stan krajewski Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 I put this together myself about 3 years ago. It works but fine but I'm using an Adcom GFP555 with a Odyssey Stratos amp and Heresy IIs so this unit is just sitting here. I will send all the paperwork and instructions with it. I really would like the person who buys this to do a voltage check on the key points as per the instructions as I haven't used this for a year. As I said it worked just fine. It has the "anticipation" upgrade which was done by "Doc Bottlehead" himself. The price is $100.00 plus shipping. Please EMail me if interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Taylor Posted September 12, 2004 Share Posted September 12, 2004 I don't need one , have one already, they can sound great and for a hundred dollors it should sell fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted September 12, 2004 Share Posted September 12, 2004 $100 this shouldn't last to long ! Great for someone that want a taste of a tube preamp on the cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 I bought the Foreplay from Stan. I can not talk highly enough about him, a real straight shooter. Here is the bottom as I recieved it earlier today. I don't know if you can see it but one of the output caps came loose in shipping. No big deal, they were going to be replaced anyhow. As can be seen it has the highly touted Anticipation mod too! Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 Here it is when I got done with it this afternoon. I increased the capacitance of the power supply and bridged the input and output caps with .1uF poly's, Glued the caps down to prevent microphonics and replaced the 2uF output caps with a pair of 3uf F&Fs I had around. Eventually I plan to put a pair of 4uF PPT Thetas in those locations to grab a little more bass. There is much discussion about this on the Bottlehead forum. This little sucker sounds just as I had hoped with the Yamaha DVD-51200 and Cds on the Jolida and Heresys. Nice sweet mids and highs with no siblance. Both Dave Brubeck and The Greatful Dead sound equally as good. Thank you again Stan. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted September 25, 2004 Share Posted September 25, 2004 I'm so glad someone picked this great little preamp up! What you did looks good, Rick. I didn't care for the active plate loads in the first one I made, and in fact took them out about an hour after they were installed. That was back in the late 90's, though, and my system has changed since then. It may have been just a mismatch, or something, since many really like what they do for the music. Amazingly good performance for such a modest investment! Have fun with it! Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshannon Posted September 25, 2004 Share Posted September 25, 2004 Hi Erik, I notice that you use a Dynaco PAT-4. How do you like it? I assume that you have had a PAS 3 or 3X at some point in the past. If so, how do they compare? I am using a PAS 2 in my office system. I use it with some Antique Sound Lab AV8s and cornwalls. I was thinking about sending the PAS 2 off to get it rebuilt and upgraded. What are your thoughts on that? Good bang for the buck? Or is it an obsolete design? - Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Mandaville Posted September 25, 2004 Share Posted September 25, 2004 Hi, Lee: I need to update my signature block and sytem notes a bit. I had been using the PAT 4 for quite awhile, but it is now being borrowed by a friend who is using it with my Moondog amplifiers. Despite the fact that it is a solid state component and only cost around $20-30 dollars, it sounds very good; is extremely quiet; and makes a good match with high input impedance tube amplifiers. I am now using a tube preamplifier, which I built that is mostly modeled after one formerly sold by AES (Audio Electronics Supply), wich is a sort of DIY division of Dennis Had's Cary Audio. This latest one actually has something in common with a solid state preamp in terms of clarity and detail. However, I think the 6SN7 based tube preamp has the edge in terms of 3-dimensional qualities. The PAT 4 has been great, though, and I would still be happy to use it for years to come. No, I don't think the earlier Dynaco tube preamps are obsolete or out-dated. I have one on a back-burner of my work bench right now, as a matter of fact, which I was able to listen to for a short while before it developed a rather pronounced problem. I think they are really good preamps, as a matter of fact, but can sometimes take some work and dedication to get running properly again -- depending of course on the situation. There are a couple on ebay right now that look nearly brand new, inside and out; and one of which is already over the $500 mark. The friend who is now trying my Moondog amps with his La Scalas in turn let me borrow his Carver SS preamp to try for fun -- which it indeed has been! I did not expect it to sound as good as it does, but it is really a great sounding preamp, as well. Some here will probably be familiar with the Carver 'Sonic Holography' feature, and as somewhat of a 'bell and whistle' compared to most preamps I've used, is something I LIKE! My feeling is that sonic holography is another name for a bypass capacitor intended to boost certain frequencies in order to give a greater impression of 'presence,' 'immediacy,' etc. I built into my current preamp what I thought would do the same thing, but need to work on it a bit. There was so much of that 'presence' and high frequency/upper midrange information that it about blew me through the back wall! ouch! But I know what I can do to tame it down a bit, and don't really know if it's similar to the Carver circuit (it's most likely not even close). Wanna try a PAT 4? I've got another with slightly scratchy controls you can try for awhile if you want -- or adopt it for the cost of a big Latte at Starbucks, or something. I'm not using it, and I would rather someone try to put it to some use or experimentation. It was built as a kit, but by some guy who was simply damn good (pardon my English)at this kind of work. The tape monitor switch does not like to stay in the depressed mode, anyway (what switch or person does!), but it's not a feature I use. I also have some tubes in boxes to mail out and can add the little PAT 4 to that if you like. It'll give me an excuse to clean out my closet, which my wife reminds of of daily. Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lshannon Posted September 28, 2004 Share Posted September 28, 2004 Hi Erik, Thanks for the feedback on the PAS's and thanks for the offer of the PAT. Based on that, I'll probably send it off to get rebuilt sometime soon. I have my first preamp (NAD 1020) lying on my workbench that I can use while I ship the PAS off, so I think I'll pass on the PAT. But thanks, I really appreciate the offer and the info. - Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan krajewski Posted September 30, 2004 Author Share Posted September 30, 2004 Rick, I'm so glad to hear you are happy with the preamp. Thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate it. Enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbflash Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 Rick, Good job. Night and day difference. Stan, Thanks for posting it here and at such a good price. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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