Couple of nice MKIIIs

[Parrot]

This pair of monoblocks is well done

Except that the 500V rated can will fail. Eleven pages and that remains the salient fact.

[Painful Reality]

I also recently posted the links to the online auctions of another person who does Dynaco rebuilds from scratch, and the same thing happened. Erik

You mean the one amp with the ugliest powder coating job I ever saw?

[Erik Mandaville]

Prof. Lessard:

"You mean the one amp with the ugliest powder coating job I ever saw?"

Indeed, that is another example. You are correct. The paint is a wrinkle-finish powder coat, and the work is done by a professional powder coating facility. (somehow I sense a follow up response to this fact!)

So. It's the ugliest powder coating job you ever saw. And you have the world's eyes?

[Painful Reality]

So. It's the ugliest powder coating job you ever saw. And you have the world's eyes?

I must admit I'm a world reference when it comes to good taste.

[Erik Mandaville]

Shawn: You have Nikon SLR related PM -- D50 vs D70

Erik

[Parrot]

Shawn: You have Nikon SLR related PM -- D50 vs D70

Erik

Surely you don't need to waste the Forum's time and space with such posts. You have Shawn's email, use it.

[Erik Mandaville]

"I must admit I'm a world reference when it comes to good taste."

At least you are honest about it. Some of the amps this person sells are horrible looking to me. He does Dyna 70s in all white, violet, fire engine red -- you name it. Although I don't go for all the color schemes (which are often special order), the workmanship is always very good.

Erik

[NOSValves]

"I must admit I'm a world reference when it comes to good taste."

At least you are honest about it. Some of the amps this person sells are horrible looking to me. He does Dyna 70s in all white, violet, fire engine red -- you name it. Although I don't go for all the color schemes (which are often special order), the workmanship is always very good.

Erik

Except for the baked 500V can.............

[NOSValves]

So. It's the ugliest powder coating job you ever saw. And you have the world's eyes?

I must admit I'm a world reference when it comes to good taste.

I must say the darn Canadian made me laugh yet again!!

[Painful Reality]

I must say the darn Canadian made me laugh yet again!!

For your information, Canada starts West of Montreal. Seems there is also some patch of Canada here and there near the Atlantic Ocean.

[Deang]

You know, I've been thinking this through, and I think you're both wrong. I'm pretty sure what you need in this application is a thermostat.

[Painful Reality]

A thermostat is not unlike a Variac.

Variacs are fun (and easy) to use.

I love them.

[NOSValves]

Damn uppity Frenchmen<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

[Deang]

Isn't France a country is the continent of Quebec.

[NOSValves]

Isn't France a country is the continent of Quebec.

You need geography check.

[sfogg]

"Well I guess it may have some minor value to what is going on but still the 2 minutes has nothing to do with THE APPLICATION WERE DISCUSSING."

You posted the spec sheet for the thermistor as some kind of 'proof', not me. I'm the one that pointed out the two minute data on the thermistor you are using does not apply to the situation. Now you are trying to make that claim after I already pointed it out you... typical.

"The point that a 5AR4 starts making B+ is like 30 to 45 seconds"

Make up your mind, you said it was 60 seconds before B+ came up earlier in the thread.

"People can through specs and technical talk around all they want but none of it changes the testing I did that is real world solid information."

And you were the one posting specs on the ICL without actually being able to say where the ICLs resistance is in the real world with testing after x number of seconds in circuit.

Shawn

[Erik Mandaville]

Re: Appearance issues of these amplifiers.

My personal taste is completely beside the point. In addition to the MKIIIs mentioned earlier, I have also provided links to both the Baldwins and Dyna 70 rebuilds. As I said, Autospec has done these amps in violet, white, and so on. Although I don't care for any of those, it should be noted that there are people who do. The main issue was with the craftsmanship of the paint job. I disagree that it's poor quality, and his feedback is very good.

I first mentioned this individual's work in reference to Born2RockU's Baldwin organ amp about this time last year. I also own one of the Baldwin amplifiers, and someone else here purchased a pair of black MKIIIs from the same person.

For the cost, or more accurately irregardless of cost, the Baldwin PP 6L6 amps are really outstanding. Based on that, as well as what I have heard about his MKIIIs, my effort (again!) was to share a pair of amplifiers I thought to be very well rebuilt for a fair price. The same was true for the MKIIIs and Dyna 70s from Amplitude.

Erik

[NOSValves]

"Well I guess it may have some minor value to what is going on but still the 2 minutes has nothing to do with THE APPLICATION WERE DISCUSSING." You posted the spec sheet for the thermistor as some kind of 'proof', not me. I'm the one that pointed out the two minute data on the thermistor you are using does not apply to the situation. Now you are trying to make that claim after I already pointed it out you... typical. "The point that a 5AR4 starts making B+ is like 30 to 45 seconds" Make up your mind, you said it was 60 seconds before B+ came up earlier in the thread. "People can through specs and technical talk around all they want but none of it changes the testing I did that is real world solid information." And you were the one posting specs on the ICL without actually being able to say where the ICLs resistance is in the real world with testing after x number of seconds in circuit. Shawn

What ever Shawn..just keep blabbering on and making an a$$ of yourself. Youre not going to change the facts!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Fact #1 The Dynaco Mark <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />III with a 5AR4 and a thermistor works perfectly at stopping the voltage spike.

Fact #2 With the 5U4 it does little or no good!

Fact #3 With either 5AR4 or 5U4 rectifier the voltage spike is present without a thermistor

Fact #4 A 500V filter can has no business being installed in the first 2 stages of a Mark III power supply

Fact #5 You and Erik have no real world experience with the subject at hand

Fact #6 Youre full of Techno Babble and nothing more

Fact #7 I know from experience what works and dont work in a Mark III amplifier from rebuilding them extensively for 3 years now.

Fact #8 I have built new, rebuilt, modified or redesigned over 800 tube amplifiers with about the same number of happy customers.

The facts remain the same anything else is just meaningless techno babble.

I see your still not going to tell everyone what Tube rectified amp you have tested any of the techno babble in.......

Craig

[Daddy Dee]

I'd just like to throw in my two cents in a non technical contribution.

In my own Gomer Pyle way, I've been reading the thread without the benefit of an electronics background or experience. Best advice any tech gave to me, while opening the bottom of a tube chassis to observe and report, was "don't touch anything!"

I own a pair of Mark III's, nearly identical to these, built by the same fellow, "autospec" in Idaho, who sells most of his stuff on Audiogon.

When folks gathered in Hope for a forum weekend, we had these set up in a system with Heresy and/or Cornwall system (all with fresh crossovers) driven by a Merlin and AH! Njoe Tjoebs CDP.

I thought it sounded very good.

I can pass on a few things the man has told me in response to my questions... I cannot make the case that he is right or that what he says is correct.... it is only my passing along what one expert thinks. It might go without saying, but from reading this thread it is again obvious that experts disagree. Some disagreements are subjective preference and some theoretical/practical.

This is not a problem to me, I'm in a state of ignorant bliss anyway.

The man makes a case for using the 5U4 rectifier, and it has been a good number of months, so I won't try to quote him as to the rationale. I do recall him saying that the caps failing is not a problem. He has only had one instance of this happening. Now just remember, I'm not saying the sky ain't blue, this is just what the man tells me.

Interesting enough, he prefers the original Mark III (mostly intact) I think. It's not that he has't tried other things, he just builds what he likes. That's a subjective preference, I think. When I've asked him questions about tubes, he has preferences there, of course subjective, but from his experience and feedback from other customers, too. This guy, now retired, has been working with tube electronics since he was a youngster and a young man. After retiring he just wants to do what he likes, which is to pick up parts out of his warehouse full of old gear and build stuff the way he wants to.... from a stripped chassis up. He repunches and redrills the chassis for the mods then sends it out for sandblasting then powdercoat. One thing I can say, the pictures he posts on Audiogon do not do justice to the quality of powerdercoating of chassis or the auto quality paint on transformer bells, etc. Moving the electronic connections to the back with a face plate and toggle on the front, looks like a minimalist version of the Sound Valves Mark III's. They actually look like factory new OEM amps.

I was laughing one day when we were talking on the phone, he told me he had a list of things he had to do for his wife. After he finished those, he could spend several days doing just what he wanted to do.... which was to spend time in his shop. One thing he mentioned, he thinks he makes .50 per hour doing this work. Sounds about right to me. He's not trying to compete or make a living, it's just one of those hobbies that is better described as "avocation". He wakes up excited about what he's going to do that day and can't wait to get out to the shop and do it. He's quite comfortable in his own skin.

As to sound, I have already mentioned that I thought they sounded very good in this system in Hope. They sound good in a similar Khorn system in my home. I give my usual disclaimer which a question, "what the hell do I know, anyway?" I thought listening to Lee Clinton's Khorns with AlK's ES crossovers, Trachorn and Beyma upgrades, dialed in ... in a treated room with a Behringer crossover, Mac preamp and Teac power amp was as good as I've heard. Fini and I stopped by there to pick up nametags and ended up in the listening room for three hours. I mean it was a fine listening experience.

How much better would Craig's VRD's sound than these Mark III's? The VRD's should be a clear winner. I would really love to hear the VRD's. I mean REALLY like to hear them. I've been coveting a pair since Craig was talking about them in pre VRD days. ... Craig, I hope you will bring them to INdy again in '06. I think Klipsch should put on the dog next year with the 60th anniversary Khorns.

Gomer Pyle OUT.

[NOSValves]

Dee,

Great post. I know you have Mark <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />III's from Autospec and if you look back at the thread where when you bought them you will notice I didn't say a word about the power supply, Why? Because your amp at least has a 525V can! Well that is if the picture you posted are of your actual amps. I know that Mark III's like this sound very good and that this guy does nice work except for his power supply scheme. We can argue back and forth until were green in the face but the things I'm mentioning here are from years of history about the weakness of a the Mark III PS and the same can be said of the Mark II since there basically identical less the choked input power supply (in fact it was known to be worse on the PS can, Why you guessed right they used a 5U4 rectifier! I think his use of a 5U4 is a major mistake and really feel you should find someone locally that can solder and install an inrush current limiter and use 5AR4 rectifier.

As far as the sound of your Mark III I'm sure you do like it very much! But remember the reference point youre coming from. I would also venture to say you may not like a set of VRD's or my Modified Mark III's on initially listening to them. You would have to give yourself some time to settle into the sound but in the end you would end up having a hard time going back to what you have now. The experience would be like lifting a big veil off the music but at first different isn't always better if you get my meaning. Heck the Bass might even scare you LOL!!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Craig