JD-300B for enough to purchase a JM Peach, or 2nd choice, a Modwright 9.0.

Way to go Tom, get me hooked on another forum to hog my time.[] I will scoot over there and see if there is some good intel.

Hey Guys, I am thinking of seeing if I can get Tim to build me one of his First Watt, F3 clones, After re-reading the 6Moon rewiew of the F3, I am thinking the First Watt would be a real nice amp to match up with the KHorns. Then after re-reading the cost... $3000 [+o(] Without breaking the bank I thought the next best thing might be one of Tim's clones... [^o)] I have yet to read anything bad about any of Tim's creations, has anybody here tried any of Tim's amps?

Hey guys, thanks for chiming in. I sent an email of to a few tube suppliers and got quite a few different suggestions. [*-)] I also emailed Chris Johnson of PARTS CONNEXION about tubes and the possibility of him bringing the JD-100 up to his Level 1. He said: " I like the Tung-sol ECC803S gold pin....$65/Matched Pair." and "The upgrade from Mini-Mod up to Level1 would be $350 usd." [^o)] I think what I will do is just drop in a pair of current production 12AX7s in, maybe the ones Chris suggested, and do some listening and try to compare this sound with the Svetlana 12AX7's that it the CDP will be coming with. Maybe then, I will have a little better background reference to guide me when I ask "what tube?" Meanwhile, UPS says there will be a Brown Truck showing up sometime on Wednesday. []

Here is another Bump to bring back this thread from the dead... well, almost 5 years old. Next week I will be taking delivery of a 2 year old JD-100A with the Underwood Mini-mod and would like to drop in a new pair of tubes... kind of like changing all the fluids in a newly bought used car. The 5751 seems like an interesting option as I already have a little bit of noise/hiss in my system when the JD-300B is at idle. Maybe I should even consider using the 5751 in my amp as well (2: 12AX7s, 2: 12AT7s, 2: 300Bs, and 2: 5U4Gs) ? Where and What do you guys recommend? In the past I have dealt with Brendan at Tube World and Jon at The Tube Store, I have also heard a lot of great things about Doug at Vintage Tube Service.

Hey Jim, jheis has you covered, and I agree, jump on those $600 Corns. I am using a Jolida 300B (9wpc SET) with my Khorns and am loving the sound. It's still amazes me how the 9 watts on the Jolida blows away the 90 watts when I switch over to my Denon AV receiver (usually just for movies). May not have quite enough jam to drive your Heresys... might be ok on the Cornwalls. I used a pair of Quicksilver Mid Monos (50wpc EL34) with my Corns, with very nice results.

Hey Zoghead, I was able to fit my center La Scala above my old 50" Hitatchi and it is working out great with the KHorns up front and the Heresys in the rear. Have a look: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/107256.aspx My room is 15' wide and is only about 7', 6" high (basement, with drop ceiling and raised floor) and the Scala fit in perfect. Trust me, if you can figure a way [^o)] to fit a 3rd LS up front, you will be a happy [] camper.

Hey gary, The grain on your Cornwalls is gorgeous, what veneer, and finish are they? That should be a real treat to be able to start from scratch with a new room. Let's see some pic after you get things all set up.

3rd upstairs system (I guess I should have known I was in trouble when you can't see the xmas tress for the Khorns):

2nd upstairs system: