hetmann Posted May 24, 2002 Share Posted May 24, 2002 Does anyone have any experience with the eico hf-85? Would this preamp be worth restoring? Does it sound as good as the preamp built into the hf-81? ------------------ Klipschorns and Moondogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted May 24, 2002 Share Posted May 24, 2002 hetman, Here's a link to the Eico page that has some information on the HF85. I have an HF81 that I love dearly, and have a healthy respect for the Eico products. Others here may not be as impressed. Eico HF85 A search on Google.com will yield other HF85 information including a story by a gent who put one back in working order and threw out his Proton1000 preamp. Audio By A Mad Dog Good luck whatever you decide. Klipsch out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted May 25, 2002 Share Posted May 25, 2002 Eico bashing? Seems like a good honest point of view. We all know the EICO products were BUDGET kits in the late '50's early sixties. Hence the cheap parts. I'm not slammin' EICO either. They can do very well with mods(or upgrades or whatever.)but, you gotta know when to draw the line, considering what it is and what you want to shell out. I think I'll I have left original, is the Tranformers A great way to learn about tube circuits though. Some folks here like their EICO's in stock form, but I was into the learning thing, or haven't learned a damn thing however you want to look at it. THANX! This message has been edited by mike stehr on 05-25-2002 at 12:28 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipped and Shorn Posted May 25, 2002 Share Posted May 25, 2002 I am much more partial to the various Eico amplifiers than I am to their other offerings, some of which I do have on hand. I am quite happy with the HF-35 monoblocks which I am currently using with a Dynaco Pas 3 preamp and am in the process of getting a pair of HF-22 (push-pull 6L6s with what looks like the same great transformers as the HF-35), I even kind of like the little HF-14 which I am using to run a little FM tuner in another studio. There is something straight forward and appealing about the way they are set up on the chasis. Upgrading the capacitors and jacks seems like it will be relatively smooth sailing. Not quite so with the HF-85 and the HF-81, both of which I have on hand along with some other lesser items including an early tube FM tuner and a mono tube pre-amp. This integrated and this pre-amp are not as straight forward as the basic Eico amplifiers, since there are switches, variable pots, and a variety of inconveniently un-labelled inputs and outputs, most of which are kind of outdated and not set up according to our current standards, eg. like RCA plugs being so close together that one cannot use high quality interconnects (this is common to most of this vintage equipment). The amount of work I am facing in order to upgrade the 81 and the 85 does not seem to be as inspiring as the work necessary to upgrade the basic amplifiers, since there is so much more old wiring to trace, re-solder, and fix, as well as cheap original parts to replace. If I was a true believer in the promise of their potential, this task would be easier to tackle, but having seen the inherent potential on the scope, I am not totally convinced that these units are all that special, except for the relatively inexpensive entry level. After all is said and done, and one adds up the escalating eBay prices, the cost of replacing tubes and capacitors etc., as well as the time, I am not so sure that it might not be worth investigating the wider variety of possibilities that are out there in regards to tube integrated amps, tube receivers, and tube pre-amps both vintage and new. The DIY aspect is fun, and if one ends up with something that really sounds good to one's ear, then that is all that matters. Had this HF-81 arrived in the shape it was supposedly in when described, I probably would be enjoying it somewhere, rather than having to find the time and energy to upgrade it. BTW, having seen both the Dynaco PAS3 and the HF-85 on the scope at mdeneen's, I would say the PAS 3 has the slight edge between these similarly priced vintage units. -dynaed and eicoed ------------------ Cornwalls currently upgrading to all tube components This message has been edited by Clipped and Shorn on 05-25-2002 at 02:39 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hetmann Posted May 25, 2002 Author Share Posted May 25, 2002 Thanks for your considered opinions. I was thinking of hot rodding one of these with modern parts, upgraded switches, connectors and stepped attenuator. It seems as though everyone raves about their eicos. I was thinking of going that route to get a retro kind of chassis and the iron. After getting some of your scoop here.... I think I might be better off with a modern kit preamp. I know this subject has been beat to death, but I'm new to this antique stuff having had solid state separates for all these years. ------------------ Klipschorns and Moondogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted May 25, 2002 Share Posted May 25, 2002 Hetmann, On the brighter side of things, what tubes are you currently running in your 2A3 Moondogs? I've recently discovered the 2A3 black plates(doube plates) tubes by Rogers Majestic of Canada. I've been using 1943 RCA Black plates and 2A3 Sovteks single plates prior to this, with the RCA's clearly the prefered tubes. The Rogers tubes are truly outstanding, and as I listen to them more, they may outshine the RCA's. They sounded better out of the box for the first hours than the RCA's did, so only time will tell. Which driver and rectifier tubes are you using? I'm also about to try a pair of 6SN7 tubes recommended by a New Zealand audio group that I had not heard of before, which they say is one of the best 6SN7's made so I'll share that once it arrives. There are a few 2A3 SET users here, so a hearty welcome is in order. Klipsch out. My 2 Channel system #1 1974 Belle Klipsch Welborne Labs 2A3 Moondogs Cary SLP90L Preamplifier Asusa modified PP-1 Phono preamplifier Rega 3 turntable, Rega 300 tonearm; Grado Rega Planet CD player AudioQuest Bedrock speaker cables Silver Audio Hyacinth interconnects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hetmann Posted May 26, 2002 Author Share Posted May 26, 2002 I bought a pair of Moondogs when Ron had his 7 day sale. The timing wasn't great for me, but I couldn't pass up the deal. They are still unassembled and came with the Sovtek 2A3s. I was going to add the teflon sockets that come with the "ultimate upgrade" kit as part of the assembly to avoid extensive disassembly later. However, when I found out the cost of the scokets, I thought again. So I will be building them stock. I am waiting for a week when my wife a daughter go out of town to assemble these. Lots of peace and quiet and noone needing the table while I have things spread out. ------------------ Klipschorns and Moondogs This message has been edited by hetmann on 05-26-2002 at 08:33 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted May 26, 2002 Share Posted May 26, 2002 I admire your ability to hold out. I'd be itchin' like crazy to build those things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazman Posted May 26, 2002 Share Posted May 26, 2002 hetmann, What did you pay during the sale for the Moondogs? If I had some excess cash during that sale, I would have been tempted to buy a kit for a second pair of monoblocks. Which driver tubes (6SN7) did he ship with the kit? I bought my Moondogs from the original owner/builder, already assembled and with a sweet quad of Brimars. Good luck with the build. Klipsch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hetmann Posted May 28, 2002 Author Share Posted May 28, 2002 I don't remember what I paid exactly, but I figured that was as cheap as they'd ever be. I think they were discounted 20%. I was able to pick them up since I live in Denver, so I didn't have to pay shipping and I got to meet Ron W. I believe all the tubes supplied are Sovtek. They are all in their red and white boxes. I have been building a variac to assist me in firing these up when I am ready. That has been a project in itself. I have seen pictures of guts in Jazman's amps and another built by Ron Welborne so I know what neatly constructed Moondogs look like. That's what I am shooting for. ------------------ Klipschorns and Moondogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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