Parrot Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 ---------------- On 12/20/2004 12:02:23 AM DeanG wrote: It can easily hit the levels reached by the QUADs, and does it just as effortlessly. The biggest difference is that I'm getting my fill at 85-95db instead of 100-110db. There is just more of everything early on. ---------------- Am I interpreting this correctly? That your Quads didn't really sound right to you until they were cranked? Except for a headbanger, if an amp has to be that godawful loud all the time to sound good, it seems like a bad choice. The Brits aren't renowned for deafening levels. I wonder if you had to have the volume up that high in order to overcome the laid-back British character of the amps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 I should have qualified by saying peak output. The meter bounces between 95 and 105. Sure it was loud, but not "Godawful" loud. You heard the system over an extended period of time at those levels -- what did you think? You know as well as I do that if it stays clean, those SPL's can be glorious. You might have a point about the QUADs maybe being too laid back at lower levels. They just never seemed to "open up" unless I jacked the attenuator up some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I liked what I heard but I didn't listen long enough to know all their characteristics like you do. I don't recall if we listened to anything that was meant to be played quietly; we should have done that. I think it's a given that the QUADs are quality amps and therefore it seems to me that the designer and you had different ideas on what constitutes a good overall sound. The traditional, more laid-back British sonic signature comes to mind as a possibility. Or maybe the QUADs weren't originally voiced to Mudvayne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 "Or maybe the QUADs weren't originally voiced to Mudvayne." Oh, I'm sure they weren't -- but the Klipschorns were, I'm pretty sure of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 I'm feeling pretty good right now. I decided to shut the amp down and do some basic things. 1) I cleaned all of the tube pins and sockets with denatured alcohol. 2) I took the bottom plate off, found the ground wire, and gently pushed it closer to the chassis where I could. 3) After putting everything back together, plugging in power and the interconnects -- I noticed the left channel interconnect was really only about a 1/2 from the power cord. Not that bad really, but not ideal either. The power cord was one of those with the right angle ends on it. So, I went ahead and swapped it. I don't know which one of these fixed it, but the low level buzz is gone. I don't hear anything now unless I walk right up to the speaker. So, I'm happy now, and you all can quit grieving for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny dB Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Good for you Dean. I was worried you were going to get rid of it. Do you have anytime I can come by and give it a listen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 "Then I read the comments again about bass boost in amps? I've had amps on my bench since - oh - about 1975. Big ones, little ones, cheap ones, expensive ones, exotic ones, tubed ones, SS ones, separates, integrated and so on. I have yet to see even ONE which has any bass boost or bass cut. In fact, I have yet to see one that was not flat in the audio band. It almost sounded like, but I bet I misunderstood, that someone was proud to build a "flat" amplifier? I dunno, they are all flat when measured. And yet, and yet, they all produce bass in a different manner, with different characteristics. (And treble too.) I'm guessing the original comment, "...didn't have enough bass.." was related to the PERCEPTIVE impression of the bass performance, not the measured." So if I understood that correctly you would expect my amp to measure the same when using EH EL34 tubes as it does when using, for example, JJ Electronics KT88's. That would imply we are measuring the wrong thing to me. The bass reproduction of the 2 tubes is RADICALLY different IME. Subjectively, i.e. listening, the KT88's have prodigious bass in comparison to the EL34's. How can both/either be flat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I am relieved dean, I was worried you would not find the culprit for the hum/buzz, which as I said should not have been there...now get back to enjoying the music, I predict you will enjoy the thrills of PP DHT as much as I do!....tony btw when you decide to sell, let us know first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Dean, Glad you took care of that noise in the amp. I'm feeling better and I haven't even heard it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 The tube amp "sound" covers a lot of territory. The interest in tubes lies in the discovery of how much cleaner they sound -- and this regardless of topology. What people "want" is the natural, unforced nature of the sound that comes with them. From there, they begin to move around within the color spectrum. Nothing wrong with that. Hey, there's as much difference between different solid state amps. Actually, there are people out there that believe that a tube amp should sound edgy. DBX is making a killing selling starved-plate tube preamps and compressors because they sound strident when pushed, which a good number of unwitting consumers perceive to be a "tubey" sound. Kind of a major oversimplification in my book. What, he would argue the source has no bass? LOL. Sound in my home is measured against the live event. Good bass is the foundation of music. I have to agree that he builds with the "straight wire" with gain philosophy -- the last time I looked underneath one of his amps that's about what I saw. I can argue that many sources, particularly mid to late 80's rock records and CD's, have a distinct lack of bass, and sound very bright. Appetite For Destruction is an excellent example of this - very aggressive high end, and very little bottom, as if a roll-off was engaged at 80Hz. Wish I knew what he meant by bass "boost". I have a feeling he means increasing the damping factor by adding feedback. If so, I don't think I can agree that this "artifically" boosts bass. I can't believe he actually believes his amps don't "color" the source material. Most of George's amps are zero-feedback. As far as the "bass boost" issue, I think it leads back to the common practice on integrated amps of installing a loudness switch or dial. You and I both know that the vast majority of casual listeners out there pretty much use this whenever it's available, because that's the sound they're conditioned to enjoy, strictly out of habit. It's a tough habit to break, because the music doesn't "sound right" the first time you hear it without this "scoop" EQ curve applied to it. I don't think he believes his amps don't color the source material, but his primary design goal is to minimize the coloration - the straight wire with gain philosophy. Obviously, there are many designers out there that follow the same philosophy, and the results vary, which is why there are so many different opinions on amplifiers - it's all a matter of taste. When Mark mentioned the overly sensitive amp input and the ensuing noise issues, he triggered a recall for me about these people that perceive strident, edgy, distorted output as the "tube sound". It may or may not have been on topic, and I apologize if I derailed the conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 Time to finish off the thread with some pictures of my Christmas present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 I'm glad I like it, because I don't ever want to have to pick up again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Are you saying you are going to keep this amp forever? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 For ever and ever, Amen, or about as long as Anna Kournikova stays engaged/married. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 What is there to trade 'up' too without mortgaging the house? A saw a nice Fisher Price record player at a garage sale last week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 That amp is dead sexy not in a necrophiliac kind of way though but in the super cool 4 300B's kinda way : ) I would love to hear this amp or anything with that many 300b's/6sn7's YUMMY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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