Cut-Throat Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 I just received my Welborne DRD45 monoblocks this week. If you are a beginner and have ever contemplated building a kit amplifier, I highly recommend these DRD kits from Welborne. SET amps have very few parts (probably why they sound so good - Not to much to screw up.) My first kit was a Push-Pull AE-25 Super Amp and had 5 times as many parts as my first SET amp! Every DRD part is separately packed in small clear plastic bags and marked on the outside of what part it is corresponding to the instructions. Like the resistors are marked 'R1', 'R2', 'R3' etc. Capacitors are marked - 'C1', 'C2', 'C3'. Other kits that I have built had all the components lumped together and the only way to sort them out was with a Digital Multimeter. Measuring each one, the parts inventory took a couple hours. The parts Inventory on my DDR45 took about 15 minutes and that included unpacking! The instructions are clear with diagrams for the wiring that are in color. You don't have to be an electronic genius like Erik Mandaville to build one of these, you just need to be able to follow directions "like solder 5 inch wire from C1 to R13". Just get yourself a couple new tools like a good soldering iron and a Multimeter and you'll be good to go. Welborne charges $300 to build these kits and the money you'll save, will buy an excellent Multimeter and Soldering station! If you have any trouble, there are lots of folks on this forum, like Erik that will help. Also Welborne has a forum that you can get any question answered - Very few smart-*** answers, either - Go for it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 More than likely, the smart *** answers come from Ron himself! Heh... No arguing he makes a great kit though. Truth be told, the WRight Sound 3.5 at $1100 used to be the BARGAIN in quality sounding air-gapped SET. After George raised the prices, things became more unclear. Now this latest from Ron is easily the best deal right now. OF course, no one has REALLY done a full, dedicted review yet and the accolades have not been as wide reaching as the introduction of the original Moondogs. Still, I think a large portion of this is the fact that there are SO many SET options these days. The price value quotient of these amplifiers is large. Although not as visually appealing as the Moondogs, it appears to be a sonic winner (and that was a hard act to top). Have not heard as much on the 2A3 version, however. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 Sounds like a great project, Kevin! ...but...ummmmm...I 'ain't no electronics genius, although I thank you for that positive reference! My dad continually sort of freaks me out with what he knows, and he looks at some audio stuff ('specially the SET species) as fairly simple compared to radio electronics. And Leok, and JFL, and Ryan, and Craig, and a few others of Klipsch-forum-fame must be included among those from whom I have learned some neat ideas. I bet that DRD will be one heck of an amp; all 1.5 watts worth! I think it will be an incredible match for your new speakers, too. Have fun, let me know how things go. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted November 2, 2003 Author Share Posted November 2, 2003 "More than likely, the smart *** answers come from Ron himself!" Yup - There was two people that came to my mind and Ron was one of them. That was kind of a smartass trick you pulled on Erik a while back with the 410 plate voltage comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leok Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 Of course we NEED to know: How do they sound??? Then after a few months, don't forget to tell us, after they break-in, how they really sound. leok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 That was a JOKE, Cut-Throat... It surely wasnt smart *** in delivery at least not meant that way. I never thought anyone would answer "seriously" only expecting guffaws about burning the house down. I have NEVER seen 410v on a 2A3 to this day. Lo-and behold, I was wrong on the taking serious issue. Erik, RIKI on the WL Forum, and I go WAY back on the forums. So do Ron and I with not so pleasing results. I actually defended Erik (the only one) against Ron's pretty acerbic responses more than a few times via that forum a few years back. I dont think Ron is very open to changing ANYTHING on his amps or questioning feedback. That being said, again, he makes some ok kits. I dont find his answers on the forum particularly compelling however. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 Doesn't it make you wonder how much he really knows about his amps? I get more insight from a rock than from anything he has ever said. Ron Welborne himself was part of the reason I decided NOT to go the DRD route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kudret Posted November 2, 2003 Share Posted November 2, 2003 I've contemplated canceling my order several times due to Ron's lack of response to any kind of inquiry, some regarding the DRD amps and some regarding the status of my order. BTW, Kevin, congratulations on your DRDs. I would be very interested to see some close-ups of the amps when they're finished, especially how padauk looks on these amps. I won't be seeing mine before Christmas. kudret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Well, I agree Welborne Labs could maybe do a little (some say lots!) better in the customer relations/service department. But that being said, I can't help but think that it has got to be difficult for what is probably basically a one-man show to effectively cover the many aspects of running a small business. Grudges can be paralyzing and destructive things, and I have made an effort to be able to separate the design from the designer. We know that Picasso is among the most famous artists of the last century -- and I know that he also had certain personality traits that may not have seemed particularly envy-worthy for some who were close to him. As was pointed out, I haven't always had great communication with Ron, but most recently things have been fine. Honestly, think of some of the exchanges that have taken place between members of this forum (including me!). I think it would be safe to say we all have an issue or two, but that doesn't mean other more positive traits should be ignored, does it? In my opinion, Ron Welborne knows a great deal about 'his' amplifiers in particular, as well as audio electronics in general. And in fact, the DRD amps are not really 'his,' as we already know the facts behind their origin. He did assist with some of the changes from the original design, however -- as was also the case with the Ultrapath battery powered preamp (which I think is a great product!). Anyway, I would hate to dismiss an outstanding product for an amazingly good price because of personality issues. There are MANY people who have purchased Welborne Labs products that have been very pleased with the service and value for $$$ ratio. I bought my Moondogs and many parts from him, and I won't part with those amps. We have also discussed how the Moondogs are derivative, are not an original design, etc., etc., but that is the nature of this field! The DRDs borrow technology more than half-a-century old........yet so does the Lessard parafeed amp. I built this summer. I think if one can find the patience, the quality of the DRDs would be well worth it. As Leo has also said, the amps in their own right must be quite good; but they also are an excellent platform for possible circuit modifications down the road. They are also simple enough (which is very much in their favor, I think) that changes can be made relatively easily. Maybe Ron is dealing with other issues in his life -- who knows!? I just think the products he has taken such care to put together should perhaps be appreciated on their own merit. Obviously all of this is just my opinion and a reflection on how I personally try to look at things. As has been recently used where differing opinions may apply -- 'Your mileage may vary.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Just to make sure we are very clear...mr. welborne has been very open about not designing these amps, he always credits jack elliano for the DRD design. mr. welborne just says that he tweaked the sound to his liking mainly by adjusting the B+ voltage lower. I have seen that he does not communicate well but his products, IMHO, cannot be faulted, value for dollar, performance for dollar. taking a line from another thread...personally if he were on fire I WOULD piss on him to put it out. LOL. tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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