ToolShedAmps
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Posts posted by ToolShedAmps
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Boy I dunno, those tubes look toasted to me. The getter (or do they call it the silver mica, apologize for my lack of technical chops on this) is way, way gone, with the one on the far left almost completly gone. My original Mullards have more getter then those.
If I were to bid, I'd ask the seller for some better pics, however, not all mfg.'s applied the same amount of flashed barium to the same tube types. A fairly good indicator would be if the getter material that IS there has started to kind of turn brownish and translucent.
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$25 a tube - I believe that's below cost. I'd love to get 4 for $100, best I could find is a quad for $220.
This is close, IMHO it's a great starting bid for a decent set of "real" ones......
TS Matt.
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At risk of offending TS Matt, keep in mind that Deckert does offer a return option after a 30 day in-home trial
No offense taken......Richieb has a genuine interest in purchasing the Super Zen Triode. I'm certain that it is a fine amplifier and will sound great on his Belles.
TS Matt.
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Gary Clark Jr. , saw him last summer......fantastic guitar player, AND he's from Austin.
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Telefunken ECC801S
WARNING!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT PUT THIS IN YOUR AMP, IT IS A 12AT7 TYPE!
TS Matt.
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MKE - Outboard Cream Ale
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If you need a tweeter, you might want to grab this up before it's gone.
TS Matt.
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Get an Apple Airport express and hang it wirelessly on your network. It has an analog audio output and allows for "Airplay" from your iPhone or iPad. You can then run any app you like (or embedded music library via iTunes)... works like a charm
And, at $99, it's impossible to beat especially if you don't have a video display near your 2-channel rig...TS Matt.
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Haven't had very good luck with them. Real Svetlana "Winged C" EL34's should still be available at a good price.
TS Matt.
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Edit: On a side note, some people tend to forget about "level matching" or "gain matching" when comparing amplifiers, let alone the "gain matching" that I am attempting to describe above for a bi-amp setup. Even very slight differences in gain between amplifiers can be audible as I have found that precise level matching can be more critical than most even realize. In certain situations a 1 dB difference can change a person's perception of an amplifier. For example, in certain listening rooms that tend to allow a speaker to "bloom" with reflective surfaces and very little absorption, a person could fairly easily detect a 1 dB difference in output level between amplifiers.
Some may find this interesting, years ago when I was a Wilson Audio dealer, I was required (prior to being INVITED to become a dealer) to spend a week out in Utah at the Wilson Audio factory to undergo training to PROPERLY set up Wilson Audio speakers. Long days were spent with graphing calculator, tape measure and masking tape in hand. Day four concluded with a fairly intensive "EXAM" which we were required to pass. Friday morning (day 5) we were met in the training room by David Wilson himself. We were then told to leave the calculators, tape, and measuring instruments on the desks, grab a cup of coffee and have a seat. One-by-one, the 12 of us (prospective dealers) were led down the hall into Davids' private listening room where we found a pair of Watts and Puppies disassembled on the floor. David told me to "set up the system, and tune it by-ear". The THREE of us who could (out of 12) became dealers that day. David Wilson's point was this..........there is no finer measuring instrument than the human ear...
TS Matt.
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awesome work
Thanks, you should hear George Clinton on this system.
Mayhap a little Peter Tosh?
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There are so many bad amplifiers and even more painfully ordinary amps out there it complicates matters when it comes to trying to make recommendations. It is pretty easy to tell when you hear a special amp though.
Amplifiers are like hamburgers......MOST are "OK", some are truly awful, and a few are Exceptional. Understand that NONE of the exceptional amplifiers use transformers or chokes that may have been a Westinghouse Deep-Freezer or Toyota Corolla in a past life.....the same holds true for circuit topologies themselves. Not all Push-Pull, Single-Ended, Class "D" Switching (Digital), or Solid-State amplifiers sound the same either. Part of the fun, also part of the madness.....
Additionally, most designers would agree that the tubes themselves only account for 10% (at MOST) of what you hear. Everything in the signal path sounds like "something". The key (or MAGIC) is determining what to hear. Some topologies innately do this better than others. Some methodologies within a topology maximize these differences. However, ultimately these choices do not come without compromises. The compromises manifest themselves in one of two ways; either lower sound quality or, higher cost...one of these outcomes IS selected by the designer.
IMHO......
TS Matt.
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possibly a DHT "45" would be the best solution.
That's exactly what I was thinking! UHHHHHH, what's a DHT "45"
Beginner here. DHT stands for Directly-Heated-Triode, "45" is the tube type (also NX-245, CX-345), these are some of the very earliest vacuum tubes to be employed as amplifiers. Most amplifiers that use this tube are commonly referred to as "SET" amplifiers, or, Single-Ended-Triode. "Triode" means that the tube itself only has "Three" or "Triode" components; Anode, Cathode, and Grid. In the case of DHT's, the cathode requires a fairly complex resistor network to supply the voltage necessary to "heat" the tube. As this voltage is also in the signal-path (therefore it's audible) many designers have resorted to DC heating as it's less "noisy". However, as a "45" and 2a3's are heated with 2.5v (as opposed to 5v in the case of 300b's) some designers feel that AC heating if done properly, yields a better sounding amplifier. The "45" is considered by many (including myself), to be the finest tube ever designed. However, it's power limitation (3 watts max) and cost preclude it's use in most applications (super-efficient Horn-loaded Tweeters notwithstanding). This tube is the best of everything. Absolutely sublime.
TS Matt.
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Active or Passive crossover? I would think either way certainly something in the 3 watt or less ball-park....possibly a DHT "45" would be the best solution.
TS Matt.
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Hi Bob,
Running KT-88's or 6550's, my Transcendence12 is biased to a hair under 12 Watts Per Channel.
TS Matt
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Hi Bob, I am suggesting 9 Watts Per Channel. In spite of others' observations, I don't believe Klipsch would overrate their sensitivity by 6db. Perhaps these "others" were mistaking sensitivity for the need to drive a non-linear load. In any case, I think this is accurate and conservative.
EDM is Electronic Digital Music, typically "Dance Music" engineered on a computer.
TS Matt.
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Great! Now we have established the loss of amplitude to the seating position (or our reference base-line). Assuming we use this SPL as our 1-Watt point. Even if Klipsch has "Fudged" the sensitivity rating a hair, this will be pretty accurate. Given the following, at this amplitude, you require one watt of power. To increase this by a factor of "twice as loud" you will need 3 Watts. If you either want to listen to EDM at these volume levels or would like additional "head room, say 3db", you would need a 9 Watt amplifier. Anything beyond this (with Your speakers, in Your room, at Your seating position) is a matter of choice. To suggest you need 250 watts to enjoy "good bass" is absurd.
TS Matt.
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Alright, now we have the ability to measure SPL @ 1 meter from the speaker. Grab a kitchen chair and position it in front of one of the speakers so that you can set your phone/tablet on it 39" away. Although you aren't 1 meter above sea level, this will be close enough.
Without adjusting the volume knob/s play the same tracks again and make notes of the SPL (nominal and peaks) at this position.
TS Matt
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I am having a bit of trouble finding the app, could we use the 70-75 range for now?
I guess that you could search the app store for "db meter" and see what results you get. If we just simply use the guesstimate of 70-75db in the calculations we will no longer have any "empirical data" to establish this "real-world" baseline.
Arguably, the intent is to actually establish REAL sound pressure level expectations from YOUR listening position in YOUR room.
No amount of "theory" will establish this for you (especially considering your primary goal). The difference between the sound quality and sonic attributes of SET, SEP, Tube PP, and Solid-State is fairly well documented in general. However, making decisions based on guesses can be the difference between AWESOME and meh....
TS Matt.
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OK, now to give you some way to actually measure the math against empirical data (your real-world expectations) without "breaking-the-bank". I will assume you have a "smart-phone" or tablet (with microphone) such as an iPad or Android device? Go to your "app store" of choice and search for: SPLnFFT
Download it and install it on your device. This is a fairly accurate db meter that you can now use from your listening position to determine actual volume levels as they relate to the power requirements suggested.
Select the "C-Weighted" button, and make sure that "Live" is highlighted in the upper left corner of the app.
Listen to a variety of your favorite music (with your current set-up) at different volume levels and make note of the average SPL and peak SPL's on the meter AT YOUR LISTENING POSITION. This then will be the "Base-Line" of reference for you to compare power requirements against.
TS Matt.
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hello evreyone,
As I said before the room is 12'x20' and my listening position is about 16' away, the speakers are about 6-7' apart. I listen to classical and I only use one source my cd player. I listen to a fair amount of large orchestral, but not extremely loud. Yes, I do like bass but I don't necessarily need to rattle windows. I would like to have headroom for when orchestral changes from quiet to louder passages soI probably won't go SET but wonder if SEP would be enough, I think it would work when I listen to chamber but maybe not large orchestral.
If I could I would like to use just a tube amp with a gain control, my cd player has output of 2.3 volts and I think that may be enough. My other thought is a tube integrated .
Thanks
I've got a great idea, why don't we start with this?
http://dangerousdecibels.org/education/information-center/noise-induced-hearing-loss/
Then we can move on to a discussion of "realistic" playback levels and power required to achieve a specific performance goal?
TS Matt.
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Matt, you are viewing this through the eyes of a custom builder. Of course, neither you nor I could afford to create something specific, offer an in home trial with it, and then take it back (which is why I don't offer any of my creations for sale on the forum, and generally restrict myself to the local crowd for whom I can provide demonstrations using the prototypes I keep on hand). Companies which do offer in home trials like Decware (and as Zim noted, they call it a trial), expect a certain percentage of their products to be returned and build that into the price of the equipment. The restocking fee covers the necessary cost involved in checking out the equipment which can then be sold as used, while still making a profit (not that anyone would know whether it is used or not if in perfect condition). THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO FRAUD INVOLVED HERE!!!!! It's not as if this isn't clearly offered on their web site. Crutchfield offers a 60 day in home trial, and I could list other sellers of audio equipment which do the same.
Maynard
Hi Maynard,
I guess both you and Zim are missing the point. The "Trial" offered by Steve (and others) was NEVER designed to be a vehicle for an "Amplifier-Rental". It is merely a "marketing tool" to build confidence in would-be purchasers. Steve is confident enough in his product to offset the "occasional" return with the fact that the sales he makes on the units that are "kept" far outweigh the cost of the returns. The "TRIAL" is provided to customers who "willingly" wish to PURCHASE the amplifier. Don't for a moment think that he is providing a "RENTAL" service for the price of the 10% re-stocking fee....
TS Matt.
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Bring it home, use it for a week or two, and return it.
Do NOT do this.....I am certain that Steve Deckert (as well as myself, and, Justin @ ampandsounds) would find the notion fraudulent at the very least. There is a reason that the following are ALL in the $1,200 ball-park.
http://www.decware.com/newsite/SE84CKCS.html
http://www.toolshedamps.com/products/renaissance4-stereo-amplifier-1
http://ampsandsound.com/products/custom-amps/se-84/
The cost of "Raw Materials" and "Labor" alone account for nearly $800 of the cost, AND, a decent "tube-set" adds an additional $200. That leaves (potentially) a $200 profit.
If a customer knowingly "forces" a manufacturer to remove ALL of the profit from an amplifier by returning it (with NO intention of purchase) thereby causing the item to now be classified as "USED", the customer has effectively defrauded the manufacturer. This in turn would influence a "non-sustainable" business model were it to happen repeatedly.
So, as you can imagine, I find this suggestion alarming......AND, reprehensible.
TS Matt.
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I've been to upscale audio in berwyn, while they carry tube amp their prices are not close to my budget. Also I was surprised with music direct having no demo room at all.
My open concept appartment living room is about 12x8 in meters small. I lsten soft (conversation level) to jazz vocals and I listen loud (train passing level.) to rock music, where they are supposed to.
Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Does anyone know the efficiency of the KG4? Now that we know the size of the listening environment, we will be able to figure out the power required for his needs (85db nominal, 99db peaks....reasonable, yes?)
Ground up build: my "Weapons Grade" Dual Mono SEP "Tech-Amp"
in Talkin' Tubes
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Absolutely FANTASTIC work!!!!!