Jeffrey D. Medwin

People rave about 45s. I built two SE DC amps ( 2015, 2016) , with a L.S.E.S. supply, and found the Type 45 tube to be lacking. This was on a easy load to drive, versus many Klipsch speakers. However, for most "typical" SE amps, ( capacitor coupled and with a traditional power supply ) you will probably be OK, because the tube's weaknesses will not be so evident. I see you are a newbie, quoting 2 Watts, so I assume you will have a common SE amp. I would question however the viability of a Type 45 tube, IF single ended, one tube per channel, on most stock Klipsch speakers. I would suggest perhaps, a JJ 2A3 -40 amp, as the minimum for a Klipsch speaker, power wise. The Klipsch speaker however, will need to have excellent wiring, all the way from the amp's output, to the drivers' voice coil connections. The areas that showed up needing improvement from my extensive listening ( 2015-2016 ) was the upper-bottom end of a piano, the "power" wasn't satisfactory to " me ", and there was a very shallow ( maybe subjectively 1/2 dB ) suck out, in the middle midrange, over a fairly broad area that was disturbing to me on music playback. Have fun. Jeffrey

5-23-19 “ SIDE-TRACK ” Photos....2018's 6005 SE DC amp, a re-do Above, we have the amp as it was finished in 2018, and being used up till about 5-19-2019. Each main ground was a " Trio" of 12+12+14 AWG Mil Spec m22759/11 wire. Eight ground runs were 24 separate wires. Below is as of today, not yet done, but nicely on its way to a single 8 AWG m22759/11 bus bar conversion. I got tired of hearing the " Trios" signature throughout my amp, and yearned for hearing the grounds to be single 8 AWG m22759/11. It may possibly be very nice with the L.S.E.S. supply that is in this 6005 amplifier. This weekend, should have it up, running to hear, and then get back to the KT88 DC SE amp build !! This will be interesting to experience and then critically evaluate on all the reference discs. !!!!

5-21-19 “ SIDE-TRACK ” Photos....2018's 6005 SE DC amp, a re-do I have been critically listening to the audio system for a few weeks with the speaker wiring changed, from a “ trio” of 12+12+14 m22759/11 Mil Spec. wire ( equals 8 AWG ), to a SINGLE 8 AWG Mil Spec wire. I have now identified an unwanted sonic signature existing, undetected previously by me, in the “trio”. I am sure I prefer the single wire 8 AWG runs. A single 8 AWG, by the way, is what Steve Deckert ( Decware, USA) has used, recommends, as his speaker wire reference over the last 20 years. The trio's “ unwanted signature ”, is still evident to me - all the time, because “the trio” exists in much of the amp's ground wiring – 2018's SE DC 6005 amplifier , being presently used. In the 2018's amp build, I settled on having 8 AWG “ equivalent” as the main ground buss lead, done by ear, very carefully, experimentally. In other words, from what I hear, I feel the Mil Spec ground bus NEEDS this larger AMOUNT of wire. Now, last two weeks, I just can't stand listening to it any more !!!! Not because of the amount of the wire, ( that is wanted ), but because of the paralleling ill-effects / by-products associated in a “trio” of 12+12+14 !! Missing from the “trio” is the purity of tone, and cohesiveness of a single 8 AWG length of m22759/11 8. This 2018 amp now “ lays ” the “trios” negative sonic signature, all over the speakers' presentation, ......and mostly in the music's critical midrange. The photos below show the converting to a single wire run , at the ground's start – coming out of the Hammond Power Transformer's High Voltage secondary at the center tap. This was an easy, one evening's task, so far. The difficult part, will be RE-doing the amp's insides. (1) In 2018, I paralleled wire throughout the SE 6005 amp, by ear , listening to selected music sources. ' Ended up preferring “ trios”, in all of the these following locations: C1 ground C2 left and right ground All three C1-C2 GTO bypass caps' grounds. C4 left and right ground ( front-end caps) So... that is 8 “places”,..... times three wires, or 24 wires TOTAL, for grounding to the main ground bus, presently existing in the 2018 amp. All of these eight ground runs, 24 wires, needs to be re-done, rebuilt, …....and done properly. Woe is me !! But...how will the 2018 SE DC amp play music, when I am finished ???? Using a L.S.E.S. Power supply, being Source-Feed, ( not Giant L/C Reservoirs ), the amp's wire path responds to a thoughtful implementation. Can't let this 2018 amp's grounding re-do interfere too much with the KT88 Thread's build. Thanks - for reading about this, a side-track. Jeffrey (1) Experimentally on grounds, done in this 2018 listening order : a) 12 AWG m22759/11 12 b) 12 AWG, times two c) 12+12+16 all m22759/11 d)12+12+14 equals 8 AWG................best compromise amount from listening experiments e) 12+12+14+16 The 2018 6005 Prototype amp was built on a several year old chassis that housed previously TWO Type 45 amps, a Type 46 amp, and now the 6005 tube amp, best sounding tube of all three !! Because of the way the amp chassis was originally laid out - years ago, I was forced into too long of lead lengths. The latest KT88 amp is symmetrically laid out, and is better in this one design regard. I purposely separate wires from each other when I can, and use NO wire-bundling as fields interact negatively when wires are bundled, tie wrapped, in a great SE amp..

Hello Backfire, You seem to be a really good guy, and I respect you, actually like your posts and thought processes. Sincerely !! But none of us is perfect, you address voltage fluctuations, as you learned in EE school, but you never seem to consider current delivery, the crux of ALL of Hasquin's EE posts !! And its the crux of doing pulsed music information. Think of a Beethoven Piano Sonata, or the drum solo I love to replicate. All pulses. What you seem to either miss or totally ignore is " It is not just about what I like to hear", at all. There are EE explanations you have not grasped !!!! Hasquin gave us a perfectly great example of LSES vs Traditional ( L critical chokes with high capacitance) where he shows us that his LSES build has a Impedance of 65 Ohms, whereas a Traditional supply ( as taught to all EEs ) has a impedance of 400 Ohms, in his example. Can you tell us all how a 400 Ohm Supply will power a 2A3 or a 300B better than a 65 Ohm supply, in EE terms????????? No you can not !!! Can you. Nor can or will " Mr EE " / actually Gusser on Audio Asylum answer that EE question. I will PM you info. We will exchange private email addresses so I can have you read ALL of Hasquin and Swenson's EE work on this, their posts, 2006 - 2010. Easy if you have an open mind. I know, from your writing, you are a good guy !! Jeffrey

5-20-19 Photo Progress Doing great layout in a stereo amp is not possible !!! I am thinking about what may be best, and visualizing where it all needs to go. My Mentor told me to build mono blocks. He was right. This will be become TOO CROWDED to optimize as best as one could / should !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5-19-19 Photo Progress It was decided to add a simple resistive voltage dividing network to the amp, to positively bias the filament supply for the KT88 above ground, by one-third of the amp's B+ value. The KT88s spec ( heater to cathode voltage limits) diodes not strictly require this, but its a good idea to have this for two reasons: (1) tubes age, and their actual specs vs: performance may degrade over time (2) people might want to experiment with other Pentode Outputs, where heater to cathode maximums may be more critical than my preferred KT88 choice of a Finals tube. Three 150K reisistors in series becomes 450K ( 300 K and 150 K, ) with a 1/3 of B+ VDC at their 300K-150K juncture. Section Photographed, on the schematic, simple stuff !! Above, Resistive divider alone, attached to C2 B+ Power Supply Cap. Below....the 10 uF cap in the schematic.

5-18-19 Photo Progress This was just some ordinary L.S.E.S. " preparation work" on the two chokes, to be used in a choke-cap ( L-C) " Fraker Final Filter ". I intend to apply these to the KT88, right at G2's tube socket pin. The C will likely be a 4 uF DYnamiCap. I will TRY for minimal lead lengths. This is the largest ( in mHY ) choke I would use in a Fraker Fiinal Filter. Sometimes its a small hash choke, in uHY and at a fraction of an Ohm. m22759/11 16 is silver plated copper stranded, and wide band. Two gets the best wide band peak instantaneous current capability. All normal SE L.S.E.S. build work. Attention to detail counts !!

Thank you so much for posting this. At RMAF's, it varies from year to year, in my last 11 years. 'Usually this is function of two older brothers having limited manpower, energy, and time, to set up the room pre-show optimally, after driving all the equipment down to Denver, CO., from Livingston, MT. Its refreshing to see the truth ( at least as "I" see it ) be told. Thanks sir !!

This is a final comment to any person reading this thread, and not necessarily meant to either of these two EEs, (who I said I will no longer address.) For both of the EEs "postulating" EE theory in this tread, there is one glaring inconsistency........................... IMHO. IME. The very best tube amps I have ever heard , use just such a supply as I build and describe herein. That is the inconsistency my friends !! When A-Bed since 2004, against other high end tube amps, on a really good, well wired system, Dennis Fraker's Serious Stereo tube amps typically come out on-top, and they EMPLOY his L.S.E.S. technique. https://6moons.com/industryfeatures/rmaf05stephaen/rmaf05_2.html https://www.stereophile.com/content/rmaf-2016-sunday-show-herb Reality........... trumps anyone's theory, in the real world. All the time. ............ Every day. .................... Forever. There is a HUGE disconnect between what IS, and what a typical EE's taught-in-college , incomplete " theory " in this thread suggests. Dean of EE Dr. Halijac expressed it so well in his 1989 letter ( Page 8 ) ..... " unconscious about power supplies " was the words he used. That disconnect..............., ( and what I personally hear ), is what makes this ALL so interesting to me. Ask this.........Have either of these " conventional EEs " posting, ever heard a recent ( or even older) Serious Stereo amp folks?? In a good system?? Why of course not !! If they heard it, would their rigid, unimaginative minds allow them to HONESTLY acknowledge the truth?? Certain people can''t be helped. Neither of these EEs, have even asked me to email them EE's Hasquin and Swenson's chronological and complete work on this, to simply read. And they won't. Its like passing a camel through the eye of a needle. Now, lets get back to this KT88 amp building thread !! Thanks a lot everyone.!! Jeffrey Medwin

Hello Backfire, I promised I would say no more, ,...however....... As I read this when fresh, after a good night's sleep, I see that you are talking only about voltage and John Hasqiun is addressing current delivery ...... Current, not voltage,................ delivering energy to the Finals tube . I'm not an EE, but it seems to me that, in discussing voltage stability alone, you have overlooked part of the equation, to help get the vacuum tube to produce a best result. Please read John's post below, his first post ever on L.S.E.S. Its almost all about current . My intuition would be : designing for steady voltage, with little regard of current delivery, is overlooking a key operating need in any great tube amplifier. Your friend Jeff, ..............the Business Administration Major . Thanks !! Have a nice weekend Backfire. Now, I am finished totally with you and certainly the very misinformed Mr EE !!

An Apology, I should have never gone as far as I did with these two EEs. There is absolutely nothing I can do to help them. This was a degrade of the KT88 build thread, and I am sorry to have dragged others through this !! But this interchange is a sterling example of how goofed up, some EEs ( certainly not all ) are !! I am finished with this. My error. Forgive me. Thanks. Jeffrey

I offered you ALL the chronological EE posts of Hasquin, and Swenson, several years of their work on this L.S.E.S. power supply subject, and you failed to ask for them to read. You could also read page eight of this thread, my quotes by EE Hasquin, and understand it better, if your mind was open. John explained it so us non EEs can understand whats happening !! That is very good. He is a smart EE !! Jeffrey

You are totally misinformed, having never read and never digested what was discussed by Messers Hasquin and Swenson., top-notch EEs, who both put some " skin " in the game, rather than you shooting from the hip.

I just love it , an EE in 2019 writing this : ... "Tops out at 20hkz." Like Backfire, there is nothing I can do to help you understand. I am sorry, I certainly offered, I tried !! Jeffrey Medwin

Again, you have missed it !!! Re-read page eight of this thread, the second L.S.E.S. post of mine - all the Hasquin quotes I provided - for people to learn.