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Looking for a nice 45 SET amp ... high quality but economical.
What are the choices ?
Thanks.....
Follow Ups:
I just picked up the Don Allen 45 and it arrived tonight after work. After a few hours of warm up time I can whole heartily give it two thumbs up:)). Wow...I only wish it had 6-8 watts!
I have an older Don Allen 45 amp which he just upgraded to the new design. The amp was good before the upgrade. Now it is one of the finest amps I have heard. There is absolutely no noise at all. As you move from song to song on the CD it sounds like the system has been shut down. Also you cab change the sound of the amp by switching driver tubes.
Mine is dead quiet so I assume it is the new design. Is there anyway to know? Also can you tell me what driver tubes are used? The labels are off of my tubes and I would like to roll them also...
It wouldn't sound as good.
Cut-Throat
I sent you mail.
Got it and read it too. Thanks.
I also recommend the Korneff. Although my speakers are a bit feeble for optimal performance I still find myself unable to part with my Korneff because it plays small ensemble and solo instruments with a distinctive musical involvement that I'd hate to be without.
Bob
Just compare the schematics of both .
Edits: 02/23/12
maybe what your looking for
Article by Eric Barbour in Glass Audio, about 1995. READ it before proceeding. Do a WWW search. Decent set of compromises selected.
Jeff Medwin
Hi,
I have built and owned the SE Glory 45 for about 6 years. It is excellent sounding, and cheap and easy to build.
Here is the schematic and parts list. If you decide to build it, and need any help or advice, email at rgd@cvzoom.net.
mg16
... in my humble opinion, of course! Seriously, that article is ancient, from 1995, and SE was still so new in the USA that this compromise was fairly widespread. Airgapped transformers were few and far between, and the understanding of SE vs. PP was at a pretty low level as well. (That said, as I recall the rest of the circuit was not bad at all.)
I've used a ST-70 output transformer as a parafeed output, back around that time, and even without DC current it was a serious disappointment. PP transformers are designed in the expectation that the center tap will be at signal ground, so capacitances between the CT and the (close-to-ground) secondary or the core can be ignored. Capacitances from the middle of the winding on a SE transformer cannot be ignored, however. It messes up the treble, both with resonances and weird phase shifts.
Hi, The jist of the article was to get into SE triode sound as cheaply as possible. I built SE Glory first with a Hammond PP OPT's, as per the article. It sounded great. The circuit draws about 25 ma. per channel, so a 30 Watt pp ,wired for single ended use, never saturates, and sounds fine. Naturally, I couldn't leave well enough alone, and had to hear what a version of the circuit would sound like using top quality parts. Within a couple of months, I swapped the pp opt's out for a pair of One Electron ,(UBT-2? I believe), single ended opt's. Even better. My current version, built about 6 years ago, uses James OPT's. This is my final build, and the one I will keep, but I can't help thinking; "What about Magnequest"?
MG16
RE: "Single Ended Glory for Under $100."
Can u provide me a link to that article ? I don't want to spend a whole day to look for in. Thanks.
I couldn't find the article but I found this.
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
Thanks for the link.
No, I won't do that at all.
Jeff Medwin
How much do you want to spend? We make a nice 45 amp and although it is an integrated amp we could build one without the preamp section and volume control for less cost. It includes a high pass filter as well if you think that might be useful.
The link below is from a Positive Feedback review (you can also link to our website from there to learn more). Although the review model had the upgraded (and more expensive) Electra-Print hand wound silver transformers we build a less expensive version using hand wound copper transformers as well. Feel free to contact me offline to discuss.
Here are the contender:
Stereomour Stereo $750
Fi X 45 $1500 ???
Don Allen 45 mono-block $1800 ???
Which one sounds the best ?
Thanks.....
I never heard any of the above referenced amps so I cannot offer an opinion. However, it is known by many that Don Garber (Fi) and Don Allen build fine products.
No affiliation with the seller.
And you just missed a pair of Don Allen 45 monoblocks that just sold at a lower price.
Wonderful 45 amps, great build, sweet sound. This is a no brainer.
?
In Kit form it is about $750.....Bottlehead gets high marks from Audiophiles also. You can also run this as a 2A3 amp.
Cut-Throat
Look promising but I need a SET not Integrated Amplifier. I plan to use it for bi-amp...it is for the mid/high portion only.
Does it have a set version only ?
Thanks......
I believe the choice is rather simple. Bottlehead-tried & true as it gets. How many you want to order right now? The girl is on the corner & ready.
Or, Jeff Korneff 45 as I have plenty of time with that stellar amp. But, you will need to buy as the amps show up once in a while. Same with other used amps.
Don Garbier? I never heard his 2A3 let alone a 45 amp. I have reservations about that 6SH5 tube used in his amps that is great as a 'banger tube' in guitar amps. HOWEVER, I never heard the amp.
Don Garbier ? !! I think Don would enjoy that, seeing how he is looking for a place in the south of France.(to share with Juliette Binoche, I hear). And no need to worry about that 6SH5 driver,(you must mean 6SF5; that's all Don use's with the 2a3/45.), you could put a dry corncob in that circuit and it would still sound musical.
You could just omit the volume pot and turn it into a power amp.
What about the pre-amp section inside ?
Do u need to by pass it too ?
Thanks....
This amp uses a relatively high-gain driver (12AT7) so the "preamp" is just a volume control and a source selector switch. Several customers have replaced the volume control with a pair of 100K resistors and bypassed the switch, for the same reason.
For more information, you are welcome on the Bottlehead forum.
Full disclosure - I designed that amp.
Thanks....great info.
I never built a amp. from kit before. Can I do it ?
Thanks......
I'm a Latin teacher and I have built most of the kits they offer at one time or another. If you can solder you can do it, the directions simply don't get any better. If you can't solder, post on Bottlehead and ask if there is someone nearby who can teach you. Chances are good there is and they will.
If you know how to solder you can do it.
The instructions are very good.
Tre'
Have Fun and Enjoy the Music
"Still Working the Problem"
I'm looking for a second hand one now. I might not able to put one together.
Let me know if you have one for sell.
Edits: 02/21/12
These products are pretty straight-forward to build and come with great instructions and support over at bottlehead. I love used gear but you can get into a ton of trouble quickly if there are any issues (on a kit amp). If you start fresh, take your time and passed kindergarten, it should be a pleasing and worthwhile endeavor.
Bottlehead will build kits for you. See the web site and the forum for more information.
nope
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