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My WAVAC 805s are less edgy sounding than my Coincident Frankenstein IIs...

70.162.135.70

jeffreybehr

In Reply to: RE: So, Jeffrey, just how good are the MD-805s? posted by morricab on November 06, 2014 at 01:42:13

...but they ought to be with all the cheap and magnetic parts in the Franks. They're about equally transparent. I felt the WAVACs were good-enough sounding to be worthy of improving the powersupply caps, but on my way to ordering parts, I decided at 70 years old that my 'career' of improving and playing with vacuumtubed poweramps has come to an end. I ordered one First Watt J2 stereo poweramp, listened to it patched into my mono-amp-based system, and ordered another. I now have a pair of them regularly cabled into my system...

...and they sound VERY good. Rated at 30WPC into 8 and 15 into 4, the channels are parallelable to create a monoamp rated at 30 into 8* and 60 into 4. I plan to patch them into parallel, and if the sound quality is at least as good as running just one channel per amp, I'll hardwire the parallel configuration. Soon I'll be upgrading some PS parts in the J2s, so they'll sound better yet.

The WAVACs are for sale.

* the amp's output into 8 and higher Ohms is still powersupply-Voltage limited.
----------
Tin-eared audiofool, large-scale-Classical music lover, and damned-amateur fotografer.
William Bruce Cameron: "...not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

MD-805ms on eBay (Open in New Window)

Follow Ups:

RE: My WAVAC 805s are less edgy sounding than my Coincident Frankenstein IIs... - Ric Schultz 20:06:56 11/06/14 (1)
There are lots of ways to mod the J2 amps. I have a list on my website but the first thing you want to do is disconnect the LEDs. Then see if the bolts that hold down the diode bridges are magnetic....if they are then change them to non magnetic screws and nuts (brass or non magnetic stainless steel). Same with the bolts that holds down the power transformer and output fets. Of course, you want a super fuse (latest Audio Magic or Synergistic). Remove any thermistors in series with the AC. Better wire, binding post bypass system, better resistors, damping of heatsinks, bypassing the power supply with modded Wimas or other great caps, changing the diode bridges to better ones, changing the large power supply caps, etc. Lots of stuff to play with. Do enough and it will sound like a completely different and better level of amp. Have fun!

Edits: 11/06/14
- TYVM. I've already purchased new PS caps--Mundorf M-Lytic AGs... - jeffreybehr 00:30:32 11/07/14 (0)
  ...and will replace the bridge rectifiers with Fairchild Stealth diodes, the PS-series resistors with Mills MRA12s, the 4 small (10uF/25V) 'lytics on the boards with BlackGates, one pair of bindingposts with Cardas CCGRs (and eliminate the other), one RCA per amp with Furutech FP-901(R)s (and eliminate the other), try to figure out the input wiring to be rid of the XLR connectors and pin jumpers, and I'll improve some wiring while doing this work. Will also add BlackGate FK 2200/35 bypasses to the 4 powersupply poles on the boards and also add SoniCap Platinum 0.47s PS bypasses on the boards.
  On the Super-7s, I'll replace the treble-series cap with a huge 10uF composite SoniCap Platinum and the MR-series choke with a Goertz copperfoil inductor. Also will hardwire the speakercable into the x-over, thereby eliminating one set of mechanical-and-solder connections.
  ...all little by little since the amps are light and carriable (while vacuumtubed 55Watt amps are almost-no-longer-carriable by me) and the speakers' x-overs are right there in front of me.
  ----------
  Tin-eared audiofool, large-scale-Classical music lover, and damned-amateur fotografer.
  William Bruce Cameron: "...not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
  
  Edits: 06/12/17

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