ToolShedAmps

Ya, nearly thirty years ago I was in my 20's...... my son Ben is in his 20's and here he is with his new Quartets. TS Matt.

Where are you located Cris? It's possible that there are forum members nearby who have tube equipment which they can bring over for an audition in your system-- Maynard That will be the best. I am from Lombard, IL and appreciate if there's anybody body near me to let me check how their tube amp sounds like. P.S. I am the one who always crank up his marantz at unit 08, ssshh... Ohh.....Lombard....my son and I just drove down to Willowbrook yesterday to pick up a minty pair of Quartets. Wish I had known, I could've dropped off something for you to hear.... TS Matt.

Rock music through a SEP. RobZombie.MOV

What is that crazy looking thing in your avatar? Is that some sort of cookie cutting machine or something? TSA Matt has been pushing me to start spinning vinyl. If I had a "cookie cutter" like that, I just might Matt ♪ ♫ ♪ Here is a great place to start... https://store.uturnaudio.com/products/orbit-plus-turntable TS Matt.

I'd give the Mullard 10M series ECC83 a try, these are a fantastic alternative to either the Telefunken or Siemens ECC803S. They seem to have a bit more "Cream" throughout the mids and a little less "Chime" on top. TS Matt.

We are modding the Crites motor-run cap crossovers to bi-amp. The G6 will run the tops while the T12 blocks will bring in the heavy artillery for the bass bins. Gonna be Bad A** Without the need for additional power to run the bass section, you can then take advantage of the additional performance that the 6W6gt's allow in your Genesis6.

Howdy, I like the following (in no particular order); UX-4 Socket: Type 80, and 83 Mercury Vapor... UX-5 Socket: Type 84....Octal Socket: 5y3g, 274b, 5R4GY, 5U4g and 5U4GB... Noval Socket: 6CA4/EZ81 and lastly Small 7-Pin Socket: 6X4. All of these have their uses, and are typically selected based on the current/voltage drop requirements of the circuit in question. Additionally, heater-voltage tap availability (on the selected power transformer and/or the need to add additional transformers) also plays into the selection process. Ultimately, the selection is based on achieving the necessary performance of the power supply as a whole. Just my thoughts.... TS Matt.

Well, since it is to be used for a musical instrument input, then driving some unspecified amplifier, I would think you would be able to build it fairly inexpensively. I'd consider using the 1st half of the 12AX7 as the gain-stage and using the 2nd half of the tube as a cathode follower to lower output impedance and allow you to drive a decent length of cable to your amp. TS Matt.

Awesome! ...now that is definitely a little more than "faint blue" Yep, but it also makes a boat-load of noise......

Also not to answer for NOSValves, but simply to agree with William and Maynard. The enemy of any electronics is heat. Especially so regarding electrolytic capacitors. As an electrolytic capacitor ages, the electrolyte itself starts to "dry up", heat compounds and speeds up that process (this is why as an example; Fender mounted the main power supply electrolytic caps under a cover on TOP of the amplifier chassis where they would be easier to access and replace after failure). A good design would take into account the need to replace these caps eventually. Equally as important would be to place the capacitors in a location that would either ventilate them (convection cooling) or prevent them from being in the direct path of heat elements (ie., large power resistors, inductors, etc.) of the physical layout of the design itself. Additionally, beyond the obvious solution to exclude electrolytic capacitors entirely from a design (possible, however improbable, mostly based on "cost" or even physical size), minimizing their use to the only absolutely necessary applications is not out of the question. As far as "maintenance" goes, the only suggestion I can think of (for you "tube-rollers" out there) is to make sure that the pins of the tubes themselves are free of "gunk" when you insert them in your tube sockets. Additionally, unless the amp is built with very high-quality tube sockets (mil-spec vintage, or some of the newer designer PTFE sockets with adjustable inserts) you need to be very careful to not bend or "side-load" the contacts when inserting or removing the tubes. This can lead to poor contact which is the primary reason why tube amps either don't work or have "intermittent" problems. As an aside, there are a couple of aftermarket companies that make very good products to clean the contact points of both the sockets and tubes themselves. DON'T consider this stuff "Audiophoolery". Every amp-tech on the planet has a case of electrical contact cleaner next to his/her solder pot. Cheers! TS Matt.

I really enjoy this forum, and as such, I wish to observe the rules. Please either send me a "private message" or email to: toolshedamps@gmail.com Thanks for your understanding, TS Matt.

I meant to say earlier, those are far and away the coolest tube amps I ever have seen. They have just the right vibe. Well done Mr. Tool Shed. Thank you very much! My goal has always been to build an amplifier (or Line-Stage, or Phono-Stage) that looks as good as it sounds. Frankly, we now live in a world where everything is "disposable" (ie., not worth repairing). So many "black boxes" have been churned out of Asian factories over the last 30yrs.+ that we as American consumers have been brainwashed into accepting this new paradigm whereby mediocre performance is acceptable because of the low initial cost of purchase (and if it breaks, or if we "drink the cool-aid" and want the new "feature" or processing algorithm) then we can just kick it to the curb and buy a new one at low cost. I think there is something inherently wrong with this mentality. I grew up in a time when I watched my parents and maybe more importantly, my grand-parents work very hard for their money and when they made a purchase, they bought the best that they could afford with the idea that they would buy that item ONCE. Years ago, there were repair facilities for everything from furniture to vacuum cleaners and everything in between. What has happened? With this in mind, I created ToolShed Amps. Designed and built to outlive us all. An AMERICAN aesthetic, derivative of nothing, as finely crafted and detail oriented as I can manage (you "Car-Guys" will understand this), one piece at a time. Thanks again, TS Matt.

If you haven't heard Techno, Electronica, Dub Step or Black Industrial on a "Slamin' Tube System" you have yet to live.....

Hi Maynard, To answer your question, no. The difference could not be measured at any frequency (at least not the freq's my tone generator is capable of ie., 50, 200, 440, 1k, 10k, and 15k). However, as compared to tying g3 to either the cathode or ground with just a piece of wire, there seemed to be a significant difference in sound-stage depth nearly up to cut-off when testing the stereo pair. (I DO have to also make the distinction between the SV83 in general terms compared to the 6bq5/EL84 in my same circuit). IMHO, the SV83 even WITH the Hazen grid-tied 0.1uF high-quality, film cap, CANNOT hold a candle to the truly EXCELLENT mid-60's Sylvania "black-plate" 6bq5. Obviously, each of us has our own likes and dislikes, and this is my opinion only. So much so, I would actually prefer to maximize the performance of one or the other (and will do so at customers' request). Again, I'd rather run g2 a bit "hotter" if the amp is only to be used with 6bq5/EL84. TS Matt.

Hi richieb, No, I'm not using stainless steel (although I do use stainless hardware; bolts, screws, washers, keps nuts, etc.). I use only non-ferrous metals for my flat work. Either Brass (Hard), Copper (CA110), or 6061 Aluminum, as in addition to being an aesthetic design element, they provide a much better ground-plane for my circuits. Not to mention that they are far easier to mill myself using standard drill-presses with cobalt cutters. I do all of this work myself and would rather be "self-reliant/self-actualized" and not rely upon a third party or CNC milling. Additionally, I do 90% of the artwork for the "negative" resist myself as well, and, as most of my work is actually commissioned rather than "production", I am able to work with the customer to provide a product that aesthetically is just as much an expression of the individual as it is functional. TS Matt.

Hi Craig, Thank you for the kind words. Matthews did pass along your flattering comments. Obviously there are many paths to "sonic bliss" as evidenced by the P-P Mono's you build as well as the work Maynard has offered here on the forum. You know as well as I that it is easy to provide commentary (criticism) behind the relative safety of a keyboard. It is far more difficult to please a paying customer. So, nuff' said about ticks and leeches. I'm a "glass half-full" kind of guy. Regarding "bending my ear", shoot me an email: toolshedamps@gmail.com I'd be happy to give you a little insight into how I do what I do (etching). Cheers! TS Matt.

I believe that they were shipped with NEC tubes. Hope this helps. TS Matt.

You people would rather protect someone that is blatantly lying to customers and forum members. And TSMatt never answered the question about the rectifier filament because he doesn't want to admit his error or show he has no idea what the heck he is doing. Great Job Moderators!! I'm pretty sure everyone is sick of your negativity. In any case, no one is lying to anyone. My use of the E80L is more in line with the type of thing I do. On the other hand I'm sure Maynard is competent enough to design an amp with the E80L similar to the attached schematic. Be well JPM.

Thank you for the kind words Maynard! I may have "just what the doctor ordered", I had recently been turned on to a tube type by an existing customer and forum member that just may be the perfect tube for your 10 watt parallel SEP project. Take a look at a data sheet for E80L/6227. It has absolutely fantastic curves. Matt. Yes, the 6227 is a nice tube especially given its low current draw. Unfortunately, its price is absurd! And, needing to run 4 in parallel to get around 10 watts out simply isn't practical due to the probable parasitic oscillation issues, as well as needing almost 3A for filament current per channel. Besides, using tubes costing more than $5 makes my palms sweat!!! Maynard Ahh....I'm certain you are right regarding the oscillation issues. My thoughts on this tube was to use it as the little gem that it is. 2.5 watt S.E. "Bedroom" or possibly "Headphone" amp. Maybe with a cute little power supply using the super cool little 84 rectifier. Whoa......I'll design it right now, I think I'll use 6AU6 drivers in the spirit of "tiny", and it'll still be a "Pentode-Driven-Pentode" amp. Matt.

Thank you for the kind words Maynard! I may have "just what the doctor ordered", I had recently been turned on to a tube type by an existing customer and forum member that just may be the perfect tube for your 10 watt parallel SEP project. Take a look at a data sheet for E80L/6227. It has absolutely fantastic curves. Matt.

That's what I suspected from the pics you posted. You may want to check with TS Matt about the mode of operation. Those tubes can deliver around 6 watts when run as pentodes, but far less when triode strapped. Either way, they are nice sounding tubes! Maynard The EL84's are biased slightly over 5 watts, the SV83's run a hair hotter, but still less than 150v on G2. Most definitely "Pentode", NO strapping here. TS Matt.

Merry Christmas to ya'll, Matt's "tubes" are "burned-in", ie., past the point of anticipating mechanical rejection. He is simply in the process of becoming accustomed to listening to a Single-Ended-Pentode amplifier. Much argument on many forums regarding whether or not "burning-in" electronics is necessary or beneficial is widely available reading material. I personally feel that most of my "burn-in" process is simply to make sure the all of the components perform at my spec., and that there aren't any catastrophic parts failures. However, I also believe that there exists a certain "settling-in" period of new components, be they amplifiers, speaker cables, interconnects, etc., to achieve the best "synergy" with everything else in the system (much has also been written about this). I have experienced on occasion a point at which an amplifier "all of a sudden" sounds MUCH better than it had during the previous listening sessions. This point is arbitrary, and, I typically attribute it to the point at which the coupling capacitors or output transformers "relax" for lack of a better word. Smoother, more extended highs, mid-bass articulation increase, possibly more extension on the very bottom, sound-stage increases in width and depth, etc.... Just my $0.02...... Cheers! Matt.

all my paisanos say capisce Ahh....we "block-heads" (Don't give me any wot'ka) would normally follow it up with slap upside the head.

Please direct the chastisement to the perpetual instigator. His brand of snide innuendo is tiring.

Decent? Decent was me not saying I don't think you know that much about electronic circuits. Your lack of understanding with some of the most basic concepts is what worries me that you sell amplifiers w/ lethal voltages to people. e.g. no bleed resistor in power supply. Sorry, you are probably a great guy just not a electrical engineer. Here we go again, I never claimed to be an EE. I am however, an EXCELLENT AMPLIFIER BUILDER. Please point me at a customer review of an amplifier YOU have built. My website, Instagram, and, Facebook are replete with evidence of my ability. BTW, all lethal voltages in my amplifiers are on the INSIDE of my amps. If anyone decides to drill-out the security screws and remove the bottom plates to poke around with a fork (or similar) in my amplifiers, they have voided their LIFETIME warranty.