henry4841

Not so sure about more distortion. There are many tube amplifiers that have really good numbers, if a number is what one is chasing. Horns work well with tubes and the very low power they need means a well designed tube amplifier is going to have a very low distortion number. Below what really matters. For instance does a .0005 number sound better than .05. Not really. Then there is the kind of distortion. Most tube amplifiers low distortion number is going to be predominantly 2nd and 3rd harmonic which can sound pleasing to many whereas a SS amplifier distortion is of a higher order which is very offensive. One reason SS must have low distortion numbers to sound good. Nelson Pass has admitted in some of his amplifiers he intentionally created a little 2nd and 3rd harmonic. He also has said many times that for years he designed amplifiers with low distortion numbers but now he creates what sounds best to him. When you get into high end amplifiers you are buying what the designer thinks sounds best to his ears. It's entertainment not all science. Jean Hiraga I believe is the first to say an amplifier sounds best to him with a little 2nd harmonic and a touch of 3rd.

The S-993A. I bought mine on Amazon almost two years ago but it is not available there now. Ebay has them but like everything the price has gone up. Actually the price is the same but one has to pay $30 shipping from China. Not recommending from any seller but like this. https://www.ebay.com/itm/224556151192?hash=item344896f198:g:FOoAAOSw5UxhB3RD There is a learning curve to properly use one. Solder wick with some added flux works well too for boards but when you learn how to use the gun it is a time saver when restoring old receivers, replacing old caps, etc.

I have one of those Chinese desoldering guns you can buy for around $100. Work really good for boards, after you get use to them, but not very good with crossovers or connections like them. Not any better than solder suckers. Solder wick is best for those kind of connections. Thought you might want to know what to expect.

I have one potential buyer and we have discussed spending a little more for a solid cherry wood stand for the amplifier to sit in with hand cut dovetails. Let's face it a Bud chassis is very plain looking. I want whoever owns it to point with pride at this amplifier. Pictures coming of stand when finished. Little rusty, been two or more years since I cut any dovetails, but they turned out pretty good to my old eyes.

Please share the schematic when you decide to build.

😃 Better looking for sure. Many say look good sound good.

R11 in the alternate PS is 3K2W. Wonderful to see 11 downloads already. You will want to adjust the value of R10 where you have 200V's between the cathode and plate of the 6Y6. If my calculation is correct you will be running the plate dissipation at 10 watts. The 6Y6 is rated for 12.5 plate dissipation. This is at 50ma. This is from Maynard. My experience is making a tube or transistor work gives better sound. That is as much as can be safely run. Nelson Pass runs a lot of bias in his transistor circuits for this reason. There once was a reviewer for a noted publication that was an active member on this forum that said the best sounding amplifier he ever heard was a 1 watt one. Not this one so as not to get the wrong idea I am saying this is the one he was talking about. Just for those that turn their nose up at just one watt. Maynard's stereo power supply has two sections. Two PS sections with one transformers. My builds, this will be the third, just use one PS section of the schematic. Two would be better but one has always been good enough for me. Keeps the build simple and less expensive. Plenty of imaging with big soundstage with one PS section. Just for comparison below is the power tube for this amplifier vs the one for the Decware Zen.

Love the one you're with. My moto since got old with limited income and learned not to chase perfection.

I still get excited when I get a package from Tubedepot. Got my tubes for this build today. Two Westinghouse 6y6's and two from a brand I have never heard of. CEI electron tubes 6SJ7's with the markings of Made in England. With a little googling it appears that CEI was a distributor that bought from others and put their stamp on them. Made in England, Mullard perhaps is what I found out. Common practice for manufactures to buy from a competitor way back when and put their stamp on. When a company made a run they made a lot of them with no marking for this reason.

I have used Edcor's exclusive for all my tube builds except one so I cannot compare them to others but Edcor makes excellent transformers IMHO. Years ago they shipped in approximately 3 weeks except for my last two orders. It took 2 months and an email to them before they shipped.

I am glad you posted this because I could not find the SE OPT's on ebay you described for $38. Look forward to your test and opinion.

One should expect the labor cost to more inline for what it is worth. It takes me approximately 10 hours of my time to build one of these. You should expect the labor rate to more realistically to be in the $20 to $30 an hour range. I am just trying to bring out just how swell this amplifier sounds and my hope is more members will see if they are impressed as I am with the sound. I probably will not build another one to sell being this is just a hobby for me.

Impressive

Eye candy as well.

Good George. I would love for someone to use them and publish their findings about how they compare to Edcors. I love Edcors but hate waiting 2 months to get them. Just not a realistic shipping for those without a lot of patience.