tube fanatic
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Regardless of the type of plugs you decide to use, pick up a container of DeOxit wipes and put a thin coating on the pins. It provides a definite improvement in the metal to metal contact conductivity. Maynard
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Of the 3 amps mentioned, the 2A3 would be my choice although it may come across a little bright on the Heresy's and you'd be limited to sub-90dB levels in an average room before compression and distortion would become noticeable. The 300b is a good match if you prefer a thicker, more syrupy presentation compared to the 2A3 and an 845 amp would be an outstanding choice but I've had 2 and listened to several others and have yet to come across one that didn't have a slight hiss or hum in the background - regardless of price. The quietest ones cost $10K+ but still weren't as quiet as 2A3 and 45 amps I've heard that cost 10x less. Of course, it's all about synergy and half the battle is to match gear that doesn't create or enhance noise.
As I've mentioned in previous threads, it's impossible to compare the sound of various output tubes unless identical output transformers and voltage amp tubes (if suitable), at the very least, are used. An amp which is bright sounding may be made more smooth by juggling operating parameters which change the distortion characteristics, or by using a little negative feedback where appropriate (yes, even in some SETs, a little fb can't hurt.) There is simply no way to generalize about this. Synergy is absolutely critical if buying commercial equipment, as stated. An advantage of having a custom amp designed and built is that the designer can start at the speakers/room and work backwards to achieve exactly the kind of sound desired. Hiss is often related to a voltage amp stage which has too much gain (common with super efficient Heritage Series speakers.) That's easily dealt with in a custom amp, but not with most commercial equipment. Out of curiosity, are you still with this thread Bev? Hopefully you haven't been chased away by all of us crazy audiophiles! And, if you are sufficiently skilled to go the DIY route, the rewards will be amazing and well worth the effort. Regards-- Maynard
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Heard enough yet Bev? Stick to SS or you will end up looking like thebes.
Are you implying that Marty isn't handsome?????????????
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some quality audio tubes are EL34, 6V6 in an octal (6AQ5 in a mini rugidized, better), 6BQ5 and a 6BM8 which is to the Japanese what the 300B is here. I would not discount the 2A3 with serious supplies can easily power a Heresy in single ended mode. I would highly recommend that you stay away from the big gun tubes mentioned as they require supply voltages which are lethal. If you do not have much experience attempting to build an amp with supply voltages this high is not a good idea. I would suggest that you do some listening to get some sense of flavor. Remember that the supply is every bit as important as the tube. Best regards Moray James.
Some excellent tubes cited by Moray and there are many more. But, even the voltages used by those tubes can be lethal, so don't be lulled into a false sense of security by a 250 volt/40 or 50 milliamp supply for example.
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I don't even want to know the price...
http://www.usatubeaudio.com/naf-845-se-special.php
Made
Bruce
Thanks for posting that Bruce! It was costly indeed:
The designer of that monster is even more insane than I am!!! Maynard
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It is wonderful to encounter so much interest in tube amps on the forum lately! As DD said above, auditioning an amp in your own system is the only way to make a judgment about what will be most satisfactory. I presume you are looking to purchase a commercial amp as opposed to building your own (is anyone even making an amp using the 845? That tube requires very high voltage, current, and drive- not something to tackle without lots of experience!) But, if you are planning to build your own, there are much less costly ways to get sufficient power than using a 2A3 or 300B. Maynard
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With a 100 square foot room it is unlikely that you will need a huge amount of power, especially with KLF20s which are quite efficient. So, the 10 watts/channel of the Simply Two Anniversary should be more than enough power. Is there any way you can bring one home to try? As mentioned earlier, the only way to know if you will enjoy it is to listen to it in your system. And your English is fine Ralph! Maynard
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Try to borrow one, find a dealer who will let you bring something home for audition, or find a nearby forum member who can bring one to your place so you can actually hear it in your system. There's a big difference in sound between single ended and push-pull, as well as between triodes and pentodes. You need to experience the sound first hand- no one can tell you what you need to have! The size of your room and its furnishings, how closely you sit to the speakers when listening, and how loudly you listen will determine how much power is needed. No point in buying a high power amp if your loudest peaks only require 3 watts/channel (kind of like buying a Vette to drive down Main Street at 25 mph.) Maynard
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I do require bass grunt, but I am also looking for less agressive and grainfree highs...I want it all! Kidding aside, I listen to a bit of everything and, to me, a good tube amp is tough to beat if it has the ability to drive the speakers at hand. I'm thinking Forte I's or Chorus I's as they are probably the best option in mmy 17 x 13 x 7.5 living room...
A guy down the road just got a Rogue Stereo 90 to use with his CWs and it sounds very nice in triode mode, with plenty of bottom end (to my ears, in ultralinear it's very aggressive and SS sounding.) It won't touch properly designed SETs or SEPs in terms of high end smoothness, but if you need that kind of power it seems to be a nice compromise particularly if you eliminate the preamp and use a passive line stage with it. His typical listening level is 105-110 db at his chair which is 12 feet from the speakers- listening room is about 12 feet wide and 30 feet long with the speakers about 6 feet in from the back wall.
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Tubes are fine if you don't mind waiting a while for it to stop sounding like crap while the tubes warm up, that said I prefer SS.
Roger
Roger, if you don't mind my asking, what amps did you audition to lead to your conclusion? I've been designing and building amps for decades and have never encountered this phenomenon, unless applying signal during the typical 20-30 second initial warm up. Regards--- Maynard
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If I had the $$$ and a vehicle which could transport both pairs, this post would never have happened!!!!!
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Yes, at first I thought that this was a spoof also but then found their web site. And to think that my parents were worried that I'd take someone's eye out with a BB gun when I was a kid! As funny as it seems, that thing could be quite dangerous. I wonder what kind of propulsive force is produced to be able to send a golf ball over 600 feet. Maynard
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Some of the blog comments about this are priceless!!!
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Surrounds: RF-15s: These are in pretty good shape;one has a watermark on the top of the cabinet (though you'd need direct light to really see it), and another has what looks to be a pinhole sized mark in the vinyl veneer. Other than that, they're in very good shape. Asking $300
Just an fyi for anyone considering these- they are absolutely amazing speakers for small room use and are perfect for low power tube amps. These were definite "sleepers" in the Reference line and if properly placed in the room offer truly outstanding imaging and soundstage size---- Maynard
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A friend passed this along:
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Given how rotten so many modern recordings are I've been getting increasing requests to install switchable high frequency filters in my amps to roll off the response. Many users of Heritage and Reference series speakers have been complaining that their ears are "bleeding" when listening to such recordings! Even some SET users now want that option..........
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If the tube amps are modern, or are more recently restored vintage amps, there isn't much concern about firing them up after a 5 year absence. Modern electrolytics are extremely reliable. On the other hand, if they are vintage amps which have not been restored, a variac can possibly prevent failures (I say possibly because old electrolytics can still fail even if allowed to re-form slowly.) If the equipment uses a cathode type rectifier tube, like the 5AR4, remember that the emission of the tube at very low line voltages will be minimal and the electrolytic caps it feeds won't begin to charge until the line voltage is increased enough to get some current flow. Tubes like the 5U4 are a different story. So, if you are going to use the variac, I'd start out at around 50 volts, let it stay there for 5 minutes, and then slowly increase the rest of the way over another 5 minute period. There's no exact formula for doing this. It is also helpful if you have a means of monitoring how much current the amp is drawing from the line. If you see the current starting to go up quickly you can shut down the amp before risking any permanent problems such as damage to the power transformer. A nice variac which is very well built and reliable is available from MCM Electronics:
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/72-110
Hope this helps--- Maynard
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Animal fur can create interesting acoustical effects, so the presence of the cat during the Time Warp selection may be giving you an unfair advantage!!!!! Just joking, of course.............. Maynard
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The Ah! Njoe Tjoeb is still available HERE.
Glad you posted that! I'll pass it along to a friend who has one of the original players and doesn't know that they are still available........
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Not to open a can of worms, but... I've been looking for a tube cd player and since it is mentioned here I'll bring the subject up. (Yes, I know that this is subjective), but what is the "feel" that you get with a unit with tubes? Are they best used with a tube setup alone, or can one be integrated in to a SS system? Any recommendations?
The last CD player that I experienced with a tube output stage was the Ah Tjoeb which is no longer made as far as I know. It sounded very nice and, unlike most CD players, could output as much as 5 volts making it very suitable to directly drive a power amplifier since it has a variable output (i.e. no preamp needed.) Perhaps some companies are still offering something similar. The difference in the sound is similar to the differences experienced when going from solid state to tube amplification or preamplification. It's something which really can't be described- you need to hear it yourself and draw your own conclusions. Any combination of tube and solid state equipment can be used anywhere in the signal chain. Some folks like to insert a unity gain tube buffer (i.e. it neither adds nor subtracts signal) between their CD player and the preamp or amp claiming that it makes the system sound more "tube like." Steve Deckert wrote a little piece about this when he came out with his Zbox some years back:
http://www.decware.com/paper60.htm
So, if you get the opportunity to check out such equipment you may find that it does indeed change your listening preferences---- Maynard
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I'm using a non-amplified Magnum Dynalab ST-2 mast antenna mounted inside my attic. I wanted to put it on the roof but weather (i.e. - lighting) is so unpredictaple around here I just couldn't chance it.
Keep in mind that placing an antenna in the attic does not offer any protection whatsoever against a lightning strike (unless your house has lightning rods which create a fairly protective Faraday shield over the attic areas.) You need to take the same precautions as if the antenna were mounted outdoors. Industrial Communications Engineers and Polyphaser offer suitable products for this application.
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Curious if any forum members living in the rural areas have first hand knowledge as to whether the points made here are accurate. I've read articles which have made the same claims, but being here in NJ (the "sewer of the northeast" imo) it's hard to relate........
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The small Reference series speakers are a good match for low power tube amps (check my profile for what I am using) and are very easy to drive. An important consideration though is how far from the rear wall you will be able to place them. Being rear ported you will need to keep them a reasonable distance (around 1/3 meter minimum) away from the wall if you want to achieve good bass response and a large, deep, soundstage. If that is not possible, then a better choice may be one of the Klipsch front ported bookshelf speakers since you already have stands. Maynard
New RF-52s or 62s and vintage amp
in 2-Channel Home Audio
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In going with either speakers you will need to keep them away from the rear wall if they are to perform as well as they are capable of performing (this is due to their being ported on the rear.) Twelve inches would be the minimum and, depending on the size of your room, they may need to be pulled out even further.