JohnW Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 4 hours ago, Madman1 said: Any interest in a Dynaco sca-35 with Dave Gillespie efb upgrades? Also has st-35 output boards in it. Puts out a solid 17.5 watts. Ok, now I know the difference between an SCA and an ST. Are all these Dynacos SET? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madman1 Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 1 hour ago, JohnW said: 1) What’s the difference between an SCA and an ST? 2) Who’s Dave Gillespie? 3) efb? 4) what difference do the output boards make? 5) What are output boards? Do I really need to know how to build an amp before I can enjoy it? Well...shew! The sca-35 is an integrated amplifier so preamp/amp in one unit. St-35 is a stand alone amp. Dave Gillespie is a brilliant engineer that has designed some really cool modifications for some of the older Dynacos. Efb= Enhanced Fixed Bias which means you can manually adjust the bias/voltage on your tubes. It’s easier on the tubes and makes the amp more efficient as well as improves the power and reduces the distortion. Now my limited understanding of switching the output boards is that you can reduce the gain, but these now use a 12ax7 tube opposed to a nearly obsolete 7199. Also think the sca boards were made to work with tone controls the st-35 weren’t. (Tone controls have been removed from the circuit of this sca) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madman1 Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 1 minute ago, JohnW said: Ok, now I know the difference between an SCA and an ST. Are all these Dynacos SET? They both are push pull el84 output tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 So you have to pay stupid money to get decent wattage (over 10 wpc) on a SET amp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry4841 Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Pretty much the case, the reason for push pull amplifiers. More power. The 5 watt SET amplifiers are plenty enough for my LaScala's in an average size room. Room size of course is subjective. Just remember 5 watt amplifiers were used in movie theatres for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 Reading up on the Bob Latino kits. Hmmm... Ok, I'm in a holding pattern until December 1, when the Jolida gets here. Then I'm in another holding pattern for another couple of weeks while the tubes open up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinmi Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 1 minute ago, JohnW said: Reading up on the Bob Latino kits. Hmmm... I built a Latino ST-120 about 10 years ago and it is still running strong.Bob Latino is a great guy, and will answer any and all questions you may have. His amps are top notch, and a real value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinmi Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 John, where about do you live? I only ask because there may be someone close by that would lend you an amp to try out. Most people on this forum are real nice and don't mind helping a fellow forum member out. I've loaned out equipment several times. It's a lot cheaper than buying one of everything and seeing what you like best. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madman1 Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 The Latino is definitely a different animal than a set. I had his 70 and his 120, I just couldn’t find the right combo with the preamps I tried. I have found that I like a “colored” or “bloom” sound and I wasn’t able to get the combination right. Preamps have a lot of influence in the final results. I'm sure you will enjoy the Jolida. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 1 hour ago, henry4841 said: Pretty much the case, the reason for push pull amplifiers. More power. The 5 watt SET amplifiers are plenty enough for my LaScala's in an average size room. Room size of course is subjective. Just remember 5 watt amplifiers were used in movie theatres for years. Well see, that's the thing, man...I have a pair of Cornwalls. Maybe "rock out volume" should be handled differently? I dunno. We will definitely see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 1 hour ago, kevinmi said: I built a Latino ST-120 about 10 years ago and it is still running strong.Bob Latino is a great guy, and will answer any and all questions you may have. His amps are top notch, and a real value. The more I read about him and his Dynacos, the more intrigued I become. I live in Escondido, CA...just north of San Diego. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 50 minutes ago, kevinmi said: John, where about do you live? I only ask because there may be someone close by that would lend you an amp to try out. Most people on this forum are real nice and don't mind helping a fellow forum member out. I've loaned out equipment several times. It's a lot cheaper than buying one of everything and seeing what you like best. Found folks like that on motorcycle forums as well. I guess most folks are just nice like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 13 hours ago, JohnW said: Well see, that's the thing, man...I have a pair of Cornwalls. Maybe "rock out volume" should be handled differently? I dunno. We will definitely see. For extreme levels it does not matter if you use tubes or SS. A simple expedient is to have a SS amp for the extreme listening and a tube amp for high quality listening. A couple of simple switch boxes allow selection of either. Maynard 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry4841 Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 One of those cheap class D amplifiers on ebay fills the need to wake the neighbors or shake the walls. Specifically the TPA3255 ones. Hard rockers need at least one of these. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=tpa3255+amplifier&_sacat=0 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted November 27, 2020 Author Share Posted November 27, 2020 16 hours ago, henry4841 said: One of those cheap class D amplifiers on ebay fills the need to wake the neighbors or shake the walls. Specifically the TPA3255 ones. Hard rockers need at least one of these. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=tpa3255+amplifier&_sacat=0 Even at concert volume, it still needs to sound like I’m at a concert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry4841 Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 5 hours ago, JohnW said: Even at concert volume, it still needs to sound like I’m at a concert. Trust me they sound excellent. I have two of them, one an original Texas Instrument board and the other one of the Chinese clones. I cannot tell any difference between the two. There are many members on this forum that have this chip amp, TPA3255, and also praise the sound even at low volumes. Some of the best bass I have ever heard on an amplifier. Lot's of research went into the development of this chip by Texas Instruments, an American company. Throw in a quality switching power supply and you have an excellent SS amplifier. But then the tube sound is different and overall I prefer it's sound, at least most of the time. Another point, I will state that most concerts use Class D amplifiers to drive their speakers. Powerful and much lighter to move around. I would much prefer to move around a class D amplifier than my Crown DC300A that was a band favorite years ago. It is so heavy I do not want to even restore it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted November 27, 2020 Author Share Posted November 27, 2020 Wow...$60? I had no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted November 27, 2020 Author Share Posted November 27, 2020 So what’s this I read about warming up your tube gear before you use it? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Five minutes is plenty, but you MIGHT notice an improvement up to an hour. With serious listening, often at lower levels, it takes me a while to have the outside world go away, so it may simply be my focus as I am drawn into the music. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 14 minutes ago, JohnW said: So what’s this I read about warming up your tube gear before you use it? Yes, a member here told me, he would call home from work and turn on his tube gear before leaving. Maybe that Jolida will have some guidance in box. 30 minutes or less, cannot say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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