AnalOg Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Need a feedback on the Eico st40. Looking to pick one up for my brother in law for Christmas. He wants to get into tube amplification. How does it compare to the sound of the Scott 299A. All input would be appreciated. Thankx, Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 This is probably not the kind of feedback you were thinking about, but: I remember when that amp was introduced. I think the ST40 is the coolest looking amp ever. I have considered restoring one and using it because something that looks that good must sound great. What has stopped me is one of the things I like most about the design: all those knobs and switches. There is a lot of oportunity for signal degradation, dropouts, noise .. things that make a stereo image suddenly pull to the left or right. For top quality sound you might look for something simpler. For an enjoyable sounding piece of modern-retro (that needs a drop of pro-gold now and then), the ST40 is hard to beat. leok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 OTOH, I've found all those knobs and switches to come in quite handy! It's nice to back that treble down to -2 when the Heresies start screeching with the dial on 6, or to be able to make minute adjustments with the balance control knob. I think all those crazy knobs are part of the overall circuit that contributes to the final sonic signature of the piece. Inane babbling, sorry. The biggest conern here is buying vintage without having it serviced, to remedy safety and performance related issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 You might want to read over this page, it covers the ST-40 pretty well and has a fix for the problem with the loudness switch and volume control. This guy Roger really has his ducks in a row on this tube amp stuff. Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofy Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Thanks for the link Tom! I have an Eico ST-70 that was my grandfathers from the late 50s/early 60s. I have been wanting to restore it, but i would also like to rebuild the output tube stage so i can use a more common type of tube than the 7591. Has anyone done this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 Roger Stevens was a big help to me when I first got my EICO. Although after living with the amp over the years, I dont quite agree with everything he says. Still, that loudness fix is a definite good tip. Although the ST-70 is supposedly the better of the two, the little 40 is ok as well. You usually get more positive comments about the HF-81 and the 40 uses harder to source outputs. I imagine it can sound pretty nice though. To show how opinion runs strong and deep, unlike Leok, I think the ST-70 and ST-40 are the ugly ducklings of the EICO line, that's why I was surprised to see him laud that as one of his favorites. As mentioned here, with all vintage gear you are dealing with a gamble on the repair. So take that into account. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 21, 2002 Share Posted December 21, 2002 I personally think the St40 and 70 are the only amps on earth that can best my Heathkit AA-151 in the ugly department. I hear they cam sound pretty darn good though. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipped and Shorn Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 About the 7591A output tubes: I finally have my Fisher 800C set up in my art studio, powering a couple of Altec diy vented boxes (416B+511B/806 drivers, passive crossovers). I noticed that the old stock 7591A were running very hot, so I tried comparing them with a new quad of matched Electro Harmonix. The EH tubes run cooler and sound great. They are slightly larger so the tubes appear to be closer together but still fit in there ok. They are ever so slightly taller so they must be removed before slipping the case over the unit. My point is that the new Electro Harmonix 7591A are just fine and come in matched quads for way less $ than tracking down NOS which are very scarce. At least in this Fisher the EH replacements are every bit as good imo. -c7s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Gee folks. You don't think the ST40 belongs at MOMA-Queens. How about the Lockheed Constellation, that's my next vote. What IS the best looking integrated-amp? pre-amp? amp? (please, not the Halcro) For what a lot of us use, what is this .. a box with a selector switch and a volume control .. maybe just a box if it is all remote. How can that be good looking? leok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 This is one of my favorite looking preamps below. I happen to love wood with tube audio. The two go together very well. I prefer the even more vintage HF-81 in the EICO line. The Scotts are nice as well but a different look. I like the chrome Dynaco look too. I also like the McIntosh MC-30 look. I love the wood and copper/brass/aluminum top plate the best if making an amp. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Clipped, Who did you buy them from ?? I just bought a set that were suppose to be factory matched from Paul and Bizzy Bee and they test way off from each other on my Hickok. they do the same on my EICO 667. Heck the Hickok says 4700 is minimum and 2 of this only test 5100 . Not good at all. I'm thinking there is something amiss with my tester. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Clipped, One more thing do you have anyway of contacting Mark Deneen ?? If so email me @ craigostby@comcast.net Thanks Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Kelly, Nice pictures. The preamp is esp. striking. leok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pland Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Hi, The EH 7591 didn't test very high on my Eico 667 either,but sounded terrific.Actually better than the oem Eico(westinghouse?) tubes that came with the amp. BTW,there's a nice ST70 on audiogon for $150.00.If I were you,.I'd snap it. While I've never done an A/B between the 40/70 models,the ST70 is a very, very,good amp,especially after the loudness mod. As far as appearance,I'm afraid I agree with Craig.These amps look much better when hidden! Best, Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Here is an informative page on the Eico ST-70. Probably a lot of this applies to the ST-40 as well. http://members.rogers.com/dnicoter/st70page.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted December 22, 2002 Share Posted December 22, 2002 Pat, That ST-70 is in Peru! Not that I have anything against Peru, but it'd probably be expensive to ship and harder to get any satisfaction in case it was damaged in transit or not as advertised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pland Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Hi, You know,you're right.Peru is much further than,say, Delaware.Better probably to shop closer to home. Mea Culpa, Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipped and Shorn Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Craig, I got the EH 7591A awhile ago from thetubestore.com. There are hand marked stickers on each box which suggest he matched them and wrote down a number. I am still without a tube tester here so I just plugged them in. They were about $22.25 each. Most of the older tubes are used on eBay so it is a bit of a crapshot and also they tend to go for a lot more, at least twice the price. NOS when they come up are three times the price. -c7s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofy Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 For anyone interested, there is an Eico ST70 on eBay that ends tonight. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3280&item=1946897896&rd=1 Also thanks for the links to the 7591EH tubes and the rebuild page. (Now what do I tell my wife? I already told her I had beaten my Glowing Glass addiction! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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